Skeleton Crew

Stream on Disney+

Episode: 8 thirty one to forty eight minute Episodes

Rated TV-PG

I will continue to update this as episodes are released. I’ve watched the first five episodes.

Four kids who long for adventure end up finding it in their backyard as they uncover a hidden door in a ravine. This isn’t just any door though, it is a door to an old starship that ends up working. This old starship doesn’t just hold a few surprises though, it also whisks our four kids into an unexpected adventure unlike anything they could have expected.

Themes:

Adventure, school, droids doing everything, absent parents, latchkey kids, acting tough, academics, fault, pirates, star sports, credits, trust, jedi, the Force, the great work, memories, adults vs children, peace, bravery, war, secrets, legends, betrayal, nostalgia, memories, booby traps, unlikely friendships, impossible odds, pirate’s booty, the Republic, truth, myths and legends, teamwork,

Language:

Name calling such as scum, wastetioids, losers, jerk, dumb, bilge rats, etc.

D*mn - 3

Stuff to be aware of:

Grossiness - A man is seen vomiting, an alien is seen inhaling something and severals sketchy things are seen in episode two at a space port. A cook pops open a large bug and his guts spill out onto a bowl of food.

Scariness - Some of the aliens could be scary. One of the pirates looks kind of like a werewolf in episode one.

A girl tells a story about people being trapped and eating each other. She tells the “scary story” and then scares two other characters by making a loud noise. When messing with an old droid a little animal jumps out of the droid’s eye and scars the children. This is one of a few jump scares such as someone popping up out of the floor or seeing themselves unexpectedly in a mirror.

In episode two a droid reboots and enters in a scary way and drags off one of the kids. There are multiple skeletons in one scene that have swords coming out of them.

In episode three tentacles are seen coming out of a cell and reaching for things. There is a man who looks like he has been shot or burned in the face. He is meant to look in intimidating.

In episode four a robot starts to attack the children which causes a scene that could be scary for younger viewers.

In episode five there is a huge alien that looks kind of like a kraken, but he ends up being friendly.

In episode six has a giant crab like monster that brefily tries to eat the kids.

Sexual - A male alien has a crush on a female alien. He longingly stairs at her and mentions that he is working up to talking to her. It is hard to tell if either alien is male or female, but they are referred to as him and her. The male alien is later seen briefly in a tub, but only his upper chest and shoulders are seen.

In episode two there are some females inviting men into a building. The female aliens seem to be dancers or prostitutes.

In episode three two women, who are presumed to be the parents of one of the kids, hold hands and sit on a couch. Later when one kid asks what the other’s moms do, one girls says, “mine are analysts.” Plural seems to suggest the two women are lesbians. The other human kids have only been shown to have either a father or a mother.

In episode four a girl kisses a male character on the cheek. In episode five a concubine is mentioned and one of the kids ask what a concubine us. He gets brushed off.

Violence - Lots of Star Wars style gun fights with nothing too graphic. In episode one an alien gets shot in the eye, but it doesn’t stop him. His eye just kinds of looks singed. Another pirate seems to stab someone off screen.

In episode two one character mentions that she killed the captain by stabbing him in the guts and throwing him into space. There is a big fight scene where multiple people get shot and one alien gets pushed against something very hot and you hear a sizzling sound.

In episode three an alien in a cell is shocked with a weapon.

In episode four there is a story told about a pirate crew being killed that is told in a scary fashion. There are also two warring gangs that are going to fight one another.

In episode five a Hutt eats a servant that is bringing him food. Pirates shoot a guard and leave a hole you can see through. The dead guy then get impaled off screen by spikes.

Overall:

So far this show is pretty mild and you’ll find it’s violence, sensuality, and scariness about on par with modern Star Wars faire. I’ve read reviewers of this show comparing it to Goonies, and it for sure feels that way, but safer for younger children.

I had high hopes for this show and so far it has not disappointed me. While the “kids getting caught up in an adventure” is not a new or novel tale giving it a Star Wars background is something we haven’t seen before. The kid’s acting is good, there are plenty of old aliens (with some new splashed in), and it is neat to see a side of the universe we haven’t seen before, suburbia. Once all the episodes are released I will have some more thoughts on it as a whole. So far it is GREAT!

Update with Episode 3: Parents will want to be aware of episode three having some curse words and there is a character with two mothers. Jude Law does a great job of bringing us a scoundrel vibe that feels like old school Star Wars and something we need in this pirate tale. Seems like he has been known as multiple names and wronged many people. Also, he never said he was a Jedi, haha.

This episode continues to keep up the wit, fun story, and the right vibe I wanted from a Goonies style Star Wars tale. I hope it continues like this, if it does we could have a new classic Star Wars tale. However, Disney has let me down before after a few episodes. Let’s hope the story stays good and no agenda is pushed.

Update with Episode 4 & 5: Four was still pretty family-friendly, but was a bit slower. It also brought up more and more questions.

Episode five gives us some answers (and some of the answers I had guessed, but were still fun to watch shake out), but this episode is a bit more intense with deaths, traps, skeletons, and fighting. One of the highlights of this episode is SM-33 going on and on about nostalgia and how things we remember being great may not have been as great as we remember OR have to be left in that time and cannot be relived becuase they change. It is a great point from the Star Wars universe that in a meta way speak to the Star Wars movies themselves. Some things are best left alone. Another great episode.

Update with Episode 6: The stakes are raised as the kids have to figure out how to get their ship back which causes somewhat of a side plot where the kids get upset with each other and split up. This concept/story thread could have gotten old fast, but it was well done by allowing some of KB and Fern’s backstory about their friendship to be told and it really shines. We are reminded that these are just kids and they have limitations, just like we adults. While this seemed like a “side quest” episode it was still well done