This post contains spoilers for “Skeleton Crew.”
“Skeleton Crew” might take an Amblin-esque approach to a classic “Star Wars” adventure (read /Film’s review here), but that does not mean that things cannot get scary. If anything, since Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) and his friends accidentally leave the barriers of At Attin, the kids have faced one dangerous situation after another, especially after running into the mysterious Jod (Jude Law). Episode 5 deliberately paves the crew’s latest adventure with nostalgia-laden references — everything from “The Goonies” to “Indiana Jones” — only to undercut any associated feelings of comfort by ending things on a note of betrayal. Much like Wim’s painful realization in this episode, it becomes amply clear that space adventures are often more perilous than thrilling, and being surrounded by adults who don’t hesitate to threaten children can never be an ideal situation.
However, not everything is grim, as “Skeleton Crew” continues its established tone of juggling dramatic stakes with heartfelt and often tongue-in-cheek humor. Jod’s list of cool-sounding nicknames keeps growing (Dash Zentin! Jodwick Zank!), and the crew ends up on a planet that used to be a pirate base, which has now morphed into the pleasure-focused vacation hub, Lanupa. Considering the track record of horrible events that occur on “Star Wars” vacation planets — examples include the beachy Niamos in “Andor” and Canto Bight in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” — it makes sense to be wary of Lanupa. It turns out that Lanupa is exactly as unsavory and shady as one would expect, with the highly controversial Banking Clan still operating in the shadows during the New Republic Era.
But wait, there’s more! A certain member of a notorious gangster clan can be glimpsed on this pleasure planet, acting quite ungrateful as an esteemed guest … Let’s look into it.
Star Wars will always feature a Hutt being a menace
Jabba the Hutt requires no introduction, and his influence extends beyond the canon events, thanks to a criminal empire that flourished in the Outer Rim. Although Jabba’s criminal legacy looms large, other crime lords from the Hutt Clan were known to be as shrewd and ruthless as him (if not more) over the years. However, “Skeleton Crew” plays off its Hutt scene as a humorous gag, where a Hutt clan member can be seen eating an innocent Troglof server while chilling in the spa’s mud bath. “Please sir, not again!” the poor server pleads, while the Hutt gleefully chomps on him, leaving the implications of that statement up in the air.
While it is unclear which Hutt clan member this is, they could very well be one of the Twins introduced in “The Book of Boba Fett.” The Twins are Jabba’s cousins, and they operated during the New Republic Era until Boba Fett usurped their hold on Tatooine. It is worth noting that The Twins sent bounty hunter Krrsantan to kill Fett, and upon failure, apologized to him and offered him a rancor as tribute. Is it possible that one of them has come to Lanupa for a vacation (after relinquishing Tatooine) and is casually eating servers just because they can? It is not entirely impossible, and there isn’t much more to glean from this fun little cameo.
Anyhow, there are more pressing matters to turn our attention to, such as booby-trapped, acid-filled chambers that lead to (equally booby-trapped) pirate treasures which also reveal At Attin’s coordinates. Jod’s sudden heel turn was only a matter of time, but I cannot help but worry about a group of scared kids who have now learned that turning to adults for protection in such a wide, wide galaxy will always be a double-edged sword.
New episodes of “Skeleton Crew” premiere on Tuesdays at 6 pm PST on Disney+.