Star Wars: Skeleton Crew

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People must've been turned off because it's a 'kid's show', yet it's better than TBOBF, OWK, The Acolyte and a lot of The Mandalorian because it's unencumbered by Grogu, who actually is a really annoying brat.
Not as much "turned off", as indifferent.
A Star Wars version of "Goonies" isn't really a selling point for many of us.
A cast of kid actors doesn't exactly excite.
Disney's SW has proven its not worth our time- over & over.
 
Not as much "turned off", as indifferent.
A Star Wars version of "Goonies" isn't really a selling point for many of us.
A cast of kid actors doesn't exactly excite.
Disney's SW has proven its not worth our time- over & over.

"Turned off" is the same as being indifferent. i.e., disinterested, fatigued, tired, etc, as the synonyms go.

A lot have been "turned off" in general from Disney's Star Wars. The sequel trilogy did a lot of damage. The damage has been compounded by the lacklustre TBOBF, OWK and Acolyte. Andor and The Mandalorian are highlights though the latter is patchy, with a definite decline in the third series. While Ahsoka is divisive I rate it highly.

Skeleton Crew is up there. There's a lot of influences behind its creation, '80s movies being a large part of that along with the earliest Marvel Star Wars comics. The Goonies was a major inspiration, of course. Beyond the obvious similarities the creators made sure to cement the connection with Rennod being an anadrome of Donner.

The Goonies
was inspired in part by Raiders of the Lost Ark, which in turn was inspired by the cliffhanger serials from the 1930s to early '50s, which also gave rise to Star Wars.

The creators of Skeleton Crew are on record saying that they didn't look to the EU for ideas as much as old pirate movies. The AI overview for The Goonies says it was inspired by the Santo Cristo de Burgos, a Spanish galleon that sank off the coast of Oregon in 1693, but the production design team also drew inspiration from the 1940 Errol Flynn film The Sea Hawk.


The whole thing may sound like madness, and it can be if you don't accept the very 'piratey' designs and influences that are everywhere in Skeleton Crew, though everything slots neatly into the Star Wars universe, which has been derivative of our own world since the start.

Skeleton Crew manages to pull the influences together and tell a story and show a way of life that's been neglected in favour of the bigger picture, though it'll likely be connected in some way.

I like the seamier side of Star Wars - the world of smugglers and pirates as opposed to the Jedi/Sith - and the more 'down to earth' elements of normal protagonists living seemingly normal lives that we can relate to, until they're thrust into a world of adventure.

Luke had a normal, dull life too, though his relatable world was a desert with danger posed by 'Bedouin' raiders, rather than an apparently safe if unnervingly cloistered suburbia.


My concern is that it'll link directly to the sequel trilogy as another way of trying to force that abomination on us again.
 
Not as much "turned off", as indifferent.
A Star Wars version of "Goonies" isn't really a selling point for many of us.
A cast of kid actors doesn't exactly excite.
Disney's SW has proven its not worth our time- over & over.
Yeah I'm enjoying the show, but I don't blame anybody at all for wanting to steer clear of anything SW for awhile. And this does have the feel of something mandated by Disney for the little kids.
 
I have watched most of the episodes so far and... meh?

It isn't bad. It is flawed for sure and I have a long list of nitpicks and general complaints (especially episode 4 which was terrible filler) but compared to BOBF, Mando s3 or Obi Wan it actually has far less cringe-worthy moments, less stupid overall, better production value (even if design is uninspired and lazy) and it does less damage to Star Wars canon than Ahsoka or Acolyte.

It is basically OK, which in this day and age of modern Disney Star Wars is the equivalent of great, at least for the battered wives that are Star Wars fans. For normies it is just typical derivative, mediocre entertainment.

Would I be willing to include it in my personal Star Wars canon?? Depending on how it ends, maybe. I prefer this to Acolyte, Mando s3, BOBF and Obi Wan. I think it is better than the sequel trilogy too for sure. But what Star Wars NEEDS right now after repeated fails is something truly GREAT to pull the normies back in. This ain't it.


