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After a thrilling ending to Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, showrunners Jon Watts and Christopher Ford have a lot to say about their first Star Wars finale, in addition to some exciting hints at what could come in a potential season 2. Watts and Ford provide insight as to why Jude Law's mysterious "Jedi" character, Jod Na Nawood, took the arc that he did, and reversed the typical Star Wars tradition of receiving redemption for his bad choices. Furthermore, the duo of creators also discuss why they opted to leave out any notable cameos.
Now that Skeleton Crew season 1 has come to an end, there's no shortage of questions about how things came together in this highly praised finale, and how they might move forward from here. After getting lost in the galaxy, Skeleton Crew's young cast has finally returned to At Attin, but their reluctant ally-turned-enemy poses danger to the sheltered society they've always known. Now that the lives of these children, their world, and Jod Na Nawood have been totally uprooted, things will never be the same for any of them.
Watts and Ford chat with ScreenRant's Joe Deckelmeier about this ending, discussing everything from the final scene to their ideas and hopes for the future of Skeleton Crew's beloved characters. The showrunners also discuss breaking the "rules" of Star Wars while still adhering to certain guidelines set before them - and how Andor made them jealous in that regard. Plus, Watts reveals something quite shocking about Easter eggs, a surprise that goes beyond the Star Wars galaxy itself.
Jod Na Nawood's Character Arc & Lack Of A Redemption Was A Careful Choice
"We were scared, but I think the virtue of Jude's performance is what made that work."
ScreenRant: For Jod’s ending, what do you think happened to him after his pirates were wiped out, and did you ever consider giving him a redemption arc in classic Star Wars fashion?
Jon Watts: It's so funny following along with people episode by episode as they were getting to know him and watching everyone be completely convinced that he was going to have a classic Star Wars redemption arc and knowing that [he wouldn't].
Christopher Ford: We played it up because I think that he truly did come to like them, but then he pushes them away. And I think that you see that throughout the people he knows like Kh'ymm or Pokkit, these are people that he had a moment with too and then pushed them away and betrayed them somehow. It again speaks to his character. He has this problem; he can't get too close to people even if he actually likes them.
Jon Watts: It was great, though, because when we didn't do it - when we didn't have that redemption flip - it really seemed to surprise people and catch them off guard. Then they weren't sure what was going to happen next.
Christopher Ford: We were scared, but I think the virtue of Jude's performance is what made that work. It could have been like, "Oh, I hate him now," but he's still so charming.
Jon Watts: You feel like he doesn't want to have to be doing what he's doing, and he's so comfortable operating in that conflicted gray area that it makes for a very compelling performance to watch.
Christopher Ford: I read someone say he wasn't trying to be good, he was trying to be bad.
What Watts, Ford, and ultimately Jude Law himself did well with this, as Watts and Ford explain above, is that Law's Jod ultimately lives in a gray area that he doesn't ever wish to come out of. This has been a refreshing change for Star Wars already; the franchise, and its fans, are often expecting redemption arcs these days, as first modeled by the villainous Darth Vader himself. Jod, however, is a perfect change in pace, being a person we still want to root for as an audience but truly cannot.
Skeleton Crew's Final Scene Explained & How It Sets Up Some Major Season 2 Ideas
"It's like this whole new society suddenly having to get up to speed with what's actually going on in the world."
ScreenRant: There's been a lot of speculation that something was cut from the ending of Skeleton Crew's finale. Did the show always end with that shot?
Jon Watts: Yeah. There were things that we had shot that we trimmed just to sort of tighten up the third act, but it always ended with Wim staring up at the sky with the barrier down, with the X-wings flying over.
Christopher Ford: Yeah. It's like him looking up and going like, "Star Wars is here."
Jon Watts: Yeah. "Wow, I'm in Star Wars now."
Christopher Ford: "I'm Star Wars!" And there's a part of it where some older movies and things that we were always influenced by didn't have big, long conclusions. They just would be done. Especially older stuff.
Jon Watts: The impression that we would do is, "...And we saved the orphanage!" Credits.
Christopher Ford: And the credits would just go like this. They go up, and then it's over. Then it's like, "RKO Pictures."
