SPOILER ALERT: This column contains potential spoilers about "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.”
The season finale of “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” aired Jan. 14, capping off an eight-episode run that even non-Star Wars fans like myself can enjoy.
For the record, I don’t dislike the franchise, but I haven’t interacted with it much. I’ve seen the most recent movies but not the original trilogy, and “Skeleton Crew” is the only one of the 19 series I’ve watched.
Nevertheless, I was able to follow along with the show without having an encyclopedic knowledge of “Star Wars” lore. That’s a welcome change from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“Skeleton Crew” follows four children and their efforts to get back home after they accidentally activate a spaceship and go beyond the barrier that separates their planet (At Attin) from the rest of the galaxy. They form alliances of various strengths with outsiders as they try to return to a planet that is viewed as a myth by much of the rest of the universe.
Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Robert Timothy Smith, Ryan Kiera Armstrong and Kyriana Kratter do an excellent job playing the characters Wim, Neel, Fern and KB. Despite my initial skepticism — aren’t these kids a little young to be traipsing around the galaxy like this? — I found the characters believable.
Though Wim, Neel, Fern and KB demonstrate incredible bravery, cunning and stealth, the actors don’t hide their characters’ childishness. The four children blow their cover as the hooded and robed “Wise Elders” by being silly. There is a brief pillow fight. They get arguably too excited about firing laser blasters. All of this lends credibility to the show.
I was impressed by the nuance the young actors brought to their portrayals, particularly in terms of body language. Fern’s fierceness is captured in her facial expressions and Wim throws his whole body into the occasional pout.
Jude Law, as the questionable Jod Na Nawood, also makes excellent use of facial expressions and crafty pauses. Law’s greatest accomplishment, in my opinion, is portraying Jod’s range of actions so viewers can see that all those actions serve his character’s interests.
What becomes of Jod in the end is unclear. There was no obvious allusion to a second season, though the writers would have plenty of material to work with. After the events of the finale, At Attin has reached a turning point, and further seasons could explore the consequences.
The series often hints at interesting questions without diving into them: the limitations of droids, for example, or the alleged conflict between strength and empathy.
If there were a second season, which is looking unlikely, I’d like to see the characters go back to the Troik planet, which last we saw was engulfed in tribal skirmishes. Neel gave the Troik chieftainess-to-be some food for thought regarding conflict resolution before he left, and I want to see how that would be played out.
I also want to see more of Kh’ymm, the owl/cat/creature that helped the children on multiple occasions. My friend, a “Star Wars” fan, told me whatever Kh’ymm is, she’s a new species created for the show.
That’s but one example of the world-building in “Skeleton Crew,” and I appreciate how the writers went about the process. The backstory of the Great Work, At Attin, and Jod build up slowly. The show drops breadcrumbs rather than providing the whole baguette at once in a flashback.
Overall, “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” is very well done. It’s not heavy-handed in characterization or cliches, and you don’t need to have seen all nine movies and the other 18 series to enjoy it.
