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Ready for “Goonies” … but in space?
Star Wars’ latest live-action TV series, “Skeleton Crew,” debuts on Disney Plus next week, promising an ’80s-style romp for four kids lost in space, caught in a treasure hunt on their way home.
Set in the time frame and storyline of “The Mandalorian,” there’s some pressure on “Skeleton Crew” to perform well, too.
Disney’s track record with live-action “Star Wars” shows has been hit or miss. “Star Wars” TV burst onto the scene with “The Mandalorian” in 2019 but fizzled with its followups. “The Book of Boba Fett” was met with mixed reviews, and though “Obi-Wan Kenobi” (2022) and “Ahsoka” (2023) had more positive acclaim, “Andor” has been the only undeniable hit with its gritty, political thriller spin on the “Star Wars” universe.
The heat is on even more so with the failure of “The Acolyte,” a series set in a part of the “Star Wars” timeline that hadn’t been explored in live action. It was cancelled months after its first season finished airing this year.
Ahead of the “Skeleton Crew” two-episode premiere on Dec. 3, here’s everything you need to know.
You know it takes place a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, but “Skeleton Crew” is set to be a departure from the usual “Star Wars” stories.
Described as an “Amblin-style” show in the vein of “E.T.” or “Stranger Things,” it follows four children searching for their home planet after getting lost in space, enlisting the aid of Jude Law’s character, who claims to be a Jedi (though his demeanour in the trailer suggests otherwise).
Created by Jon Watts (best known for directing the most recent Marvel Spider-Man films) and his frequent collaborator Christopher Ford, the show “stars four kids, but it is not a kids show,” Watts said in 2022 at a Lucasfilm studio showcase. “Star Wars” hasn’t had children front and centre on the big or small screen since “The Phantom Menace,” way back in 1999.
The trailer reveals a bit more detail, set to a version of the Peter Schilling song “Major Tom (Coming Home)” in Huttese (a fictional “Star Wars” language spoken by the gangster Jabba the Hutt).
Four children — Wim, Neel, KB and Fern — stumble upon an old abandoned spaceship. They accidentally activate it, sending them hurtling through space to an unknown part of the galaxy. Set upon by pirates and scoundrels, they are helped by Law’s Jod Na Nawood (a strange name even for “Star Wars” standards), who agrees to help them find their way home. We get flashes of a treasure hunt, pirate chases and X-wings, and the children’s parents struggling to find them.
Kerry Condon (“Banshees of Inisherin”), Nick Frost (“Shaun of the Dead”) and Jaleel White (“Family Matters”) also star.
Set five years after the events of “Episode VI — Return of the Jedi,” the “Skeleton Crew” timeline takes place alongside Disney’s other high-profile Star Wars shows like “The Mandalorian,” “Ahsoka” and “The Book of Boba Fett.” We don’t know exactly how the show will tie in with the other series, but don’t count out an appearance from Din Djarin (the titular Mandalorian) and Grogu (Baby Yoda).
We do know that at least one “Mandalorian” character will turn up: Vane, a pirate seen in two episodes of Season 3, most notably “The Pirate,” where we last saw him fleeing after a skirmish with Din Djarin. That might make “The Mandalorian” (and by extension, “The Book of Boba Fett”) required viewing if you want the whole story of the galaxy at that point, but it doesn’t look like main characters from those shows will play a prominent role in “Skeleton Crew.”
As for the state of the galaxy, everything is in turmoil. Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine are dead (for now …). The Empire is in ruins, having officially surrendered to the Rebel Alliance (now the New Republic) at the Battle of Jakku — a planet that might sound familiar for any movie sequel trilogy fans. Now a significantly demilitarized New Republic is attempting to reunite the galaxy, with pirates and holdovers from the Empire plaguing citizens in the frontier worlds on the outer reaches away from the galactic core.
Disney will drop its first two episodes next Tuesday. We don’t know what time episodes will drop, but if they follow the release times of “Ahsoka” or “The Acolyte,” expect them at 9 p.m. EST. Episodes will come out every Tuesday for the eight-episode run on Disney Plus.
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