******STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS!******

The first two episodes of Disney+’s “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” have debuted, and both were written by Christopher Ford and Jon Watts (“Spider-Man: Homecoming”). I knew going in that this Star Wars series was deliberately skewing towards a much younger demographic, since Disney seems hellbent on representing every age demographic separately these days (when I was younger, Star Wars used to be an experience for the entire family…). 

After “The Mandalorian”” (the most old-school and inclusive Star Wars series to date), Star Wars fans had the misfiring “The Book of Boba Fett,” followed by the brutally hard-hitting “Andor” (adult). Now, we have somewhat more infantilized Star Wars shows like “The Acolyte” (teens/young-adult), and this week’s debut of “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew,” which is clearly geared for younger kids. 

“This Could Be a Real Adventure.”

Directed by cowriter Jon Watts, this first of two premiere episodes opens in a post-“Return of the Jedi” era, with a violent pirate raid along a hyperspace route (a nod to the opening of “A New Hope” with the Imperials boarding the Tantive IV), before cutting to the Spielberg-ish suburban planet of At Attin, which is located behind a “great barrier” which literally shields the planet and its inhabitants from the greater galaxy-at-large.  

At Attin is a suburbanized melting pot of galactic races, and we see many species cohabiting there. There, young Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) lives with his widowed dad (Tude Adubimpe), a busy analyst who leaves his son wanderlusting alone for much of his busy day. Wim has an Ortolan best friend Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), a nice kid from a large, loving family.  

Note: The Ortolans, the short, blue-skinned elephant-like humanoids of the Star Wars galaxy, were first seen in 1983’s “Return of the Jedi,” where one of them, “Max Rebo” (Simon Williamson), led Jabba the Hutt’s house band. The planet At Attin is arguably the least exotic of Star Wars planets seen to date, with familiar looking cities and suburban landscapes (complete with concrete sidewalks and neatly-trimmed lawns). It’s about as exotic as a trip to a corner convenience store.

The boys clash with a pair of rebellious girls; Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), a speeder bike-racing hotshot, and her gear-head, visor-wearing sidekick, KB (Kyriana Kratter). Fern is also the daughter of a local school official named Fara (Kerry Condon), who has little control (or knowledge) of her own wild child’s extracurricular activities.

Note: We see a local boy challenging Fern to a speeder bike race; the boy’s name is Boz Falfa; a play on Bob Falfa, the hotrod racer played by a very young Harrison Ford in 1973’s “American Graffiti,” the second feature film directed by Star Wars’ creator, George Lucas (the first being the dystopian sci-fi film “THX-1138.” Harrison Ford, of course, would play legendary space smuggler Han Solo in five of the nine ‘Skywalker-saga’ Star Wars movies.

After missing the hover-tram for school on the day of important aptitude testing, Wim stumbles across a mysterious metal hatch at the bottom of a steep ravine, which his overactive imagination assumes is a hidden Jedi temple (of course). After school, Wim and Neel return to investigate the hatch, only to learn that Fern and KB have beaten them to the mysterious treasure, after Fern overheard Wim at their school administrator’s office. After a lot of searching, KB finds a control panel that opens the hatch.

Upon entering, Wim finds it’s a long-buried starship. Exploring the innards of the derelict (much to the worry of their parents), Wim accidentally hits a button that somehow reactivates the vessel. As it surges to life and shakes itself free of the soil, the terrified kids blast off to space, as the reactivated ship makes a preprogrammed jump into hyperspace—along with its banged-up, surviving droid crew member, SM-33 (voiced by Nick Frost). 

Note: Nick Frost is the longtime acting partner of Simon Pegg (“The Force Awakens” ). Having originally costarred together in the delightfully geeky comedy “Spaced,” which Pegg cowrote, the two of them have cowritten and costarred in many films together, including “Shaun of the Dead,” “Hot Fuzz,” and “Paul,” to name a few. A British Hope & Crosby.

“Way, Way Out Past the Barrier.”

