Skeleton Crew

[Techwright]

I honestly thought we had a thread for this already.  Using search, though, it looks like it was only referenced in the D+ announcement threads.

 

So, new trailer dropped two days back.  Lots more detail.   If you've got a check list of those elements that must appear in a Star Wars production, you can check "scary big monster" off the list.

 

 

I'm just a tad concerned that they may be going too hard over into the 1980s look.  I don't want "authentic Star Wars" to be nothing more than a sticker kit of Arabash lettering applied to a sign or two.  I'm glad the latter half of the trailer feels more like Star Wars.  Perhaps that is their intent:  start the story with a very big "we're an Amblin film, people!" vibe, then break with that in a "we're not in Kansas, anymore" moment, ending up in a "that's not a moon..." atmosphere.  I could rally to that.

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

9 hours ago, Techwright said:

I'm just a tad concerned that they may be going too hard over into the 1980s look.

Oddly enough, that made me laugh the moment his dad walked in wearing that coat and those glasses, but I get the why.

(Does anyone else remember how weirdly brown everything was in the 1980s? Walls, seats, clothes, lots of velour and stuff... brown, beige and then VIOLENT, EYEBURNING ORANGE FOR NO GOOD REASON.)

9 hours ago, Techwright said:

Perhaps that is their intent:  start the story with a very big "we're an Amblin film, people!" vibe, then break with that in a "we're not in Kansas, anymore" moment, ending up in a "that's not a moon..." atmosphere. 

First half of the trailer you've got lots of natural light, greenery, regular looking obscenely clean buildings and, well... earth tones. Brown. Comforting and familiar. 

Second half is strange Christmas light colours, the blackness of space, dark foreboding places. It's so damn Amblin.

 

And then they layer on that needle-drop of Peter Schilling's Major Tom.

They know what they're doing, that trailer crew.

 

My worry is that sugary sweet kids tend to annoy the hell out of me, on film or in person. But I am assured that there will be proper threat and trauma.

Walt, George and Steven all knew what kids like: rollercoasters. There has to be that fear.

Edited November 4, 2024 by ThaOGDreamWeaver

[Techwright]

2 hours ago, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

Oddly enough, that made me laugh the moment his dad walked in wearing that coat and those glasses, but I get the why.

(Does anyone else remember how weirdly brown everything was in the 1980s? Walls, seats, clothes, lots of velour and stuff... brown, beige and then VIOLENT, EYEBURNING ORANGE FOR NO GOOD REASON.)

 

I remember those colors from the 1970s.  I have many good memories of the 1970s.  Those were not among them, by far.  That, terrible hair styles, and coarse polyester clothing. 😝  The TVA color scheme in Loki took some adjustment on my part.  Fortunately, it wasn't quite so violent.

[Triumphant]

This installment truly is for the little kids, in the same manner that the old 80's Ewok movies were made for little kids.  And yes, there are callbacks to other 80's youth nostalgia like Goonies and what not.

 

I actually loved those Ewok movies back when I was a kid.  Yes, they were not sophisticated entertainment or award winning television.  But they were fun and endearing in their own way.  I have occasionally rewatched them, as an excercise in nostalgia and a bit of a guilty pleasure.

 

If you have very young children that like Star Wars, I suggest watching the series with them and watching their reactions, as I think this is how adult fans will get the most mileage out of the series (unless, of course, you are like me and also have a soft-spot for the old Ewok shows).

 

Of course, I could be completely wrong and the show could be absolutely terrible, regardless of who is viewing it.  I actually like what I see though, and feel fairly good about what we have been shown so far.  I will, of course, reserve complete judgement until I have viewed the show in it's entirety.

[Techwright]

Anyone watching this?  I've had to forego D+ as a cost-cutting measure while I'm taking a career break to help an injured family member convalesce.  I'm curious if the project is living up to the hype.

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

Haven’t had time yet and will catch up on the weekend, but I’m seeing good reactions on the socials.

 

Apparently it delivers on the Goonies/ET/Richard Donner vibes by the bucketload, there’s a half-decent plotline, and the kids even aren’t terminally irritating. (I will need to validate that last one personally.)

 

Critics (FWIW) are very positive, but I think the nicest comment about I’ve read went something like this.

 

These kids have grown up on a regular, safe world. But they love tales of the Jedi, dream of space battles, wonder if one day they’d get out among the stars.

They’re us.

They’re our avatars going out into the SW galaxy. Just like we did every time we played SW arcade or built X-wings in Lego, or tried to wrap our hair into headphones.

And that is a neat trick to pull.

Edited December 5, 2024 by ThaOGDreamWeaver

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

So, happy to report from Ep1 that Skeleton Crew is everything it's cracked up to be so far.

And it is very much for kids (of all ages), so if you want SRS SPACE WIZARD ADVENTURES TO BE SRS... actually, maybe stick around.

