Every time an episode of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew lands, Fantha Tracks will be giving their responses, and here are our initial gut feelings, deep dives and thoughts on episode of season one, ”The Real Good Guys”. Beware of spoilerific elements in here.
Greg McLaughlin
I am pretty satisfied with the conclusion of the story and season. This felt like a good use of the television format and the 40 minute episode felt well paced, and managed to wrap up events without the messy clean up that we obviously know the residents of At Attin now find themselves in. There will be massive changes and repercussions for the New Republic now that this enormous cache of currency has been unearthed. But thats a job that this series doesn’t have to answer. We Star Wars fans can certainly take up that mantle with endless debates, podcasts and articles while our heroes get some much needed rest.
I was happy to see Jod get a backstory that didn’t have to lean in on a flashback, which of course hard core fans would have eaten up. I think though it would have taken you out of the moment which Jude Law handled brilliantly. For Jod to have had something like a Jedi find him, and begin being a mentor in his life like that for a short time, only to then have it dramatically taken away, has clearly shaped part of who he has become. It doesn’t justify his actions and threats against our heroes for sure, but it adds a great dimension to the character. I would love to see more of him. Here’s to Disney backing up the money truck maybe one more time to Law’s front lawn.
KB’s crash landing was probably the only point that I felt they were reaching a bit, only because at that point, if you weren’t going to see Jod perish, did you think they were going to let her die? But that’s a minor quibble at best. Upon subsequent watchings, it was a nice moment for them all to get in a group hug before the show ended. All’s well, for tonight at least.
To see B-Wings finally in action with all their weapons to bear in live action was a real treat. A nice callback to the animated Rebels series origin of this beloved Return of the Jedi ship.
On the one hand it was sad to see this show come to a close, and I want to congratulate all involved on really putting together a great series. By all accounts they came up with a brilliant story that fell within the Star Wars galaxy, without having to bring the weight of nearly 50 years of canon to connect and cater to. It was a great self contained story that could draw in other members of our family and make for a fun night of television. There were enough Easter eggs and backstory hints to please hard core fans, and the nods back to the Amblin Entertainment movies of a few decades ago gave it a nice wrapping. By all accounts a success, depending on your metrics in the era of streaming.
The question is, is there a story for a second season that could take advantage of the aspects that made this show a success with fans without sacrificing them? Certainly the kids, and characters endeared themselves to fans and it would seem like there’s a whole galaxy to explore, and there is more to Kh’ymm than meets the owl, but it was only a quirk of fate that got them mixed up in all this in the first place. Would we buy in a second or third time? Hard to say. But for now, all our Skeleton Crew are back home, reunited with family. Relationships will grow, SM-33 and Snowball are well, and even Jod – albeit likely imprisoned again – is still around. Would I want to see this balance upset again? Who am I kidding? I’m so up for more.
Paul Naylor
As the curtain closes on Skeleton Crew, and with Jod remaining seemingly alone on At-Attin as his fellow pirates literally crash out of the show, our young heroes summon the might of the Republic in the form of a squadron of X-Wings, a couple of B-Wings and a Corellian Corvette. Of course, there was plenty of exposition along the way, but essentially that was the purpose of this final chapter in the 8-episode run.
So, as a finished product, what can the lasting thoughts and legacy of Skeleton Crew be?
Well, to begin with, my expectations were low… very low, thanks in no small part to the patchy third season of The Mandalorian and (in my opinion) the abysmal The Acolyte. I needn’t have worried. This show oozes charm, a retro treat for those of us who were young in the ’80s. The obvious comparisons is The Goonies – a mid 80s classic – but there were nods to E.T and the Indiana Jones series, plus more recent gems such as Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean.
It honoured the films we have enjoyed over the years and became another reference for good film/TV. Its success was derived mostly from its core cast. The kids were great, each kid could act, and Jude Law was superb as the multi-layered Jod / Silvo / Crimson Jack gave the individual a dizzying persona, handled so well.
There may have been a couple of filler episodes, but overall the quality was good. I would have loved to have seen a legacy character or two at the show’s conclusion, but it’s a minor gripe.
As for the future? I’d love to see characters from the show appear in future Star Wars projects, if not a full blown sequel. It would be a shame not to see more of the duplicitous Jod Na Nawood and the heroic kids, Neel, KB, Wim and Fern.
