Star Wars Skeleton Crew Episode 4: Breakdown and Easter Eggs

The fourth episode of Skeleton Crew marks the first half of the series. Jod, KB, Fern, Wim, and Neel land on a mysterious planet full of ruins that looks like At Attin, but isn’t.

What happened to At Achrann

Initially, I thought that the kids had already found At Attin, it looked the exact same at least without paying close attention. Obviously, it didn’t take long before we got to learn that this was not their homeworld.

According to what the kids said, everything was built exactly the same. The suburban neighborhood, other buildings like the Supervisor Tower are not only placed in the same places but they are also carbon copies of what they have on At Attin.

As similar as many worlds are, I don’t think we’ve ever seen something like this in Star Wars. The fact that At Attin and At Achrann have such similarities only makes me think that the other seven planets used to be the same.

This is everything but a coincidence, these planets are like this for a reason but why?

My not-so-wild guess is that the nine planets actually have immeasurable treasures and whoever acted as an authority built a social and economic system that would prevent the population from finding out the truth while actually working to maintain the secret without even being aware of it. Then replicate that nine times on different planets to have an almost unlimited source of money.

Obviously, that didn’t work on At Achrann. Everything is in ruins and two small groups are at war. I did not get the impression that they were fighting for power, money, or land but only to survive. It got to the point that even the so-called Troiks have children serving as soldiers.

What if this is what happened to all planets but At Attin? Somehow the people realized they were isolated and the reason for it. They didn’t like and as a result, things escalated to the point where the government ceased to exist, and the people that survived fought with each other for the most basic resources.

I could be 100% wrong but it’s not that crazy to believe something like this could have happened. A failed attempt to whatever they were doing would also explain why the rumors of these systems being destroyed.

A growing relationship

The relationship between Jod and the kids is constantly changing. To say that it’s odd would be an understatement. He immediately showed intentions to help them and has been very shady about his true identity. I wonder what kind of things he did before joining the small crew.

At least Fern, KB, Wim, and Neel quickly learned that it was not because he was just a good Samaritan. Even if everything suggests that they should not trust him, the former pirate captain has proved useful multiple times. His resourcefulness and experience are the only reasons why the kids have come so far in their adventure.

Honestly, I haven’t decided if I trust Jod or not. I really like that the kids are getting fond of him and that moment when Neel hugs him is really wholesome.

The fact that he rescued them talks a lot about his character but at the same time, he stole Wim’s credits. Wim needs to learn that life is not black or white, especially in the galaxy where he lives. This might be a bittersweet lesson but a necessary one.

The smart captain and the kind boy

Out of all the kids, Fern and Neel have become my favorites. Fern is the oldest and clearly the one with the more common sense.

Taking the role of captain has put her in a position of huge responsibility. For better or worse, Neel, Wim, and KB look up to her and respect her decisions as captain.

On the other hand, this puts an immense amount of pressure on Fern. As they have already experienced, the galaxy is an incredibly vast and dangerous place.

The wrong choice could easily lead to fatal injuries. Like any other captain, she is responsible for the lives of her crew. That’s a lot of pressure for a girl of such a young age.

Understandably, she comes to a breaking point. It was inevitable but considering how little she knew about anything, she has done a pretty decent job so far. Fern is slowly turning into a brave but mindful leader.

Neel is my favorite character in the entire series. He’s kind, smart, a loyal friend, and genuinely a pure-hearted person. Despite the fact that he is trembling in fear during most dangerous situations, this has only pushed him to grow and face what scares him.

Which is a lot more of what I can say about Wim, who continues to be obnoxious and immature without actually providing value to the team.

I remember comparing Neel with Sam from Lord of the Rings on the breakdown of the first two episodes and so far, that comparison continues to be pretty spot on. I can’t wait to see the kind of character he’ll be after the remaining four episodes.

SM-33 goes crazy

SM-33 has been a strange one since his first appearance. The old droid was turned off for who knows how long and that is evident in both his motor and memory functions. However, it’s still a powerful droid that is able to fight multiple people at once and win.

SM-33 is the only “muscle” in the crew and probably the only thing that prevented Jod from just taking over. Its former captain made sure that no one would be able to follow his tracks, even after years of his death.

I’m no droid expert by any means, but from my understanding, the erasing of a droid’s memory should wipe out everything. And yet, SM-33 remembered the orders of its deceased captain and almost attacked Fern.

The only slightly similar instance to this that I remember is when Darth Revan “died” and HK-47 partially locked its memory in the Knights of the Old Republic game.

I imagine that what happened is something of similar nature. It’s going to be very important for the kids and Jod to be completely sure that SM-33 won’t turn on them anymore. As old and damaged as it is, SM-33 is still a dangerous droid.

In the best case, they can extract some important information that leads them to At Attin but if that doesn’t happen at least I hope they can fix it. A Star Wars series can’t be without its respective sassy droid.

Final thoughts

A force-sensitive pirate captain who was removed from duty because of a lack of results teams up with four lost children who claim to be from a planet mentioned only in myths and legends.

Not even in my wildest dreams I’d thought that the plot of a Star Wars series would be like that. All characters are very different while also complementing each other and I am really enjoying the different dynamics between each one of them.

Wim needs to step it up, every other character is progressing and becoming a better version of themselves. We still have four episodes left so I’m confident that he will develop in some way.

My concerns about the length of Skeleton Crew continue to grow, thirty minutes per episode doesn’t feel enough. The plot is not as complex compared to what we saw in The Acolyte, Ahsoka, or The Mandalorian but the questions continue increasing and I don’t want it to end with half of the mystery unsolved or with the sensation that they rushed the last two episodes.

Nonetheless, I am having such a good time watching Skeleton Crew and hopefully, this will continue until the 8th and final episode.

Easter eggs and references

Eopies

The horned animals that the Troinks are trying to recover from their enemies are a different variant of Eopies. Eopies have appeared in the Phantom Menace, Revenge of the Sith, and the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.

Easily domesticated, eopies serve Tatooine’s settlers as transports and beasts of burden. These tough, desert-adapted quadrupeds can carry heavy loads, but are grumpy and stubborn. – source: starwars.com

Kids fighting adults

When the kids meet Hayna, Wim asks if she is part of a group of kids fighting against adults. This could be a reference to films like Lord of the Flies or Peter Pan.

Written by British novelist William Golding and published in 1954, Lord of the Flies is a classic fiction about a plane crash on an uncharted island. This is a story of how the surviving schoolboys enjoy unsupervised freedom at first, but when they face the terror, sin and evil, their society falls apart.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Episode Breakdowns and Easter eggs

Our breakdowns for each episode of the series includes deep analysis, references and explanations to other related events in the Star Wars timeline and all events that affect the characters and the plot of the series. We also have a section with easter eggs at the end of each article.