Kids' stories, when you write them well, can have levels. Lots of levels. You can do things subtly in the background.

And if you can deal with the kids' story upfront, I think this is gonna get good.

 

☠️AHOY THARR, HERE BE SPOILERS!☠️

Spoiler

• We cold open on a bit of a SW classic space reveal. A title card, not a crawl, tells us where and when we are...
• But instead of a Princess being nabbed by the Empire, a hapless New Republic freighter gets yoinked by a Very Nasty Looking pirate ship. It's even got Spikes Of Evil...
• ...as has its Captain. However, one thing pirates always needed was luck. And a Captain who can't steer ye to gold, well... that's a problem.
  • The obvious play here is that Jude Law was under that helmet. Also, his name is Jod (John?) and the cap's name was Silvo (Silver), so that would track.
  • I'm hoping for a bait-and-switch, though. The less obvious play is that Jod was the secret cargo the Captain didn't want to give up. And very, very dangerous cargo at that.
• Wipe reveal (yay!) to The Most Boring Planet In The Galaxy, At-Attin. Some kind of New Republic office world. Where kids dream of growing up to be insurance agents, supervisors, or even - dare they dream it? - administrators. Everything is neat, grey, green and... brown. Comforting, familiar, very US suburban coded. Even the night sky is green, starless, flat. Imagine never seeing stars past the streetlights.
• Let's meet our characters. As this is a team game, setting up all their skills and abilities is important.
  • Wim: the dreamer, the instigator, explorer, who just can't leave a tempting button alone. Also a Massive Nerd. Knows his Jedi lore backwards. Also, being brought up by a work-obsessed middle-manager single dad. (See, kid's shows can do Big Serious Stuff too.) Mum's status is not specified - at a guess, divorce that's at the stiff-truce stage rather than dead - but it's not important to this stage in the story.
  • Neel: the Good Kid, maths genius, Neel's follower, with a happy, stable family. And equally Massive Nerd. It's slightly jarring at first that he's an elephant (and no, not the same species as Max Rebo, per the writers.) But the performance and dialogue are on-point, and the other kids accept him. So after a couple of minutes, he... just... fits.
  • Fern: natural-20 CHA, Good Kid Who Wants To Be Bad, consummate liar, adrenaline junkie, but with bravado masking fear... wannabe leader. Smart, observant, manipulative. That's gonna be useful. Also has a single but rather more successful parent (probably important later), lives in a very rich gated community, and knows her limits when it comes to adventures.
  • KB: Fern's follower, the tech expert, does rather than talks. And in a direct but fun lift from ST:TNG, she has a VISOR which is going to come in very handy - or be very difficult if she loses it.
• Our story starts with Wim and Neel embarrassing themselves in front of the bus playing at being Jedi...
• ...then Wim forgetting he's got Space SATs tomorrow. Which Very Stiff Important Administrator (and incidentally, Fern's mum), tells us all is the Most Important Day Of Their Lives. So does Wim's dad. So does Neel. Most. Important. Day.
• Typically, Wim oversleeps and misses the bus, tries to catch up with a shortcut across the forest, and crashes into... what? A Jedi temple, perhaps?
• Gets busted and hauled to the principal's office: where he runs into and blabs to Fern. She's also been busted - for bike racing.
• Speaking of which, Fern may know her own limits but not her bike's... and gets mocked by Evil Timothee Chalamet for it. He's not important, though she does seem oddly keen to impress him.
• Wim and Neel sneak out in search of adventure. Fern and KB follow in search of power converters. (Damn things cause so much trouble in Star Wars. Couldn't they just have run over to the nearest Toschi Station?)
• One short digging montage later, KB works out how to open the hatch. Which promptly closes behind them again. And turn the power back on to get out - impressive percussive maintenance techniques. Especially on an old ship. VERY old. Old enough to have trees growing over and through it.
• Chekhov's lever: what was 5M-33 trying to turn off - or on?
• Do you know what the words don't touch anything mean? But if Wim had listened, we wouldn't have a story...
• One properly spectacular reveal sequence later, our ship is on autopilot bound for Parts Unknown, and the first credit comes up.
  And that, me shipmates, is how you end an episode.

 

For a large chunk of this ep, both the nerd and 80s kid in me was giggling like a maniac - and groaning with remembered embarrassment at a couple of things too. The kids interact well and aren't irritating - well, Wim is just irritating enough to drive the plot: and it helps take the edge off that Fern is authentically mean and cynical. I like her already. 

 

Also, while this is a setup episode, it doesn't drag like Andor or even Mando. There's just enough worldbuilding to let us know what we need to. The trailer might have confused some people, and having the kids start in intergalactic Scranton / Slough / Toronto / Leopardstown (delete as applicable) might seem odd for Star Wars. But that familiarity gives you all the backstory info you need without chewing plot time. 

