A Galaxy-Sized Adventure: Star Wars Skeleton Crew Review
A long time ago, back when Lucasfilm first shared plans to expand the “Star Wars” universe via live-action streaming television, the most exciting part was its limitless potential. While each movie traveled to new worlds, utilizing new doodads and revealing new creatures, there’s still a cap to how much of the galaxy you can see in a two-hour film. And that time limit only grew tighter when so much screentime was taken up by nostalgia: revisiting old worlds, reintroducing old creatures, and wielding old doodads. But unlike the big-screen franchise, not everything on the small-screen had to bend back to the Skywalker trilogy — or so it seemed, before “The Mandalorian” reintroduced Luke himself and set plans to become a movie of its own.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew – A Review
“Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” is the closest the Disney+ era has come to revisiting the franchise’s galaxy-sized creative potential. Working from a story about a rag-tag crew of makeshift pirates bouncing between solar systems, searching for home and adventure at once, the fantasy series can seemingly go anywhere and do anything. It’s not a prequel fleshing out established characters while building up to previously depicted events. It’s not a sequel beholden to its prior entries’ planets, people, or parts. It’s a “Star Wars” show about pirates — explorers tied to nothing and reporting to no one, their ship not even restricted by gravity. Its proverbial mainsail should be untethered, and this “Skeleton Crew” should be free to explore unseen, unheard of, and unimaginable new worlds.
Eh, not so much — or, at least, not yet. “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” gets off to a depressingly familiar start, while bungling the introduction of its primary protagonists and generally plodding along until Jude Law pops up in Episode 2. The suave scamp buoys a ship taking on water, and the second and third episodes (of the eight-episode first season) pick up speed as their imagination balloons (thanks, in part, to director David Lowery). But even if the wind stays at their backs, “Skeleton Crew” appears to be stuck in an all-too-familiar pond, which is a frustrating life for anyone drawn to the open ocean — or, at it were, the open skies.
Meet Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), a middle-school-aged boy who dreams of growing up to be a Jedi. He plays with Jedi action figures. He reads Jedi history books (via an electronic tablet). He finds a big, buried piece of metal in the woods and assumes it’s a lost Jedi temple. In other words, Wim is a dreamer, and he’s surrounded by pragmatists. Raised by an always-working single dad, Wim is told to do his homework and stay out of trouble — two common commands that few kids are able to consistently follow, and Wim isn’t one of them. Instead of preparing for the Career Assessment Test that has the whole school worried, Wim lets his curiosity get the best of him and heads back out to the woods.
By Wim’s side through thick and thin is his best friend, Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), a blue elephant boy with a stubby trunk, wispy hair that looks like raspberry cotton candy, and ears that droop down over his shoulders. Neel is the panicky but supportive sidekick, one of the first blaring signs that “Skeleton Crew” doubles as an homage to “The Goonies” (Neel = Chuck), and what fondness you have for Richard Donner’s 1985 kids’ classic, dear readers, may dictate your tolerance for “Skeleton Crew’s” conventional scripts. Are they a sweet throwback or predictable and trite? One could argue that it’s all new to audiences of a certain age group, except I can think of at least one children’s show released in the last six months that treads very similar ground.
But I digress: Waiting in the woods for Wim and Neel are a pair of rivals destined to become buddies, Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) and KB (Kyriana Kratter) — two girls who are also best friends, also students at Wim’s school, and also denizens of the bland bourgeois neighborhood Wim calls home. All we really know about Fern and KB are that they like racing hover bikes, they’re pretty handy with tools, and Fern’s mom is a senior government official who worries about keeping her daughter’s “top” social status (probably because Fern is doing her best James Dean impression, albeit a more openly hostile interpretation of the rebellious Jim Stark).
More importantly, we know none of these kids fit neatly within the dull domestic landscape of “Star Wars” suburbia. KB wears a La Forge visor and keeps to herself; Fern has an attitude that screams, “I don’t play by the rules”; Neel is blue, and Wim zigs whenever he’s asked to zag. Only Neel is shown to have an idyllic home life, which further unites the quartet in an Amblin-era quest to fix their families by tearing them apart. By the end, parents will better understand their kids, kids will better understand each other, and everyone will better understand themselves.
Conclusion
When it comes to any new “Star Wars” project, experience has taught us the key question isn’t one of talent, but whether true ingenuity can thrive under Disney’s heavy hand. The more “Star Wars” expands, the more “Star Wars” stays the same, and the structural cliches guiding “Skeleton Crew” imply a similarly rigid course ahead.
FAQs
1. Is “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” available for streaming on Disney+?
Yes, “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” premieres Monday, December 2 at 9 p.m. ET on Disney+. New episodes will be released weekly on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
2. Who are the main characters in “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew”?
The main characters include Wim, Neel, Fern, and KB, a group of kids embarking on an outer-space adventure.
3. What is the setting of “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew”?
The series takes place in a galaxy far, far away, where the characters explore new worlds and encounter various species.
4. Is there a Jedi character in “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew”?
Yes, the series introduces a mysterious character named Jod Na Nawood, believed to be a Jedi.
5. Who are the directors of “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew”?
The series is directed by Jon Watts, Christopher Ford, David Lowery, The Daniels, and Lee Issac Chung.
6. What is the overall tone of “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew”?
The series combines elements of adventure, friendship, and self-discovery, reminiscent of classic children’s stories.
7. How does “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” compare to other Star Wars projects?
The show aims to break new ground in the Star Wars universe by focusing on a group of young characters on a unique journey.
8. Are there any familiar references in “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew”?
The series pays homage to classic films like “The Goonies” and incorporates themes of rebellion and camaraderie.
9. What can viewers expect from the visual effects in “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew”?
The series blends CGI and practical effects to create a visually stunning world filled with colorful environments and diverse species.
10. What is the grade given to “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew”?
The review assigns a grade of C+ to the series, reflecting its potential while acknowledging room for improvement.
Tags
Star Wars, Skeleton Crew, Disney+, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Adventure