Year 9 after the Battle of Yavin. The empire has just been defeated. The fledgling Republic does not yet control space routes and security in the galaxy. Somewhere, on the planet At Attin, four children find a lost ship. Clumsy with no knowledge of navigation, they unintentionally launch the ship into space. Fortunately, one droid, SM-33, remains functional and will lead them to where he thinks he can find help: right in the middle of a pirate lair!
Completely lost (in every sense of the word), the kids attract malevolent attention when they display their planet’s currency, which turns out to be a priceless treasure. Thrown into a prison cell, they escape with the help of a mysterious man with Jedi powers: Jod Na Nawood. But their new benefactor’s intentions soon prove ambiguous. What if, by wanting to return home, the children are putting their planet in danger?
Like Jod Na Nawood, Skeleton Crew has a lot of potential… and spoils some of it.
The atmosphere is that of Spielberg’s Amblin company: the magic of childhood, as in ET, The Goonies and Stranger Things. Okay, why not, it refreshes and renews the Star Wars license. In addition to our four young protagonists, we’re off the beaten track with some interesting characters: the buccaneering droid with his pet rat, Jod Na Nawood (Jedi or impostor? False villain or real scoundrel?) and many others. The locations, the ships, everything is a credit to the franchise.
But here’s the thing: the writing isn’t up to scratch. The beginning is laborious, then the episodes follow one another without coherence. It’s right at the (predictable) end that Jod Na Nawood finally gets two sentences to explain his past.
I would have loved to have loved Skeleton crew, the series had some nice assets. But there’s no substitute for a good script…
1 season, 8 episode (40 mn), 2024 – , on Disney+
WITH : Jude Law as Jod Na Nawood, Ravi Cabot-Conyers as Wim, Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Fern, Kyriana Kratter as KB, Robert Timothy Smith as the voice of Neel, Kacie Borrowman serves as the performance artist for Neel, Nick Frost as the voice of SM-33, Rob Ramsdell serves as the performance artist for SM-33. Tunde Adebimpe as Wendle, Kerry Condon as Fara, Alia Shawkat as the voice of Kh’ymm, Hala Finley as Hayna, Mathieu Kassovitz as General Strix,
Kelly Macdonald as Pokkit