Episodes watched: 2 of 8
Buckle up for a brand new journey set in a galaxy far, far away courtesy of creators Jon Watts (director of the most recent Spider-Man trilogy) and Christopher Ford. First announced at Star Wars Celebration back in 2022, the new series features a star-studded array of directors, including The Mandalorians‘ Bryce Dallas Howard, Thunderbolts*’ Jake Schreier, the Oscar-winning the Daniels and The Green Knight‘s David Lowery. Get set for a family-friendly journey perfect for the festive season!
When Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) convinces his best friend Neel (Robert Timothy Smith) to help him unearth an exciting discovery buried deep in the woods, their lives change forever. Alongside the rebellious Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) and super smart KB (Kyriana Kratter), the four suburban kids accidentally activate an old starship and quickly find themselves lost in the dangerous depths of outer space. Teaming up with the ships’ droid SM 33 (Nick Frost) and mysterious rogue Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law), the gang search for their way back home.
Opening with an explosive hijacking courtesy of a Guardians of the Galaxy-esque rag-tag band of space pirates – complete with a wolfman like Shistavanen (yes, you read that right!) – you’d be forgiven for thinking Skeleton Crew is an offshoot of The Mandalorian. However, it quickly becomes clear that this is an altogether different beast as the central suburban kids navigate exams, crushes and…an accidental adventure in space. There’s also an intriguing mystery at the heart of the series, centring around the identity of the kid’s home world.
This coming-of-age tale, set during the New Republic era, proves a refreshingly new perspective for Star Wars – an adventure told through the lens of curious school kids. Despite a few ties to Mando, Skeleton Crew feels like a standalone instalment which is clearly aimed at a much younger audience than ever before. Capturing the pure magic and awe of an Amblin instalment – think The Goonies and E.T – this feels like the perfect introduction to the franchise for new fans and younglings alike.
While the first episode admittedly takes a while to kick into gear due to establishing the futuristic suburban society (in which Jedi’s seem an ancient relic of the past), the wonderful young ensemble do a brilliant job of bringing the sense of youthful wonder and excitement to proceedings. Robert Timothy Smith’s Neel is undoubtedly the standout (an adorable alien who needs to be protected at all costs!), and his dynamic with Ravi Cabot-Conyers’ Wim is endearing and full of warmth. And the show is genuinely funny, thanks in part to Nick Frost’s amusing take on the peg-legged droid SM 33 (yes, there’s plenty of Peter Pan references). However, it unfortunately does take a little too long to introduce Jude Law’s rogue-ish Jod Na Nawood.
With a whimsical score from composer Mick Giacchino (son of Michael Giacchino), plenty of fun and zippy action sequences and a whole host of new alien creatures to discover, there’s certainly a lot for fans of the franchise to enjoy. There’s an impressive amount of detail and practical elements in the various sets, most notably the old starship and new planet full of pirates, criminals and scoundrels, along with fantastic mix of puppets, prosthetics, animatronics and animation bringing a whole host of alien creatures to life.
Verdict
Skeleton Crew is so far a fun, family-friendly galactic adventure and a huge love letter to ’80s Amblin films capturing the feeling of the simpler era of Star Wars. While it won’t be for everyone, the series will surely go down well with younglings during the festive season, with Neel undoubtedly capturing the heart of the nation (and many a toys!)
