Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Episode 2.
As with the Star Wars series that preceded it, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew smartly launched this evening with a pair of episodes, rather than leaving fans dangling on that cliffhanger at the end of the pilot. With Episode 2, penned by series creators Christopher Ford and Jon Watts, directed by David Lowery, it’s impossible not to wonder if he was tapped to direct it because the episode feels like Peter Pan meets Star Wars — and not just because Jude Law (who starred in Lowery’s Peter Pan & Wendy) finally makes an eleventh-hour appearance. After leaving things open-ended with the premiere’s pirate-filled cold open, Skeleton Crew neatly ties things off with that subplot by throwing the band of children straight into the clutches of the fearsome pirates.
The episode opens with Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), and KB (Kyriana Kratter) freaking out about being trapped in space. Things get even more dire when they discover that they aren’t alone on the starship. That “dead” droid they encountered is actually alive, and furiously looking for the ship’s long-dead captain. When he realizes the captain can’t be found, SM-33 (Nick Frost) snatches the children and drags them through the ship in search of him.
If Star Wars has taught us anything, the galaxy is filled with plucky brunettes who refuse to let anyone push them around, and Fern is the latest to join the ranks of Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Padmé (Natalie Portman), Rey (Daisy Ridley), and Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones). She boldly proclaims that SM’s captain is dead and that she killed him, which means she is the new captain and the droid has to obey her. Surprisingly, her plan works, and SM-33 yields to his new authority figure. Fern instructs him to teach her how to pilot her new starship, while urging him to search his memory banks for how to get them back to At Attin. There’s only one catch with this plan… SM-33 has never heard of At Attin! (But hey, at least he has heard of Aldhani.)
‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’ Episode 2 Sets Course for Port Borgo
While SM-33 gives Fern a rundown on how to pilot the starship, Neel and Wim go exploring. Neel finds a pair of skeletons pinned to the wall with their cutlasses, and Wim stumbles upon the captain’s quarters, which really do look like they might be styled after Captain Hook’s. Wim and Neel don the fanciful tricorns they discover and play with the late captain’s compass and spyglass. It’s easy to imagine the two as Lost Boys, pilfering through the captain’s belongings. Since SM-33 cannot locate At Attin in his memory banks, he decides to jump to hyperspace and set a course for Port Borgo, which he describes as a place where people find “a soft bed or a shallow grave.” It’s an apt description for the port, which looks like the Star Wars equivalent of Pirates of the Caribbean’s Tortuga. Any kind of trouble you could want can be found in Port Borgo, and unsurprisingly, trouble finds the kids quite quickly.
The children decide to split up (Fern goes with KB, Wim with Neel) to explore the vibrant port, and the sudden appearance of children draws attention, particularly from a woman named Melna (Paloma Garcia-Lee) who is immediately concerned about Fern and KB’s well-being. She catches up with them and questions them about who brought them and where they’re from. The girls are hesitant, but when they explain that they are from At Attin, Melna hasn’t heard of the planet either. Curiouser and curiouser! Meanwhile, Wim and Neel have decided to let their stomachs do all the thinking for them, and they wander up to a food stand and order the vile-looking “daily special.” When it comes time to pay, the barkeep is quite surprised to see Wim hand over an Old Republic credit to pay for their meal. He tries to weasel more credits out of them, which draws even more attention to them, as all the nearby pirates want a piece of whatever Wim is carrying.
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Things take a dire turn when Vane (Marti Matulis) swaggers over to see what all the commotion is about. He questions Wim about where they’re from, and when they reveal that they are from At Attin, they don’t necessarily get the same reaction everyone else has been giving them. At Attin, it seems, is a “lost planet of eternal treasure,” and every single one of those pirates wants that payday. Wim and Neel make a break for it, and when they finally reunite with Fern and KB, Fern’s gumption finally meets its match. Fern uses her blaster to fire off a warning shot, but Vane isn’t very intimidated by a gaggle of pint-sized kids. He snatches the blaster away from her like he’s taking candy from a baby. They make another valiant attempt to flee back to their vessel, where SM-33 tries to protect them from the pirates, but the pirates are a bit smarter than four kids and a rusty droid. SM-33 is quickly deactivated and Brutus (Fred Tatasciore, Stephen Oyoung) turns up to order the children to be hauled off to the brig for further questioning about At Attin.
Jude Law Steps Into the Light in ‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’ Episode 2
Episode 2 starts with the children worrying about being stuck in space and ends with them wallowing in a sketchy cell. Rather than trying to convince a scruffy dog to snatch the key and bring it back to them, Neel tries to enlist the adorable rat that he has befriended (the one from SM’s eye socket) to steal the key for them, but that plan goes nowhere. Luckily, they aren’t alone in their cell: Brutus and the pirates have thrown them into the same one occupied by Jude Law’s mysterious character.
Jude Law emerges from the shadows and vows to help the children escape from the brig if they promise to give him a ride off of Port Borgo. As Mick Giacchino’s beautifully arranged take on John Williams’ iconic “The Force Theme” swells, Law’s character uses the Force to steal the key and guarantee them a path to freedom. Skeleton Crew certainly knows how to hook audiences with the perfect final scene to keep them waiting on the edge of their seat for the next episode.
The first two episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew are streaming now on Disney+. New episodes drop at 9 PM ET every Tuesday.
Star Wars leans into Pirates of the Caribbean and Peter Pan references in Skeleton Crew Episode 2.
- Skeleton Crew is sparing no expense when it comes to worldbuilding, and Christopher Ford and Jon Watts have worked hard at creating a corner of the galaxy that almost feels tangible.
- Whether intentional or not, the pop culture references layered throughout the series make it even more enjoyable, particularly where the Peter Pan allusions are concerned.
- Jude Law?s reveal at the end of the episode is a great hook to get audiences back for Episode 3.
- Episode 2 is really hampered by a shorter runtime in comparison to the premiere, which is a common issue in this era of Star Wars.
Watch on Disney+