Eric Onkenhout
It surely is sad to see Skeleton Crew go. The eighth and final episode was released this week and for the most part, it wrapped up everyone’s story. I particularly enjoyed some of the callbacks to other Star Wars films, but most of all the way Skeleton Crew brought the fun adventures back into Star Wars was such a welcome feeling. For too long Star Wars focused (I think) too much on being deeper and philosophical, and that isolated a lot of fans. That’s why those who enjoyed Solo: A Star Wars Story loved it so much. Because it brought back that Lucas touch. Let’s have some fun but also maybe we can learn a couple things along the way.
I said the finale of Skeleton Crew wrapped up the story for most. This is true, except for Jod. Last we see Jod, he’s staring out at his private frigate crashing to the ground after the New Republic destroyed it. By the way, for some reason, this reminded me of Jyn and Cassian on Scarif waiting for the blast. Maybe it was the music, I don’t know. But where does Jod go from here? Does he get arrested? Does he get away with some of the credits? Regardless, I hope we see more of Jod Na Nawood, he’s too interesting to let linger.
The character growth and progression for all the kids was perfect, especially for Fern. She started out rough and tough, but by the end, she acted more like a friend to everyone than being their boss. And it was nice seeing Wim and his dad grow closer and understand each other better. KB and Neel are the type of friends that maybe aren’t leaders but they each have grounding qualities. The way Wim gazed up at the X-wings flying by totally gave me broom boy vibes from The Last Jedi. Very cool.
I was glad the parents remained on the sideline for most of the series, but I also enjoyed how Fara and Wendel came around at the end. They understand there’s more to life than the Great Work. You can’t ignore what’s going on outside your little bubble forever. Star Wars needs more content like Skeleton Crew and Solo. Bring the wonder back to the galaxy far, far away. Make us smile again.
Jonathan Hipkiss
The final episode of Skeleton Crew stuck the landing and then some. It was emotionally satisfying on all counts and proved that you don’t need all the answers in Star Wars in order to enjoy yourself. Jude Law continued to excel after his dramatic turn in Episode 7, and Fern’s speech about good people helping others in the galaxy was some of the finest acting by a young performer I’ve seen in a while.
The visuals were remarkable and the dark lighting after The Supervisor’s demise was superbly done. I loved the hover bike race that felt straight out of the 1980s. My favourite moment was when the pirates began their attack on the homes because it was reminiscent of a 1950’s B-Movie alien invasion movie.
This series has proved that you can have fun in the Star Wars galaxy without it being connected to the Skywalker Saga, or affect the main story at all. It was simple, self-contained and fun. The wiring, which was consistently excellent throughout, also proved that less is more sometimes – as was the case with Jod’s backstory.
My favourite Star Wars adventure since Solo: A Star Wars Story in 2018. Outstanding. If Star Wars is for kids, then count me in.
Dan Lo
At the start of the show, I had quite a few complaints about At Attin being a lightly re-skinned earth suburb. Maybe two decades on, I’m still spoiled by the prequels with its alien-looking locales and next to nothing to remind me of my own planet. The finale still did that, with all too familiar details such as the Worrt-looking pet on a leash “barking” at an unfamiliar sight. However, when the power was out and invading pirates wreaked havoc, it made for quite a Star Wars-looking spectacle.
Throughout the first season of Skeleton Crew, I was making all sorts of speculations and guesses that turned out to be way wrong. As I stated last week, I had previously thought the Barrier was a gimmick but it turned out to be real. I also suspected earlier that Jod had graduated from the Haja Estree School of Magnets but not only were his force powers real, he’s had actual Jedi training. I thought maybe Kh’ymm may have secretly been a villain, but clearly she wasn’t. Earlier in the season, seeing At Achrann flooded my head with all sorts of insane theories on time travel and/or alternate timelines. And not only did I believe that Tak Rennod may have still been alive, but I even pinned both him and Wendle as possible candidates for the Supervisor. Embarrassing for me, but it’s also a good thing: The show wasn’t too predictable.
