'Star Wars Skeleton Crew' Episode 2 Recap

Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Episode 2.

As with theStar Wars seriesthat preceded it,Star Wars: Skeleton Crewsmartly launched this evening with a pair of episodes, rather than leaving fans dangling on that cliffhanger at the end of the pilot. With Episode 2, penned by series creatorsChristopher FordandJon Watts, directed byDavid Lowery, it’s impossible not to wonder if he was tapped to direct it because the episode feels likePeter Panmeets Star Wars— and notjustbecauseJude Law(who starred inLowery’sPeter Pan & Wendy) finally makes an eleventh-hour appearance. After leaving things open-ended with the premiere’s pirate-filled cold open,Skeleton Crewneatly ties things off with that subplot by throwing the band of children straight into the clutches of the fearsome pirates.

The episode opens with Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), and KB (Kyriana Kratter) freaking out about being trapped in space. Things get even more dire when they discover that they aren’t alone on the starship. That “dead” droid they encountered is actually alive, and furiously looking for the ship’s long-dead captain. When he realizes the captain can’t be found, SM-33 (Nick Frost) snatches the children and drags them through the ship in search of him.

If Star Wars has taught us anything, the galaxy is filled with plucky brunettes who refuse to let anyone push them around, and Fern is the latest to join the ranks of Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Padmé (Natalie Portman), Rey (Daisy Ridley), and Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones). She boldly proclaims that SM’s captain is dead and thatshekilled him, which means she is the new captain and the droid has to obey her. Surprisingly, her plan works, and SM-33 yields to his new authority figure. Fern instructs him to teach her how to pilot her new starship, while urging him to search his memory banks for how to get them back to At Attin. There’s only one catch with this plan…SM-33 has never heard of At Attin!(But hey, at least he has heard ofAldhani.)

‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’ Episode 2 Sets Course for Port Borgo

While SM-33 gives Fern a rundown on how to pilot the starship, Neel and Wim go exploring. Neel finds a pair of skeletons pinned to the wall with their cutlasses, and Wim stumbles upon the captain’s quarters, which really do look like they might be styled after Captain Hook’s. Wim and Neel don the fanciful tricorns they discover and play with the late captain’s compass and spyglass. It’s easy to imagine the two as Lost Boys, pilfering through the captain’s belongings. Since SM-33 cannot locate At Attin in his memory banks, he decides to jump to hyperspace and set a course for Port Borgo, which he describes as a place where people find “a soft bed or a shallow grave.” It’s an apt description for the port, which looks like the Star Wars equivalent ofPirates of the Caribbean’s Tortuga. Any kind of trouble you could want can be found in Port Borgo, and unsurprisingly,trouble finds the kids quite quickly.

The children decide to split up (Fern goes with KB, Wim with Neel) to explore the vibrant port, and the sudden appearance of children draws attention, particularly from a woman named Melna (Paloma Garcia-Lee) who isimmediatelyconcerned about Fern and KB’s well-being. She catches up with them and questions them about who brought them and where they’re from. The girls are hesitant, but when they explain that they are from At Attin, Melna hasn’t heard of the planet either. Curiouser and curiouser! Meanwhile, Wim and Neel have decided to let their stomachs do all the thinking for them, and they wander up to a food stand and order the vile-looking “daily special.” When it comes time to pay,the barkeep is quite surprised to see Wim hand over an Old Republic creditto pay for their meal. He tries to weasel more credits out of them, which draws evenmoreattention to them, as all the nearby pirates want a piece of whatever Wim is carrying.

Is ‘Skeleton Crew’ Streaming? Where To Watch Disney’s Next Star Wars Adventure

You simply have to watch ‘Skeleton Crew’ - it’s the (Jude) Law.

Things take a dire turn when Vane (MartiMatulis) swaggers over to see what all the commotion is about. He questions Wim about where they’re from, and when they reveal that they are from At Attin, they don’t necessarily get the same reaction everyone else has been giving them.At Attin, it seems, is a “lost planet of eternal treasure,”and every single one of those pirates wants that payday. Wim and Neel make a break for it, and when they finally reunite with Fern and KB, Fern’s gumption finally meets its match. Fern uses her blaster to fire off a warning shot, but Vane isn’t very intimidated by a gaggle of pint-sized kids. He snatches the blaster away from her like he’s taking candy from a baby. They make another valiant attempt to flee back to their vessel, where SM-33 tries to protect them from the pirates, but the pirates are a bit smarter than four kids and a rusty droid. SM-33 is quickly deactivated and Brutus (FredTatasciore,StephenOyoung) turns up to order the children to be hauled off to the brig for further questioning about At Attin.

Jude Law Steps Into the Light in ‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’ Episode 2

Episode 2 starts with the children worrying about being stuck in space and ends with them wallowing in a sketchy cell. Rather than trying to convince a scruffy dog to snatch the key and bring it back to them, Neel tries to enlist the adorable rat that he has befriended (the one from SM’s eye socket) to steal the key for them, but that plan goes nowhere. Luckily,they aren’talonein their cell: Brutus and the pirates have thrown them into the same one occupied by Jude Law’smysterious character.

Jude Law emerges from the shadows and vows to help the children escape from the brig if they promise to give him a ride off of Port Borgo. AsMick Giacchino’s beautifully arranged take onJohn Williams’ iconic “The Force Theme” swells, Law’s character uses the Force to steal the key and guarantee them a path to freedom.Skeleton Crewcertainly knows how to hook audiences with the perfect final scene to keep them waiting on the edge of their seat for the next episode.

The first two episodes ofStar Wars: Skeleton Creware streaming now on Disney+. New episodes drop at 9 PM ET every Tuesday.