Thie article contains mild spoilers for “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.”
“Skeleton Crew” is the best thing to happen to “Star Wars” since Tony Gilroy turned the franchise into the best political thriller on TV this decade with “Andor.” A delightful homage to ’80s Amblin movies, “Skeleton Crew” is also the live-action “Treasure Planet” adaptation some of us have been clamoring for. It’s a show full of whimsy and has a sense of wonder and peril that’s been missing from “Star Wars” lately. Most of all, it’s a true swashbuckler that unfolds in a world of pirates (hence the “Treasure Planet” comparison).
One of the best aspects of the show from a technical perspective is its creature work. Not since the famous cantina scene in “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope” have there been so many different creatures and aliens so prominently displayed all at once in a “Star Wars” project. Beyond the incredible mix of digital and practical effects to bring best boy Neel (voiced by Robert Timothy Smith) to life, there are dozens of different alien pirates as well as new species like Neel’s, including that of his school cruch Roona and Kh’ymm (voiced by Alia Shawkat), Jod Na Nawood’s (Jude Law) friend whom we meet in episode 3, “Very Interesting, as an Astrogation Problem.”
Kh’ymm belongs to an unidentified owl-like species and is a librarian Jod and the show’s young heroes seek out to find more information on their mysterious home planet of At Attin. She immediately tries to save the kids from Jod — whom she knows as a notorious pirate named Crimson Jack — while also narrowing down the search for At Attin considerably. Most importantly, Kh’ymm is a big ol’ reference to an animated Disney classic: the 1963 fantasy film “The Sword in the Stone.”
Skeleton Crew is a treasure trove of reference to classic Disney tales
Kh’ymm is a clear reference to Archimides, Merlin’s pet owl from “The Sword in the Stone,” a character who is grouchy, sarcastic, and very easily offended. Much like Kh’ymm, Archimedes lives in a big library with piles of books everywhere, and he says “What, what!” in the same manner as Kh’ymm.
It’s the kind of reference that’s easy to miss, but makes “Skeleton Crew” stand out from other Disney+ shows. Though the series is much less reliant on references and cameos than previous “Star Wars” shows (looking at you, “The Mandalorian”), there are still plenty of callbacks. The difference is the esoteric nature of these allusions, which feel both more specific and less obvious. Consider the Nick Frost-voiced droid SM-33 (like Smee from “Peter Pan”) or the homage to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney’s theme parks. There’s also no denying that the show, like “Treasure Planet,” was clearly directly inspired by “Treasure Island.” The fact that “Skeleton Crew” pays its respects to more than simply other “Star Wars” movies, in addition to taking cues from well-known ’80s Amblin titles like “The Goonies,” makes for a refreshing change of pace. That it presents the “Star Wars” universe as a world filled with fantastically weird creatures is the icing on the cake.
New episodes of “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” premiere Tuesdays at 6 pm PST on Disney+.
