Skeleton Crew

You won’t find a lot of kids a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. At least, not any that aren’t tortured by Anakin Skywalker, retrieved for a bounty, or forced to pod race to escape child slavery. However, Star Wars fans young and old have a new hope in “Skeleton Crew,” a 2024 weekly spin-off series from Disney+. Brooks Eisenbise said in her review, “Taking cues from recent nostalgia-fueled The Goonies (1985) knock-offs like Stranger Things and It (2017), this story provides a new angle on the Star Wars cinematic universe—one that puts childhood adventure front and center.”

Eisenbise continued, “While Jedi-fied Jude Law has been the centerpiece of this show’s promotional material, the tweenaged ensemble cast, headed by Ravi Cabot-Conyers as Jedi-obsessed Wim and Ryan Kiera Armstrong as tough-talking Fern, steal the show. Along with technophile KB (Kyriana Kratter) and worrywart Neel (Robert T. Smith), the group of unlikely comrades discover a mysterious door in the woods that transports them far beyond their celestial neighborhood and calls into question everything they thought they knew about their home planet and their galaxy.”

“Skeleton Crew” is one of the very few canonical offshoots set after what happened in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” and the fall of the First Order. Therefore, not only does this series put a unique focus on childhood in the Star Wars universe, but it also looks at a glimpse into the political and criminal underworld of its new intergalactic democracy. Experiences writers Christopher Ford, Jon Watts, and Myung Joh Wesner achieve this amazing world-building with refreshing finely, charm, and humor. Eisenbise said, “And this time, the punchlines aren’t (exclusively) delivered by a wisecracking android, a now well-worn Star Wars trope.”

Whether “Skeleton Crew” will fall into redundancy and superfluous exposition or be canceled before it gets to a satisfying conclusion – both unfortunate fates that have befallen recent Star Wars spin-off series – is anyone’s guess. However, whether you’re a longtime fan or completely new to “Star Wars,” it’s worth to keep watching.

I found myself enjoying this show a lot. I liked the story and the growth of the characters throughout the season. Fern and Wim really grow to get along when they are first trying to be in control, and Jude Law plays a two-faced guy so well. The planet that is consisted of pirates was just great, especially with an appearance by Steve Urkel from “Family Matters,” Jaleel White, in here. I have not seen him on TV in years, and to see him in here was just great. Maybe he did not want to be remembered for his role as Urkel, but if this is a sign of him making appearances again after letting the Urkel popularity die out, then I am happy. SM-33 is voiced by Nick Frost and he is funny in that role. Alia Shawkat from “Arrested Development” and former “The Daily Show,” John Hodgeman are also in here. See this on Disney+, you will love it. I think they are going to make more seasons to this, I will be happy.

Tomorrow we’ll be looking at a new animated Marvel Cinematic Universe show in “Disney Month 2025.”