With The Acolyte now behind us, Star Wars is returning to the New Republic era after a short gap following The Mandalorian season 3 and Ahsoka season 1. It's time for a smaller-scale adventure in the shape of Skeleton Crew, which comes from a fascinating group of acclaimed filmmakers.
Created by Jon Watts, director of the most recent Spider-Man trilogy, Skeleton Crew will take viewers to an unknown part of the Star Wars galaxy in an adventure that happens in parallel to the events of The Mandalorian and Ahsoka — several years after Return of the Jedi and way before the First Order's rise.
We've now learned that Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau's long plan for The Mandalorian and the adjacent Star Wars shows will culminate with an event movie hitting cinemas in the near future. On top of Skeleton Crew, we'll be getting Ahsoka season 2 and The Mandalorian & Grogu, a new big-screen movie, before Filoni's big event flick arrives.
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What is the Star Wars: Skeleton Crew release date?
Skeleton Crew will premiere on December 2, 2024, with two episodes on Disney Plus, targeting the family-friendly Christmas season as teased a few months back. More specifically, the episodes will drop at 6 pm PT / 9 pm ET. This means UK/Europe will technically get to watch the show’s premiere on December 3.
The original release date was Tuesday, December 3, but on November 26, it was pushed forward to Monday. However, the official release schedule indicates the other episodes will arrive each Tuesday (US) until January 14.
How to watch Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
Like everything Star Wars these days, you'll be able to watch Star Wars: Skeleton on Disney+ when it launches later this year. If you're not already signed up to Disney+, check out the bundles below. There is plenty of Star Wars to watch while we wait for Skeleton Crew.
What is the plot of Skeleton Crew?
The story follows a group of daring children who go on adventure which ends up being more than they can handle. At some point, they get lost in deep space and can't find their way home. Series creator Jon Watts says the tone will be darker than anyone expects going in, so that's intriguing too.
The first trailer opened with kids living on a forested world and doing the usual stuff kids do in Amblin-inspired movies and shows: going to school and riding (speeder) bikes while looking for adventures. One day, they do find adventure and leave the planet aboard what looks to be a mercenary starship.
The group of kids consists of two girls (Fern and KB), one human boy (Wim), and a kid alien named Neel, who appears to be an Ortolan but actually belongs to a different species. They encounter strange creatures and pirates, among which is The Mandalorian's Vane, a Nikto scoundrel, who’s found a new crew after Gorian Shard’s death back on Nevarro. Moreover, they come across as an enigmatic stranger, Jod Na Nawood, who claims to be a hidden Jedi but also appears to have a hidden, very pirate-y agenda...
What about connections to the larger Star Wars galaxy and perhaps even The Mandalorian? Skeleton Crew is very much doing its own thing, exploring the uptick in pirate gangs taking advantage of the chaos left behind by the Empire’s fall as the New Republic tries to expand its government across countless star systems. We have no doubt that we’ll see some familiar faces, but at the same time, the series appears to be the perfect opportunity to have an uncomplicated adventure with far lower stakes.
Skeleton Crew trailers
The first trailer for the series dropped during the D23 Expo on August 9, 2024, and you can watch it below:
Disney released another trailer on Nov. 1, 2024:
Perhaps more interesting than the TV spots that have been shared by Disney and Lucasfilm ahead of the series’ two-episode premiere, are the videos which explore the cast and creatives’ relationship with Star Wars. You can watch both of them below:
Who is starring in Skeleton Crew?
Jude Law (Gattaca, Captain Marvel) stars as Jod Na Nawood, the adult leading the young cast which, so far, consists of Ravi Cabot-Conyers (Encanto) as Wim, Kyriana Kratter (United States of Al) as KB, Ryan Kiera Armstrong (American Horror Story) as Fern, and Robert Timothy Smith (Mythic Quest) as Neel. They're all joined by Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) as a droid named SM 33.
If the infamous pirate Vane has a recurring role in the series, whether he's a big villain or not, we can consider Marti Matulis (Smile) a regular cast member too, and his new pirate crew includes TV legend Jaleel White as Gunter.
Also revealed during Star Wars Celebration, Oscar-nominated actress Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin) has a sizable but mysterious part to play.
Who is working on Skeleton Crew?
Skeleton Crew revealed its full director lineup at Star Wars Celebration 2023. It consists of Jon Watts (Spider-Man: No Way Home), David Lowery (The Green Knight), The Daniels (Everything Everywhere All At Once), Jake Schreier (Beef), and Mandalorian veterans Bryce Dallas Howard (Dads) and Lee Isaac Chung (Twisters). Here’s who directs which episode:
- Episode 1: Jon Watts
- Episode 2: David Lowery
- Episode 3: David Lowery
- Episode 4: The Daniels
- Episode 5: Jake Schreier
- Episode 6: Bryce Dallas Howard
- Episode 7: Lee Isaac Chung
- Episode 8: Jon Watts
The series was created by Jon Watts, who pitched the idea to Jon Favreau during production on Spider-Man: Far From Home. He serves as showrunner, co-writer, director, and executive producer.
Christopher Ford, who worked alongside Watts on the scripts for Clown, Cop Car, and Spider-Man: Homecoming, is the main writer behind the show. He's also an executive producer along with Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, who are overseeing the entire slate of Mando-era series.
On November 11, 2024, we also learned that Mick Giacchino (The Penguin), son of Rogue One composer Michael Giacchino, has handled the score for the series.
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