Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Review- A Fun 80s Themed Adventure

The first two episodes of the new “Star Wars” show Skeleton Crew dropped on Disney+ last night at 9 PM EST. I watched them this morning. While they are a fun 80s-style Spielberian/Lucas-esque show that reminds me of “The Goonies,” “Explorers,” and even “Treasure Planet,” they aren’t exactly “Star Wars” yet.

The show is going for the time period the original trilogy came from (70s and 80s). It definitely has throwbacks to the original trilogy. However, if you took the “Star Wars” references out and made them something else entirely, it wouldn’t change the story too much. That said, we still have six episodes to go, which could change.

Jude Law isn’t in the first two episodes all that much, as the story mostly focuses on the kids and how they get a starship. But the kids are mostly fun and interesting, each with a distinct personality. Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) is the dreamer/wanna-be hero who keeps messing up. Neel (Robert Timothy Smith) is the blue-elephant creature that is more studious and is the unwilling sidekick but a good friend. Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) is the daughter of a high-ranking official, so she’s rebellious, annoyed, and clever. KB (Kyriana Kratter) is the technical wiz and mechanic, and we can’t yet tell if she’s a cyborg or something similar.

So far it’s fun. It reminds me of playing out adventures as a kid, which is not a bad thing.

Before I enter into spoiler territory, this show is for you if you want a fun, nostalgic jaunt.

Spoilers for “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” ahead.

The show starts with a scene straight out of “A New Hope.” A Republic freighter is under attack by pirates. The crew lines up and points guns at the circular door, and waits as the pirates pour in (like Stormtroopers). Then, the captain (Jude Law) enters wearing a mask, like Darth Vader. Then it goes south as their mission to rob the vault goes awry when the vault is empty, and Law’s crew mutinies against him.

Then we see Wim playing with Jedi toys (like Space Balls), and then we learn that his dad works all the time, and Wim is often on his own, obsessed with Jedi and dreaming of being a hero. He drags Neel along, but Neel also has plans for his life that don’t align with Wim’s.

The town looks like a 1980s suburb in California, which was probably cheaper to film. At school, we learn that they take placement tests to see what jobs would be a good fit for them to train for in “The Great Work.” Everyone already knows what they want to do except for Wim. The big test is the next day, and Wim goes to study but reads Jedi stories instead.

During all this, Fern and KB are seen speeding around town on a speeder bike that breaks down and needs a part. Fern is later revealed to be the daughter of a government official. We have seen both parents work a lot, so that might be a recurring theme here.

A Starship

Wim predictably misses the transport to school and has to try to make it to the placement test. He takes a speeder bike and a “shortcut” that leads him to fall into a ravine, where he discovers what he thinks is a Jedi Temple.

He is found by security droids who take him to school. He missed his test, and his father was there, but he didn’t listen to him when he tried to explain. Meanwhile, Fern overhears it all.

Wim gets Neel, and they go to explore the “Jedi Temple” further. Fern and KB are already there, and they dig up the door as KB finds a way to open the door. Like “Goonies,” they explore the ship, find two dead skeletons that likely died in a duel, a “dead” robot, and more. However, they are locked in and need power to get out. KB follows a power conduit and restarts the ship, but Wim can’t stop touching things and accidentally starts the ship.

They try to escape but can not and are stuck on the ship while Wim’s father watches them leave. He immediately tells security droids, who can’t believe there was a ship there as ships and leaving aren’t allowed.

At Attin

When the kids get past “the barrier” they see stars for the first time, all of this seemingly indicates that the planet is being hidden. This is later confirmed.

The droid (SM 33) reawakens, and Fern tells it she is the new captain. When she tells him they want to go home to their planet of At Attin, SM 33 has no knowledge of it, and they go to a spaceport that is rougher than Mos Eisley. There Wim’s Old Republic credits get them unwanted attention, and they learn that At Attin is a “mythical planet” with some great treasure. So, the planet has been hidden for years and is likely frozen in time before the Empire, Rebellion, and New Republic.

SM 33 ends up getting shot and deactivated, and the kids end up in the brig, where they finally meet Jude Law’s character Jod Na Nawood. He promises to help them escape and get home after he overhears them say they were from At Attin. He seemingly uses force to get the keys to leave, which I’m not sure why he didn’t just do that before.

Again, there are some references to “Star Wars” in the show, but it feels more like “The Goonies” or “Explorers” than “Star Wars” at this point. This does not make it bad. It’s actually a lot of fun. But hopefully, we get more “Star Wars” in the “Star Wars” show.

What do you think? Comment and let us know!