By George & Josh Bate
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew – Episode 4
We’ve been particularly excited for Episode 4 of Skeleton Crew for some weeks now. In a roundtable interview with the cast of the show, Robert Timothy Smith (who plays Neel) said that Episode 4 is his favorite episode as it is the installment that focuses most heavily on Neel. Smith also confirmed that the episode is directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, collectively known as Daniels. The directing duo is known for writing and directing Everything Everywhere All At Once, which won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. So, a Neel-focused episode of Star Wars television directed by Daniels? Count us in.
Episode 4, titled ‘Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin,’ follows the group of lost children as they try to find a way back to their home world, alongside Jude Law’s mysterious character Jod Na Nawood. Last episode saw the team get coordinates from Nawood’s old colleague Kh’ymm for a planet that she believes could be At Attin. As a result, this fourth episode shows the children follow up on this intel and see if these coordinates truly lead back home.
Following the coordinates leads the kids, Jod, and SM-33 to a ruined planet with odd parallels to their home world. Later in the episode revealed to be named At Achrann, the planet is desolate, almost post-apocalyptic, and, as Neel says, creepy. Jod notes that the planet’s air tastes like “ashy dust,” which he says is a lot like his home planet. This is the first time that Jod has referenced his background, and serves as a tantalizing tease for what we (hopefully) will get to learn about Jod’s origins further along in the show. The fourth episode doesn’t exactly peel back the layers on his character’s background, but it does provide insight into his character, which we’ll get to in a moment.
Upon arriving on the desolate planet, it is instantly clear that they have not arrived back home to At Attin. As they begin to explore, they discover a planet with many parallels to their own, including similar architecture. The ruined house they discover, for instance, is structurally identical to the homes we saw occupied by Wim, Fern, and Neel in Episode 1. And the mural seen on the wall in Fern’s house can also be glimpsed in the background of this house. The state At Achrann adds to our understanding of At Attin and the Jewels of the Old Republic. It seems as if the Old Republic selected nine planets to be part of some grouping and that at least one of these planets (At Achrann) fell to ruin, while at least one of the others (At Attin) remained intact. Interestingly, ‘Achrann’ is the Irish word for conflict, which makes At Achrann a fitting name given its status as a war-torn wasteland.
Like the audience, the kids on screen begin to hypothesize what all this could mean. What are the Jewels of the Old Republic? What happened to At Achrann? Why is it so similar, yet so different from At Attin? Wim humorously asks, “Do you think maybe we fell asleep for a 100 years like the Tales of the Knights – ?” Any mention of the word ‘knights’ in Star Wars is sure to peak the interest of fans of the Knights of the Old Republic video games. While it is not clear if Wim is referring to the Knights of the Old Republic specifically, it’s fun to think that he is, especially considering Wim is such a fan of Jedi and knowledgeable of their history. Also, a number of non-Star Wars stories have characters wake up from a long sleep and emerge to a changed world, including Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving, the Buck Rogers story Armageddon 2419 by Phillip Francis Nowlan, and The Forever War by Joe Haldeman.
Back on the ship, Jod and SM-33 discuss At Achrann as it becomes clear that SM-33 has knowledge of the planet deep within his memory circuits. As evidenced throughout this episode, SM-33 clearly has insights that would prove valuable to Jod and the kids, in addition to likely being able to answer some of the aforementioned questions about the planet. Unfortunately, SM-33 is disoriented. What he remembers one second is forgotten the next. Although this makes for some humorous moments between SM-33 and Jod, some of the disorientation experienced by SM-33 rubs off on the audience as his fluctuations in lucidity create somewhat of a dizzying effect.
Meanwhile, the kids’ exploration of At Achrann continues as the team uncover a headless statue, which Wim aptly names “King No Head.” Their exploration is soon interrupted, however, by two kids of the Troik tribe. One of these kids is Hayna (played by young actress Hala Finley, who most recently appeared in Venom: The Last Dance). Hayna describes that her tribe the Troik are at war with another tribe called the Hattan. There’s potential for this Troik-Hattan conflict to be of interest, but sadly there isn’t much substance here. In a Star Wars galaxy filled to the brim with fascinating cultures, people, and worlds, the Troik and Hattan are far from the most interesting elements we’ve seen. The exception to this statement is a neat reference to Solo: A Star Wars Story as members of the Troik and Hattan tribes wear what appears to be the same kind of helmets Imperial soldiers wore during the Battle of Mimban.
Wim asks if Hayna and her companion are kids trying to take control of the planet from the adults, which could be interpreted as a fun reference to the story of Peter Pan, in which Peter Pan and a group of children team up to fight Captain Hook and his crew of pirates.
After hiding from a Hattan patrol, Hayna and the Skeleton Crew gang head back to Troik headquarters. There they meet General Strix, leader of the Troik tribe, who is played by French actor Matthieu Kassovitz. Known for acting in See How They Fall and writing and directing the acclaimed Le Haine, Kassovitz is a surprising inclusion in Skeleton Crew, but certainly a welcomed one as the French filmmaker is incredibly talented.
General Strix treats the kids as adults, embracing them into the Troik tribe, while also expecting them to join their fight against the Hattan. In order to do this, the kids (with the exception of Neel) start training with Troik soldiers. Neel, meanwhile, hangs back with Hayna and, thereafter, episode 4 really begins to live up to its billing as a Neel-focused episode.
