Skeleton Crew, the 2024 Star Wars, series is set after the events of Return of the Jedi. Hence, there’s no Empire, and the New Republic is in charge of things. But since this changeover has caused a power vacuum in the furthest reaches of the galaxy, far, far away, piracy is at its peak. This is proven by the explosive opening sequence of the first episode of the show as a bunch of pirates raid what looks like a New Republic freighter. They seem to be looking for truckloads of credits, but their intel turns out to be wrong as they come across only one little coin. Captain Silvo ends up bearing the brunt of this mistake as his crew mutinies against him because his bad intel has led to the death of their mates, thereby adding to his long list of missteps. The rest of the two episodes of the show that have premiered today largely focus on the kids from At Attin and how they end up crossing paths with Silvo. So, let’s talk about it.
Spoiler Alert
Wim, Fern, KB, and Neel Find a Starship
Episode 1 of Skeleton Crew takes us to the idyllic planet of At Attin and introduces us to Wim, a school kid who is a big fan of the Jedi, and his strict father, Wendle, who is a systems coordinator. Wim seems to have only one friend, Neel, and although he entertains Wim’s Jedi fantasies, he keeps him grounded as well. But the sight of two kids, Fern and KB, zipping around on a smaller version of a speeder bike instead of taking the bus to school triggers Wim’s already hyperactive mind, thereby preventing him from listening to Neel’s advice. Naturally, when Undersecretary Fara, from the Office of the Supervisor, pays the kids a visit in their class to talk about their Career Assessment Test, Wim ends up saying that he wants to be a Jedi. Since the Jedi are considered a myth at this point in the franchise’s timeline, Wim’s answer is scoffed at by all. By the way, much like Andor, this show highlights how the New Republic has replaced the Empire on paper, but it’s as cultish as them. I mean, they are calling the process of healing the galaxy “The Great Work.” They are pushing kids to be analysts. And they’ve set up a camouflaging barrier (which is called The Barrier) around the planet. Seems weird. Anyway, all this colorful suppression of one’s individuality isn’t enough to dampen Wim’s spirits as he vehemently defends his decision to become a Jedi in front of Wim. However, as usual, Neel tells Wim to focus on his Career Assessment Test so that he doesn’t lose sight of what’s “important.”
In addition to Wim and Neel, we meet Fern and KB, who seem to be huge fans of partaking in races. But their speeder is toast, and that’s why they need a power converter. We also learn that Fern is Undersecretary Fara’s daughter, which explains her rebellious spirit. Wim and Fern cross paths when the former is apprehended for missing his assessment test and loitering in the forest with his speeder, while the latter is detained for being a racer (which is something that the droids detest). Wendel reprimands Wim for acting irresponsibly while the kid keeps pointing out that he has found a secret Jedi temple in the woods. Despite promising to focus on his studies and exams, Wim ventures into the forest, with Neel reluctantly following him, to confirm whether or not there is a Jedi temple out there. Given how Fern had overheard Wim and Wendle’s conversation, she reaches the spot as well, along with KB, to see if the Jedi fan’s claim holds any water. After some light digging and tinkering, a mystery door opens up, and it’s revealed that the thing that Wim had stumbled upon isn’t a temple; it’s actually a starship. Since Fern needs a power converter for her bike, they start going deeper and deeper into the spacecraft’s chambers to look for parts. Unsurprisingly, the kids end up triggering the ship’s flight systems, and while they enter hyperspace, Wendel helplessly looks on.
Wim, Fern, KB, and Neel Meet Captain Silvo
Episode 2 of Skeleton Crew reveals that, in addition to the flight systems of the starship, which was mysteriously buried in At Attin for what looks like thousands of years, the kids have also awakened its droid, SM 33. Given how this glitchy droid is trying to kick the kids off the spacecraft, Fern manages to convince it that she has taken over the role of the captain by killing the ship’s former captain. This trick works, and SM 33 starts treating Fern as its leader. So, Fern tries to get SM 33 to use its navigational powers to get them home. Due to the Barrier, I guess, At Attin doesn’t show up on the maps, and that prevents SM 33 from helping its new captain (Aldhani is mentioned during this conversation, which is a reference to Andor). Fern tells SM 33 to take them to the nearest starport so that they can ask for directions there. We briefly see Wendel informing the authorities about the starship and the kids in it, and then the focus returns to Wim thinking about spending the rest of his life as a pirate who can freely roam the galaxy. But before he can truly flesh out the details of this excellent plan, the starship reaches Port Borgo, a place that’s teeming with all kinds of criminals, gangsters, thieves, robbers, and, most importantly, pirates.
While the kids enter Port Borgo, SM 33 starts working on the starship. Instead of sticking together, Wim and Neel find themselves at a shady bar, while KB and Fern are spotted by Melna, who warns them about the level of danger they are in and that they promptly need to leave the place. When Fern says that she just needs to know how they can return to At Attin, Melna describes the planet we’ve just seen as a mythical celestial body that is full of all kinds of treasures. This undoubtedly confuses Fern and KB, but before they can learn why At Attin is being described as a “lost planet,” they are surrounded by almost all the pirates in Port Borgo. SM 33 comes to their rescue and puts up a decent fight but is decommissioned pretty soon by the crew that mutinied against Silvo. Since Fern starts running her mouth against the new captain (who looks like a werewolf) of that crew, the kids are thrown into the brig. They try using the rat that had made its home in SM 33’s body to get the key to their prison, but that plan obviously fails. At the end of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew episode 2, it’s revealed that Silvo wasn’t killed in the opening sequence of the first episode of the show; he was jailed, and now, he is in the same cell that the kids are in. He uses his Force powers to get the aforementioned key, and he is seemingly willing to help the kids get to their ship if they can keep his abilities a secret.
The first and most obvious question that this revelation raises is: Why is Silvo in jail if he had the means to free himself? Secondly, why is he so willing to help these kids? And thirdly, why is Silvo credited everywhere as Jod Na Nawood? Well, the simple answer to all of those questions is that the plot requires Jude Law’s character to do all that and be referred to as both Jod and Silvo. The relatively complex answers will probably be unveiled in the next few weeks. At the moment, all I can do is theorize. For starters, I feel that Jod Na Nawood is this character’s Jedi or Sith name. He probably became disillusioned by whatever cult he belonged to and chose the pirate’s life and named himself Silvo. He tried to come off as a regular fiend traveling through the galaxy by hiding his powers, and maybe that caused him to lose his connection to the Force. That was why he was unable to fight his compatriots in that opening scene. But after spending a lot of time in isolation, I guess he has started to get his powers back, and he wants to find his footing again. Given how the kids hail from At Attin, getting there will allow Silvo to do exactly that. So, maybe that’s why he is pretending to be the “good guy.” Eventually, he’ll betray the kids, or maybe he’ll have a change of heart and become their mentor. Do you feel the same way? Let me know in the comments.
