Skeleton Crew Ended With a Rousing Episode That Left Us Wanting More

The first season of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is now over and we’re a little bit on the fence about it. On the one hand, the finale gave us everything we wanted and hoped to see. Mainly, the kids used everything they’d learned on their adventure to beat Jod and his pirates at their own game. We got that and we loved it.

The episode also left us with many lingering, unanswered questions, which would be great if we were sure there was going to be more. But we don’t know that just yet. So as good as the season finale of the show was, we’re a little worried that its incredibly abrupt ending could become as notorious as The Acolyte or The Rise of Skywalker. Hopefully not but, let’s talk about it below.

The finale of Skeleton Crew (titled “The Real Good Guys”) picked up right where the previous episode left off: Jod with his lightsaber ignited, standing in front of the kids and their families. Immediately though we learn Jod isn’t going to go all “Anakin younglings” on them. It was just a little peacocking. They still think he’s the Republic emissary and he’s fine with them thinking that, which is why he sends droids home with all the kids to watch them and let him know if they rat him out.

Wim, KB, and Neel go home while Jod takes Fern and her mom up to see the Supervisor. We’ve been hearing about this Supervisor of AtvAttin since the first episode of the show, and Jod now needs to meet him because he’s the only one authorized to let his second ship through the barrier and onto the planet.

The Supervisor, however, isn’t a person. It’s a droid—which apparently Fern’s mom Fara was already aware of. It’s a very smart droid though. It knows all about the kids leaving and Fern’s academic talents. It also knows that Jod is lying about something because, according to its database, all Jedi are traitors (that Palpatine really covered all bases, didn’t he?). Knowing he’s caught, Jod destroys the Supervisor and knocks out power all over the planet. It impacts droids too so it allows Wim, Neel, and KB to meet and try and clean up their mess.

If nothing else, Skeleton Crew gave us Neel. And for that we’re grateful. – Lucasfilm

As the pirates descend to the planet and immediately begin causing chaos, Wim, Neel, and KB hop into action. After a very cool speeder bike action sequence, they formulate a plan: get off the planet in the Onyx Cinder, get a message to Kh’ymm, and have her send the New Republic to take down the pirates. The only problem is, the ship is stuck and they need to get the power back on to unstick it. That means it’s time for the showdown we’d all been waiting for: Wim and Jod.

Wim goes to the tower to confront Jod, lying to him by saying they’ve already called the New Republic. Jod doesn’t believe him, but he also doesn’t see Wim’s dad Wendle sneak in during the distraction and turn on the power. When that happens, Wim and Fern attempt to hold off Jod while KB fires up the ship. The pirates are onto her but with a little help from Neel, she’s able to escape beyond the barrier. KB gets the message out and Kh’ymm says the good guys are on the way. But they still have the barrier to deal with.

It’s time for a choice. Leave the barrier up, potentially serve under Jod and the pirates, but also remain blissfully hidden from the rest of the war-torn galaxy—or take down the barrier, get rid of Jod and the pirates, and reintegrate into the galaxy. Jod, clearly wants the former scenario where he remains rich and powerful, so he fights Fern, Wim, and their parents simultaneously in a tense, emotionally charged sequence.

Fara and Fern had quite the finale. – Lucasfilm

During the scene, we learn that Jod was a poor, unhoused young boy who was discovered by an equally down-on-their-luck Jedi. She began to train him, which is why he knows how to do a few little things with the Force, but before it could get too far, Order 66 happened and the Jedi was killed in front of his eyes. So he came from nothing, had a chance to be something, and had it brutally taken away from him. It explains a lot.

Jod tries his best and, even with the parents not fully sold on the idea to start, they eventually get the barrier down. Jod surrenders, the New Republic swoops in (including a functioning B-Wing for the first time in live-action), and the day is saved. Wim and Fern rush off to make sure KB (who crashed back to the planet after getting out the message) is okay and Wim even calls out to Jod as almost an olive branch. But Jod ignores him, walks away, and the last we see of the pirate is him looking out at his ship crashing to the ground with the tiniest smile on his face. Is he proud of the kids? Already formulating a new plan? We don’t know.

Of course, Neel, Wim, and Fern get to KB and she’s fine. “Did we win?” she asks in an absolutely perfect moment. Yes. Yes the kids won. They saved At Attin but also changed it forever. Fern jokes that Wim probably doesn’t have to take assessments anymore as he looks up to the sky, watching X-Wings fly by and a Frigate arriving, and thinking of all the possibilities the galaxy holds. No, we think Wim is destined for things beyond At Attin. He’s on the path to becoming the hero he’s always wanted to be.

Hopefully we get to see what’s next for Wim. – Lucasfilm

From there, we pick up a few weeks later with… no, we’re kidding. The show ends on Wim’s notion of heroism and hope, which is lovely, but more than a little abrupt. What happened to Jod? Where did he go? How do the people of At Attin feel about their way of life for generations changing overnight and without their consent? And how will they deal with that decision happening because of these four kids? None of that is essential to the plot but, you know, you would’ve liked to see a little bit more of it. A bit more closure. And maybe we will if Skeleton Crew gets a second season, or the characters show up in another series. But it does leave the tiniest bit of disappointment lingering at the end of, clearly, a fantastic episode.

And with that, the credits rolled on Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. It got a little bit repetitive at times but now that it’s over, more than anything, I’ll remember how I truly fell in love with all four of the main characters throughout the show. That hasn’t happened with new characters in a long, long time. Even on The Acolyte, you really liked those characters, but most of them were ultimately doomed. With Skeleton Crew, that’s not the case. These kids could grow up to be the saviors of the galaxy. We don’t know. But we do know that they’re fantastic and we hope to see more of them, and their main adversary Jod, in the years to come.

All eight episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew are now streaming on Disney+.

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