By George & Josh Bate
The latest live-action Star Wars series – Skeleton Crew – debuts on Disney+ on December 3. Ahead of the two-episode premiere, we’re taking a look back at stories from a galaxy far, far away to see what you should watch in preparation for Skeleton Crew.
It should be noted before we kick things off that, unlike some other Star Wars series, Skeleton Crew is designed to be approachable to anyone, including those less well-versed in the ways of the Force. Series co-creator Jon Watts said as much in a recent interview. “What’s great is you don’t have to know anything,” said Watts. Regardless, there are still certain characters and stories that will help you get in the mood for Skeleton Crew, including some you might not expect.
Here is What to Watch Before Star Wars: Skeleton Crew….
The Mandalorian – Season 3, Chapter 17: The Apostate
Chapter 17 of The Mandalorian introduces the pirate Vane, who is confirmed to appear in Skeleton Crew. Vane is a Nikto pirate, who, in this episode, stirs up trouble on Nevaro. The third season of The Mandalorian explored the world of pirates more so than any live-action Star Wars story to date, and Skeleton Crew appears to take this a step further. Watching this episode could help you brush up on Vane and the pirate world the characters of Skeleton Crew are situated in.
The Mandalorian – Season 3, Chapter 21: The Pirate
Pirate adventures continue in The Mandalorian with Chapter 21: The Apostate. Again, this episode features the pirate Vane, who is confirmed to play a role in Skeleton Crew. But Chapter 21 also rounds out the pirate plot thread in The Mandalorian Season 3, which will likely be referenced in some way in Skeleton Crew.
The Clone Wars – Season 1, Episode 11: Dooku Captured
You can’t have a conversation about Star Wars pirates without talking about Hondo Ohnaka. The infamous smooth-talking swindler is arguably the most notorious pirate among fans of a galaxy far, far away and, while his appearance in Skeleton Crew is not confirmed, we think it is very likely he could make an appearance.
For those who don’t know Hondo, or those who want to brush up on the character, check out his debut appearance in The Clone Wars.
Star Wars: Resistance – Season 1, Episode 3: The Triple Dark
Besides Vane and Gorian Shard in The Mandalorian Season 3, the only other notable appearance of pirates in the post-Episode VI, New Republic era that Skeleton Crew is set during comes in the animated series Star Wars: Resistance.
In the series, the First Order collaborates with the pirate Kragan Gorr and his Warbird gang in an assault of the Colossus. Gorr and his gang continue to play a role in the show and offer some insight into what pirate activity was like at the time of Skeleton Crew.
The Goonies
The Goonies is obviously not part of the Star Wars universe, so there is nothing that makes this film absolutely necessary viewing ahead of Skeleton Crew. However, we’re including it on this list because of the clear influence it had on Skeleton Crew.
Series creators Jon Watts and Christopher Ford have not shied away from compared their show to the 80s classic, with Entertainment Weekly going so far as to label Skeleton Crew as “Star Wars meets The Goonies.”
The Amblin influences are all over the early footage of Skeleton Crew, so what better way to get you in the mood for the new Star Wars show than revisiting the classic The Goonies.
E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial
The same argument for watching The Goonies can be made for revisiting E.T. ahead of Skeleton Crew’s premiere. Like The Goonies, E.T. is an 80s Amblin classic that sees kids lead a high-stakes plot, much like Skeleton Crew will do.
Side Effects
The main adult actor in Skeleton Crew is Jude Law, who plays the mysterious Jod Na Nawood in the show. Law is an accomplished actor, having won a BAFTA Award for his role in The Talented Mr. Ripley and an Oscar nomination for his role in Cold Mountain. While he may be best note for his work as Dr. Watson in the Sherlock Holmes movies, Albus Dumbledore in the Fantastic Beasts films, or Yon-Rogg in Captain Marvel, we think Law’s best work can be seen in a film called Side Effects.
Released in 2013 and directed by Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s trilogy, Contagion, Traffic), Side Effects tells the story of a woman who is prescribed an experimental psychiatric drug after her husband is released from prison. Law plays the psychiatrist who prescribes the drug and delivers a gripping, authentic performance in a story with so many clever twists and turns.
Again, Side Effects is obviously not in the Star Wars universe and, therefore, is not absolutely necessary viewing ahead of Skeleton Crew. Nonetheless, the film is an excellent showcase of Jude Law’s acting ability ahead of his debut in the Star Wars franchise.
Peter Pan & Wendy
We also think the Disney+ movie Peter Pan & Wendy is worth a watch ahead of Skeleton Crew, for a number of reasons. For starters, the film stars Jude Law as Captain Hook and is another showcase for the actor’s incredible versatility.
It is also a family-oriented pirate story, just like Skeleton Crew!
Another reason to watch is that the film is directed by David Lowery, who is one of the directors of Skeleton Crew.
We think these are three solid reasons to check out the underappreciated Peter Pan & Wendy before the new Star Wars show.
Skeleton Crew premieres December 3 on Disney+. Stay tuned to The HoloFiles and Star Wars Holocron for continued coverage of everything from the world of Star Wars.
