‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’ Recap – ‘This Could Be a Real Adventure’ & ‘Way, Way Out Past the Barrier’

12/3/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

(L-R) Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), KB (Kyriana Kratter) and Neel (Robert Timothy Smith) in Lucasfilm’s STAR WARS: SKELETON CREW, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Matt Kennedy. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Series Premiere of ‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’.

It is definitely safe to say that every Star Wars fan out there, shared in similar emotions the first time they settled in to watch a story told in a galaxy, far, far away. In that, they were in left in awe and with a real sense of wonder. Because it was just incredible to see a universe so rich and so diverse, where good and evil duked it out in a manner that defied the limits of our imagination, and that sense of awe and wonder extended well beyond our first viewing. For Star Wars basically infected our minds in the healthiest way possible. Since we quickly became obsessed with it and what it had to offer.

To the point where we held lightsaber duels with our friends, quoted our favorite lines and carried our lunchboxes to school proudly. Because those first days with the franchise simply unlocked something special in our imagination, and well… sadly… like all things in life that sense of wonder faded over time. Instead replaced with satisfaction and joy as we watched more and more Star Wars throughout the years, and we of course… have always wondered if by chance we can recreate just a taste of that feeling of our first experience with the franchise and believe it or not… we finally can. Courtesy of the latest offering from the franchise, which debuted on Disney+ last night, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.

A feat that ‘This Could Be a Real Adventure’ and ‘Way, Way Out Past the Barrier’ accomplished by transporting us to a special location and special time in the franchise. For this story takes place post Return of the Jedi, in the heart of the Outer Rim where pirates plague the trade routes and where… a group of kids on a cozy world are just doing their best to get by. Because Wim, Fern, KB, and Neel, don’t quite fit in and they often feel they are meant for more and well… they will get their chance to see what more looks like. For Wim comes to discover that hidden on his world, is a crashed starship, one that he and his friends manage to reactivate while aboard and soon… they find themselves lost in space and searching for home and all they have to help them is their salty ship droid SM-33, and potentially a mysterious pirate they meet along the way.

All of which, offers up first and foremost, a vastly different kind of Star Wars story. For this one doesn’t quite harbor all the elements we are used to when it comes a story set in this galaxy. After all, the Empire is gone, the First Order is a mere thought, and others are battling Imperial Remnant. So, there’s no great evil for these kids to face. They’re just lost. They just want to go home and perhaps regale their family with tales of a galaxy beyond and that’s refreshing to see. Since it offers this story freedom, and a sense of adventure and fun. Not to mention, it lets comedic elements shine and above all, this newfound adventure allows for something quite magical to happen for the audience, especially those of us who have watched these stories for ages.

In that, it recreates that sense of awe and wonder, and the characters themselves help that come to life. Courtesy of the fact that Wim is enamored with stories of the Jedi, and the heroism they provided to the galaxy. In fact, we even see him and Neel get into lightsaber duels as we did as kids and truly… the thought of touching the stars and seeing the galaxy beyond, ignites that sense of awe and wonder we felt when we first watched the franchise, and that’s amazing. Because it is so hard to replicate a feeling that powerful, but we truly live vicariously through these kids and it really is quite the delight to feel as though we are starting a powerful journey for the first time and in many ways, we are.

Simply because, the world that Wim and his friends inhabit has quite the mystery surrounding it, one that is new to the franchise. Not to mention, we have a bevy of questions regarding Jude Law’s character and his ties to the Force and of course… who doesn’t want to learn about the pirates that populate this place? Which means we are in for quite the adventure. One that is funny, charming and downright engaging and thrilling, courtesy of a refreshing new series that truly does remind us why we fell in love with the franchise in the first place, and it will be interesting to see what lie ahead as these kids work to return home from the vastness of the galaxy. Until next time.

Watch ‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’

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