‘Skeleton Crew’ is unexpectedly charming

By Janie Walenda

Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) wants to be a hero. More specifically, he wants to be a Jedi. He spends most of his time listening to stories of the Jedi and the Sith, so when he finds a mysterious structure in the forest, he’s convinced it’s a Jedi Temple. One regretful button push later, and Wim and three other kids are blasted into space on an abandoned pirate spaceship.

As if this wasn’t bad enough, they discover that not only is their home planet, At Attin, not on any maps, but pirates believe At Attin to be a mythical planet of treasure.

The core mystery of the show is surprisingly compelling. While At Attin appears idyllically suburban, it becomes clear in the first two episodes that it’s hiding a much more dystopian reality. The questions of what At Attin is hiding, why a pirate ship is buried beneath the surface and whether Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law) is truly the Jedi he appears to be, are expertly set up.

The mystery setup is aided by great pacing in the first two episodes. “Skeleton Crew” doesn’t rush to introduce every facet of the mystery, saving the reveal of Jod for the end of the second episode. The show is fast-paced and exciting while also taking its time to set up its story and characters.

Much was made of the novelty of Star Wars suburbia, which was well-crafted. The transition from suburban utopia to unsettling dystopia is flawlessly executed, selling the importance of the planet’s identity in the plot. 

The child cast is immediately endearing and unexpectedly well-rounded for this early in the season. Wim’s love of adventure and heroism is admirable but often manifests as impulsivity that gets himself and others into trouble. Looking forward, I’m excited to see how Wim comes to terms with the reality of the Jedi in a post-Empire galaxy and how he learns to define heroism.

Neel (Robert Timothy Smith) is the uncontested standout thus far. Smith’s performance is excellent and even more impressive for a child acting through CGI and prosthetics. Neel is the worrywart best friend character that anyone who’s ever watched a children’s adventure movie will recognize. It is easy for this kind of character to fall into infuriating incompetency, but Neel is capable and reliable enough to remain consistently endearing.

 Wim and Neel reluctantly join forces with Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) and KB (Kyriana Kratter). Fern begins the show as a mean rebel, but as the stakes increase, she takes charge with a cool head despite being visibly freaked out.

My only complaint with the character writing so far is with KB, as she mostly fades into the background. She’s the tech-savvy genius of the group, but that’s about all we’ve gotten of her so far.

With all due disrespect to “Harold and the Purple Crayon” and the upcoming “A Minecraft Movie,” there’s a real lack of good live-action children’s films and shows. Children deserve age-appropriate stories that are high-quality with fantastic production.

While most “Star Wars” shows are family-oriented, it is refreshing to see a show that embraces the childlike wonder the franchise inspires. It appeals to the young and the young-at-heart while being high-quality enough to appease the adults watching along.

“Skeleton Crew” airs new episodes weekly on Disney +  on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST.

Janie Walenda is a senior Global Business major and the A&E editor for Cedars. She is overly passionate about musicals, caffeine and weirdly enough Dracula.

Images courtesy of Lucasfilm.