Welcome back to the blog readers. One of the series that was going to be put under a microscope for me was going to be Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. Like I said in my review of last episode, the last few Star Wars offerings have been a bit of a letdown (with Andor's (2022-25) first season (2022) being an exception), but I did find myself thoroughly entertained with that last episode. Would we be able to continue the charm and the fun of last episode with this episode titled "Way, Way Out Past The Barrier," written by Cristopher Ford and Jon Watts, and directed by David Lowery? Stick around to find out.
NOTE: I will be using spoilers for my thoughts, so DO NOT read ahead if you have not seen the episode.
I alluded to it in the introduction, but last episode was such fun to get through, and that is something that has been missing from Star Wars for a long time. I also enjoyed the sense of adventure and mystery we seemed to be getting from last episode, and we definitely get more of that this time around. I think I enjoyed this episode more than last because of those reasons specifically. The introduction of some key characters and the true introduction to the mystery surrounding this series are touched upon in this episode, and I love how we finally have that Goonies (1985) feel.
I said this in the review for last episode, but I will not be talking about the performances of the child actors for obvious reasons. And that goes for the entire run of this series, so do not expect that from me here. I do however want to talk about the voice performance of Nick Frost as the pilot droid SM-33. Frost has a distinct voice that makes this droid's presence in this series totally worth it. There is a certain power that he brings to this role specifically that seriously led me to believe he could, like some people strongly believe, portray the new Hagrid in the new Harry Potter series. I cannot wait to see this droid kick some more ass.
Now we dive in to the story of this episode. After the events of last episode, the ship the kids are on leaves hyperspace and the children realize that not only have they broken through the barrier of At Attin, but that they are lost. Suddenly, the pilot droid of the ship, SM-33, reawakens and threatens to turn over the children to its captain, who is long gone. Fern convinces the droid that she killed the captain and is the new captain, as SM-33 takes the five of them to a spaceport. Meanwhile, Wim's father Wendle attempts to tell two patrol droids of what happened, and they tell him that breaching the barrier is a violation. When they get to the spaceport, they attempt to ask the local folks for directions but they are laughed at and not taken seriously. One patron tells Fern and KB that At Attin is a lost planet that contains an eternal treasure.
Meanwhile, Wim and Neel find themselves at an eatery on this spaceport and other patrons tell them their currency, which is revealed to be Old Republic currency, is extremely valuable. The two escape when the patrons and the store shop owner try to swindle them for the rest of Wim's "lunch money" as they run back into the girls. When the four are cornered by pirates, SM-33 takes out as many guards as it can before it is gunned down by Brutus, revealing that this is his spaceport. Brutus has the four taken to the brig where they meet a man who uses the Force to get the key that has locked the five of them in there. He promises to be able to get the kids home as long as they allow him to come with them. Hearing that At Attin may be a lost planet with an eternal treasure maybe gives the theory that they are barricading themselves from pirates looking to take this treasure a little credence. I wonder how this mystery is going to play out (and I especially liked hearing the Andor (2022-25) reference in one of the planets named in SM-33's little rant near the beginning).
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is shaping up to be a fun time as we are getting more into the mysterious intricacies of this show, and we even get a fun voice performance by Nick Frost. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.
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