Skeleton Crew Just Continued a Time-Honored Star Wars Tradition

Star Wars and merchandising go together like life and breathing. You simply can’t have one without the other. And, in the most recent episode of Skeleton Crew, the show pulled off one of the franchise’s most diabolical tricks: the mid-season switcharoo. Was it driven by merchandising? Probably not. But it certainly didn’t hurt.

Episode six of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, “Zero Friends Again,” saw the crew coming into their own to escape the planet Lanupa without the help of pirate/Jedi/bad guy Jod. After episode upon episode of Wim, Neel, Fern, and KB leaning on Jod and their droid, 33, for help, the crew was finally able to do something major by themselves. And, the action was visually portrayed by an almost literal rebirth of their ship, the Onyx Cinder.

Stuck in the clutches of a giant trash compactor, Fern makes the dangerous decision to press the “emergency hull demolition sequencer,” which 33 told them never to touch. Well, it works, exploding the hull and giving birth to a new, sleeker, version of the ship. An almost prequel-inspired version that reminds us of Queen Padmé’s Royal Starship or Darth Maul’s Sith Infiltrator. It’s an exciting, story and character-driven moment for sure… but it also makes that Onyx Cinder Lego set you bought feel a little less cool, does it not?

© Lego

From the introduction of the Ewoks, to The Mandalorian and more, so many choices in Star Wars feel like they’re made to sell more toys. Even when they aren’t that, they feel like that. The Ewoks in Return of the Jedi were supposed to be Wookiees but later changed to something new and cuter (there’s a huge debate about whether or not this was actually toy-driven, detailed more here). Early figures for The Mandalorian saw the character in a multicolored suit of armor, only for him to get a brand new, all-silver one a few episodes in. Mando also traded his Razor Crest in one season for a modified N-1 Starfighter in the next. Every time there’s a new color or class of Stormtrooper, instead of a new character, you scratch your head. Not to mention Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Rey, Kylo Ren, and just about everyone else getting brand new outfits, weapons, helmets, etc. in each and every movie.

We, of course, are mostly okay with this. Part of the fun of Star Wars is all the cool toys and merchandise you can buy. But sometimes you watch an episode or a movie and it’s like watching your favorite sports team trade the player whose jersey you just bought. You still love the player. You still love the team. But that thing you own now feels dated. And that’s exactly what happened on Skeleton Crew this week. I was literally seconds from purchasing that Onyx Cinder Lego set only to think, “Well, now I want a better one with the sleek ship inside it.”

Okay, who am I kidding? I’m still going to buy it.

Does this type of reset bother you? What’s your favorite or least favorite? Let us know below.

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