Since “Star Wars” has made its home on Disney+, the franchise has been stagnant, serving the same self-serious space-western schlock with varying colors of lightsabers. Fortunately, Christopher Ford and Jon Watts’s “Skeleton Crew” is a refreshing departure from the recent, repetitive fare, offering an ‘80s-family-flick-style adventure for the whole family.
“Skeleton Crew” is set after the events of “Return of the Jedi,” when the Empire was defeated, and The New Republic took control of protecting peace throughout the galaxy. On the planet At Attin (perhaps the most “suburbia” of planets in this future universe), a grade-school kid named Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) is obsessed with tales of the Jedi and couldn’t care less about his academic duties or growing up for that matter. He desires adventure beyond playing pretend with his blue trunk-snouted best friend Neel (Robert Timothy Smith) or feeling neglected at home with his widower father Wendle (Tunde Adebimpe), who tends to prioritize work over caring for him. The same sentiment applies to another pair of best friends, a rebellious girl named Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) and her thoughtful best friend KB (Kyriana Kratter), who are both bored with their mundane suburban lives.
Wim and Fern cross paths outside the principal’s office due to unfortunate circumstances. He accidentally tells Fern that he found an abandoned Jedi Temple in a ditch on his way to school. Later that day, Wim enlists Neel to help him uncover the temple. However, they are confronted by Fern and KB. Together, they find out what they uncovered was an abandoned starship. They restart a dusty droid named SM 33 (Nick Frost) while exploring the ship, and then Wim impulsively presses a button to launch the starship into space.
Now the kids are lost, millions of miles away from home. SM 33 transports them to the only place he knows, a landing base populated by aggressive pirates. There, they meet Crimson Jack (Jude Law), a mysterious scoundrel who holds the power of the force. Additionally, they learn that At Attin is not just any planet but “a lost planet of eternal treasure,” hardly seen on any maps of the galaxy. The kids strike a deal with Jack to help them get home in exchange for an award. With the three episodes screened, “Skeleton Crew” is off to a charming start.
For a “Star Wars” series involving children, the classic youthful behavior of the ensemble adds both an authenticity and a nostalgic feel. Writers/showrunners Christopher Ford and Jon Watts have successfully captured the classic Amblin Entertainment aesthetic as the storytelling and childlike whimsy evoke an atmosphere akin to that of “The Goonies”.
It taps into something that made this series essential in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Children around the world have imagined themselves as being in a “Star Wars” adventure, and the show plays up that sense of wonder. There’s something so gratifying in seeing a kid on a ship or having to hold their own in dangerous terrains, and the writers get great mileage in making these kids feel natural to the universe. There’s a good balance in making it feel like the kids are in genuine peril, but nothing that seems traumatizing to a young viewer.
The ensemble is also quite charming with Jude Law standing out as this sketchy criminal turned reluctant employee to literal children. That said, the character of Wim slowly becomes the most annoying of the crew. He starts off strong as a typical child-protagonist wanting adventure, but when put together with Neel and the others, his immature ego becomes apparent. He’s often the fault for every conflict that happens and never owns up to it, constantly whining or complaining. I understand that Wim is a child but, compared to the other crew members who bear self-control or act selflessly, he’s quite frustrating to follow. Wim and Neel are fairly similar to Greg and Rowley in the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series, which is possibly the most toxic friendship in family media.
Though I do hope the series improves on Wim’s characterization in its subsequent episodes, “Skeleton Crew” as it stands is an inviting “Star Wars” entry that finally offers newness to the franchise and a better introduction to the franchise for younger audiences. If this series was around during my childhood, I would’ve been a “Star Wars” fan sooner.
Three episodes screened for review. Now on Disney+.
