Disney has just released Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, and after its recent track record, everyone is wondering if it is a winner or another loser. Now that it is airing, Disney Plus offers a relatable feeling through this new spectacle from “A Galaxy Far…Far Away.”
Skeleton Crew is a live-action series whose Disney target audience is young pre-teens and their families. The story follows four kids around ten who get lost in the galaxy and must find their way home before it’s too late. The period is set before the Return of the Jedi and coincides with The Mandalorian. Here is what this new series has brought us.
Is Skeleton Crew A Game Changer?
Skeleton Crew does not feel like most of the Star Wars movies and shows, which are more of an opera set in space. This new addition has more of a sensation of Robert Stevenson’s novel Treasure Island, where a child or children are thrown into a world of buccaneers and throats.
There is a danger in targeting audiences where the lines, acting, and locations are set for children where only children love it. Some have tried to make series and failed to enthrall older viewers. They give the young some entertainment and only annoy all other age groups. So far, the first two episodes out of the eight have found a balance that can be entertaining no matter the viewer’s age. I am a child at heart, though, so you may have to judge yourself.
Basically Goonies in Space
Now that the kids are far from home, they discover how dangerous it is in the Star Wars Universe. The plot follows the many adventure situations they find themselves in. Each cast member has their own traits, desires, strengths, and weaknesses. Many other shows share the same type of kids coming of age and adventure, such as The Goonies, Stranger Things, and Explorers. Throw in some brutal pirates with little Star Wars blasters, and you get it.
These crazy, easily lovable children of Skeleton Crew live in what seems to be the world of Attin, which has been completely suburbanized and designed to be a child’s worst nightmare of dullness. Their parents seem perfectly content to live their lives to their work, allowing the children to live as long as it is within their respective boundaries. For the kids though, it’s a prison of dullness whose only escape is racing bikes, and wasting time is the only means to keep their sanity.
The Cast
These kids start with Wim played by Ravi Cabot-Conyers. Next is the Milhouse-coded best friend Neel, a Max Smith who resembles an elephant-like boy who Robert Smith plays. In their life on Attin, their everyday companions are droids. Droids, who drive them, teach and are also security guards. Then you have Jude Law, who is the main adult actor. He appears only briefly, but he does leave an impression.
The next two troublesome lovable delinquents are Fern, acted by Ryan Armstrong, who carries a bad attitude and has an impression of hiding how smart she is. Her friend is KB, played by Kyriana Kratter, who wears a techy headset and is a computer whiz.
They Are Not Alone
All four of them each give a broad personality description and discover who they are. At the beginning of the adventure, they learn and develop skills as they discover who they really are and are each very likable. All four find themselves far from home, trapped in an unfamiliar space and some of the most outlandish characters in the universe.
Doing all they can to survive and get home is only part of the story. A deeper plot point is somehow hidden under the surface. Their story takes them to another ship they strive to steal, which has a pirate droid named SM-33. Nick Frost kindly offers SM-33’s voice, which is wonderfully comical.
Does It Work?
After the first two episodes, Skeleton Crew is off to a good start and has built up momentum. There is a mystery surrounding their adventures, more than just getting home. Their tales and stories are ones that most have been hoping for, and now they have it. It’s a winner for story lovers with an 80s nostalgia for humor and learning. The casting, writing, acting, music, and transformation into Star Wars blend so well that it can capture all who want it.
