Skeleton Crew had its two-episode premiere last night on Disney Plus, another attempt at making an original series that does not have any direct relationship to the Skywalker saga, other than being close to the timeline of Return of the Jedi.
It’s a strong start, and certainly seems like it will be a less controversial series than a similarly disconnected show, The Acolyte. It’s Star Wars Goonies. How can you hate Star Wars Goonies? But yes, it was funny, well-written. It’s a good start.
It also comes with a somewhat creative central mystery, where the kids in question come from the suburban section of a planet called At Attin, something we’ve never heard of before in the lore, and one that is apparently some sort of lost treasure planet to the rest of the galaxy, who believe it to be a myth.
So, what’s going on here? Well, even with just two of these episodes airing, part of this mystery is able to be more or less instantly solved. Spoilers follow.
While there are probably more points to catch here, the main idea is that there are a number of indicators that At Attin is some sort of bubble planet frozen in time from the High Republic that did not see that era end, and missed the entire Empire/Rebellion saga, and now even though it seemed like it was being run by the New Republic, that was only impliedand likely not the truth, because:
No ships can leave or enter – The security robots seemed surprised that Wim’s father was talking about a spaceship at all, and they said that breaks the protocol of the planet and so does going past “the barrier.” So, bubble planet. Hidden planet.
Old Republic Credits – The kids are using Old Republic credits that are clearly way more valuable than present day currency, like trying to pay with gold bullion coins for something that costs quarters. It stands to reason that if that currency is standard on At Attin, that plays into the whole “lost in time” aspect.
The Great Work – This confirms it, if you know what this is. The Great Works are a series of projects taken on during the High Republic under Supreme Chancellor Lina Soh, clearly a ruler who no longer exists hundreds of years later. Those Works included the likes of creating the Starlight Beacon space station, making the Republic Fair, making comms relays and a host of other technological advancements. “Great Work” is being used singularly here, so it’s clearly one specific one, though we don’t know which.
There are little things you can now notice with all this in mind. Wim idolizes Jedi that are not just legends of old, but Jedi that he thinks are currently out fighting battles in the galaxy, as clearly this planet missed Order 66.
This cannot stay a mystery long. With the kids now out in the world, they are going to figure out they’re in a totally different time period. What is not clear is why At Attin is thought of as a lost treasure planet and what might be stored there. Clearly it was hidden for a reason, but what reason? What’s the Great Work the High Republic was trying to hide, and is there more there besides that? So, mysteries do remain.
Great start to the series, and I’m already invested. Will look forward to more next week.
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