Cultural Apologetics Column
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[Editor’s Note: This review contains spoilers for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.]
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
Created by Jon Watts and Christopher Ford
Executive Producers: Christopher Ford, Jon Watts, Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni,
Kathleen Kennedy, and Colin Wilson
Producers: Susan McNamara and John Bartnicki
Lucasfilm & Golem Creations
Streaming on Disney Plus
The galaxy far, far away is no stranger to wonder. Ever since George Lucas first took audiences on an adventure through its space lanes back in 1977, it has continued to capture the hearts and imaginations of untold legions of fans. Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is the latest installment in this beloved franchise, rekindling that old-fashioned sense of awe with its tale of a group of children who become lost in the vastness of space.1
Skeleton Crew could hardly be accused of prioritizing spectacle over soul, taking Star Wars back to its roots, in a way, balancing the thrilling, swashbuckling escapades with moments of quiet and thoughtful introspection. Too often, I suspect, fans forget that the original Star Wars (1977) opens with a frantic space battle before launching its point-of-view characters to a desert planet with sweeping vistas where they putter around for an inordinate amount of time before we ever finally get to our main character. There is a kind of leisurely quality to the pacing. What actually happens in that window of time before they meet Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill)? Nothing that needs to be shown. Yet it plays like Lucas is having fun, perfectly content to break the rules of pacing and moviemaking in the name of creating an alien — but somehow strangely familiar — landscape. Skeleton Crew consciously leans in the same direction with its story of space pirates and treasure planets that nevertheless feels familiar to us, like that old copy of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island sitting on a bookshelf that one seldom cracks open but finds that, when they do, they are transported back to a simpler time and place that still somehow manages to reboot their sense of morality and longing for something greater.
Four Kids on a Starship. What sets Skeleton Crew apart from the rest of the pack of live-action Star Wars series is the way it taps into a childlike perspective on the galaxy, retaining the mythic gravitas of Lucas’s original vision while nonetheless offering a different lens on the goings-on in that three decade span between Return of the Jedi (1983) and The Force Awakens (2015).2 Nostalgic without slipping over into sentimentality, the show is a nod to both classic adventure stories (like Treasure Island) and coming-of-age tales like those made popular by Amblin Entertainment.3
The action kicks off when four young adventurers from the planet At Attin stumble upon a strange finding on their planet. The primary point-of-view character is Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), a boy who lives with his father, Wendle (Tunde Adebimpe), and is captivated by the lore of Jedi. It’s his fascination with the mysteries of the galaxy and thirst for adventure that leads to the group’s initial discovery. His counterpoint is Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), a headstrong and somewhat mischievous girl who emerges as the group’s natural leader. She is the daughter of Fara (Kerry Condon), an undersecretary on At Attin. KB (Kyriana Kratter) is Fern’s tech-savvy and resourceful best friend, and Neel (Robert Timothy Smith) is a rule-abiding Ortolan who runs around with Wim.
These four distinct personalities round out the core cast of children. The discovery on At Attin turns out to be a long-buried starship, the Onyx Cinder, that the kids inadvertently launch into space — while still aboard. Accompanying them is SM-33 (voiced by Nick Frost), a decrepit droid found on the ship with a cranky demeanor, battered chassis and patchy memory. He remains loyal to whoever holds the title of the ship’s captain (one of the show’s running gags), and his interactions with the children are a source of comic relief.
But things take an unexpected turn when the kids venture to an outpost, only to encounter the fearsome Shistavanen pirate captain, Brutus (Fred Tatasciore and Stephen Oyoung). He throws them in the brig, where they meet an unexpected ally in the form of Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law), an enigmatic character who is revealed early on to be Force-sensitive, leading Wim and the others to assume he is a heroic Jedi.4
Stevenson Does Star Wars. The children quickly learn, however, that Jod is anything but a hero. In fact, by the time the credits roll, we’re not even sure that Jod is his real name. We learn of multiple aliases he has operated under, including Crimson Jack, Dash Zentin, Professor Umaim Gorelox, Jodwick Zank, and the “Mad” Captain Silvo.
