By George & Josh Bate
The depth and breadth of the Star Wars universe allow creatives to play within the confines of specific genres in crafting individual stories in a galaxy far, far away. With The Mandalorian, for instance, Jon Favreau and company have dabbled in all sorts of genres across different episodes (e.g., Chapter 6 was a prison break episode, Chapter 9 was a spaghetti Western, Chapter 13 was a Samurai film, etc.). The Acolyte, meanwhile, fit more so in the mystery genre than most other Star Wars stories, whereas the currently in-development Dawn of the Jedi movie from James Mangold has been billed as a Biblical epic along the lines of Ben-Hur. Now, a new Star Wars story – Skeleton Crew – unfolds at the intersection of Amblin family movies and swashbuckling pirate adventures, and resoundingly exceeds our expectations.
Skeleton Crew takes place after the events of Return of the Jedi and the fall of the Empire, around the same time as The Mandalorian and Ahsoka. The series created by Christopher Ford and Jon Watts (MCU Spider-Man trilogy) follows a group of kids living on a peaceful planet reminiscent of American suburbia. The kids – Wim, Neel, Fern, and KB – deal with problems typical for their age, including school performance, parent pressure, and embarrassing crushes. When the group stumble across a mysterious location on their homeworld, though, everything changes. Accidentally plummeted into the depths of the galaxy, far from their secure homes, the kids find themselves facing threats beyond their wildest imagination in a galaxy far, far away.
Where Skeleton Crew stands out amongst other Star Wars stories is its focus on a core group of children at the center of the story. Kids have featured heavily across various Star Wars tales, perhaps most notably with a young Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace. However, Skeleton Crew distinguishes itself from other Star Wars stories featuring children in its singular focus on the kids – telling a story immersed in and directly from their perspective. Sure, Anakin plays a significant role in Episode I, but ultimately he is a supporting character amidst an ensemble of prominent adult characters, including Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi. This is not the case with Skeleton Crew. The story of the new Star Wars series is told through the eyes of children, rather than child characters playing less central parts in a broader story. In turn, Skeleton Crew is a delightfully refreshing adventure for the Star Wars universe.
With a story that is told from the perspective of four children, Skeleton Crew features a distinct flavor of horror and stakes. Much like the Harry Potter films, the series depicts children in the middle of very adult situations, which inherently raises the stakes of the story being told. It is akin to Home Alone 2: Lost in New York in this sense. Being lost in New York City would be terrifying for anyone of any age, but, in particular, a young child like Kevin McCallister. The same can be said for the kids in Skeleton Crew. Being lost in a galaxy far, far away is a panic-inducing prospect for even the most formidable of adults, never mind children. In this sense, the Star Wars series brings a unique intensity and suspense that stands apart from other, more adult-oriented stories.
It is through the two-episode premiere’s focus on the child characters that Skeleton Crew excels the most, with an authentic and humorous depiction of childhood. Jon Watts previously captured the essence of what it is like to be a high school student in Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home with incredible genuineness and heart, and Watts brings these sensibilities into Skeleton Crew. The show’s four main kids feel so real – their dialogue, mannerisms, interests, motivations, quirks, and personalities depicted so genuinely. In less capable hands, a child-focused show like Skeleton Crew could have alienated more adult audiences, but Watts demonstrates such a firm grasp on making a story featuring children have such universal appeal. In doing so, Skeleton Crew captures the youthful joy and delight of The Phantom Menace, while never alienating a specific sect of the audience.
Before (unintentionally) going on an adventure of a lifetime, the four kids live peacefully on a sheltered planet. The world looks more like Earth than anything depicted in Star Wars to date, with certain shots of suburban streets and houses closely mirroring shots from E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. In turn, the series features a wholesome, almost magical tone. So much so that we found ourselves grinning from ear-to-ear for the vast majority of these first two episodes. There is simply so much fun to be had here.
Most central to the story are Wim and Neel, played by Ravi Cabot-Conyers and Robert Timothy Smith respectively. The two are best friends, brilliantly introduced to the audience by running into one another on the way to school and engaging in a mock lightsaber duel for fun. Much like Luke Skywalker, Wim has his eye on horizons beyond his homeworld. In a way, Wim is like many of the audience – a Star Wars fan. He is obsessed with Jedi and their role throughout galactic history, which is an adoration that will be very familiar to many watching the series. Cabot-Conyers is fantastic in portraying a kind, yet rebellious child, one that chooses to spend a night exploring, rather than studying for a big test.
