‘Star Wars Skeleton Crew’ Episode 4 Recap

Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Episode 4.

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert step into the directorial spotlight this week on Skeleton Crew. Episode 4, penned by series co-creators Christopher Ford and Jon Watts, also sees Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law) and the core four — Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), and KB (Kyriana Kratter) — continuing their adventure as they seek to return to the mysterious planet of At Attin.

After meeting up with Jod’s erstwhile ally Kh’ymm (Alia Shawkat) in last week’s episode, the crew head in the general direction of where At Attin should be located and find themselves on the nearly identical planet of At Achrann. The discovery of the derelict world begs a number of questions, namely: What was the Republic doing with all these Stepford-like planets? And why do Star Wars planets always seem to be the exact same, no matter where you land on them?

Speaking of playful jabs, the episode kicks off with Fern ordering Jod out of the cockpit because, as captain, she has a strict “no adults in the cockpit” rule, which SM-33 (Nick Frost) is more than happy to enforce. Once they land, Fern orders ’33 to babysit Jod, and the droid is far too eager to announce that he is initiating his “babysitting sequence” for “the baby.” Despite his chagrin about his predicament, like any good pirate, Jod seizes the opportunity to go through the children’s belongings while they explore At Achrann. While rifling through Wim’s things, Jod discovers the credits he has stashed away, right as ’33 catches him and calls him a thief. Fortunately for Jod, the droid gets on a tear talking about At Achrann and the last time he was on the planet, calling it a “dangerous place” that he knows well. This interaction ends with SM-33 remarking, “Can’t say I remember no At Attin,” which happens to be Episode 4’s title, too.

There’s No Place Like Home in ‘Skeleton Crew’ Episode 4

Meanwhile, the core four are quite unsettled by the eerie visual similarities between At Achrann and At Attin, but it becomes quickly apparent that something bad has happened on this planet. Everything is in ruins, from the shelled-out school to the homes with trees sprouting out of the middle of them. While investigating a headless statue that Wim jokingly refers to as “King No Head,” the crew are ambushed by a pair of children who have been trailing them since their arrival.

The eldest of the two children, Hayna (Hala Finley), asks them to declare what flag they fly, which they are obviously unable to answer. Before she can probe them for more information, Hattan warriors begin to march on their location, and they’re forced to take shelter in what appears to be an old tram car. Once the warriors pass, Hayna takes the crew to the school, which her clan, the Troik, have been using as their base. She introduces them to her father and clan leader, General Strix (Mathieu Kassovitz), who informs them that on At Achrann they treat their children like adults. After that initial intimidation, the group questions him about the whereabouts of At Attin, but—like everyone else they’ve encountered—General Strix shrugs off any knowledge of the planet with a simple handwave, adding that the Troik don’t concern themselves with off-worlders.

Hayna mentions that there are old carvings in something called the “Fallen Sanctum,” but her father insists that it is too dangerous for anyone to travel there. He is, however, willing to help the children if they train and prove their worth in the Troik’s fight against the Hattan, who have recently absconded with a herd of their eopies. Reluctantly, the children agree to train, and there should really be no surprise that KB is an ace sharpshooter, while Wim is abysmally bad as a marksman. While At Achrann may not be At Attin, Neel is quick to make himself at home with Hayna. (What will Roona think when she finds out that his crush was so fleeting?) Hayna shows Neel around the Troik settlement as the two discuss the conflict between the Troik and the Hattan. The conversation then turns to how lucky Neel and the residents of At Attin are, since they don’t have to face conflict the likes of which Hayna has grown up with. Hayna also watches with admiration as Neel gives up his meal to a pair of hungry children, and the two later share a sweet exchange where, for a few fleeting moments, Hayna can just be a kid, rather than the next in line to lead her clan into battle.

Despite the Odds, Jod Proves Himself in ‘Skeleton Crew’ Episode 4

Once the children finish with their expedited training process, General Strix declares that Captain Fern and her crew will lead them into battle against the Hattan. Fern tries to politely decline the offer, but the general leaves them with no other choice. If they want access to the Fallen Sanctrum, they will have to lead the Troik and prove their worth. Despite Strix’s earlier revelation that the Troik treat children like adults, this decision doesn’t make a lot of sense, outside of pushing the narrative along. (It’s also very on-brand for the ’80s vibes that Skeleton Crew has been delivering in each episode.)

