Rightfully touted as “A Star Wars Adventure”, the new Disney+ series, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, is just that; a fun youth-oriented romp through a galaxy far far away. With a plot that harkens back to the kid-friendly adventure movies of the 1980s, this new entry into the legendary Sci-Fi universe (created by George Lucas almost 50 years ago) has a lite touch, but enough excitement to entertain even the most fickle fans. With the more serious tone of recent Star Wars fare, it is a pleasure to experience something that speaks to the kid inside us all. 

Created by Jon Watts and Christopher Ford, the first three episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew bring all the elements of the Star Wars universe that fans through the decades have come to love. We have starships and creatures, blasters and a cantina sequence, and even a fleet of X-Wing fighters. This series isn’t interested in shaking up the lore, it wants its audience to have fun within it. 

The eight-episode series takes place during the same timeframe as the Disney+ shows, The Mandalorian and Ahsoka and finds the Republic has resumed power after the fall of the Empire. While struggling to reclaim peace in the galaxy, they are plagued by pirates who prey on Republic freighters, stealing their cargo.  

Four younglings, Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), KB (Kyriana Kratter) and Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), discover a spaceship that has been buried deep in the bowels of their home of At Attin, a planet that is considered no more than a myth throughout the galaxy. Along with the ship’s abandoned droid, SM-33 (voiced by Nick Frost), the kiddie crew finds themselves blasted into space after the spacecraft’s autopilot is triggered, becoming lost amongst the stars (a’la Joe Dante’s Explorers from 1985) as they search for a way home.  

The first episode (directed by Watts) does very well at introducing the series’ young “Star Wars-Goonies” crew. Wim is the Luke Skywalker-esque dreamer who lives with his father, Wendle (Tunde Adebimpe), and longs for adventure. Neel is the trusted and loyal friend and an alien of the Max Rebo variety. Fern is the somewhat rebellious daughter of her politician mother Fara (Kerry Condon), while KB is basically this show’s version of Levar Burton’s character from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Enough time is spent to get a good feel for the four young leads, while immersing viewers into their world.

All the young actors do a fine job with their characters, as each one captures the relatable sense of youthful wonder and quickly endears themselves to the audience. 

The second episode (directed by David Lowery) finds our young crew in a dangerous port city of scum and villainy where ruffian pirates are aplenty. As our young heroes enter a cantina looking for someone to help get them home, they land themselves in a jail cell where they meet a mysterious prisoner named Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law). Wim thinks he might be a Jedi, but the roguish prisoner seems more pirate than protector of the galaxy. Law is perfect in his first foray into the beloved universe, adding the cynical antihero/soon-to-be-hero vibe of a Han Solo or Lando Calrissian. Not much is revealed about the enigmatic character in the first three episodes, but Jod Na Nawood promises to have an interesting arc as the series continues. 

By the third episode (also helmed by Lowery), the die is cast and the show is on its way. While the references to the original trilogy are plenty and great fun for devoted fans, the show is cutting its own path. The creators have steered clear of fan service and are traversing the Star Wars terrain to craft their own unique tale. 

As with any Star Wars incarnation, the production design and world building are as good as it gets. Doug Chiang and Oliver Scholl do great work blending the look originally set by George Lucas and John Barry with new and creative visual motifs. The neighborhoods and streets of At Attin may resemble modern Earth a bit too much, but the insides of the ships, the cantina, and the other planets are intoxicating in their design. Sean Porter and David Klein’s cinematography assists the excellent work from Chaing and Scholl, giving the series a distinct look and one that is colorful and vibrantly alive.  

Future episodes will be directed by The Daniels (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Lee Issac Chung (Minari, Twisters, and an episode of The Mandalorian), Jake Schreier (Beef), and mainstay, Bryce Dallas Howard, who directed episodes of both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. With talent this strong, Disney+ is set to have another popular series in their Star Wars crown. 

American Cinema is approaching an important milestone for one of its own. We are less than three years from the 50th anniversary of George Lucas’ original. For generations of fans, this will be a milestone that will be celebrated the world over. In movies and tv, that film’s enduring legacy continues. While it seems that there is nothing further to be mined from the world of Jedi and Sith, Jon Watts and Christopher Ford have created something new. This one is most certainly for the kiddies, but the series has a welcome freshness by seeing it all through such youthful eyes. 

Only the first three episodes were screened for critics, and it seems as if the creators are content to keep this one firmly planted in childhood adventure, and that is proving to be the right way to go. Frankly, it is time for Star Wars to lighten up and have a good time. With these first segments, Watts and Ford are returning to those thrilling days of yesteryear where wide-eyed fun and thrills were the name of the game. Star Wars: Skeleton Crew invites a whole new generation of fans into the fun, while embracing the nostalgia and promising followers of the legacy films the right amount of old school Star Wars excitement.

The first two episodes are now streaming on Disney+, with additional episodes releasing weekly on Tuesdays.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew

Created by Jon Watts and Christopher Ford

Directors (Episodes 1-3)  Jon Watts, David Lowery

Starring  Jude Law,  Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Kyriana Kratter, Robert Timothy Smith, Nick Frost, Kerry Condon,  Tunde Adebimpe

TV-PG, Lucasfilm, The Walt Disney Company