Finally, the trailer for the upcoming Disney Plus show Skeleton Crew has arrived. These kids are lost in space – Star Wars space, reminding us of movies like Explorers, Space Camp and the Dungeons and Dragons cartoons of the 1980’s – kids going on adventures, just trying to make it home.
Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers): Wim, as in “whim?” This kid is the dreamer of the group. He wants to go on adventures, just to get away from his otherwise boring and mundane existence. This is a common theme in Star Wars and all mythology-based adventures. Anakin, Luke and Rey Skywalker all dreamt of something bigger on their desert planets, dreaming of something bigger than their worlds. While I’m not sure yet if Wim is a leader yet, he can be like Joe from Super 8 or Mike from Stranger Things, they don’t know they’re pure leaders yet. In the opening shot of the trailer, he’s looking at a homemade wooden podracer mobile. Later on in the trailer, he studies and dreams of Jedi and Jedi Temples, looking for the exciting in his boring suburbia.
Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong): Look at her, she’s wearing a leather jacket with different patches on it, like a kid on Earth would wear NASA or Top Gun patches or the like. Ponytail, defiant eyes. If Wim is the dreamer, she’s kind of the kid leader. That’s the vibe I’m getting from the trailer. They way she drives speeder bikes, she’s a rebel too. Maybe like the Skywalkers, her father is a famous pilot or soldier, and she naturally becomes the leader in her kid group of friends from school and in a pirate spaceship.
Star Wars school bus, classroom and teacher! Much like a mark in our permanent record, the test the kids take (and presumably miss) would determine the REST OF THEIR LIVES. Who wants to hear that at 12 years old, much less one with a big imagination? Imagine being told you’re a moisture farmer instead of a brave Jedi Knight or pilot. And then you’re made to become a moisture farmer.
Kids Speeder Bikes! As Sheriff Hopper says in the first season of Stranger Things, “Bike like this is like a Cadillac to these kids.” I guess these kid speeder bikes are customized to each kid, like a Huffy or BMX. This really makes it feel like a Spielberg adventure. You can go anywhere on your bike back in the ‘80’s.
Neel (Robert Timothy Smith): Ah yes, the true star of the show. The Max Rebo alien. Ol’ Elephant Face. An old-timey jazz singer.
Just kidding. He’s a member of the Ortolan species, with his cute elephant head and little boy voice. You don’t learn too much about him, only that he doesn’t crave adventure or heroics. His Ortolan predecessor, Max Rebo, had made a deal with Jabba the Hutt that he and his band would get paid in food. Is Neel of the same mindset? It’s easy to write him off as the Chunk or Horace of the group, existing only to be the fat comic relief. His LEGO mini-fig does come with a cookie and flashlight. He’s probably the least likely of the group to want to go further with adventures. He just seems so innocent!
Old Man Ithorian walking his…dog? In Star Wars suburbia! Perfect for little Goonie-like kids to go on an adventure!
Jedi picture books This in itself tells me that Palpatine’s quest to completely destroy everything regarding the Jedi failed. This is decades after the Purge and only a few years into the New Republic (Luke Skywalker is considered a myth in the Outer Rim). Maybe future historians (or children’s book writers and artist) think Luke Skywalker squared off against the Rancor with his lightsaber instead of a bone. This would only add to Wim’s imagination and “rebel” spirit!
KB (Kyriana Kratter): The one with the Geordi LaForge-like visor. At first I thought it was a Lobot-type thing, but in one scene from the trailer, the visor came crashing down on her eyes like an X-Wing S-Foil! She’s the science one from what I can surmise, the Dustin (Stranger Things) or Data (Goonies). She’s the exposition for the science portion of the show. Does she have a Lobot-like processor on the side of her head? Why does she have a visor that comes down on cue? Or are they just fancy Star Wars glasses?
“I found something in the woods!” YES! That’s the start of a Steven Spielberg movie, or Stephen King with kids finding a body. It’s the kids pushing their speeder bikes through the woods, not going through them at a 100 miles an hour like in Return of the Jedi. Yes, pushing bikes through the woods is a common Amblin trope, whether it’s in Goonies or Stranger Things.