Side-by-side with Wim is Neel, the adorable Max Rebo lookalike (who is confirmed to not be an Ortolan, the same species as Rebo). Neel is easily the standout of the first two episodes of Skeleton Crew, and even gives The Acolyte’s Qimir a run for his money in our race for Best New Star Wars Character of 2024. Star Wars has a long history of cute, endearing alien characters, from Wicket in Return of the Jedi all the way to Grogu in The Mandalorian. Neel is the latest of this characterization and brings such warmth and humor to the show. Some insights into Neel’s homelife are particularly memorable and will likely strike a chord with viewers.
Young actors Ryan Kiera Armsrong and Kyriana Kratter play the other two children – Fern and KB. Fern butts heads with Wim, while there are plenty of fun remarks about the two girls outsmarting the two boys throughout. Relatively little is gleaned about KB in these first episodes, but Fern is given some additional characterization given that she is the daughter of government agent Fara (played by Kerry Condon). Together, the foursome make for an extremely likable core group of characters, with a Goonies-esque chemistry and back-and-forth.
Speaking of The Goonies, it is difficult to review Skeleton Crew without talking about Richard Donner and Amblin Entertainment’s 1985 classic. When Skeleton Crew was officially announced at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022, series creators Jon Watts and Christopher Ford specifically named The Goonies and other Amblin releases as cornerstone influences of their new Star Wars show. And, in watching the two-episode premiere, one can see The Goonies’ fingerprints all over it. Entertainment Weekly called Skeleton Crew “Star Wars meets The Goonies,” which is a fairly accurate, albeit reductive, summary of the series so far. Tonally, Skeleton Crew maps closely onto The Goonies, as does the aforementioned adult danger the child characters find themselves in the middle of.
And, like The Goonies, Skeleton Crew exists in the world of pirates and treasure. Pirates have featured in Star Wars for quite a while, with Hondo Ohnaka being the most well-known Star Wars pirate. But The Mandalorian Season 3 gave more attention to pirates than any other live-action Star Wars project to date, introducing audiences to Vane, a Nikto pirate who appears in Skeleton Crew. This isn’t a brand new corner of the Star Wars universe to explore, but the way in which it is approached in Skeleton Crew feels decidedly singular. There are shades of Hook and Pirates of the Caribbean all over the second episode (and even in the first scene of the premiere), from visual cues to specific lines to Mick Giacchino’s excellent score.
Concurrent with the introduction of pirates is a burgeoning mystery about the Earth-like planet the kids call home. To dive much deeper into this plot element would be to divulge spoilers, but, needless to say, this certainly adds a point of intrigue and mystery to the proceedings that will undoubtedly unfold in the coming episodes.
Regarding negatives, there is very little to fault Skeleton Crew for. Occasionally questionable visual effect shots and cinematography (particularly on the kids’ homeworld) make the show less aesthetically pleasing at times. Although, the practical effects to bring creatures to life (specifically the Shistavanen pirate Brutus) are extraordinary. The show hasn’t quite gotten into truly emotional territory with its character arcs or plot developments yet, but, with just two episodes in out of eight, it is still very early on.
VERDICT: 8/10
Unfolding at the intersection of Amblin family movies and swashbuckling pirate adventures, Skeleton Crew triumphs as a delightful, humorous, and wholesome new Star Wars adventure. With four child characters at the center of the story, the series stands out from other Star Wars projects in focusing so centrally on the perils children face when they are thrown into an adult situation. Series creators Jon Watts and Christopher Ford lean on sensibilities demonstrated in the MCU Spider-Man movies in depicting children so authentically and endearingly in the new series, while Neel has very quickly become one of our favorite new Star Wars characters. Touches of The Goonies, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Harry Potter, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Hook are all over a show that embraces its light-hearted tone and certainly exceeds our admittedly middling expectations (even with some spotty visual effects and cinematography here and there). Perhaps the greatest testament to the quality of Skeleton Crew is that it had us grinning ear-to-ear for the vast majority of its first two episodes and, ultimately, that sense of joy is what Star Wars is all about.