A Fan’s Thoughts on Whether Skeleton Crew and Andor can Turn Star Wars Around
Over the summer, I reviewed the newest Star Wars series to air on Disney+, The Acolyte. If you read those reviews, you’ll know that by the time the series ended, I was more than glad it was over. The acting quality ranged from good to cringe-worthy. The writing was terrible. Its attempts to show the flaws of the Jedi were so poorly executed that I couldn’t take them seriously. Between going over budget and the fan backlash, it’s no surprise that Disney canceled The Acolyte. However, the damage was already done.
Since Disney bought Lucasfilm and the Star Wars franchise in 2012, they’ve had a mixed track record. They did give us bangers like The Mandalorian, Rogue One, and the final season of The Clone Wars. On the other hand, not planning out the Sequel Trilogy has divided the fanbase to this day. I’ve always had doubts about Disney owning Star Wars, but The Acolyte is at an all-time low. Some fans and critics hate it so much that they claim it’s killed Star Wars. While I think that’s an exaggeration, I’m questioning my loyalty to the franchise. Thus, we find ourselves here, wondering whether there’s still hope left for Star Wars.
The short answer is yes, there is. Two shows are coming out soon that could turn things around. One manifests every kid’s dream of exploring the Star Wars galaxy. The other is the continuation of the most mature story Disney has told for the franchise. Skeleton Crew and Andor, their names are.
Skeleton Crew, Or The Goonies in SPACEEE!!!!
First, we have the next Disney+ series for Star Wars, Skeleton Crew. Announced in February 2022, the show’s set in the same period as The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka. It’s about a group of four children who accidentally get lost in space after discovering an abandoned Old Republic starship. Teaming up with the ship’s droid and a mysterious Force-Sensitive, the kids must find a way back home while fighting all the dangers of intergalactic travel.
Critics and fans have noted that the premise of Skeleton Crew sounds like the 1980s film The Goonies, and that’s entirely intentional. The show’s intentionally written to be The Goonies in space. I’ve never seen the entire movie myself, but I have seen plenty of films and shows about kids going on these grand adventures. Is it realistic to have kids go on these kinds of adventures? No, but that’s what makes them so fun to watch. After all, how many people who grew up watching Star Wars as kids didn’t want to go on an adventure in a galaxy far, far away? Not that many! This show manifests every fan’s desire for that grand Star Wars adventure, and I’m all for it! However, there’s something I’m worried about: the child actors.
Being an actor is tough at the best of times, so imagine how hard it can be to do it when you’re a kid. If people don’t like your performance, they will let you know it. A bad performance can set any actor’s career back and subject them to significant stress. Now imagine the effect that can have on a kid. I hope the child actor’s performances are well-received, as they don’t deserve to receive so much negativity from strangers.
Then we have a show on the other end of the maturity spectrum, Andor.
Andor is Gonna be Good
In September 2022, Disney+ started airing the first season of Andor, a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story that chronicles the origins of Rebel agent Cassian Andor. Due to the recent release of Obi-Wan Kenobi and a lack of interest, I chose not to watch Andor. However, as reviews for the series started flooding social media, I realized I made a mistake. Andor is super gritty!
Regarding morality, Star Wars can seem pretty black and white. The Force is even considered split into a Light Side and a Dark Side, further emphasizing this. However, by the time most people become adults, we should realize that things aren’t always like that. Good people like Mon Mothma have to do things they hate, like giving her daughter away in an arranged marriage for the financial support the infant Rebellion needs. Luthen Rael knows that you must play dirty to fight something in the Empire. And genuinely good people can work for an evil entity like the Empire.
Speaking of which, the show does a good job demonstrating how something as obviously cruel as the Empire can hold onto power for so long. Like I said in a review for an episode of The Bad Batch, the Empire encourages people to be the worst versions of themselves. It’s a sickness by essence; the only way to stop it is when everything joins together to stand up to it.
With how successful the first season was, fans eagerly await the show’s second and final season in April 2025. According to the synopsis, it will be broken into three-episode arcs, each chronicling a year of Andor’s time working for the Rebellion. Disney already looked at how the Rebel Alliance formed in shows like Rebels, but hopefully, Andor will show the more grounded aspects of building a galaxy-spanning resistance movement. Fingers crossed, we’ll learn how Andor and K-2SO will meet.
