Max Nocerino 
Unveiling my thoughts on Skeleton Crew, the latest Star Wars series on Disney+. Read to know why my opinion changed after watching the third episode.
Perhaps I was wrong. Contrary to popular opinion, I wouldn’t say I liked the premiere episodes of Skeleton Crew. Most of my peers did, and most of the internet did. I wouldn’t say I liked it because I felt the plot holes were overwhelming, and the cast of kids seemed to water down Star Wars as a whole. Yet, as I watched the third episode, I started to feel a shift in my opinion.
THE AT ATTIN MYSTERY
My biggest gripe, initially, was the seclusion of At Attin from the rest of the galaxy. I felt that it being a suburban Earth “town” planet was too “alien” for Star Wars (at least in the opposite direction). I thought that it also being known as a treasure planet to the rest of the galaxy was silly. Yet, now I think it’s actually kind of BRILLIANT. A world isolated from the cruel and harsh retrofuturistic Star Wars galaxy and able to develop into what you would expect a high-tech society would naturally branch out towards? Sweet.
Furthermore, it is precise and automated, a techno-dystopia disguised as a utopia. It seems better than the dusty towns of Tatooine but is instead just another flavor of misery. The planet is kept away from the rest of the galaxy by “The Barrier,” a strange atmospheric phenomenon resembling the aurora borealis we see here on Earth. How this barrier works has not yet been revealed. But my lore-obsessed nerd mind is whirling, thinking how this planet may have been safe from Palpatine during the Empire and would be an excellent place to escape from the government if you were a Jedi.
A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER
Anyway, enough ruminating. The third episode was much more enjoyable (in the moment) than the first two episodes. Â I liked the mystique behind Jude Law’s character. I’m not going to spoil who he is, but one of his aliases is a fantastic throwback to one of the oldest legends source material in all of the Star Wars mythos. He promises to help the kids find their home, and they make a narrow escape from the pirate port after rescuing Captain Cliche, a droid who acts and sounds very much like a typical movie pirate. I wouldn’t say I like this droid character. But I like the transition from old-world piracy vibes to the cold, hard sci-fi of something like Alien or 2001: A Space Odyssey.
They journey to a desolate moon orbiting a massive and beautiful gas giant that would put Jupiter to shame. A very peculiar owl-like alien runs an astronomical observatory on this moon. The design of this alien was genius and an excellent tongue-in-cheek nod to an owl being wise. She claims to have maps of every star in the known galaxy. Yet she doesn’t trust Jude Law and rats him out before he arrives! She calls the New Republic, and this unlikely crew blasts off again, but now, with possible coordinates to At Attin.
VERDICT
It was a very hurried episode but relatively enjoyable. Seeing X-Wings with ion weaponry gave me a strange satisfaction that I can’t explain. I’m looking forward to what’s next, and I want to see more dynamics between the reckless Wynn and the snarky, superior Fern—two kids who could not be more different.
The first three episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew are streaming on Disney Plus now.
FORCE FACTS
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When a fuel line anchors the Skeleton Crew ship to the pirate port, Jude Law recklessly jumps to hyperspace before untying his ship to evade a heavy turbo laser. While it seems to be an awful idea, it virtually has no consequences to the vessel and is terrible for the pirates, as the rope snaps back from the ship’s inertia and causes some damage to the port. I am fascinated by theoretical physics and wonder if something that accelerated to near-lightspeed happened and was tied to something if the “rope’s” inertia would unleash a kinetic explosion rivaling that of the Holdo Maneuver from the Sequel Trilogy. Yet some people have speculated it happened the way it should.
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The observatory moon computer is claimed to have maps of every star in the galaxy. I am sure Kh’ymm (the owl alien) exaggerates and does not have all the Unknown Regions and Wild Space maps, but who knows? She is a fringe astronomer and may have more information than the standard galaxy does.
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At Attin is one of the legendary Jewels of the Old Republic and the only one still around. The rest were destroyed years ago, and my lore brain engine is going into overdrive again. How were these planets destroyed? Kyber weaponry?
Max Nocerino is a regular Staff Writer for The Future of the Force. He is a passionate Star Wars fan and loves the literature of the galaxy far, far away. Follow him on Twitter where he shares his love of the Force frequently!
