Since the launch of Disney+, Lucasfilm has taken the Star Wars franchise in a multitude of different directions. Some great. Some questionable. But when it was first revealed that Jon Watts was coming aboard to create a story reminiscent of the “classic Amblin coming-of-age adventure films of the ’80s,” there was some understandable excitement. Films like The Goonies and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off may not have been in the same genre of the original film. However, the way they explored adolescent angst and the desire to push back against authority perfectly proves that they were spiritual predecessors of it.
But could Watts succeed at recapturing the excitement of the original film? After seeing the first three episodes, the answer may not be entirely clear.
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Titled Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, the series follows four misfits who uncover a mysterious abandoned spaceship on their home planet. After they accidentally turn it on, they are transported across the galaxy. With no way home, they are forced to rely on the generosity of a mysterious stranger.
Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Kyriana Kratter, and
Robert Timothy Smith star as the four main child characters: Wim, Fern, KB and Neel respectively. Jude Law stars as the aforementioned stranger. Also in the mix is Nick Frost, who plays SM 33, the droid left aboard the ship that becomes a situational guardian for the children. Despite all of them having pretty good chemistry, in the early episodes it’s still very clear that they are finding their footing as a makeshift crew. There isn’t a lot of trust, and there is even less of an understanding of how the ship works. While the series hasn’t quite dealt with the latter, it’s only because the children are quickly forced to face the external dangers of space.
The first episode is immaculate, establishing who the characters are, what they desire, and what sets their home a part from other settings in the Star Wars universe. What most will be surprised by is the fact that the place the children call home, At Attin, is essentially a gated community in what seems like a utopia. The place is heavily guarded by droids. Adults all have jobs that they are assigned to. And just as we meet the four main kid characters, they are being prepped to take an assessment that will determine their roles in the planet’s economy too. Everything is clean, organized, and bright – the total antithesis to most other Star Wars stories. There is no struggle. There is so sadness. There is no sand. It isn’t until the children are carried away from this strange world that we understand that it might actually be too good to be true.
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In the following episodes, as the characters attempt to find their way home, they are constantly told that there is no place in the galaxy called At Attin. By the end of episode three it is very apparent that the show will not be about the characters going back home as much as it will be about them discovering what their home truly is. While that mystery will undoubtedly keep viewers tuning in every week to find out, there are also far too many questions than answers presented.
Firstly, there is no indication of when this particular story takes place in relation to the rest of the franchise. Not even the casual name-drop of Jedis or the Old Republic help. Secondly, it’s not entirely clear what Jude Law’s character wants. Despite heavily implications that he’s a Jedi himself, his reluctance to accept or reject the title could also point to him being a Sith. Lastly, it’s not entirely clear who the stolen ship belonged to or why it was buried on At Attin in the first place. Even though we are sure the series will provide answers in the coming weeks, the bottom line is that the show weaves arguably too many loose threads too soon.
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That is not to say the show doesn’t work. It does. The first time we meet our first child character, Wim, we see him simulating a Jedi fight with his toys. While it is an apt way to capture just how innocent these characters are, it also acts a metaphor for what Jon Watts is doing: playing in George Lucas’s sandbox.
Watts perfectly nails the tone of those early 80’s coming-of-age adventures the show was pitched as. And when the story begins to pick up in episode two, it totally feels like a version of Stranger Things in space. But like Stranger Things – and even the actual Star Wars franchise before it – the show can easily become overambitious and repetitive. Will the show drown its original message out by overcomplicating the narrative? Or will it add something new, meaningful and exciting to the canon? While the series so far will have you leaning in the latter direction, we’ve been on enough frustrating detours in the galaxy far, far away to not get our hopes too high.
The first two episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew are now streaming on Disney+!
