Skeleton Crew (**Potential Spoilers**)

[Syren]

Ummm - what a goddamn delight this is so far! Star Wars Goonies? I did not think I needed this but in these dark times, a bit of whimsy and magic is just the thing.

I remember what it felt like to experience Star Wars for the first time. That thrill. I love that kiddos and families could enjoy this together as a more accessible way into the deeper lore and main continuity. However, the central characters do not diminish my sense of adventure overall. Like, what would my friends kids get up to in this scenario? It made me laugh out loud at least a few times. Needed that.

As for the planet they come from - the fact that anyone outside of it either doesn't know it or believes it's a myth kind of gives me the sus vibes with the Republic. The dad's job, the undersecretary, teachings of algorithms; are they in a closely guarded planet-wide mint? A banking world? Keepers of the Republic wealth, etc.? If the kids don't know anything beyond their home world then there must be a reason they want it so insular. And does the barrier keep them hidden just as it keeps other stars hidden from them? Their limited perspectives and perceptions make the mystery of it all more interesting. They can't hide something they don't know. Or something is being hidden from them, at least until the test results sort them out into ranks where knowledge may be shared. I sense Republic hinkiness up in here!

Spoiled suburban youths get caught up in some craziness? Count me in.

[SWSF Eidolon]

It has been fun and I way enjoy the historical pirate focus.

Funny that the girl filling in Data's role/gadget kid from Goonies has a Data from ST TNG tech visor.



Saw article earlier pointing out- The script Jod reads on the wall is the Old Tongue / ur-Kittat.  the ancient language of the sith.  Seeming to solidify the mounting evidence of his dark nature but also hinting at a deeper Sith connection to the story.

It also noted the passing similarity between Rennod's sigil and the ur-Kittat alphabet

[Syren]

I did see that re: Sith language. Wondering if some of these pirates were Sith hiding in plain sight. Or people who began training - Jod is at least familiar with the Jedi teachings in the pep talk to Wim. Quotes Qui-Gon straight up, or at least those that believed as he did. The kiddos continue to impress in terms of characters. There is the bravado sense of imagination and adventure now tempered with the realities of life outside the barrier - much scarier up close than in stories or pretend scenarios with friends. The parents plotting makes them seem naive like they are also unprepared for anything more serious than an audit. Their relative protection has made them complacent, but the Supervisor's inactivity makes more sense now. Missing kids = bad but they don't know how to find their way back. Attempts to signal outside the barrier could compromise them so their "great work" and secrecy vs a few missing kids could be seen as an acceptable loss. I feel like the parents will fumble this which I suppose may be the point.

I was right about At Attin being a mint world. The last of the jewels of the Republic. Explains why it is hidden the way it is and why others would search for it. But the credits they use are not current which makes them more valuable. Why would a world continue to create and use currency different from what the Republic/other worlds are currently using? How cut off are they?

Not loving that Jod feels he could get more through plundering their world instead of safely returning the kids but there needs to be a bit of drama. Some stakes. If he is a Sith or has Sith leanings then there could be darker undertones in terms of how the Remnant/New Order was funded in secret - seizing a hidden mint world would do it.

[SWSF Eidolon]

  The society on At Attin gave me the whole surface utopia but beneath a secret vibe from beginning.  What is the Great Work and how does that relate to their minting of OR credits?    I had thought they were cut off entirely with no knowledge of the fall of the OR or the Empire or Galactic Civil War.  Assume the Supervisor knows something wild has been going on outside the barrier all these years and uses the droids and a lie to keep the population unwitting.  Prob rewatch through 5 tomorrow day time in prep for Ep 6 at 12:01am (assuming it is Tues on the nose it unlocks..)

  You suggest the Jod perhaps is an agent witting or un of the IR hunt for financial backing?  That is interesting..  it would be a cool angle and makes great sense but a hard knock for the kids characters and the lighter fun story we've gotten so far.

  Also hoping Jod doesn't turn out to be entirely Sith.  His personality is too colorful to be darkside entirely and a sith being caught up in a pirate brig for mutiny seems goofy?

[Syren]

I really liked this. Too bad it received little fanfare and will likely not be continued. An underrated gem, and one of the better shows - Andor being the best (thus far) and I will die on that hill.

I am actually surprised they took Jod through as a villain - thought for sure he'd be redeemed or at least act on his growing fondness for the kids. Kinda impressed they went for it and really leaned in. A bit sad we didn't get at least a flashback of his origin, despite his brief recap of being found by a Jedi post-Order 66 and watching her die after she showed him a trick or two. 

The parents in this show were bonkers clueless and I wonder if this is because of their cush lives and complacency of being protected by the barrier. Not a bad plan, as plans go - hiding within generated storms and only minimal, tightly controlled access. Makes me wonder if they have been doing this since the Old Republic...

..which brings me to my lingering questions. If the Supervisor was a massive droid and an emissary had not visited At Attin in a long time, what era do these people think they are in? Do they even know the Old Republic was replaced by the Empire, which then fell and was replaced by the New Republic? They referenced "the Republic" but the nature of the operation and seeming ambiguity around anything outside the barrier by the planet's inhabitants really made me wonder.

Overall, this was fun and exciting and really got to the core of what Star Wars is about - adventure! Strange though that although both audiences and critics liked it that it did not receive much buzz.

Final thoughts?

[Medivh]

I just binge watched the series whiel recovering from COVID.

I enjoyed it; it definitely had that Goonies meets Star Wars vibe with the kids, which is actually just the right kind of comfort watching I need when I'm sick (when I was growing up, my sick-day choices were Star Wars OT, and Back to the Future, but I digress)

I did think that Jod was going to have at least some redemption at the end - though I also noticed he threatened a lot, but never killed any of the kids, or their parents, even though he had plenty of reason to at the end.  So maybe his redemption was not killing them?

We also don't see him getting captured, and he chooses to stay in the tower when the others leave, at the end.  We don't know where he is when the show ends.  It might be interesting having a spin-off show about him and other pirates.