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 three of season one, ”Very Interesting, as an Astrogation Problem”. Beware of spoilerific elements in here.
Dan Lo
In The Truman Show, Jim Carrey’s character was unknowingly the star of a TV show. Having spent his entire life in a giant soundstage, he was programmed with a fear of travel by executive producer Christof to prevent him from leaving his hometown. After going off script by falling in love with an extra, the title character spent much of the film dreaming of traveling to Fiji.
While I wouldn’t go as far as declaring Skeleton Crew to be The Truman Show in space, the explanation that the kids had “illegally exited the barrier” certainly invited some surface-level comparisons. It’s too early to say for sure but it so far appears that the entire population of At Atin could be in Truman Burbank’s shoes. It’s not clear if there are any extras, and we don’t know who Star Wars Christof is yet.
Jod Na Nawood seems like a well-written and acted character so far. We were given a series of small red flags that were constantly balanced with hints of Jod being good, and even well after he was established as Crimson Jack it’s still not obvious if his intentions are completely bad. I could be wrong, but it seems unlikely that Jod was the pirate captain from the start of the show, despite the numerous hints that he may have been. The show’s trailers and marketing suggest that he’ll spend the entire show with the kids, but there are still plenty of unanswered questions.
Opposite of Jod was Kh’ymm. I thought that the idea of an owl who speaks perfect English would have completely pulled me out of Star Wars, but somehow that wasn’t the case. She was positioned as a protagonist, but I’m not entirely sure about that. This was where my personal biases may be in play, because I’m a big believer in gut feelings and Kh’ymm told KB to “use your head“. I could be overthinking that exchange, but we will see.
I have to admit that At Atin is still visually jarring. My brain still sees a thinly veiled suburb, which makes it all the less believable as Star Wars. Maybe it’s intentional, since we still don’t fully understand the nature of the planet. It’s an intriguing mystery to build a series around.
Overall, I’m happy to get the impression that the show was written by Star Wars fans. Trivia has never been my strong suit, which means I’m really good at missing easter eggs. The obvious ones I could catch made me smile: “The Force flows through us all“, using Jod’s willingness to wield a blaster as a red flag, the battle droid, and the Han and Lando callback that prefaced their arrival to Kh’ymm’s observatory. And of course, it’s always great to see X-Wings on screen. It was a short sequence, but the snapped fuel line was a cool large-scale spectacle. It’s a generic way of describing it, but it looked very Star Wars to me. And so did most of this episode.
There was one loose end, of course. Wim’s dad seemed unusually calm at the start of the episode compared to the other adults. Is he in on this? Probably not, since his concern did appear to be genuine earlier on in the show. But if that’s the case, why the lingering camera shot?
Paul Naylor
It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a Star Wars show this much. I’ve watched each episode of this series – thus far – three times. I’ve loved it so much from the off. In fact, it has surprised me just how good it is. I love the narrative, but I’m going to focus on some of the things I spotted that have helped to ground this firmly in the Star Wars galaxy – something that was certainly a failure (for me at least) in The Acolyte.
During the jail escape on Port Borgo there’s several nods to the original trilogy. The cells feel very reminiscent of those at Jabba’s Palace; Jod using the Force to distract two jailers in much the way Obi-Wan did while shutting down the tractor beam onboard the first Death Star.
Jod returns to the Port when the children make it clear they are going nowhere without SM-33. He makes his way to a room that reminded me of two focal points in the original trilogy – the inside of the Sandcrawler and Ugnaught droid incinerator room on Cloud City. Here we are treated to droids from across the saga – a CZ droid, RA and a flimsy Battle Droid. Lovely stuff. Not content with throwing us headfirst into the past glories of Star Wars, we were also gifted an appearance by one of Indiana Jones’s first antagonists. Alfred Molina provides the voice for Benjar Pranic – an Ishi Tib pirate, and former shipmate of Jod (or Captain Silvo).
Following a fumbled escape, with tangled fuel lines and chaos, the crew headed to a small moon. He talks of this ‘friend’ in terms similar to the way Han spoke of Lando on the approach to Bespin. Unlike that Empire Strikes Back relationship, this was not of two male humans. Jod’s contact turns out to be a hoot of an astromonist. Kh’ymm cast my mind way back to Clash of the Titans and the robot owl, Bubo. In reality, Kh’ymm is more cyborg perhaps, with apparently head implants. Very Lobot from Empire. An enjoyable character, that to me blended the characters of Yoda and Maz Kanata in a very different body.