I do think that viewership was hurt by Acolyte the same way Solo was hurt by TLJ. People have been put off. Only good word of mouth will undo that, so let's see how the viewership numbers go. AFAIK the Nielsen numbers in so far are only for the first 2 episodes, so if they improve over time that will be a good sign. If they remain steady or shrink then Star Wars on the small screen is in danger of disappearing soon.

Andor season 2 is likely the only chance now to save Star Wars TV.
 
Unfortunately I think the damage has already been done. They could get the best story and director, but people are only going to see it as just more disposable SW content now, and about as important as another NCIS spinoff.
Yes and no. A great show can turn things around, but it needs to be GREAT. Disney may not be capable of doing what needs to be done, not just in terms of quality but also willingness to undo mistakes by decanonising the bad and starting fresh.
 
But what Star Wars NEEDS right now after repeated fails is something truly GREAT to pull the normies back in. This ain't it.
The normies are never coming back. The media landscape has completely changed since the OT when SW was literally the only game in town, and even since the PT when there was much less competition for the attentions of the populace. The only reason TFA was such a hit was all the kids of fans and curious newbies going to see what all the fuss was about. Then when confronted with the stunning mediocrity of J.J. Abrams said "thanks, but no thanks".

The only time since when normies paid attention was "Baby Yoda". That craze has significantly cooled.

The Mandalorian movie has a chance to pull normies back IF they can make a good movie that's not bogged down by nonsense lore or attempted fan service. We shall see.
 
My concern is that it'll link directly to the sequel trilogy as another way of trying to force that abomination on us again.
Given how the announced Rey movie is so far down the line I think that's unlikely. If it's tied to anything I'm guessing it will be to Ahsoka S2 and Filoni's Mandoverse movie. If Thrawn is going to reestablish the Galactic Empire he's going to need a new armada and those aren't free. Seems like a secret mint would be useful in that respect lol...
 
The normies are never coming back. The media landscape has completely changed since the OT when SW was literally the only game in town, and even since the PT when there was much less competition for the attentions of the populace. The only reason TFA was such a hit was all the kids of fans and curious newbies going to see what all the fuss was about. Then when confronted with the stunning mediocrity of J.J. Abrams said "thanks, but no thanks".

The only time since when normies paid attention was "Baby Yoda". That craze has significantly cooled.

The Mandalorian movie has a chance to pull normies back IF they can make a good movie that's not bogged down by nonsense lore or attempted fan service. We shall see.
Shows like Squid Game shouldn't be so successful on paper but they pull people in due to great premise, great acting, unique visual style etc.
A Star Wars show COULD do just that, if Disney had the talent and will to do so. So long as mediocre is what they offer, dilute the brand they will. It could be turned around with a single show (the way Mandalorian did briefly) and normies would embrace Star Wars again. The issue is that normies are not loyal, if the quality of writing drops then they leave. The fanboys may stick around longer but as the past decade has shown even they have their breaking point. Disney Lucasfilm are killing the brand through mediocrity. Skeleton Crew is fine, it is ok, but so far is not great. Most would prefer to watch something like Squid Game or Better Call Saul, shows that are cheaper by far. Disney are just wasting massive amounts of money on huge budgets for shows with ok (Skeleton Crew) to outright bad (Book Of Boba Fett) writing etc. If every show was Andor level writing and Mandalorian level adventure there would be no issue.
 
Unfortunately I think this was just inevitable. Filoni and Favreau were clearly trying to bring back mature, badass, ESB-style SW again with Mandalorian... but with Disney insisting on tons of new product and a new TV series every year (along with multiple animated series), there's no way that they'd be able to maintain that quality. Especially when you need to build a show around characters who are a lot less compelling than Mando, or rely on other creators who may have a different vision.
 
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