STAR WARS: SKELETON CREW 1.1 and 1.2

Name: STAR WARS: SKELETON CREW 1.1 and 1.2
Item: STAR WARS: SKELETON CREW 1.1 and 1.2
Author: Review

"A Fun Sci-Fi twist on THE GOONIES"

Content: +1 Moderately questionable elements. (Discernment required for young children.)

Entertainment Quality:

	None	Light	Moderate	Heavy
Language
Violence
Sex
Nudity

Credits →

What You Need To Know:

STAR WARS: SKELETON CREW is a sci-fi teen adventure series on Disney+. Yearning to leave their ordinary lives behind, Wim and his classmates dig up a hidden spaceship. By accident, the gang launches into the galactic territory of space pirates. The pirates suspect Wim holds the secret to valuable treasure. Will the gang find their way back to their home planet? The SKELETON CREW is set between RETURN OF THE JEDI and THE FORCE AWAKENS.

The two-part premiere for STAR WARS: SKELETON CREW is a surprisingly enjoyable time. The dialogue feels genuine, the writing is decent, and the teenage actors are all around solid. The characters embody the virtues of friendship and loyalty. Moreover, the show perfectly captures the “1980’s teen adventure” atmosphere seen in THE GOONIES. However, there are sequences of peril and moderate physical violence. MOVIEGUIDE® recommends this series for older children and teenagers.

Content:

(BB, C, HH, Pa, VV, M) Dominant orldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements: A strong biblical worldview, the four main characters are best friends who value loyalty and teamwork, the main boy lives with a single-parent household with a strong and caring father, the same father gives his son a second chance after missing a critical exam, the elephant alien boy lives in a nuclear family, and the main characters fight against greedy and bloodthirsty space pirates; A humanistic worldview as, the Jedi Knights and their paganistic “Force” powers are briefly mentioned,

Foul Language:

No foul language;

Violence:

Moderate physical violence throughout, but no blood or gore is shown. Pirates invade a New Republic vessel, New Republic soldiers are killed onscreen, characters engage in laser gunfights and hand-to-hand combat, a robot pirate punches a platoon of bandits, the teen characters perform high-speed bike stunts on an Earth-like city, and a boy almost falls off a moving spaceship;

Sex:

No sex;

Nudity:

No nudity;

Alcohol Use:

No alcohol use;

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:

No smoking or drugs; and,

Miscellaneous Immorality:

A bandit performs a mutiny on his captain, the teen characters insult several pirates in their faces, and the pirates capture the teens regarding the location of a secret treasure.

More Detail:

In episode one, “This Could Be a Real Adventure,” a squad of pirates invade a New Republic cargo ship. The pirates find its vault empty and leave in frustration. Prior to SKELETON CREW, the Galactic New Republic had formed following the defeat of Emperor Palpatine. The fledgling new government struggles to combat the pirates from the Outer Rim.

Meanwhile, Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) fails to show up for his school exam. Wim is a human middle school boy who yearns for adventure. Disillusioned with his restrictive home life on At Attin, Wim and his classmates dig a hole that leads to a rumored Jedi temple. Accompanied by Wim is Neel, his cowardly alien elephant friend; Fern, a fierce biker mechanic girl; and KB, a shy girl with a cybernetic visor. The four teens enter the underground bunker, only to find that it’s an abandoned pirate spaceship. The teens accidentally reactivate the shuttle and hyperjump beyond the New Republic’s domain.

The first episode is a technical home run. It has good cinematography, special effects, and shockingly solid child acting. In most Disney+ shows, the quality of the child acting has either been “okay” or “not-so-good.” SKELETON CREW avoids this fate by offering believable dialogue and good direction. Wim and his classmates behave like flawed and immature teenagers.

SKELETON CREW offers a strong moral worldview. Wim and his friends remain loyal to one another, value working together, and look up to their parents. Wim has a strong relationship with his single father (there is no mention of his mother). When Wim fails to take an important exam, his father gives him a second chance to retake it. The same father also searches for his son when he goes missing in episode two. Moreover, the alien Neel lives with a strong nuclear family.

The show isn’t inherently religious but inherits some pagan ideas from the mainline STAR WARS movies. Wim reads a book concerning the Jedi Knights, a group of space wizards who practice Paganistic space magic. Wim is obsessed with learning more about the Jedi. By the end of episode two, the gang accepts the help of a prisoner who claims to be a Jedi.

In episode two, “Way, Way Out Past the Barrier,” the gang reawakens “SM-33,” a beat-up droid with a thick pirate accent. The gang is unable to map their coordinates to their home planet. With no other leads, SM-33 takes the gang to a sketchy spaceport. The teens ask around for directions back home. However, they unwillingly learn that their planet, At Attin, is the rumored hiding spot of valuable treasure. The pirates capture the gang for further questioning. Will the misfits be able to escape?

Episode two offers a solid mystery and great character moments. However, it exposes some of this show’s violence. SKELETON CREW has no blood or gore but has fist fights and laser gun battles. In episode one, the space pirates shoot and kill a dozen New Republic soldiers. A pirate captain suffers “mutiny” by his underlings. Lastly, a pirate robot does “karate chops” against several aliens in a brutal fashion. This series isn’t as graphic as THE MANDALORIAN, but the violence is concerning.

Lastly, the showrunners have explicitly cited THE GOONIES as an inspiration to SKELETON CREW. For those unfamiliar, THE GOONIES was a 1985 movie about teenagers locating hidden treasure. SKELETON CREW captures that movie’s “misfits on an adventure” atmosphere. Both properties feature a group of flawed kids discovering secret treasure and the presence of evil pirates. Call it “derivative,” but SKELETON CREW is a welcome nostalgic throwback to that “edgier” era of filmmaking.

The two-part premiere for STAR WARS: SKELETON CREW is surprisingly enjoyable. The dialogue feels genuine, the writing is decent, and the teenage actors are solid. The characters embody the virtues of friendship and loyalty. Moreover, the show perfectly captures the “1980s teen adventure” atmosphere seen in THE GOONIES. However, there are sequences of peril and moderate physical violence. As a result, MOVIEGUIDE® recommends this series for older children and teenagers.