A fun romp through the Star Wars universe with kids, pirates, aliens, robots, and a gigantic homage to The Goonies (Spoiler-free)
Before we dive in, make no mistake: Skeleton Crew is a tween-focused show, and it follows four kids who literally get lost in the Star Wars galaxy. Some folks may be surprised by this POV, but it's definitely still enjoyable for adults at the same time. This may sound corny, but watching it made me feel like I was young again. Kids deserve a show like this! I found myself thinking frequently, which is a thing I have never thought before about anything.
The four main characters are all likable and adorable, especially Neel, the looks-like-Max-Rebo youngster that somehow ISN'T an Ortolan. The show also gives the emotion, agency, and complicated backstories, which is kind of rare for most kid content.
While exploring an underground, abandoned-looking starship, a quick press of the start-engine button sends the kids blasting off into hyperspace (This part of the plot was giving me 1980s Space Camp and Explorers vibes). But where they live isn't your regular Star Wars planet—it's a world called At Attin that appears to be hiding from the rest of the galaxy.
As they search for someone who has the coordinates to guide their way back home, they encounter fearsome space pirates and all sorts of well-done CGI aliens and creatures, and even unravel a potential conspiracy about the very existence and purpose of their home world.
Being a kid's show, the subject matter is fairly light, but it's still entertaining. Jude Law joins up with the crew to become their de facto Adult, and is hiding a shady past and also Force skills. He's very good in Skeleton Crew, and manages to strike the right balance of funny, menacing, and chaotic.
As a lover of all things nautical, I adored the way the showrunners combined space piracy with actual classic pirate tropes. You get the faithful robot mate SM-33 (voiced by the wonderful Nick Frost) who has one metallic eye, pirate-y grammar (I'll be repeating "Can't say I ever heard of no At Attin" for the rest of time), and an incredibly deep knowledge of pirate lore and legend.
The bad-guy group of pirates in Skeleton Crew are also after plunder that looks straight out of the 1650's—or One Eyed Willy's ship, the Inferno, in The Goonies, all gold bangles, pieces of eight, and pearl necklaces. You'd expect Star Wars space pirates to be after digital data or Republic space credits, but that, of course, would be boring. So I'm glad they combined two worlds to make something new and different—that's been missing in Star Wars for a while. I like that there's no fan service in Skeleton Crew. You won't get Boba Fett riding a rancor or Luke Skywalker deepfakes. You just get small glimpses of the things you love about the world, fun easter eggs like random Hutts in mud baths, eopies, and even visual recreations of classic Star Wars scenes.
I don't have kids, but watching this with one would be an absolutely incredible experience, and a great way to give them a show that's their own but also something you could enjoy as an adult Star Wars fan, too. I hope more people give Skeleton Crew a shot. The short, 7-episode season flies by and actually ends on a cliffhanger so here's to a renewal!
Nerd Coefficient: 8/10.
POSTED BY: Haley Zapal, NoaF contributor and lawyer-turned-copywriter living in Atlanta, Georgia. A co-host of Hugo Award-winning podcast Hugo, Girl!, she posts on Instagram as @cestlahaley. She loves nautical fiction, growing corn and giving them pun names like Timothee Chalamaize, and thinking about fried chicken.
