Skeleton Crew Episode 4 Brings Two Oscar-Profitable Administrators to the Star Wars Universe

This text comprises spoilers for “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” season 1, episode 4, “I Can’t Say I Keep in mind No to Attin.”

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, often known as “Daniels,” gained their golden statuettes on the Academy Awards for Greatest Image for the critically acclaimed 2022 sci-fi masterpiece. “Everything everywhere, everything at once” (read the /Film review for more). Within the characteristic movie realm, in addition they introduced laughs within the weird and offbeat 2016 movie “Swiss Military Man,” which stars Daniel Radcliffe as a flatulent corpse that Paul Dano is ready to drive to security like a jet ski.

To say Daniels thinks otherwise than most administrators is an understatement. When it was introduced that they might be tackling an episode of the “Star Wars” sequence “Skeleton Crew,” there was palpable pleasure about what they may carry to the desk. Would they prefer to ship their signature, offbeat comedy? Or would the duo rein in and mannequin their efforts on the seminal work of “Skeleton Crew” co-creators Christopher Ford and Jon Watts (together with the remainder of their manufacturing workforce), set within the early episodes of the sequence ? The reply, as evidenced on this week’s Daniels-directed episode, “I Cannot Say I Keep in mind No Attin,” is a little bit of each.

There are positively some Daniels logos on this episode. “I Cannot Say I Keep in mind No to Attin” brings an absurd stage of humor to the thought of ​​little one troopers on At Achrann, a planet that appears precisely just like the idyllic, peace-loving world that the younger heroes of “Skeleton Crew” reside, aka At Attin. It even has the sensation of a multiversal storyline like “Every thing, In all places, All at As soon as”, with nearly equivalent settings and places however altered in sure methods. It is as if we’re seeing a barely completely different model of how issues might need gone, the place Neel (Robert Timothy Smith) might need been completely satisfied doing laundry and taxes with Hayna Strix (Hala Finley), l little one soldier that the heroes meet and who guides them. a big a part of their journey on this new planet. Certainly, as they arrive within the Sanctuary of Data and uncover that the coordinates of At Attin have been deleted, they uncover a multiverse of planets with the identical title as theirs, for instance At Acrann and At Attin. Who is aware of what different unbelievable “alternate” realities they might encounter on their approach to these different planets?

It is no shock that Daniels was chosen to direct an episode that raised these sorts of questions, given his historical past as the pinnacle of one of the greatest Oscar winners in recent memory.

The opposite main second the place the administrators’ model actually comes by means of within the filming is when Captain Fern (Ryan Kiera Armonstrong) removes the programming block from SM-33 (Nick Frost) and permits him to regain his reminiscences on the location. ‘At Attin. and what his former captain had ordered him to do if anybody got here for him. His directive was to tear anybody searching for the coordinates limb from limb, so he units off in pursuit of Neel in a mildly horrifying sequence with SnorriCam-style footage of the droid going berserk. This entire flip of occasions has a visible model that expands on what we’re used to from “Star Wars” and feels extra at dwelling in one thing the Daniels would have give you on their very own.

Whereas Daniels makes his involvement recognized in each the story and visuals of the episode, “Cannot Say I Keep in mind No At Attin” in any other case performs so much like different “Skeleton Crew” episodes earlier than it. For individuals who have been hoping Daniels would have his director’s stamp all through the episode, they may discover this disappointing. Nonetheless, that is not essentially a nasty factor. If something, it is a testomony to their ability as administrators that they are often chameleons and are in a position to fully emulate the established model of the sequence whereas deviating simply sufficient to create moments and themes that mirror their contact private (however with out going too far outdoors the field). traces within the course of). Ultimately, they gave us a totally competent, enjoyable and adventurous episode of “Skeleton Crew” that was proper up there with something we have seen earlier than.

Some is perhaps dissatisfied by this, however it seems that this was additionally precisely the job Daniels was employed to do. Final 12 months, Daniel Kwan even spoke out against claims that the duo was a “sold out” show for “Star Wars.” confirming that the pair had been approached to work on “Skeleton Crew” even earlier than “Every thing In all places All at As soon as” hit theaters. Clearly, they have been employed as a result of they have been competent, in order to not shake issues up an excessive amount of. That is actually how tv works, even within the streaming age.

“I Cannot Say I Keep in mind No to Attin” is completely charming and, like “Every thing In all places All At As soon as,” even offers us a barely unlikely love story in a spot we did not anticipate discover her. The episode, as beforehand famous, focuses largely on Neel – the lovelorn alien member of the Skeleton Crew – and Hayna Strix, a member of the Troik Clan on At Acchran. She can also be the daughter of a common, whereas Neel is a moderately dedicated pacifist. Thankfully, the 2 are in a position to discuss concerning the competing philosophies of their worldviews and the variations between their planets and are available to an understanding, leading to probably the most chaste and lovely kiss in “Star Wars” historical past.

Please notice, this isn’t to say that the episode is devoid of journey or laughter; the Daniels are additionally able to containing some “I can not say I bear in mind no to Attin”. Specifically, the moments the place SM-33 can not bear in mind At Attin tackle an more and more sinister, however by some means laughable, tone because the episode progresses into what seems to be a category of grasp in path. It stays to be seen whether or not Daniels will get one other probability to make his mark on the “Star Wars” universe as a number one man or as a gun for rent. Regardless, this episode actually proves that they know the best way to perceive the sensitivities of a galaxy far, distant within the context of “Skeleton Crew,” and that is a very good factor to see.

New episodes of “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” launch Tuesdays at 6 p.m. PST on Disney+.