Skeleton Crew continues to be the uncommon type of on-screen Star Wars that is content material with simply doing its personal factor. Someway, we’re already on the midway level of the season, and whereas we’re nonetheless crossing our fingers {that a} deepfaked Luke Skywalker would not present as much as derail this enjoyable romp with a hyperlink to the bigger mythology, it is so far, so good. In episode 4, administrators Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert aka The Daniels (The whole lot All over the place All At As soon as) inject extra humanity into the characters, however what concerning the precise story?
Properly, not a complete lot occurs, actually. This would not be a foul factor beneath regular circumstances, however with the present taking three episodes to correctly ship the youngsters and Jude Legislation’s Jod Na Nawood into interstellar adventures, now’s the time to choose up the tempo. ‘Cannot Say I Bear in mind No At Attin’ has a handful of significant scenes to share with the viewers and a few vital issues to say, however total, this ‘journey of the week’ squanders its potential on account of an anemic runtime.
On the upside, pretty little Neel (Robert Timothy Smith) will get to shine and Jude Legislation feels extra relaxed in his double-faced function, and the episode’s tackle youngster troopers in Star Wars is noteworthy, if a bit shallow. Positive, it was by no means going to drill the intense points like Andor, however there was extra to say right here, and the ‘conclusion’ ended up feeling abrupt and unexciting. Fortunately because the plot slides again into the seek for At Attin in the direction of the episode’s finish, the intrigue ramps again up.
Spoilers forward for Skeleton Crew episode 4: ‘Cannot Say I Bear in mind No At Attin’
What occurred on At Achrann?
With solely 20 minutes or so of the entire runtime to spare for the battle on the middle of the episode, ‘Cannot Say I Bear in mind No At Attin’ will get to the purpose shortly: As quickly because the skeleton crew will get off the ship, they wander into destroyed Earth-like playgrounds just like these we noticed on At Attin. This is not the planet they have been on the lookout for (in fact, we nonetheless have 4 extra episodes to go).
A bunch of kid troopers present up, immediately signaling we may be coping with a world of ‘misplaced kids’ right here, however At Achrann’s state of affairs is a little more difficult: A conflict has been occurring for a really very long time (in all probability generations), and these folks, adults and kids alike, have solely identified conflict for so long as they will bear in mind. Plainly the Previous Republic’s ‘experiment’ went terribly flawed right here, with a civil conflict that finally broke out and rendered many of the floor inhabitable.
There is a key distinction between the Hattan faction and the group that is led by one Basic Strix (Matthieu Kassovitz), who promptly recruits Wim, Fern, KB, and Neel: The previous would not appear to depend on kids to bolster their ranks, which means that Strix and his resistance are at a transparent drawback and haven’t got robust morals. After all, we’re fed the narrative of the faction we meet first, and solely Strix’s daughter, Hayna (Hala Finley), desires to take another path for her folks sooner or later.
As for what began this conflict — it is by no means defined — and virtually the complete subplot seems like a missed alternative to dig deeper into the merciless and really pointless nature of conflict by the Star Wars lens, with out being slowed down by the clear-cut ‘good vs. evil’ battle explored in the Skywalker Saga. A extra beneficiant script and runtime would’ve helped land some vital hits with this diversion, however alas…
Did Neel unwittingly change the way forward for the planet?
As I beforehand talked about, that is very a lot Neel’s episode. Jon Watts and Christopher Ford’s scripts for the primary three episodes had already teased the blue alien character could possibly be the beating coronary heart of the present, and the fourth chapter doubles down on his function as a cowardly however compassionate soul.
His time with Hayna allowed Daniel Kwan and Scheinert to remind us that – on high of getting a knack for kinetic digital camera strikes and enhancing – they’re superb at unearthing honest emotion from their characters once they’re given the area to take action. Whereas this episode did not function their trademark array of unfamiliar beings and colourful locales, the pair’s contact will be felt each by the dynamic use of cameras and concentrate on smaller moments of pleasure in opposition to the backdrop of a darkish battle.
Star Wars is finally about hope and redemption, and whereas issues on At Achrann are wanting dire earlier than, throughout, and after the youngsters’ shock go to, Neel manages to make an impression on Hayna due to his innocence and easy needs for a greater world (and galaxy). We would by no means know what occurred to the planet and its folks lengthy after the skeleton crew left, however we would prefer to suppose that Neel modified the course of its historical past with small gestures of kindness.
Is SM-33’s former captain At Attin’s mysterious Supervisor?
Jod is sidetracked in episode 4, however he is the one which will get the youngsters away from Strix, even when he was nonetheless simply taking care of himself. He nonetheless wants them to seek out At Attin, its misplaced treasure, and maybe even extra. Once more, for the reason that runtime is so transient, we do not get to see how he talks himself out of a harmful state of affairs with the Hattan troops, nevertheless it all comes all the way down to cash and a herd of stolen eopies.
After barely doing something beneath Strix’s command, the gang is obtainable instructions to a tall constructing — the Fallen Sanctum — that appears suspiciously just like the Supervisor’s large tower again on At Attin. Unsurprisingly, the town format and structure are the identical as again house too. Up there, Jod and the youngsters discover coordinates to the misplaced worlds that Kh’ymm supplied a proof about in episode 3.
Oh, bummer. The coordinates to At Attin have been destroyed… and SM-33 actually would not need anybody to ask any additional questions concerning the planet or its location. It looks as if the captain who left him and the ship behind on the planet murdered their total crew and wiped the droid’s reminiscence clear. When did this occur, who was SM-33’s former captain, and will they be the mysterious Supervisor that is been conserving the whole thing of At Attin’s society busy with the Nice Plan?
Perhaps, however that would definitely complicate issues. It is already abundantly clear the Previous Republic was doing a large-scale experiment (or engaged on a secret long-term challenge), so including an exterior affect may simply be a pointless degree of complication.
Or maybe we’re being misdirected as soon as once more? In any case, the thriller that is been constructed up on the middle of Skeleton Crew is way extra fascinating than the questions posed in it. Do not get too distracted by that thriller although, as a result of Jod’s function in all this might nonetheless be a significant curveball. Is he a surviving crew member making an attempt to get again at his previous captain? Place your bets now.
