Major spoilers for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew lie ahead.
After several thrilling weeks of storytelling, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’s season came to a close on the 2025 TV schedule, and the finale was as explosive as it was cathartic. The story concluded on a satisfying note, but it’s possible that fans may still have certain questions. If you’re like me, then you probably want to know a bit more about the shifty Jod Na Nawood (who’s played by Jude Law). Now, the EPs have answered at least one query that I’ve had about Jod for a few weeks now, and it has to do with another show – The Acolyte.
What Did I Want To Know About Jod?
Skeleton Crew kept viewers guessing about Jod’s mysterious origins, specifically in regard to whether he was truly a Jedi as he claimed to the show’s rambunctious quartet of young At Attin natives. The fifth episode saw the group locate a treasure staff, which included a lightsaber that Jod eventually wielded in the closing seconds. The shady pirate also used the weapon during the season’s final episodes. (It was also during the finale that Jod was confirmed to be Force-sensitive, given he’d been briefly trained in the Jedi arts as a kid.)
So what about my big question? Well, considering Jod doesn’t prove himself to be all that nice a guy, I want to know why the blue lightsaber didn’t eventually turn red when he used it. There’s precedence for that, as The Acolyte’s heartwrenching finale showed Amandla Stenberg’s Osha corrupting a saber’s kyber crystal with hatred upon turning to the dark side. With that, I assumed it would likely happen to Jod. The creators of the show, Jon Watts and Christopher Ford, are aware of this part of the lore, and they apparently thought that over.
How Did Skeleton Crew’s Creators Explain Their Approach To Lightsabers?
Like so many people, Christopher Ford and Jon Watts are fans of the Star Wars universe. So they’re aware of the fact that, in some cases, a person can “bleed” their hatred into a kyber crystal – which are, by nature, linked to the Light Side of the Force. When Variety asked if Jod’s lightsaber not turning red suggested that he’s not all that evil, Ford had the following to say:
The lightsaber turning red thing is a bit more specific. I think the way they did it in ‘The Acolyte,’ the crystal was exposed because it’s part a ritual and stuff. We didn’t want to get into that because he’s not a Sith.
I suppose this does make sense, especially given just how much experience Jod actually has with the Force. Jod suggested that he was only briefly trained as a Jedi, so I guess he really wouldn’t have much concept of the Light and Dark sides. With that, he’d theoretically be nowhere close to becoming a Sith. The two Skeleton Crew EPs doubled down on that notion while discussing the moment they watched that lightsaber scene on The Acolyte:
Jon Watts: When I saw that in ‘Acolyte,’ I was texting Ford, ‘Is that how that works?’ [Laughs]
Christopher Ford: And I was like, ‘It checks out.’ Honestly, what I was most excited for with Force-user aspect of Jod, was that he was, like, a low level, not a powerful Jedi.
Watts: Yeah, he wouldn’t be able to change anything to any color.
Overall, it sounds like this whole discussion greatly boils down to the level of experience that a person has with the Force that plays into this. Jon Watts and Christopher Ford went on to joke about Jod’s lack of formal training:
Ford: He can do a few tiny things. I really liked that few people online were like, ‘You can tell by the way he’s using the lightsaber that he was not trained.’ I wonder if Jude would be insulted by that, but it was kind of the intention.
Watts: He’s like a guy that took a couple piano lessons when he was a kid, so he can play the one song that he learned.
Ironically, while I personally enjoyed seeing so much lightsaber-centric action on Acolyte, I really appreciated the near-absence of them on Skeleton Crew. Nevertheless, the famous weapon was used to great effect on the latter show. For instance, Wim actor Ravi Cabot-Conyers was able to wield the weapon during a moment that he described to CinemaBlend as “pivotal and important.” It’s rarely easy to insert a massive item into a story, especially one with such history and lore surrounding it. Yet I’d say the producers of Skeleton Crew did so effectively.
One now just has to wonder whether another season might be on the horizon. Story-wise, there’s obviously the matter of At Attin’s location being divulged, but I also want to know what happens with the seemingly defeated Jod. Should he return in a second season, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s put in a position where he has to use that lightsaber again. But, if that happens, we probably shouldn’t expect his kyber crystal to change colors.
You can stream all of Skeleton Crew and The Acolyte now using a Disney+ subscription. Also, be sure to keep up with information on upcoming Star Wars TV shows.