As the children march the warriors through the smoke-filled streets of At Achrann, Fern’s talk of deserting the cause is met with veiled threats of violence, and the entire situation has her questioning her role as a leader. Luckily, once they reach the end of the street, the core four and the Troik don’t find Hattan warriors waiting for them: it’s Jod and SM-33! While the children trained, Jod attempted to get the droid to tell him about the last time he was on At Achrann, which is precisely when they ran into the Hattan warriors.

Jod is hailed as a hero by the Troik for returning their stolen eopies, although he later admits that he used Wim’s Republic credits to buy them back from the Hattan. Even though he didn’t know the children had been taken in by the Troik, he saw some use in using the eopies as a bargaining chip with them, and the Hattan were easy enough to pay off. General Strix offers him a number of things in return for liberating their eopies, but all he asks for in return is the children. Fern seems genuinely surprised by this turn of events, and I fear Jod will only let her down in the future. Since they held up their side of the bargain, Hayna takes Jod and the crew to the Fallen Sanctum. With the promise of finding home once again in sight, Neel tries to get Hayna to come with them in pursuit of peace and a better life on their homeworld, but she can’t leave her people behind. She expresses hope that one day, when she’s the leader of the Troik, she might recall her conversation with Neel and usher in a better way of living for them. As they part, Hayna plants a sweet little kiss on Neel’s blushing blue cheek, proving that Neel is the rizz-master of the Star Wars universe.

How Many Planets Like At Attin Are There in ‘Skeleton Crew’ Episode 4?

Jod, the children, and SM-33 rig a rickety lift to take them to the top of the Fallen Sanctum tower, and it’s incredibly creepy inside. Like every other building on At Achrann, it’s a ruin. They discover intergalactic coordinates etched into the columns within, leading to At Atyuu, At Arissia, At Aravin, At Acoda, and At Attin. Unfortunately, the coordinates to At Attin have been completely destroyed, leaving them once again with no clear route back home. SM-33 declares that he is the one who destroyed the coordinates when he was on At Achrann with his former captain, but he is unable to recall anything more than that.

This discovery prompts Fern to have a completely understandable meltdown, and she runs off to collect herself away from the crew. Wim goes after her and he tries his best to reassure her that she has been doing a good job. Fern outwardly worries that she isn’t a good captain, that she should’ve let Wim be captain (which would have been a terrible idea), and that it’s all her fault that they can’t find their way back home to At Attin. While rambling about her no-good-very-bad-day, Fern remarks that she isn’t a droid who can just do what she’s told to do, which triggers an idea.

Fern heads back into the Fallen Sanctum with a clear plan to assert her position as captain to force SM-33 to tell them what he knows about At Attin. It’s the same workaround she used on her family’s droid in the premiere, and it works with SM-33—to an extent. Fern orders the droid to remember everything about At Attin, and he states that his captain killed everyone who saw the coordinates to At Attin, and then he reveals that his former captain also ordered him to “pull apart” anyone who came looking for At Attin, which prompts him to start short-circuiting. He starts to go after Fern, KB, and Wim, and Jod tries to help, but finds his blaster rendered useless. Left with no one else to turn to, Neel decides to step into the role of Episode 4’s hero of the week by drawing SM-33’s attention away from his friends. The diversion gives Jod just enough time to jump into action and shut off the droid as he stalks after Neel, but it isn’t fast enough to prevent Neel from fainting after his friends praise him for his heroics.

And with that, Episode 4 draws to a close, and the series has officially hit its halfway point. While the plotline was a little nonsensical, the Daniels delivered a very fun episode that strikes right at the heart of the adolescent joy that Skeleton Crew is built on. Unlike other Star Wars series that have felt like creators playing with their action figures, Watts and Ford have created something that feels communal. The show continues to be a true bright spot in the Star Wars universe, and exactly what the franchise has needed.

The first four episodes of Skeleton Crew are streaming now on Disney+, with new episodes dropping weekly on Tuesdays at 9 PM ET.

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