Maps, charts and scrolls followed. Very The Force Awakens meets Indiana Jones. At Attin is a hidden planet, much like Luke Skywalker was a hidden Jedi, and while there is no map to the planet we are treated to an ancient scroll detailing a group of planets – The Jewels of the Old Republic. We can only hope that this, in time, will crop up again in a Star Wars film/TV show based in the Old Republic era. That would make a fascinating link. Much as Luke was referred to as a myth in the sequel trilogy, so too is At Attin. The children just don’t get it. To them, home is boring, sanitised suburbia. But all the clues so far point to it being much more than an idyllic planet to live on. Why is there a barrier keeping people in and it hidden from the galaxy? Does it really have the riches alluded to? To the rest of the galaxy it is recalled in children’s stories and pirate shanties. The prospect of its significance is tantalising.
Then we get X-wings. What could be more Star War? A great little battle above the moon, made extra special by gun placements – very Falcon. Wim’s reaction when he was offered the gunner’s chair was subtly brilliant. Such a face of joy, sending me right back to the playground in late 1970s England. Wonderful stuff.
All in all, the reason this show works is it IS Star Wars. It doesn’t hide away from referencing the past. It is happy to litter the environments with the familiar, as well as the new. The kids are great. They do not annoy and I’d like to imagine when I was that age I’d have fitted in a treat.
Greg McLaughlin
I am happy to say that I enjoy the show’s pacing and that it moves along at a nice clip. Much like the first season of The Mandalorian, it feels very much like an episodic TV series, and not having to carry the weight of canon, I am very ok with the shows being a half hour or so. I’m sure that I am missing a bunch more easter eggs, overall I love that all these nods don’t get in the way of someone enjoying the story. I’ve watched some of this series with other members of the family, and they aren’t bogged down by the details and just seem to enjoy it.
The backstory of the planet and its place in a galaxy that thinks it’s a myth is really turning out to make this so much more than a simple story of lost kids, a cool pirate robot, and of course Jude Law.
To that end we get a full episode of the scoundrel Jod Na Nawood, and Law does not disappoint. Even in his non-verbal cues, he was worth every old republic credit that Disney paid him for his role in the show. He is fantastic and you can see and feel the effort he puts into it. He’s the goods folks, so sit back and enjoy the ride.
Also showing the value for the money, is our newly introduced character, Kh’ymm. Her whole look and character is brilliant. I also love how she couldn’t help herself nerd out over the designs of Fern’s school jacket to narrow down At Attin’s coordinates, before catching herself forgetting to stall for the New Republic troops en route. I loved everything about the moon observatory and her growing collection. Wouldn’t we all kill for the extra space to house our growing Star Wars hordes.
There was so much packed into this episode that there were plenty of things I am still trying to unpack. A couple notable ones:
I was very interested in Wendle’s reactions to the whole meeting of parents and the droids from the Supervisor’s office. He either is in shock still, or is unraveling a bit at the life he’s always known for himself and Wim. Maybe we will find that his focus on the work is how he has coped with the loss of his partner and his that he will have to come to some sobering terms. The fact that even Fern’s mom has to formerly request an audience with the Supervisor through a droid, gives some weight to me that this society and government is starting to look like it hides behind the green Oz-like curtain.
How far back do you figure this Republic protection began for At Attin and the other ‘Planets of Wonder.’ Wim did seem to pick up that there was an emphasis in the ‘Great Work’ on currency. So maybe the treasure, is in fact a vein of precious minerals, a think tank set up to solve problems of interplanetary commerce, or simply the home branch of the Republic Credit Union. Whatever the so called ‘Jewels of the Old Republic’ were, there seems to be enough to have generated the spark of lore that would attract pirates and ne’re do wells from across the galaxy.
And before anyone asks why none of the kids thought to worry about SM33 until after they had reached the ship, anyone who has had kids can completely sympathize with the Star Wars version of ‘you should have went before we left.’ Much like Jod says later, trying to explain the stab in the back metaphor to a group of ten-year-olds: ‘you’ll understand when you’re old.“
Jonathan Hipkiss
After being highly impressed with episodes 1 & 2 of Skeleton Crew, I had high hopes for what was to come and I can safely say I continue to fall in love with this show. The 80’s vibe shines through in unashamed fun and it feels like Star Wars has found its sweet spot with this show.
Eric Onkenhout
In a very short time, Star Wars Skeleton Crew has become a must-watch. All three episodes so far have been a joy to watch. Bringing back the fun part of Star Wars. Excitement, adventure, a Jedi craves not these things – but we certainly do! The third episode titled, Very Interesting, As An Astrogration Problem introduced us to new alien species and settings never seen before in the galaxy far, far away, and we finally know how to pronounce Jude Law’s character!
