Thoughts: Star Wars Skeleton Crew

It’s The Goonies in space! At least that’s how Star Wars: Skeleton Crew was was billed when it was first announced at D23 from the director of Marvel’s most recent Spider-Man trilogy. Jon Watts delivers exactly on that premise, both the adventurous and childish halves of it. The four main kid actors play their parts to a T, and Jude Law plays off of them with the right level of charisma in this treasure hunting space pirate adventure. Skeleton Crew has just the right amount of charm to keep you entertained while also caring about the kids trying to get back home.

Following in the footsteps of “A” series of Star Wars projects, Skeleton Crew leaves behind the adult themes of Andor, the lore of Ahsoka, and the Jedi-filled world of The Acolyte to bring together a fun space romp that’s clearly made for the kids. It doesn’t try to be any bigger than the world it builds, leaving this series to be self-contained to its own struggles. That is why this series succeeds in being able to stand on its own, away from the wider connected universe. 

Since it’s aimed at the lowest entry point of the series, you don’t have to have any knowledge beyond a basic understanding of Star Wars: It’s in space, there are Droids, and the galaxy is home to an array of fantastical creatures. I would go so far to say that you could strip most of what makes this a Star Wars story and it would still work as a grand space adventure that would leave you wanting more. In fact, if this wasn’t so limited to eight episodes, this could easily be worked into a grander space adventure as the kids race across the galaxy, meeting new and interesting characters as they try to find their way home over the course of the season or series. 

Skeleton Crew is for the kids in all the fun ways Star Wars is meant to be. There’s little knowledge needed which provides a great entry point for families to watch together. It never gets too convoluted amongst the various characters and wraps itself up in a neat package that can easily be enjoyed by all. While it’s not a must watch for the greater Star Wars universe, it’s a fun adventurous time.