I have a confession to make, and I have a feeling I’m not alone. After devotedly watching the Star Wars movies in order since I was a kid, I’ve been pretty uninterested in Disney+’s offerings from the universe. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve definitely attempted to watch multiple shows from a galaxy far, far away on the streaming platform, from The Mandalorian Season 1 to Obi-Wan Kenobi. But considering each time I have for a few years now, I’ve found myself getting either pretty bored, confused or disappointed, I’ve simply decided the franchise is no longer my thing. That is, until this year rolled along.
Of course, this is just my perspective. If you’re a mega Star Wars fan who is just like "Give it all to me all the time," my take probably won’t mean much to you. But if you do align with me in any way (and given conversations I’ve had with family and friends), I definitely don’t think this is a ‘just me’ thing, I want to talk about why Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is the show that’s finally reeling me back in, and how The Acolyte played into that.
The Force Is Strong With My Star Wars Fatigue
As more of a casual Star Wars fan, I think the recent shows from the universe have 1) been too in the weeds for me regarding deep lore, and 2) just haven’t met the quality I came to love from the event films I’d look forward to every few years. Then there’s the biggie of there being something to be said about there just being too much Star Wars content to keep up with that I’ve hit the point of Star Wars fatigue.
In the streaming age, I’ve noticed what tends to make a bang in pop culture in the world of movies and TV is when something can feel like a special “event”. Think Barbie or Wicked! When something is being talked about to such a degree among the masses, I feel like I’m missing out if I don’t go out of my way to go see something in theaters or press play immediately.
When Star Wars was purely movies, or even back when The Mandalorian started for example, they were that big of a deal. I would literally wake up a few hours earlier just to be the first to watch more Star Wars, and I’m not a morning person. Cut to five years later, my reaction is typically like, “Eh, new Star Wars premiere? I’ll just catch it later.” I’ve since proceeded to miss like five of them.
I Tuned Into The Skeleton Crew Premiere, And I Could Feel It Finally Thawing Out
But this past Monday I got the notification from my Disney+ app that the first two episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew would be available to stream that evening. Since most of my shows left on the 2024 TV schedule have already come and gone at this point, I had some time to hit play that evening, and I am so happy I did.
Rather than being asked to tune into a story about a character I have to watch The Clone Wars to understand, or get ready for yet another unneeded Skywalker Saga connection, Skeleton Crew feels like completely new and fresh territory for the franchise I didn’t have to do homework for. I clicked the second episode so quickly once the first ended, and was so sad when it ended after what felt like 10 minutes.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew follows a young kid living in the Star Wars universe, in a Star Wars suburb specifically, who has a simple problem in the scope of what we’ve seen in the franchise. He needs to pass a career exam, but he sleeps in and takes another way to school in desperation. While taking the chaotic shortcut, he happens upon some sort of spacecraft, which, long story short, ends up taking him and some friends into hyperspace.
I absolutely loved seeing a Star Wars series from the perspective of a group of kids without the politics or weight of the franchise on my back that also felt like a 1980s Steven Spielberg movie. It’s truly just a fun time, and it’s definitely teasing a larger storyline with excitingly big stakes to come. I’m all in! Once I was finished with the episodes, I even finally had the want and need to catch up on Andor.
But, I Wouldn’t Have Given Skeleton Crew A Chance If It Wasn’t For The Acolyte
So I’m stoked on Skeleton Crew, and perhaps Star Wars as a whole again, but I want to mention something else about my hero’s journey back to the franchise. Before I fell for the Skeleton Crew premiere earlier this week, I previously gave The Acolyte a shot. I had heard it was a show that didn’t lean on a character I was already supposed to have base knowledge about. Watching that allowed that initial spark of the franchise to jump out of me and feel alive again.
Sure, The Acolyte led to a lot of backlash among Star Wars fans, including for its quick cancellation after our excitement for Season 2 was all the rage. I admittedly feel more on board for Skeleton Crew overall, but if it wasn’t for The Acolyte bringing some freshness into the universe to begin with, I don’t think I would have been back in my Star Wars era. I say this, because I think I realize what I want from the franchise now (and what seems to be happening overall) is a soft reboot.
I want it to feel shiny again, and shows like The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew are finally doing that job. They are exploring new corners of the universe rather than mining characters from 1977 over and over and over again. Coming up in the near future, it seems like we’ll be getting a mix of both, and I’m happy that Star Wars may perhaps be catering to both casual and heavily-invested fans, and those who have been as fatigued about the expansiveness of the world as I have been. I just don't get why The Acolyte was axed so quickly, when it could have been the dawn of something new in its own right.
I’m so excited for new episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew premiere on Mondays for those with a Disney+ subscription like myself (or to catch The Acolyte if you missed it). You can also check out what upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows are coming up here on CinemaBlend. I hope this adds some excitement if anyone has been in the same place as me with the franchise.