The fun Skeleton Crew brings is quite similar to Solo: A Star Wars Story. It’s just a darn good time. Skeleton Crew doesn’t take itself too seriously, and the nods to 80s coming-of-age movies are blatantly obvious but it’s done in a way that feels natural. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? In the episode, the kids escape the brig with Jod who explains that he hasn’t tried breaking out before because he didn’t have a ship available. Thanks to KB for asking the question we were all wondering. Jod Na Nawood, (pronounced Jod Nanawood), is a sketchy dude for sure. He’s obviously a Force-user, but isn’t a Jedi. He sort of reminded me of Kanan before he met Hera. There is some Han Solo in him, maybe like a ½ cup with a ¼ cup of Lando, a ¼ cup of Hondo. Not a bad guy, I don’t think, but an opportunist for sure.
Jod and the kids make their way to their ship, the Onyx Cinder, which is being held in dock by cables, like a boat being held by rope to a pier. Jod reluctantly retrieves SM-33 and they break away into hyperspace, their destination is to someone Jod knows who can help them find their way to At Attin. Could we see Doctor Aphra or Maz Kanata? Unfortunately no but that’s cool because we got a brand new character and species. Kh’ymm is an owl/cat creature and maybe the coolest-looking character ever. Kh’ymm is an expert in galactic maps and treasure hunting and lives on a remote world similar to our moon. After researching, Kh’ymm describes At Attin as an “interesting” astrogation problem. She says that there is no map to At Attin and that the scroll depicts the Jewels of the Old Republic, which she describes as planets of wonders kept hidden for their protection.
The thing with Kh’ymm though is that she will stab you in the back (hence the Aphra thoughts). And she does. Kh’ymm calls the New Republic on Jod and soon two X-wings arrive, but Jod narrowly escapes with the kids. I hope Jod’s character doesn’t overshadow the kids since he is an adult and they’ll be looking to him for help and guidance. Like KB says, they’re just kids, they can’t do it on their own. On that note, I found the scene with the parents worrying about their children the least interesting scene. The acting felt over the top. Skeleton Crew needs to keep the adults in supporting roles because adults are boring.
I quite enjoy the secretive aspect of At Attin and how it’s a mysterious planet kept hidden. I believe this could lead to future connections to Old Republic stories, perhaps the Old Republic movie in the works, Dawn of the Jedi. Lastly, I feel the setting is perfect for this type of story. If this was set during the Empire’s Third Reich I feel like that would be overbearing for the story. There’s already so much going on with the rebellion and there have been loads of stories in that era. The post-Return of the Jedi Star Wars era is lawless and wild, perfect for kids to be treasure hunting. At this point do we really need a cameo with Din Djarin? I think Wim, Fern, Neel, and KB have this all under control.
Ross Hollebon
This episode, actually the first three episodes of Skeleton Crew, can be best summed up, to me, in one moment. KB pushing the ship into hyperspace. The kids are attempting to get home to At Attin, with Jod Na Nawood and SM 33 in tow, not realizing their boring, ordinary home is actually a myth to the rest of the galaxy, and that makes it even more fun.
KB, Fern, Wim, and Neel are growing up quick and earning cred in “street smarts” (or would it be “Space smarts”?) and seeing KB and Fern, along with SM 33’s muscle, strong arm Jod Na Nawood, is a special moment. Especially after learning he is also known as Crimson Jack, by the owl-like Kh’ymm, who MUST know Maz Kanata.
Are the kids figuring out their world by being someplace else? What is The Great Work? Why is the barrier there? The questions asked by Kh’ymm, to figure out the potential mapping to At Attin, get the short quartet thinking—and though they’ll likely make more youthful mistakes, they are storming ahead at light speed, to our entertainment benefit.
Sander de Lange looks at all the reveals and easter eggs in Skeleton Crew: The Guide: Episode 3 ‘Very Interesting, as an Astrogation Problem’
Hear Mark Mulcaster and Mark Newbold discuss the third episode on Making Tracks Reaction Crew: Skeleton Crew S1 Ep3.
Watch Brian Cameron and Paul Naylor discuss the third episode of Skeleton Crew on ‘Bone Voyage:’ Reviewing Episode 3 Of Disney Plus’ ‘Skeleton Crew’, part of Good Morning Tatooine, live every Sunday at 9.00pm UK time on Fantha Tracks TV.
