Star Wars fans are a hyperbolic bunch. Whenever a new
project debuts – whether it’s a theatrical film or a streaming series – it’s
either the best thing to happen to the franchise in years or it’s the
catastrophic death knell for that galaxy far, far away. Admittedly, my reactions
tend to be more positive when it comes to Disney’s near-constant output of Star
Wars content. You can call me a shill if you must (it wouldn’t be the first
time), but I was a kid during the “Dark Times” of the early-mid ‘90s when all
we had were the original three films on well-worn VHS tapes, a handful of PC
games and a stack of novels and comics of varying quality to satisfy our
fervor for the Force. I’m OK with being spoiled with so many Star Wars
stories these days, even if they don’t all hit the figurative two-meter thermal
exhaust port.
But where does that leave Skeleton Crew, the eight-episode Disney+
pirate yarn featuring a Force-sensitive and swarthy Jude Law, a group of plucky
young adventurers and a host of furry, feathery and sometimes squishy alien
creatures? In short, it’s damn good.
Skeleton Crew is
a love letter to many things, namely 1980s Steven Spielberg coming-of-age
stories, practical visual effects, swashbuckling adventure films and, yes,
childhood. It all blends together to form the most accessible Star Wars
streaming series since The Mandalorian’s debut season in 2019, devoid of
required reading/viewing as long as you’re familiar with the basics of Star
Wars (and who isn’t?). As such, I’ve been excitedly recommending this show to
just about everyone, not only those who know the difference between a Mon
Calamari and a Quarren.
Starring Jude Law as the mysterious Jod Na Nawood and a quartet of kid actors – Ravi Cabot-Conyers as the starry-eyed Wim, Ryan Kiera Armstrong as the headstrong Fern, Kyriana Kratter as the analytical KB and Robert Timothy Smith as the bashful blue alien Neel – Skeleton Crew features stronger performances than you might expect from what many perceive as a “kids’ show.” Joining the flesh-and-blood cast is the tough-as-nails droid SM-33 voiced by Nick Frost, who brings a lot of heart and humor to a broken-down bot with a rat living in its skull.
Series creators Jon Watts and Christopher Ford crafted this
season alongside a murders’ row of directors, including Daniel Kwan and Daniel
Scheinert (Everything Everywhere All at Once) and the always game Bryce
Dallas Howard, who really needs to be directing Star Wars movies as soon
as possible. It all comes to a close in satisfying fashion in this week’s
finale, but there’s more adventure to be had with these characters if the
viewership demands it. After The Acolyte ended after just one season, I’m
not getting my hopes up too high but, as has always been the case with me and Star
Wars, I’m choosing to look on the Light Side.