Jon Watts: And then you're outside, and you're blinking in the sun.
ScreenRant: Do you think Wim will get to be a Jedi?
Jon Watts: I feel like Wim staring up at those X-wings at the end? He might not be wanting to be a Jedi as much, especially after hanging out with Jod for that adventure, but I think he might want to be an X-wing pilot now.
ScreenRant: If we get to explore these characters more, do you have an idea of where you want them to end up eventually within the larger Star Wars universe?
Jon Watts: Yeah, we've sort of tracked out how we would want them to develop and grow up and where they would intersect in the larger galaxy. We definitely have ideas in mind.
Christopher Ford: But what's cool is that this part of the galaxy is a kind of living, alive unfolding thing in terms of what's happening to the galaxy, between this and the sequels. It's almost like, if we have an idea, maybe it is affected by other events.
Jon Watts: It's such a dynamic moment in the Star Wars timeline, and with At Attin having been this completely secluded planet that's now suddenly thrust into it, it's not just the kids growing up and fitting into it. It's like this whole new society suddenly having to get up to speed with what's actually going on in the world. There are so many fascinating possibilities there.
If Star Wars does ultimately move ahead with Skeleton Crew season 2, which remains unconfirmed as of the time of writing, then there could be some fascinating tie-ins with other properties that take place at the same time - as referenced by Watts and Ford above. The upcoming The Mandalorian and Grogu movie is expected to expand conflicts within the galaxy at this time, particularly with the Imperial Remnant, and At Attin and these four children could find themselves at the center of the chaos, leading to some fun crossovers. This, however, wasn't completely out of the cards for season 1.
Why Skeleton Crew Opted For No Star Wars Cameos (Not Even "Mandoverse" Characters)
"If anything, they were like, 'Yeah, if any opportunities come up, we're totally open to that,' but we were focused on making our story work."
ScreenRant: Skeleton Crew isn't only in the same time as the Mandoverse, it's in the same sector of space. Did you consider any cameos?
Christopher Ford: We were open to it.
Jon Watts: Yeah, and it's not like anyone at Lucasfilm was like, "You can't do that." If anything, they were like, "Yeah, if any opportunities come up, we're totally open to that," but we were focused on making our story work. It was kind of a scenario where we got to the end of writing the first season, and we made it through without needing any cameos.
Christopher Ford: And then when we'd look back and be like, "Could we stick one in?" It would mess it up, so we didn't. We built this little thing.
Jon Watts: I'm much more interested in the idea of getting people to like these characters without using cameos as a crutch. And then potentially in the future, seeing our characters as they grow up, [we'd see] how they would fit into the larger galaxy. I think there's a lot of possibilities there.
This is certainly a healthy outlook from Watts and Ford, especially in a time when Star Wars cameos have been extremely prevalent in live-action Star Wars TV shows, particularly in the "Mandoverse." While it may have been fun or exciting to see some familiar faces, the story truly didn't need it, and may have even been hurt by it. There could be potential for familiar faces to pass through the story should it continue in season 2, but for now, Watts and Ford definitely made the right call in keeping their story contained.
Breaking The "Rules" Of Star Wars & Honoring Iconic Original Trilogy Characters
"I understand the thinking behind the rules, and some of them are tighter than others, but they're all still more like guidelines."
ScreenRant: We've heard talk about there being "rules" in Star Wars, such as no paper, no knives - and I can't help noticing we had pirates with knives, and Kh'ymm with a scroll! Can you give us a bit more information about these "rules," and was there anything you had to fight for?
Jon Watts: It's not a scroll as much as it's a tapestry. That's how we ended up there. It's not, like, crinkly paper.
Christopher Ford: That's how we avoided that one! I understand the thinking behind the rules, and some of them are tighter than others, but they're all still more like guidelines.
It used to be, "There are no glasses," and then you see glasses and stuff in some of the cartoons. We were really happy to be able to give Wim's dad [Wendle] glasses. People were talking about, "There are no zippers," and then Doug Chiang was like, "Look!" And it was like this shot from, I think, the end of Empire [Strikes Back] or something where Luke zips up his flight suit. There are zippers.
Zippers, knives, bricks... And there are also streamers on bike handles now.
