Like many Star Wars fans, I was hesitant to watch Skeleton Crew at first. It was a children’s Star Wars series, which obviously goes over well in my household. But it was a project shrouded in secrecy for years. And perhaps most important, it debuted less than a year after The Acolyte.

For those who haven’t read my review (or have been living under a rock for a while), The Acolyte was a disaster. It was bad enough that it would’ve killed most other franchises. And judging by the viewership numbers, it came close enough to killing Star Wars, too. The series left me wondering if I was willing to trust Star Wars (or rather, Disney) again. I waited. I started watching after three episodes had already been released. And I’m glad I did.

Because Skeleton Crew delivered.

After its thrilling trailers and promising premise, The Acolyte felt like a bait-and-switch. Viewers tuned in expecting a Jedi-centric space opera adventure, and were instead treated to a multiple homicide followed by Fifty Shades of Sith. Skeleton Crew was exactly as advertised: a heartfelt, exciting coming-of-age story with the kind of sci-fi adventure longtime Star Wars fans love. A masterpiece of ’80s kid-flick nostalgia. Flight of the Navigator meets The Goonies in space.

Look, this wasn’t Interstellar, or Arrival. It wasn’t a grim sci-fi masterpiece with a point to make. But that, right there, was the point. Maybe, years ago, Skeleton Crew would’ve been regarded as cheesy and lame: a milquetoast children’s dramedy with silly pirate droids and physical gags. But after The Acolyte, it was perfect. Because it looked awesome and felt good. It was Star Wars at its Star Wars-iest. And that was all it needed to be.

So in this “Sci-Fi Reviewed”, let’s take a look at Skeleton Crew: what made me smile, what made me think, and how Star Wars got its groove back. By remembering that this whole thing is supposed to be fun.

The Premise

Skeleton Crew begins on the previously-unseen planet At Attin. The show revolves around four young protagonists: Wim, a young boy who dreams of being a Jedi; Neel, an elephant-like alien and Wim’s best friend; Fern, the assertive, quick-thinking daughter one one of At Attin’s leaders; and KB, Fern’s best friend, who wears a cybernetic implant on her head. And the series opens with what every great sci-fi series begins with: a mystery.

At Attin is nothing like most any other Star Wars planet: a bucolic paradise. The place is neat and tidy, with none of the usual rough characters seen lurking in seedy cantinas. The streets are well-kept, the houses clean and beautiful. There’s mass transit, children go to school and ride their bikes (well, hoverbikes). People walk their dogs (or whatever those frogmonster-things on their leashes were). It’s a suburban utopia; every 1960s American’s idea of the perfect future.

And therein lies the mystery. How can a place like this exist in the Star Wars universe? Could any planet have been spared the destruction of the Empire and the subsequent civil war? It’s not long before viewers hear mentions of a “Barrier” separating the planet from the rest of the galaxy. Wim is shown reading storybooks about the Jedi, who by the time of Episode IV were often considered a myth. Adults periodically mention the Republic (not the New Republic). And then there are the frequent references to what all the adults on the planet do: contributing to the “Great Work”, which doesn’t sound ominous at all.

The story takes a turn when Wim, late to school on an important day, takes a shortcut through the woods and stumbles upon a buried hatch. Wim, who idolizes the Jedi, assumes it leads to a secret Jedi temple, and enlists Neel’s help to get inside. Joined by Fern (who quickly takes charge) and KB, they manage to open the hatch, revealing it to be part of a downed starship.

From there, things move quickly. The kids discover the crew of the ship is dead, before waking up the lone surviving inhabitant: a battered droid named SM-33. After convincing 33 that she’d the new captain, Fern takes command of the ship, before the kids accidentally cause it to lift off.

The second episode sees the kids arrive at an asteroid used as a haven by pirates. After their Old Republic credits get them imprisoned by a greedy pirate crew, the kids meet Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law). Unbeknownst to the kids, he’s the former captain, imprisoned after failing to deliver the “big score” he’d promised his crew. After witnessing Jod using the Force, Wim immediately believes he’s a Jedi, and Jod plays along in order to hitch a ride on their ship.

Over the subsequent episodes, the children, aided by Jod, try to find a way back to At Attin. In the process, they finally learn the secret of their home planet, regarded as a mythical “Treasure Planet” by the pirates: At Attin is an Old Republic mint, settled for the express purpose of producing credits. The last one in existence. The pirate myths of a “Treasure Planet” prove true: At Attin’s “Great Work” is literally making money.

The Response

The critical response to Skeleton Crew has been a welcome bounce-back for the franchise after the failure of The Acolyte. Currently, the series holds a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with most critics praising the show’s light-hearted, child-centric story and singling out Law’s acting. The series drew flattering comparisons to children’s films of the 1980s (which were inspirations for the show’s creators), including E.T. and The Goonies. The few mixed reviews largely noted the show’s reliance on typical children’s movie camp. Though to be fair, many of those who lauded the film pointed to those aspects as part of its nostalgic charm.

As for the fan response, while many seemed to enjoy it, the viewership numbers were disappointing. Ardent defenders of The Acolyte gleefully pointed out that the series had much higher viewership numbers for its first four episodes. But more than likely, they’re missing the bigger picture.

In the end, I’d imagine most viewers followed the same pattern I did: they came in late, after they’d already started hearing about the series. And they did so because of The Acolyte. More than likely, Skeleton Crew suffered from what I might call the “Acolyte Effect”: longtime Star Wars fans were so put off by The Acolyte that they were hesitant to watch another Star Wars streaming series.

My Take

I loved Skeleton Crew. From beginning to end, it was a heartwarming, at times inspiring series. It was suspenseful, managing to at times blur the line between good and evil while still maintaining it. I frequently found myself rooting for Jod, hoping he could access his better self. I felt sorry for him after the series finally revealed his past: that he’d been briefly trained by a Jedi who’d escaped the Empire’s purge, before she was discovered and he had to watch her murder at the hands of imperial stormtroopers.

No, the series didn’t take a lot of big swings. But that’s what made it great. It was a straightforward space opera: a group of misfit characters thrown together on an adventure through space, with over-the-top bad guys and hidden strengths, leading to a heartwarming and satisfying conclusion. And after the debacle of The Acolyte, it was exactly what it needed to be:

It was Star Wars.

There’s no point in rehashing my response to The Acolyte. I’ve said it all already, and thinking about it will just upset me again. But the sad fact is that, like The Last Jedi, it was such a thunderous dud that it will likely continue to loom like a shadow over the franchise for years to come. And, like The Last Jedi, it will serve to color everything that follows it, leaving fans with an ugly set of “What Ifs”.

It’s entirely possible that, had it come before The Acolyte, Skeleton Crew would have been the most-watched series in streaming. It’s also entirely possible that, had that been the case, its straightforward plot and feel-good tone would have been panned instead of praised. We’ll never know. As it stands, the show’s high budget and lackluster viewership makes it unlikely to receive a second season. Though the show’s conclusion suggests that, while the series creators didn’t want to slam the door on a future, they didn’t plan on it.

In any event, Skeleton Crew was a breath of fresh air, if nothing else. It managed to produce arguably the most family-friendly Star Wars offering since the original trilogy (free of grisly mass murders of Jedi or endorsements of toxic relationships). It was simple, fast-paced, and fun. It left you feeling good, and for that reason if no other, it left you wanting more.

Skeleton Crew was Star Wars, and space opera, as it should be. And now, I’m finally eager to see what Disney comes up with next. – MK

All episodes of Skeleton Crew are currently available to stream on Disney+.