Directed by David Lowery, the second premiere installment opens with the four kids and SM-33 shooting out past the barrier surrounding the planet At Attin. Their droid now now believes Fern has slain his former captain, and, per the pirate code, the droid pledges loyalty to her.  SM-33 has no idea where his ship was crashed, so he’s of no use navigating a return trip home. SM-33 then pilots the ship, called the Onyx Cinder, to a star port…

Shortly after exiting the gateway tunnel, the kids realize it’s a pirate port, controlled and run by dangerous outlaws.  Wim and Neel get into trouble with regulars at a local eatery who want the boys’ gold Republic credits, while the girls are advised to leave as soon as possible by a sympathetic alien woman from the red-light district. As they try to flee, the four kids are prevented from escaping by a mix of cutthroat types and law-enforcement.

Note: One of the pirates is former child star Jaleel White, who used to play the nerdy “Urkel” on the popular 1990s sitcom “Family Matters.”

The kids are temporarily saved, as SM-33 limps his way to the scene and tries to protect his young masters.  Unfortunately, he is unable to help, and the kids are thrown into a dark “Pirates of the Caribbean”-style jail cell, complete with a juuust out-of-reach key.  As Wim desperately tries to train a space-rat to help him fetch the key, the kids learn they are not alone in their darkened cell; a mysterious stranger named Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law) steps forward and uses the Force to bring the key into his hand…

Note: Cue John Williams’ Force theme…

In exchange for his help, Jod asks the junior space travelers for passage off the starport, where he’s been imprisoned for a long time (or so he says).  The kids agree, and together they leave their jail cell, along with their Force-wielding ally…

The End.

Note: I assume the reasons that such an adept Force-wielder somehow chose to remain in a dark cell when he could’ve easily escaped using the Force will be explained in a future episode (?). Perhaps Jod is one of the young Jedi in hiding who survived the original Order 66 purge decades earlier (“Revenge of the Sith”), or he might just be some wily con artist who’s somehow learned Force disciplines, though I doubt the show would waste John Williams’ heroic Force theme on a character like that, since it’s usually reserved for nobler characters.

Summing It Up

“Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” is a see-what-sticks hodgepodge of “Explorers” and “Goonies” with a bit of “Pirates of the Caribbean” thrown in. The show is more an amalgam of various adventure-movie bits and pieces than an original idea or concept. The central notion of a mysterious, half-buried spaceship recovered and crewed by junior space explorers might’ve landed better if it hadn’t been done so recently with the admittedly lesser-seen but well-executed “Star Trek: Prodigy.”

There are many Star Wars easter eggs and alien races strewn across the show’s visual landscape, but they feel inserted more for better marketability than for innovative or narrative reasons. This series might’ve tried going without the Star Wars brand name, since that particular name brings a heavier burden of expectations. Tonally, “Skeleton Crew” feels like a 1990s or early 2000s Nickelodeon series, but with a massive influx of Disney cash. The show’s Star Wars suburbs feel almost boringly slick at times, and too familiar in contrast with the grittier, more exotic locations of that earlier “galaxy far, far away…”

To their credit, the young cast gives it their all, even if their characters make predictably boneheaded blunders (“Stay together,” just as everyone wanders apart). The show’s main protagonist “Wim,” played by Ravi Cabot-Conyers, is a more privileged Luke Skywalker surrogate; always dreaming of Jedi space adventure beyond his safe, humdrum life. Ryan Kiera Armstrong’s bad girl “Fern” could use a bit more attitude, however (a fault of the writing, not the actress). Jude Law (“Gattaca,” “AI”) only appears in the final moments of episode 2, but given his prominence, I assume the force-sensitive “Jod Na Nawood” will take charge of these accidental runaways shortly. So far, the standout character of these first two episodes is Robert Timothy Smith’s “Neel,” who delivers much sweetness and charm beneath his elephantine mask.  

I realize these are only the first two episodes of “Skeleton Crew,” but it’s clear that the Star Wars franchise’s continuing trend of tailoring shows to specific age demographics is where I might finally part ways with the saga that literally changed my life when I was ten years old (back in that summer of 1977). That doesn’t mean I can no longer enjoy the generationally inclusive Star Wars saga I grew up with. It only means I probably won’t be pumping this particular well anytime soon. “Star Wars: Skeleton Key” just isn’t my Star Wars, and that’s perfectly okay. 

To those who enjoy this series? May the force be with you, but I think this is my hover-tram stop…

Where to Watch

“Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” is currently streaming exclusively on Disney+.