Jon Watts: Sorry, we were jealous they put cereal in Andor! We were like, "We were going to be the first ones to do cereal." They scooped us once again.
ScreenRant: We did get gum in, which was pretty cool. I loved how some of the kids were riffs on classic Star Wars archetypes - Wim as a Luke Skywalker, Fern as Leia (even called "Princess" in the finale!). How did you identify which archetypes you wanted to play with, and then transform them into such wonderful characters?
Jon Watts: I think Star Wars is about archetypes, and you start with these broad strokes. Not just the Star Wars archetypes, but just "growing up as a kid" archetypes, people that you knew, and then you get in there and start trying to flip and subvert them and adding the shading to turn them into real people.
Christopher Ford: Yeah, but what's cool about those archetypes is, in that Joseph Campbell and George Lucas way, that the more specific a character becomes, the more they embody this archetype. It is like this weird paradox of specificity versus feeling like a fairytale.
Jon Watts: And we let the kids themselves bring a lot of the specificity to the characters. We had archetypal roles in mind when we were casting them, but then you work with them and you get to know them, and it changes.
We had initially imagined the Wim character to be a little bit more of a quiet, wistful dreamer - which he is. But also Ravi, who plays Wim, is full of energy and is always running around and running into danger. We took that from his actual personality and put that into the character, and it helps color the archetype and bring it to life.
Skeleton Crew's Showrunners Discuss Concept Art & Easter Eggs Beyond Star Wars
"There was also a thing where people find Easter eggs that we didn't put there."
ScreenRant: I hope those possibilities get explored because I fell in love with all of these characters. One piece of concept art seemed to hint there were originally six kids, not four. Was that just art, or did you originally have a larger group of children in mind?
Christopher Ford: No, it was always four. What was that art?
Jon Watts: There was a moment when maybe SM-33 was going to be little, so maybe they're a silhouette? I don't know what concept art it is.
ScreenRant: I think it was a silhouette concept, art, so that could have been it. Jon is known for including great and sometimes hard to find Easter Eggs in the Spider-Man films, is there an Easter egg in Skeleton Crew that you haven't seen anyone catch yet? Could you give us a hint if there is?
Jon Watts: I will preface this by saying there is an Easter egg in No Way Home that no one has found.
It's a hard one, but people found a lot of our intentionally placed Easter eggs. There was also a thing where people find Easter eggs that we didn't put there. We're like, "Yeah, great." And then there's some very, very deep-cut references to dumb videos that Ford and I made on YouTube a long time ago.
Christopher Ford: Yeah, it's like people pick up the ones that are from super famous movies. And then the ones that are references to our own short films, somehow people don't know those ones.
More About Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
All Episodes Are Now Streaming On Disney+
Set in the Star Wars universe, Skeleton Crew follows four young adventurers as they become lost in the galaxy while searching for their home planet. The series chronicles their exploration and encounters with diverse worlds and characters, presenting themes of friendship, discovery, and the quest for belonging. Along the way, they form friendships that must stand the trials of a harsh galaxy, and meet enemies more dangerous than they could have ever known.
Check out our other Star Wars: Skeleton Crew interviews with:
- Jude Law
- Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Kyriana Kratter, Robert Timothy Smith & Ryan Kiera Armstrong
- Jon Watts & Christopher Ford
Skeleton Crew follows four ordinary children who become lost in the expansive Star Wars galaxy. As they navigate unfamiliar worlds and the challenges they present, the group endeavors to find their way back to their home planet, undertaking a journey across the iconic Star Wars universe.
Release Date December 2, 2024
Network Disney+
Character(s) Jod Na Nawood , Wim , Fern , KB , Neel , SM-33 (voice) , Brutus (voice) , Gunter , Chaelt , Merchant Captain , Vane , Kona , Beef , Mean Kid , Human Kid , Bonjj Phalfa , Melna , Tuut Orial , Fry Cook (voice) , Greasy Creature (voice) , Wendle , Fara , Kh'ymm (voice) , Maree , Nooma
Seasons 1
Writers Jon Watts , Christopher Ford
Showrunner Jon Watts , Christopher Ford
English (US) ·