The following contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.
Like a lot of people, I have been a Star Wars fan for essentially as long as I’ve been alive. The franchise is only a couple of months older than I am so I grew up with the Original Trilogy. It’s weird to live in a world where there is so much upcoming Star Wars content considering how long we went with so little, but I’ve greatly enjoyed the new franchise entries. Nothing’s perfect, of course, and many of the new shows and movies have flaws worthy of discussion. But I like Star Wars, and so I like what Disney has produced, more or less, since taking over Lucasfilm.
However, having just finished Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, I think I may be loving the franchise more than ever. The new series has been one of the most enjoyable pieces of the galaxy, far, far away so far, and I hope that we get to see more of this in the future, not necessarily in the form of new seasons of this show, but in the form of new shows that take inspiration from Skeleton Crew.
Skeleton Crew Is My Favorite Star Wars Series So Far
Ever since The Mandalorian debuted on the day that Disney+ launched Star Wars has been a key part of the streaming service, and one of the best reasons to have a Disney+ subscription. That being said, while I’ve enjoyed almost everything I’ve seen on the platform, that’s not the same as saying it’s all been great.
After a solid debut, The Mandalorian’s later seasons have been little more than References: The Series. The Book of Boba Fett told two simultaneous stories, only one of which was that interesting. And while I love Ahsoka Tano as much as the next Star Wars fan, I’m not in a hurry to see Ahsoka: Season 2.
Most would likely agree that the first season of Andor is the best Star Wars show on Disney+, and I would be one of those people. However, Skeleton Crew, while not as good in many ways, is probably still my favorite Star Wars show so far.
I frequently wait to watch streaming series until I can binge the whole thing, as I’ve lost patience for weekly releases. However with Skeleton Crew, it looked like so much fun I couldn’t wait. I saw the first trailer at D23 in August, and from there I was hooked by just how much it felt like Star Wars, as well as didn't feel like Star Wars.
I was not disappointed. The show made me smile in ways that Star Wars hasn’t since the camera first panned over The Millennium Falcon in The Force Awakens, but for very different reasons.
Skeleton Crew’s Greatest Strength Is Its Freedom From The Franchise
Skeleton Crew is a great Star Wars show because, ironically, it’s perhaps the least Star Wars any of the recent series have been. What many referred to as Star Wars Goonies, before it was released, but after watching it, is very clearly Star Wars Treasure Island. It was something fresh and new that was very clearly a Star Wars story, but wasn’t beholden to its history.
Skeleton Crew’s world is expertly crafted to let its story live outside the confines of Star Wars canon. In the final episode, we learn that the planet of At Attin, the home of our main characters, has been cut off from the rest of the galaxy since around the time the prequel trilogy ended. They are seemingly unaware of the fact that the Galactic Empire existed, much less that it has fallen.
The signifiers of a Star Wars story are all here. People are familiar with the Jedi and what they can do. A lightsaber shows up. X-Wing fighters appear at key moments. This is clearly a story set in the Star Wars universe, those elements that are unique to this franchise are all there. But in a massive galaxy, not every fight is with a galactic Empire. Sometimes it's just some kids trying to get home.
Skeleton Crew is clearly a Star Wars adventure, but it has a story and a tone that is unique to itself. It makes the show feel quite fresh. I hope that anybody looking to develop upcoming Star Wars series or movies takes a lesson from it.
A New Star Wars Series With A Fresh Approach Is Better Than Another Battle Against An Empire
From the moment Disney bought Lucasfilm the thing that was the most exciting was the idea that the galaxy far, far away could expand and not just do more but do something new. Skeleton Crew is the sort of thing that should have been on the drawing board from the very beginning.
Now that we’ve seen the Star Wars kids’ adventure story, I want to see the Star Wars horror movie. I want to see the Star Wars romantic drama. I want to see Ahmed Best’s “John Wick with lightsabers.” The galaxy is vast and so are its creatures. They all have lives and stories, surely a lot more of them are worth telling.
Disney’s other big franchise behemoth has certainly understood this, at least to some degree. While most of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has given us fairly traditional superhero stories, there have still been those outliers who have tried new things. We’ve seen the delightfully weird WandaVision, the slightly spooky Werewolf by Night, and the utterly hilarious Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. There’s plenty of room to do the “normal” stuff and still do the other stuff, and Star Wars can do just that.
I’m still a Star Wars fan, so I’m looking forward to Andor Season 2 and the next Daisy Ridley Star Wars movie. I'll watch The Mandalorian & Grogu when its release date arrives next year. I just hope that at least some of these projects aren't simply chapter in the same story that we've been watching for nearly 50 years.
