Disney+’s 8-Part Sci-Fi Adventure Series Is So Good, It United a Divided Fanbase

The Star Wars franchise has struggled to fit into the medium of television, as the era of Disney+ originals has faced creative problems. While the early seasons of The Mandalorian sufficed as a solid, standalone adventure, the show became muddled by connections to various Dave Filoni animated projects. Series like Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book of Boba Fett would have worked better as films, while The Acolyte and Ahsoka suffered from too many writing issues to be wholly enjoyable. Even though Andor is one of the century’s best pieces of television, it is aimed at an older audience who can appreciate the political and philosophical subtext of the franchise. Star Wars: Skeleton Crew was an unabashed space opera that harkened back to the ‘80s “kid-venture” films that were released in the wake of the original trilogy. It may have had a youthful cast, but the tone of Skeleton Crew made it accessible to anyone willing to feel young at heart.

Skeleton Crew takes place in the same era as The Mandalorian, where the remnants of the Galactic Empire have been scattered across the universe as the New Republic takes over. However, Skeleton Crew takes place on the “backwater” planet of At Attin, which has been relatively isolated from the Galactic Civil War for reasons that are explained later in the series. After the arrival of the space pirate Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law), At Attin youths Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), KB (Kyriana Kratter), and Neel (Robert Timothy Smith) are caught up in a planet-hopping adventure that involves a search for gold. Although there has always been a presence of swashbuckling in the Star Wars franchise, Skeleton Crew is essentially Treasure Island in a galaxy far, far away.

‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’ Is a Throwback to Science Fiction Serials

One of the struggles that the Star Wars franchise has faced is telling stories that aren’t connected to the Force, the Jedi, and the Skywalker saga, as characters without powers tend to be more empathetic. Beyond the fact that none of the kids are actually Force-sensitive, Skeleton Crew effectively shows what it’s like to be on the edge of a universe where larger events have become rumors and myths. Seeing the mundanity of At Attin, a planet modern enough to feel like contemporary suburban living, grounds the Star Wars franchise in a way that it has never had before. Although it is exciting to see the characters travel beyond their homes to see new planets and environments, Skeleton Crew doesn’t imply that rejecting one’s home is the only way to be a hero; in fact, the kids end up proving themselves by returning to At Attin to stop encroaching pirates.

Skeleton Crew embraces the idea of piracy in the Star Wars universe, as well as the fun of villains who aren’t affiliated with the Empire. It not only makes things unpredictable, but showcases the significant difference in what the kids experience on their home planet; although they complain about the boring mundanity of At Attin, they realize the necessity of order within a universe that has been torn apart by war and crime. At the same time, Skeleton Crew empowers its younger characters to question the status quo, especially when it comes to an institutional authority that has kept its source of power a secret.

‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’ Is a Contained and Focused Galactic Adventure

Skeleton Crew is a focused adventure, but its individual episodes feel like distinct chapters within a science fiction serial, which inspired the original Star Wars trilogy in the first place. While there’s enough action to still feel like a Star Wars adventure, every threat involves the heroes having to do some sort of problem-solving, with their prison escape in the episode “Very Interesting, as an Astrogation Problem” being a series highlight. The young actors are all expressive and individual, but Law is able to create one of the most interesting Star Wars characters in a while. The notion of a Force-sensitive character who never completed his training and has thus operated as a charlatan and outlaw helps the universe feel all the more vast and versatile.

Skeleton Crew tells a contained story, as the mysteries and conflict are wrapped up at the end of the show’s eight episodes, even if there is the subtlest hint that the characters could continue on to a different adventure. Although the Star Wars franchise has sometimes been accused of being too “kid-friendly,” the fact that something as light and fun as Skeleton Crew can exist within the same universe as a gritty political drama like Andor is why the franchise has endured for almost 50 years. While it remixes and reinvents themes that have appeared before, Skeleton Crew is at its best when it’s adding something new. If Star Wars has any hope of progression, shows like this need to be prioritized.