The kids are in the beginning of going on their great adventure, thinking perhaps this hole in the ground is some kind of Jedi Temple. Once again, Palps not doing a great job on the Purge. Or parents, with their kids going into potentially dangerous situations. Exploring! Explosions!
The skeleton (which doesn’t look too human) is giving me One-Eye Willie vibes. Even though he was dead, he played a huge role in The Goonies, serving as almost a mentor figure to the kids. Plus, he’s been there long enough to skeleton-ize and be covered in cobwebs.
SM-33 (voiced by Nick Frost): AKA “Smee,” the pirate first mate from Peter Pan. The images are remarkably similar to each other, the droid looks like a pirate skeleton. The costumes we saw from D23, he looks like a pirate, complete with a peg leg. I would presume he’s found derelict onboard an equally derelict Onyx Cinder. Why is Smee going along with them? He was “raised” by pirates and presumably reprogrammed by kids. Otherwise, he would do what he needs to do to stop them and deliver this ship back to his masters. What role does he play besides being an amusing droid?
The Onyx Cinder: The ship these crazy kids set off on. The kids discover a buried starship, not a Jedi Temple. The markings on the ship tell me that maybe this is a derelict pirate ship belonging to Gorian Shard. If that’s true, it makes sense that his coward and traitorous pirate mate Vane would want a new ship to start a new pirate career. How long has he been in business to have a whole ship buried underground? Is he going after the ship?
Going into HYPERSPACE! That must look insane to kids with big imaginations who have probably never been off-planet. We see a space junkyard followed by EXPLOSIONS and fire! Actually, maybe it’s a hidden pirate base? Maybe both? And various Alien Monsters!
The Captain Eo creature (Fuzzball) and off-world Jawas. So I know from Kenobi and Mandalorian that Jawas go off-world all the time, still be scavengers in different environments and planets, but does this also mean that Michael Jackson is Star Wars canon?
And speaking of Vane, there he is!
Some kind of debonair owl alien, complete with a cape.
A Shistavanen Wolf-man coming down a hallway, firing off double blasters!
Wim firing a cannon, presumably on the Cinder, just like Luke, Han and Finn would! Although if he kills anything living, that would weigh heavily on his little kid conscience, yes? Oh, and yes, X-Wings!
Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law): He’s outed as a Jedi in the first trailer. But is he one? I know he floats the key along and that’s what the kids say (once again, Palpatine didn’t erase them from history), but there are other possibilities. According to one online sleuth, Jude’s character is a Palpatine clone or a Dark Jedi. I’m going to say no on this only because his LEGO mini-fig has no lightsaber. Could he be a conman like Haja Estree (Kumail Nanjiani) in Kenobi? Is he pretending to be Jedi as a way to escape whatever jail they’re all in? Or perhaps not really a Jedi: maybe he was a Padawan or Youngling when Order 66 was executed and grew up on the Path. Or maybe he’s just somebody with Force Powers. In any case, he’s going to fulfill the mythological mentor role: he’s going to take these kids into a wider universe, showing them things physical and metaphysical (meaning the Force).
Like all Star Wars shows, I’m really looking forward to this! I’ll be sure to send in my thoughts on the individual episodes once Christmas time rolls around!
Alternate Soundtracks to the Trailer
- BECOME THE MANDALORIAN: Step into the shoes of the legendary bounty hunter and his allies in this thrilling cooperative board game, featuring The Mandalorian and 7 iconic characters from the hit series.
- EPIC MISSIONS: Embark on exciting adventures inspired by Season 1 of The Mandalorian, where you'll cooperate, battle enemies, and solve dilemmas to complete each mission's objective.
- UNIQUE STRATEGIES: Take on different roles and challenges with each character, as they come with their own deck of cards offering unique abilities and tactics to master.
- EXPANSIVE GAMEPLAY: Explore additional rules, components, and mission types as you progress through the game, including some missions that feature a hidden traitor mechanic for added intrigue.
- IMMERSIVE STAR WARS EXPERIENCE: Immerse yourself in the captivating world of Star Wars like never before, as you and your friends work together to overcome obstacles, fight enemies, and become heroes of the galaxy.