In a glowing review of the series, Jack Seale, writing for The Guardian, rightfully characterizes Jod as “too irresistible to be a proper villain and too dodgy to be a trusted friend.”5 Much like Long John Silver in Stevenson’s Treasure Island, Jod is presented as morally ambiguous, walking the fine line between mentor and manipulator. Both characters are as charismatic as they are wily and cunning. Jod, like Silver, has a remarkable ability to charm almost everyone he meets. Nevertheless, there remains an underlying sense of menace and danger about him. His initial role as a guide for the children mirrors Silver’s mentorship of Jim Hawkins, and both characters impart essential knowledge and skills that help the protagonists survive. However, Jod, also like Silver, harbors his own agenda, and his shifting loyalties keep the children — and the audience — skeptical about his true intentions. This duplicity makes Jod an undeniably compelling figure, especially when paired with that same magnetic pull that so defines Silver’s character in Treasure Island.6
Similarly, SM-33 calls to mind characters like Ben Gunn, whose quirks and peculiarities add a dose of levity to the darker themes of Stevenson’s novel. SM-33’s loyalty to whoever holds the title of ship’s captain highlights the hierarchical and rule-bound nature of pirate crews and their strict adherence to some kind of articles or “code”—which actually has its roots in historical accounts.7 Together, Jod and SM-33 embody that unique enchantment that comes with adventure and freedom, along with the underlying sense of danger and treachery that makes Stevenson’s 1883 novel an enduring genre classic.
Seeing Things Clearly. One of the more important themes that runs throughout the show — and one of the most common themes in these types of coming-of-age stories — is the shedding of naivety. This particular theme carries a weighty significance, especially for Christians. Jesus instructed His disciples to be “shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16 NASB1995).8 Maintaining moral clarity while confronting the realities of a broken world, a world that, as Jesus warns, will actively work against those who follow Him (John 15:20). Yet too often it is the case that Christians today fall into the trap of naivety, mistaking idealism for virtue, or ignoring the harsh truths of life in favor of a sanitized perspective. It is this sentimentalism that calls for kindness without truth, and defangs the Christian faith of any real bite it might otherwise have.9 Unfortunately, it is the standard operating procedure for many in the church today.
Stories like Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, with its blend of wholesome adventure and clear-eyed take on the realities of growing up in a world that isn’t always good or safe, offer some valuable inroads for the Christian apologist looking to interact with the culture at large. Jod, like so many iconic Star Wars characters, carries the scars of betrayal, loss, and, ultimately, moral compromise. His past, marked by the trauma of Order 66 and the untimely death of his Jedi mentor, further emphasizes the fragility of innocence. Our quartet of heroes are but degrees removed from life trajectories that mirror Jod’s, whose journey from idealistic youth to pirate captain to master manipulator of others stresses the need for both self-awareness and the refinement of a strong moral compass to keep one, as it were, “on the straight and narrow.”
Faith, like the children’s trust in Jod, is initially quite vulnerable. A growing discernment on their part is a reflection of maturity and a refocusing of vision — a cultivation of the ability to understand the difference between innocence and naivety, between trust and gullibility, is a hallmark of spiritual maturity. Jod’s backstory, whether fully true or strategically curated, reminds us that people often operate from a place of pain and self-preservation, and recognizing that truth does not diminish the call to love others, but tempers that empathy with wisdom and discernment.
Throughout the course of the show, the children transition from wide-eyed idealists to resilient survivors who must contend with Jod’s cynicism and find a way to balance hope with realism. Wisely, Skeleton Crew does not shy away from tragedy or the cost of growing up. The series does not even give Jod a definable redemption arc.10 Yet it does not revel in cynicism, and one gets the sense that when Wim calls out to Jod in the last minutes of the final episode, it is an invitation to turn from the path that has led to his own downfall. Of course, he chooses to watch his little empire burn rather than join the children, but that does not invalidate the possibility that redemption could be his — if only he desired it.
Jesus prayed for His disciples to be in the world but kept from the workings of the evil one (John 17:14–16). Yet even Jesus knew that to be in the world meant to engage with broken, cynical people — like Jod. The problem with sentimentality, or at least a sentimentalized view of hope in a fallen world, is that it is so often swallowed up by the very real tragedies human beings face every day. This is why the Christian’s hope, which is an anchor for the soul, must itself be anchored to something even more powerful than tragedy, and more enduring than pain (Hebrews 6:19–20).
