Summary
Skeleton Crew Episode 4 does have the whiff of filler about it, but it still has decent character work and introduces the plot structure that will likely determine the next few episodes.
Episode 4 seems a little early for a show like Skeleton Crew to be resorting to filler, but “Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin” does feel a bit like that. Contemporary Star Wars storytelling does have a tendency to indulge in these side quest episodes that you could probably cut out without losing much, and some work better than others. This one lacks any of the lore developments or pleasing action sequences that we saw in the previous episode, so it’s up to the likeability of the characters and the development of their relationships to carry things along.
I’d say, for the most part, it’s fine. But it’s still a bit of a worrying sign so early in the season, perhaps speaking to a show that has more episodes than plot to fill them with. But I’m not willing to make that judgment so early, so we’ll see how things go.
At Achrann
Just when it seems like the gang has already made it home to At Attin, the Onyx Cinder gets pulled into an autopilot landing sequence on At Achrann. Though to be fair, it isn’t immediately apparent where they are.
It doesn’t last long, but there’s a bit of mystery about the foggy setting that looks very much like the kids’ homeworld – or perhaps might have done in the past – but has since been ruined and become desolate. It’s SM-33 who reveals the planet’s true name, and a connection to it and At Attin that has been deliberately obscured by his programming.
What to make of this? At Achrann is clearly one of the planets known as the Jewels of the Old Republic, one of those lost to time. Its underlying similarities to At Attin suggest all the planets were developed in each other’s likeness, probably as part of the same “Great Work”, and At Attin is simply the only one that has stood the test of time.
At Achrann, meanwhile, has fallen into ruin, and it’s being fought over by two tribes – the Troik, and the Hattans. The kids quickly run into Hayna, the daughter of the Troik’s leader, General Strix. Jod, meanwhile, surrenders to the Hattans while he’s trying to jog SM-33’s memory of the planet. The Hattans have stolen some of the Troik’s eopies, which you’ll remember as the weird camel-like mounts from Obi-Wan Kenobi, so the kids and Jod are now unknowingly on opposing sides.
Side Quest
The Troik are a warrior culture that treats all their kids like adults – how convenient – so the gang must prove themselves capable fighters in order to be allowed access to the Fallen Sanctum, which is the same structure as the Supervisor’s Tower on At Attin. It apparently contains coordinates to other planets, hopefully including At Attin.
This is basically just an excuse for some bonding among the kids. It’s Neel who gets a lot of focus here; he bonds with Hayna a little and she recognizes in his pacifism a kind of valuable empathy and kindness that is sorely lacking from her culture. The other kids, led by Fern, are forced to act as scouts, threatened with blasters if they attempt to desert their new duties.
Jude Law and the gang in Skeleton Crew | Image via Disney+
Luckily what could have been a battle turns out to be a deal. Jod emerges from the fog with the stolen eopies, which he bought from the Hattans using Wim’s mint-condition Old Republic credits that he stole from the ship. Sure, he robbed them, but ultimately, it was to save them, so fair’s fair. Jod asks for Wim, Fern, Neel, and KB to be returned to him as payment, which results in a few hugs, but the question ought to be asked whether he’d have bothered if he didn’t need their help to find At Attin (although this is the kind of show where he’ll definitely prove his loyalty to the kids as we go.)
Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin
Hayna agrees to take the gang to the Fallen Sanctum, though she leaves them at the bottom. She can’t leave her people, but she will try to impart some of Neel’s lessons to them. The others ride the tower to the top and discover it as advertised – there are pillars containing coordinates to all the other Jewels of the Old Republic, including At Aytuu, At Arissia, At Aravin, and At Acoda. Crucially, though, the coordinates under At Attin are missing.
This turns out to be the fault of SM-33, who erased the coordinates the last time he was there and has been ordered to keep the whole affair a secret, hence him continuously repeating the title of Skeleton Crew Episode 4. Fern, after a moment of self-doubt that she’s reassured about by Wim, realizes that as SM-33’s new captain, she can order him to reveal what he knows about At Attin. And he does. His previous captain discovered the coordinates, murdered anyone else who saw them, and instructed SM-33 to kill anyone who came asking. Oops.
With SM-33 suddenly murderous, the kids have to fight him off – it’s Neel who bravely comes through with a rock to the head – while Jod gets to his off switch. The crisis is averted, but it’s obvious that the coordinates to At Attin aren’t going to be so easy to come by. Luckily, all the other planets should be easy to locate, so one imagines that the next few episodes will be a tour of those, with a little adventure on each. It isn’t the most imaginative structure, but it works.