Through Neel and Hayna’s interactions, Neel’s personality shines brighter than ever before. Neel has such an endearing warmth to him, as evidenced by him giving up his daily rations to two hungry children, that reminds us of Rey in the sequel trilogy and Omega in The Bad Batch. It is through Neel and his warmth and kindness that Skeleton Crew has begun treading in more emotional, heartfelt territory, and we hope there is more of this to come in the series.
Not only is Neel kind and warm, but he is also cute and hilarious. His little shuffle to be closer to Hayna and the story he relays about losing a fight with his little sibling just make an already adorable and incredibly likable character all the more adorable and likable.
When Neel and Hayna regroup with the other kids, Wim tries to show off the power of a blaster he was practicing with. Wim cranks up his blaster’s power setting, which marks the first time this has been shown in Star Wars canon. Previously, Alan Dean Foster’s novelization of the original Star Wars had a character doing this, as did several older Marvel comics. But this is the first time in canon that a character has been shown on screen changing the power of a blaster. Another fun detail in this episode.
Reluctantly, Captain Fern, Neel, and the others are made to lead the Troik into battle with the Hattan. After a funny moment in which a terrified and talkative Neel ends up being the furthest forward member of the pack heading toward enemy lines, emerging from the fog is Jod and SM-33. Jod explains that he made a deal with the Hattan to give them credits in exchange for their camel-like creatures Eopies, and then offers to give the Troik back their Eopies in exchange for the four kids. This is the first time that Jod has shown warmth and kindness to the kids, further emphasizing the episode’s primary themes. A grateful Neel gives Jod a big hug, who then reciprocates by pulling Neel and Wim closer. On more than one occasion recently, Star Wars has explored the concept of a reluctant father figure slowly coming to love and care for a child (as Din Djarin did with Grogu in The Mandalorian and Hunter did with Omega in The Bad Batch). Now, Skeleton Crew seems to be following suit.
Now that the team is reunited, they head off to the planet’s Fallen Sanctum, which supposedly houses the coordinates to At Attin. Before they reach the Fallen Sanctum though, Hayna and Neel say their goodbyes, in yet another heartfelt scene this episode. Hayna gives Neel a kiss on the trunk, and Neel lovingly looks as she runs and flips away. Between Hayna and Roona, Neel is shaping up to be quite the ladies man.
Inside the Fallen Sanctum, the team (and the audience) finds out more about At Attin and the mysterious Jewels of the Old Republic. The episode reveals the names of several other planets that make up the Jewel of the Old Republic, including At Aytuu, At Arissia, At Aravin, and At Acoda. None of these planets have previously appeared in Star Wars. The monument in which At Attin is described has been defaced, however, and the coordinates are missing. SM-33 at this point has the temporary mental clarity to admit that he was the one who removed the coordinates from the monument. He did so under the direction of his pirate captain, who subsequently erased SM-33’s memory to disguise the location of the planet. This is very similar to a part in the underappreciated Disney animated film Treasure Planet in which an old robot named BEN has his memory erased in order to prevent others from finding a lost treasure.
Frustrated with the state of things, an emotional Fern pulls away from the group, and Wim follows to comfort her. Although it is clear the filmmakers tried to make the resultant scene a touching moment, it falls flat and seems somewhat out of place.
Speaking of out of place, various moments in this final part of the episode have slight continuity issues and seem like they were shot at a different time than other parts. Reshoots are common for productions of this size, and we wouldn’t be surprised if much of the ending of episode 4 was reshot or worked somehow. Wim and Fern look a tad older and Jude Law’s hair is certainly a bit different and longer, all of which suggest these scenes may have been shot at a different point than principal photography.
Given this, the ending of episode 4 feels somewhat disjointed and choppy, with the flat moment between Wim and Fern followed by a brief skirmish with SM-33. The droid voiced by Nick Frost turns on the group when he remembers he was instructed to kill anyone who came asking about At Attin. Rounding out the emphasis on Neel in this episode, Neel attempts to save the team by bravely throwing stones at SM-33. After Jod disables SM-33, the hulking droid falls on top of Neel, who subsequently passes out. It is not the most resounding conclusion for the episode, but it is cute and funny, and, in turn, much in keeping with the tone of the episode.
VERDICT: 7/10
The fourth episode of Skeleton Crew places an emphasis on Neel for an installment full of warmth, kindness, cuteness, and humor. Although the conflict between the Troik and Hattan clans is disinteresting, the episode excels in revealing more of Neel’s endearing personality and has plenty of adorable and hilarious moments along the way. Hints at Jod’s past and true character are also interspersed in an episode that continues to explore the mystery of At Attin and the Jewels of the Old Republic. Not much new information is gleaned from the episode, although this mystery continues to have us intrigued. Episode 4 of Skeleton Crew may be the weakest episode of the series to date, but it also is the first episode to really strike an emotional chord, which it achieves through the brilliant Neel. Brought to life excellently by young actor Robert Timothy Smith, Neel is quickly becoming one of our favorite new Star Wars characters and we can’t see what’s in store for the little Max Rebo lookalike in the coming episodes.