The latest entry to Disney’s Star Wars, curiously titled Skeleton Crew is boldly offering a concept that has been done before. It’s too similar to Star Trek Prodigy. In the world of literature, some fans have compared it to Treasure Island and I agree. Although the circumstances are different, Wym (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) is a kid who likes to dream big and wants to explore the galaxy. After discovering a spaceship buried underground, the group he brought together to investigate goes in, and it blasts off into outer space! Pretty soon, this lad, Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), KB (Kyriana Kratter) and Neel (Robert Timothy Smith) are lost in space.
Afterwards, they encounter space pirates. Although they figure out they’re at least not jettsoned to the opposite side of the galaxy, all is not well. They want to go home, but nobody knows where the planet of At Attin is located. All viewers know is that it’s hidden in a sector known as the Unknown Regions. Everyone from this world seems to be involved in some grande experiment, and I have to wonder if the scientists are working on deconstructing the atom? It’d be a terrible pun should that be the case, but there’s a meme to be made with the name of this planet.
While Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law) seems to know his way around, not even he can help. Although his agenda to help these kids seems honest, I suspect there’s more going on than meets the eye. By episode four (“Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin”), not even he knows where the planet lay. The group finds the world similar to theirs, but this civilization has their own laws. Overall, I’m enjoying this change of pace. Although any reference to these ol’ bones is limited to the decayed rot on the droid SM-33, I yearned to see more blatent jolly roger references swinging around.
Showrunners Jon Watts and Christopher Ford wanted the series to be like one of those early Steven Spielberg family oriented films and they succeeded. When compared to the last series (The Acolyte), which I tuned out after the third episode, I wanted more! When a Star Wars story honours a narrative style similar to what George Lucas wrote (including Episodes I to III), I’ll watch. No tale can be complete without a scene set in a bar, and the obligatory moments, like a speed racer bike (chase).
Although not every one of the kids are worth paying attention to, I found KB to be the most enigmatic. Wym is too atypical. That is, I was reminded more about how Ezra was like in the early season of Star Wars: Rebels. But concerning the alien Neel, I wonder if his species is related to the Ortolan (Max Rebo, from Return of the Jedi). The small Easter egg type references make this series a joy to follow. I’m sure the people here have relatives elsewhere who are well known.
Also, the action is as exciting as a Young Indiana Jones episode because we’re dealing with kids who are in over their heads. I can understand why they crave adventure, but when the rest of the galaxy is generally against them, they’re not going to survive long. I can only see the two young girls making it due to the nature of the criminal underworld, slave girls and the like, but not the boys unless they start pumping iron. Not even the man and robot they’ve befriended seem to be who they are!
As for the mystery concerning what the people from Attin are doing, there’s still no solid answer. Even by the fifth episode, I’m still curious about what else this world is really working on. The pirates want the treasures said to be hiding within. Until they find a means to get past the protective shield surrounding this planet, all they can do is hover like the mosquitoes that they are!
Thankfully, the kids are able to return rather than phone home, and that’s all I’ll really say without spoiling too much. Even in this season’s finale, the hooks and cliffhangers are good enough to make me hope we’re not waiting long for season two. A lot of things will have to be addressed not only for the skeleton crew to discover but also others who have arrived!
4 Stars out of 5
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Trailer
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