 

They've pulled off a great opening, but they need to stick that first landing next - four confused and scared kids an awfully long way from home, in a ship with a mind of its own (and a possibly hostile droid.) Let's see where we go next...

 

CAPN'S LOG: SUPPLEMENTAL

Just had a bit of an ohhh s*****t moment.

Spoiler

This is supposedly the New Republic era, similar timeframe to Mando. But it's not specified yet exactly when.

 

And if this is a New Republic core admin world...

...which they've bothered to protect with a barrier...

...where's Starkiller Base right now?

 

Would the writers dare do that to the kids?

I would.

 

Edited December 11, 2024 by ThaOGDreamWeaver

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

So four kids walk into a starport…

• Ep2 is a lot shorter, but action packed…
• Nick Frost hamming up nicely as SM-33, and Fern taking charge.
• And bringing them to hub of scum and villainy. Luckily someone has a heart of gold.
• Loving the pirate background music, btw.
• Unexpected subplot with Dad… why is leaving At Attin quite such a serious violation that the Supervisor will REALLY not like?
• So far from looking for a lost pirate treasure planet as you’d expect… their home planet IS one?
• SM-33 can fly, fix, and handy in a fight. But isn’t invincible.
• And enter Jod the not-Jedi. Trust no-one.

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

And on to Episode 3…

• Parental panic - and some suspicious safety droids - confirm the subplot about At Attin being a secured planet. Something is  very off with their homeworld… but what? Is it a bank planet? The galaxy’s mint? Or something a little more sinister?
• KB has medical needs too. Maybe important later.
• Jod is clearly taking the mickey with the Jedi schtick. And yes, he’s Long Jod Silvo, but also Crimson Jack…
• ”You came in that thing? You’re braver than I thought…”
• Nice gag with the droid shop. And an Alfred Molina cameo too.
• Next up. Starship-based version of the Cap’n Jack running away from everyone gag. Fun if a little slower and less manic than it could’ve been.
• Fantastic little scene walking across a moon lit by a planet. Flipped idea there…
• Khymm is kind of a friendlier flying Aughra. 
• That warning light on the subplot suddenly becoming a flashing red main thread. How do the kids not know that Alderaan’s a goner - did they miss the whole war, or even the reign of the Empire?
• Blaster turrets! Fun for all the family. And another neat callback / fan service for fans of the original Falcon.

[UltraAlt]

On 11/3/2024 at 9:22 PM, Techwright said:

I don't want "authentic Star Wars" to be nothing more than a sticker kit of Arabash lettering applied to a sign or two.

 

So I watch the trailer. I thought it was cool for "what it was".

Renegade kid adventures are in. Make it a comedy adventure. But they needed to throw something more in to grab adults. Throw in in a known adult actor. Not enough. Slap "Star Wars" on it. "Star Wars" alway "buys tickets".

 

"Star Wars"?

My first "go to" see if it is "Star Wars" related is "where is the Force"?

 

Without "the Force" is it really a Star Wars movie/series/project?

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

48 minutes ago, UltraAlt said:

My first "go to" see if it is "Star Wars" related is "where is the Force"?

Spoiler ahoy:

Spoiler

Jod's a Force user/sensitive, but not a Sith, nor a Jedi (though he's quite happy to pretend to be one if it gets him what he wants).

He's something else we've not really run into before. That gives him quite a lot of possible character paths too.

It's also interesting the kids running into the Force the same way we do: they've heard of it in stories, but never seen one, and they don't believe it.

Which, in this case, they're at least half-right to do. 

 

And if I'm interested in this show, it's for the same reason I'm always rabbiting on about how to make genre and franchise flicks interesting.

Yes, you've got a recognisable and familiar toybox, but can you play a new game with it? That they are.

 

And that sneaky little plot twist - that their home planet is the lost treasure, and possibly holding an absolutely awful secret - is promising. 

 

[UltraAlt]

2 hours ago, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

Spoiler ahoy:

  Reveal hidden contents

Jod's a Force user/sensitive, but not a Sith, nor a Jedi (though he's quite happy to pretend to be one if it gets him what he wants).

He's something else we've not really run into before. That gives him quite a lot of possible character paths too.

It's also interesting the kids running into the Force the same way we do: they've heard of it in stories, but never seen one, and they don't believe it.

Which, in this case, they're at least half-right to do. 

 

And if I'm interested in this show, it's for the same reason I'm always rabbiting on about how to make genre and franchise flicks interesting.

Yes, you've got a recognisable and familiar toybox, but can you play a new game with it? That they are.

 

And that sneaky little plot twist - that their home planet is the lost treasure, and possibly holding an absolutely awful secret - is promising. 

 

 

You're enjoying it, so, as entertainment, it is serving its purpose.