Where Are the Jedi During ‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’?

If there’s one way to describe the two-episode premiere of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, it’s refreshing. After the lore-heavy storyline that The Acolyte explored earlier this year, showrunners Jon Watts and Christopher Ford have thankfully taken a step back to explore a more self-contained corner of the galaxy. Between introducing the suburban world of At Attin and taking a more grounded look at Star Wars’ notoriously messy family dynamics, the show has already given us a glimpse at the everyday workings of galactic life, along with a new age of Star Wars piracy. Yet, for all the distance Skeleton Crew puts between itself and pre-existing canon, the show still doesn’t fully avoid the franchise’s main iconography, which begs the question — where are the Jedi during this dangerous time in the galaxy?

‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’ Takes Place in a Galaxy Without Its Main Heroes

In order to figure out what the Jedi are up to at the time of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, we need to understand the show’s place in the Star Wars timeline. The show’s opening crawl already confirms that the show takes place shortly after the events of Return of the Jedi, and subsequent reports have revealed that the series occurs around the same time as The Mandalorian and Ahsoka, clarifying that all three sets of characters are active around the same time. Therefore, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew occurs at a time when the Jedi no longer exist as an organized peacekeeping force, as Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) is still in the process of rebuilding the Order that Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) destroys during Disney’s Sequel Trilogy.

Similarly, knowing Skeleton Crew takes place around the same time as The Mandalorian and Ahsoka helps us determine the other Jedi active during this time period. Aside from Luke, Rosario Dawson‘s Ahsoka Tano is still carrying on the legacy of the old Jedi Order — albeit from a different galaxy — and both Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) and Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) are likewise two former apprentices who are still kicking around the main canon. It’s also possible that Star Wars Jedi‘s Cal Kestis (Cameron Monaghan) is active during the New Republic era, meaning we have confirmation of only a handful of Jedi who are around to police their increasingly lawless galaxy.

Still, given Star Wars: Skeleton Crew‘s time period, it isn’t out of the question for one of these Jedi to appear in the kind of cameo that has become the norm in recent Star Wars stories. If that were to be the case, Ezra would be the best bet to help out Skeleton Crew‘s main cast, as the character’s experiences during Star Wars Rebels uniquely position him to advise a new group of intergalactic adventurers, and it’s also possible the character has already returned from his exile on Peridea. Regardless of crossovers, however, the absence of the galaxy’s most reliable peacekeepers still makes itself felt more poignantly during Star Wars: Skeleton Crew‘s adventurous premiere.

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‘Skeleton Crew’ is now streaming on Disney+.

‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’s Jedi Problem Points to a Sad Truth About the New Republic Era

In a first for the Star Wars universe, Skeleton Crew begins its first episode with a subtle nod to the latest generation of the franchise’s fans, having Wim (Ravi Cabot-Convers) play with action figures, toy lightsabers, and flip through a databook of old Jedi stories with an awestruck fascination many real-life Star Wars fans have undoubtedly experienced. The nostalgia-heavy opening is bolstered by a fun reference back to Star Wars’ infamous Holiday Special, but there’s also a solemn side to this fanfare. Unlike real-world fans, Wim lives in a galaxy where the Jedi used to be as real as they sounded, and his father’s (Tunde Adebimpe) insistence that his son give up his fixation on them reiterates the sad reality of Wim’s place in the Star Wars timeline.

While Star Wars: Skeleton Crew may take place after Return of the Jedi, the fact that the Jedi are still little more than myth to many on At Attin emphasizes the unfortunate truth that the Sith really did eradicate the Order’s standing in the galaxy. After decades of Emperor Palpatine’s (Ian Mcdiarmid) Imperial rule, Wim serves as a reminder that Star Wars’ newest generation is growing up without the hope of its greatest heroes, which is what makes Jude Law‘s possible Force use at the end of Episode 2 so exciting. In the series, the absence of the Jedi represents the tragedies of the past and the need to begin again, proving that the galaxy is in dire need of new legends.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S. New episodes stream every Tuesday night.

WATCH ON DISNEY+

Four kids make a mysterious discovery on their home planet that leads them to get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy.

Release Date

December 2, 2024

Cast

Jude Law , Ravi Cabot-Conyers , Ryan Kiera Armstrong , Kyriana Kratter , Robert Timothy Smith , Tunde Adebimpe , Kerry Condon , Nick Frost

Seasons

1