Speaking of the Supervisor, this is a good opportunity to get some negatives out of the way. As a season finale, I found the last episode to be both spectacular and underwhelming at the same time. The action scenes were great but there was no big reveal, with maybe the closest thing being that the Supervisor turned out to be a giant stationary droid inside a dusty control room. Fara did not seem at all surprised by this, which made my previous Truman Show comparisons fall apart all the more. Maybe my brain wanted to hear it, but I initially thought the Supervisor sounded a little like Ian McDiarmid. It turned out to be Stephen Fry, which beyond being a fun cameo didn’t do much for the story. Having the Supervisor droid’s origins stem back to Senator Palpatine would have opened up all sorts of interesting ramifications and possibilities, but alas the proverbial man behind the curtain turned out to be no one in particular.
I thought the overall pacing of the season was reasonably well done, but the final episode felt rushed and drawn out at the same time. There were some unnecessary obstacles that appeared to mainly serve as suspense, while also containing several instances of convenience that were seemingly designed to move the story along. Examples of the latter included the shutting down of all the security droids and power from simply stabbing the Supervisor droid in the eye, the numerous exchanges within the control room that somehow went unnoticed by Jod, Wendle somehow able to sneak up on Jod to punch him in the face, shooting the huge pirate ship out of the sky with no regard for consequences below, and the ability to run to KB’s crash site in such a short amount of time. One obstacle that felt manufactured was the docking clamps, and the resulting necessity for Wendle and Wim to join Fara and Fern up in the control tower. Making the audience think that KB might have perished in the crash for about eight minutes also seemed unnecessary and ultimately inconsequential.
I admit I hadn’t planned on dedicating so much of the review to negatives. My opinion of the season finale isn’t nearly as bad as the word count suggests, and there was plenty to like. I quite enjoyed the action sequences, and for the first time all season I consciously thought about Stagecraft in the context of marveling at how far the technology has come along. The speeder bike scenes looked spectacular, and it was great to see live action B-Wings on screen again. It’s just a shame we couldn’t get a small burst of John Williams to go along. The humor was also on point, as it had been all season long. Wim blatantly pretending to play with action figures got a chuckle out of me.
A few quick thoughts of the overall show with the benefit of some hindsight: Unsurprisingly, Jod was arguably the most nuanced character of the show. I spent half the season unsure of his real intentions, and even despite the somewhat underwhelming conclusion he remained a complicated character. We learned that he began Jedi training only to see his master killed, and likely chose a life of piracy for survival purposes. When he said “I don’t want to hurt anyone”, I sort of believed him. He definitely had plenty of opportunities to harm innocent characters, but never did. Fara, on the other hand, probably didn’t get enough screen time. We learned in the first episode that she takes “the great work” on At Attin extremely seriously, but we saw so little of her character over the course of the season that her decision to shut down the Barrier herself didn’t quite have the intended amount of impact for me.
As mentioned earlier, the introduction of At Achrann earlier in the season seemed to open up the show to larger possibilities. The existence of multiple parallel planets was highly intriguing, but ultimately didn’t come to much. The scale of the show had since shrunk back down, and At Achrann turned out to be an elaborate side quest to get back to At Attin. Learning about KB’s injuries was interesting, but also turned out to not matter much outside of the sixth episode.
Overall, I’m fairly happy with the show, and by that, I don’t mean that it was pretty good for a kids’ show, but in the general context of Star Wars. I count it as a fun addition to the ever growing catalogue of Star Wars stories, and I say that without reserve. With Jod still intact and walking free up in the Supervisor’s tower, I certainly hope it wasn’t the last we saw of him. While the season may have come to a subdued conclusion, it did end on a positive note for Wim. Speaking as a former 10-year-old who also disliked school, getting to skip an exam is as good a triumph as any.
Sander de Lange looks at all the reveals and easter eggs in Skeleton Crew: The Guide: Episode 8 ‘The Real Good Guys’
Hear Mark Newbold and Mark Mulcaster discuss the eighth episode on Making Tracks Reaction Crew: Skeleton Crew S1 Ep8.
Watch Brian Cameron and Paul Naylor discuss the eighth episode of Skeleton Crew on ‘Bone Voyage:’ Reviewing Episode 8 Of Disney Plus’ ‘Skeleton Crew’, part of Good Morning Tatooine, live every Sunday at 9.00pm UK time on Fantha Tracks TV.