Jude Law's Skeleton Crew Character Has A Long And Complex Star Wars History

Matt Kennedy/Lucasfilm

The following contains spoilers for the latest episode of "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew."

There's something off about Jude Law's character in "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew." In the first episode of the show, he went by the name of Captain Silvio. In the second episode of the show, he introduced himself to the kids he helped break out of jail on Port Borgo as the Jedi Jod Na Nawood. In the series' third episode, however, Kh'ymmm refers to him as Crimson Jack. It would stand to reason he'll get yet another alias in the next episode as well. It might even prove to be a running gag, with Law's character getting a fresh alias in every episode.

Be that as it may, the alias he gets from the very cool owl/otter creature Kh'ymmm in the latest episode, Crimson Jack, has a long history dating back to the very beginning of the "Star Wars" Expanded Universe. Not only that, but if Law's character is also the same person as the others who have borne the name Crimson Jack before him, it means he has a fairly complicated backstory — not to mention, a part to play in the "Star Wars" timeline well after the events of "Skeleton Crew."

Marvel Comics

The first and, to date, only other appearance by Crimson Jack in the new, unified "Star Wars" canon came in the comics tied in with the Halcyon: "Halcyon Legacy." The Halcyon was the Galactic Starcruiser, the live-action roleplaying hotel experience that Disney's theme parks unceremoniously closed despite how incredible and amazing it was. In the comics, Crimson Jack is a red-headed and mustachioed pirate who intercepts a message from the Resistance that was bound for a passenger aboard the Halcyon and seeks to use that information to benefit himself. By the time of the conflict between the Resistance and First Order, Crimson Jack has also amassed a huge pirating vessel and a crew to match, yet still has the same tongue in cheek sense of humor that Law's character exhibits on "Skeleton Crew."

Crimson Jack appears in the frame stories of the comics, and each of the five issues in the series tells stories from different eras of the "Star Wars" universe (ranging from the High Republic to the Clone Wars and the Galactic Civil War), showing the history of the Halcyon. Ultimately, Crimson Jack is bamboozled and ends up being swindled out of the reward and the information he wanted. He flees empty-handed and is chastised by the First Order's Lt. Croy for failing to bring him actionable intelligence about the Resistance.

If Law's character is, indeed, the same Crimson Jack, that means he will continue to operate as a pirate in the "Star Wars" universe for at least another 20 years after the events of "Skeleton Crew."

Marvel Comics

Crimson Jack was one of the first characters added to the "Star Wars" Expanded Universe, appearing in issue #7 of the original run of Marvel's "Star Wars" comics. That was the very first issue to come out after the completion of the comic book adaptation of "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope." Crimson Jack appears very much as he does in the later canon comics featuring the Halcyon, complete with a red beard and black costume. This iteration of Jack (now part of the Legends continuity) is a pirate tasked with hunting down Han Solo at least five or six years prior to the events of "Skeleton Crew." Naturally, the two of them have a history, although Han is surprised to see that Jack has a crew and ship as large as he does in the comics. Jack, we learn, stole Han's reward for rescuing Leia and blowing up the original Death Star before quickly jetting away, setting the stage for Han and Chewie to essentially recreate the events of "Seven Samurai" on the desert planet of Aduba-3.

Crimson Jack continued to show up now and again throughout the early run of the EU "Star Wars" comic books, causing even more trouble for Han and the gang along the way. He was eventually killed in a duel with Han in the 15th issue of the comics though, putting an end to his shenanigans for good. Obviously, the EU/Legends version of Crimson Jack and the canon iteration don't mesh, although the former does raise some interesting questions about the latter's possible future.

Matt Kennedy/Lucasfilm

This brings us to the million dollar question: Is Jude Law's iteration of Crimson Jack on "Skeleton Crew" the same character as the one who boards the Halcyon decades later? And if so, how does he get from where he is on "Skeleton Crew" to that point?

Alternatively, if there are multiple Crimson Jacks in the canon "Star Wars" universe, it could mean the name is a title similar to that of the Dread Pirate Roberts from "The Princess Bride," with one person passing it down to the next once their pirating days are over. The creators of "Skeleton Crew" have drawn on a lot of pirate mythology and that scheme was common enough in the pirating days that it wouldn't surprise me if Ja Na Nawood or Captain Silvio or whatever he's calling himself these days even sold the moniker to someone else as part of a scam. On the other hand, I could very easily see Law donning a red mustache and beard as he maraudes across the galaxy.

Either way, there's a good chance we'll find out the truth soon in an upcoming episode of "Skeleton Crew" ... unless the series leaves us dangling. Regardless, the show is great fun and knowing for certain doesn't really affect our enjoyment of it.

New episodes of "Skeleton Crew" premiere Tuesdays at 6 pm PST on Disney+.