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is a worthwhile cultural artifact for the apologist to have on their shelf for having those kinds of conversations, with believers and non-believers alike. It portrays a galaxy where tragedy is real, but one in which neither cynicism or sentimentality is the final word. It’s a children’s story reminding even jaded adults that growing up involves learning to navigate brokenness with discernment. But many adults in the room will likely find a point of connection in the character of Jod — the beaten-up and bedraggled man who takes each day at a time in the name of just getting through. His story is a sobering reminder that a life defined by self-preservation and compromise ultimately leads to emptiness. Yet it is quite literally “out of the mouths of babes” that the door to redemption is left open for him — if only he were willing to step through it. —Cole Burgett
Cole Burgett is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and the Moody Bible Institute. He teaches classes in systematic theology and Bible exposition and writes extensively about theology and popular culture.
NOTES
- Many critics have drawn obvious connections between the Spielbergian “mood” of Skeleton Crew and classic 1980’s Amblin Entertainment films like The Goonies and E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial. See Christian Holub, “Star Wars Meets The Goonies in New Skeleton Crew Trailer: ‘I Found Something Buried in the Woods,’” Entertainment Weekly, November 1, 2024, https://ew.com/star-wars-meets-the-goonies-new-skeleton-crew-trailer-8738245.
- For context, this is the same window of time that is currently being explored by other live-action Star Wars shows on Disney Plus, such as The Mandalorian (2019– ), The Book of Boba Fett (2021–2022), and Ahsoka (2023– ). For more details, check out Jeff Spry, “Where Does ‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’ Fit in the Star Wars Timeline?,” Space.com, December 15, 2024, https://www.space.com/entertainment/where-does-star-wars-skeleton-crew-fit-in-the-star-wars-timeline.
- These were intentional parallels, as creators Watts and Ford intentionally looked to Amblin Entertainment as a source of inspiration. See Paige Lyman, “Directed By…: Meet the Filmmakers of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew,” Star Wars, January 16, 2025, https://www.starwars.com/news/skeleton-crew-directed-by.
- For a discussion of the nature of the Force, see Robert Velarde, “May the Force Bewitch You: Evaluating the Star Wars Worldview,” Christian Research Journal 38, no. 05 (2015), https://www.equip.org/articles/may-force-bewitch-evaluating-star-wars-worldview/.
- Jack Seale, “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Review — Jude Law’s Romp Through a Galaxy Far, Far Away Is Excellent Fun,” The Guardian, December 6, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/dec/06/star-wars-skeleton-crew-review-disney-jude-law.
- Other critics have connected Jod to Silver, including Kristy Anderson, “‘Skeleton Crew’: Is Jod Truly Irredeemable?,” Futurism, January 13, 2025, https://vocal.media/futurism/skeleton-crew-is-jod-truly-irredeemable-yx1ls0we1.
- See E. T. Fox’s thesis on the subject, “‘Piratical Schemes and Contracts’: Pirate Articles and Their Society, 1660–1730,” University of Exeter (2013), accessed January 23, 2025, https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/bitstream/handle/10871/14872/FoxE.pdf.
- At first glance, this might seem an odd thing to say, considering the negative connotation that a “serpent” is given in Scripture. However, a closer study reveals an interesting Old Testament connection that Jesus is making. The word used in Greek here translated “cunning” is phronimos, which, translated literally, would better be understood as “wise” or “prudent,” or perhaps, most precisely, “sagacious” or “discreet.” This might seem to complicate things further — how can a “serpent” in Scripture be said to be “wise” in the sense of having “good judgment,” which is the instruction Jesus is contextually giving to His disciples? This is actually in keeping with the Septuagint and its particular rendering of Genesis 3:1, in which the serpent — yes, that serpent — is introduced and said to be phronimōtatos, “wiser” or “more sagacious” than any of the other creatures made by Yahweh. The point of Jesus’s simile is not to evoke the pejorative nature of the serpent (i.e., He’s not telling His disciples to go be like Satan), but that His disciples are to be as sensible and discerning (i.e., showing “good judgment”), as the serpent that Yahweh originally made “the most sagacious” in Genesis 3:1.
- Pastor John Koessler follows Jeremy Begbie and touches on the dangers of sentimentality in the context of the Christian life and its tendency to trivialize evil while being emotionally self-indulgent. See his powerful article, “The Seven Deadly Virtues — Justice,” A Stranger in the House of God, June 28, 2018, https://johnkoessler.com/2018/06/28/the-seven-deadly-virtues-justice/.
- Thomas Bacon, “Skeleton Crew’s Showrunners Explain Why There Was No Redemption Story for Star Wars’ Latest Darth Vader Replacement,” ScreenRant, January 17, 2025, https://screenrant.com/star-wars-skeleton-crew-jod-na-nawood-redemption-story/.