Growing up, one of my favorite movies, and honestly still is, was “The Goonies.” It was a kid-friendly show that adults could identify with and enjoy. There were kid-friendly themes, with some adult themes and language as well. There was real action and danger for our squad of heroes on the screen, and they learned important life lessons along the way, including that survival and being together as friends and family was far more important than any amount of money. The Goonies was, and is, a great movie.
We reference The Goonies at the beginning of an article about the upcoming Star Wars show Skeleton Crew because, well, the trailer gives Goonies vibes. It has a group of kids learning important roles and rules of life while experiencing real action and danger. This should be a show that both kids and adults alike should enjoy. But then again, this is Star Wars, and no one hates Star Wars like a Star Wars fan. So, I guess we will see.
But I am so very excited about the debut of Skeleton Crew on December 3rd, 2024. Let me tell you why.
As much as I love Star Wars, I must admit that not all of their shows are aimed at whole-family fun. The Goonies in Space seems to be the exception to that. There seems to be a character for nearly everyone to enjoy, and I am curious to see Jude Law’s role in the Skeleton Crew and how his character affects the show.
The one thing that I am very sure of is that this won’t be a Caravan of Courage or The Battle for Endor type of show. Star Wars tried to make something more whole-family-themed after Return of the Jedi, and those movies tanked hard. They have a cult following now and are still fun to watch on Disney+, but they are not canon and do not tie into the lore of Star Wars at all. But seriously, pop the corn and enjoy those movies. If you grew up in the 1980s, they are a fun stroll down memory lane.
I look forward to this show, even though I am sure it will follow the eight-episode pattern that the Disney+ streaming series have fallen into, whether it be for Star Wars or for Marvel. I hope this show will become family watch time with a new episode every week and give families something to watch together. Star Wars is, in fact, for everyone, but not everyone is ready to sit down and watch Young Jedi Adventures together.
This show, Skeleton Crew, should be good for all ages and some family fun.
One thing that Star Wars has always excelled at is creature and droid creation. Whether on the big screen, the television screen, or in the game, characters and droids have always been important. Based on what we see in the trailer for Skeleton Crew, this show will not be any different.
The original trilogy gave us R2-D2 and C-3PO, and we saw more of the story behind those iconic droids in the prequels. Star Wars: Rebels gave us Chopper and the Loth Cats. The Sequels gave us BB-8 and D-O. The Acolyte gave us Pip and Bazil. And, of course, who can forget Grogu or Baby Yoda, as many still prefer to call him?
Each of these creatures or droids added something to the shows listed above. Some became prominent and beloved characters. R2-D2 became known as the ultimate ride or die; that droid won’t snitch. Chopper, of course, added a ridiculously high body count. Other creature creations gave us things we wanted as plushies to cuddle and snuggle with, like Nubs from Young Jedi Adventures or Nix from Star Wars: Outlaws.
One of the species being brought back into canon in this series is the Shistavanen, which are basically space werewolves. If you remember back to the original release of A New Hope, before all the special edition changes to the films, one was seen in the background during the Mos Eisley Cantina scenes. You can see this new character in the trailer available on Disney+.
Skelton Crew is also giving us a character of the Ortolan species, most recognizable for being the species of Max Rebo. This looks to be one of the characters that will most likely become wildly popular as a plushie for younglings and those who are younglings at heart.
OK. To be honest, I think that Jude Law’s character is a Jedi. The trailer shows some keys floating through the air, and one of the kids says, “You’re a Jedi.” Then the trailer cuts to Jude Law as he takes off his hood. The inference is that they are talking to Jude Law.
Several theories are floating out there about who the character Jod Na Nawood is. Some say that it’s a renamed legend’s character that is being brought into canon. Others say that he’s not a Jedi at all, just a Force-sensitive being who was never trained by the Jedi but had the use of some of his Force abilities. Of course, there is the theory that he is just a Jedi hiding from the fallen Galactic Empire and only using his abilities as needed because the years have taught him that being a Jedi or Force-sensitive is terrible for his health. Recent history of the Emperor and Vader’s search for the Jedi would have reinforced that in his mind.
Most running theories have Jod Na as a mentor to the children as they travel out and explore the universe. Will he be their Obi-Wan, or will he be more like their Kanan Jarrus? Either way, I think we will see them being led by a Bokken Jedi. We came across that term during Ahsoka, and it basically refers to a Jedi who was trained in the wild, away from a Jedi temple. I would be surprised if he were just a Force-sensitive being.
As we stated in the opening, this show airs on Tuesday, December 3rd. If Disney follows previous show samples, they will release an episode for airing every Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST. That schedule is great since Tuesdays have basically become the Star Wars episode release days, and Wednesdays have seemingly been reserved for the Marvel shows schedule.
As of the time of writing, Rotten Tomatoes hasn’t allowed reviews for Skeleton Crew, which is great to see. We are three months from the first episode’s airing, and that’s about the timeframe when The Acolyte began to receive its first volley of hate from fans who hadn’t seen anything but a trailer yet. Hopefully, everyone has learned something from that experience.
