Editor’s word: The beneath recap incorporates spoilers for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Episode 4.

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert step into the directorial highlight this week on Skeleton Crew. Episode 4, penned by collection co-creators Christopher Ford and Jon Watts, additionally sees Jod Na Nawood (Jude Regulation) and the core 4 — Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), and KB (Kyriana Kratter) — persevering with their journey as they search to return to the mysterious planet of At Attin.

After assembly up with Jod’s erstwhile ally Kh’ymm (Alia Shawkat) in final week’s episode, the crew head within the common path of the place At Attin ought to be positioned and discover themselves on the almost an identical planet of At Achrann. The invention of the derelict world begs various questions, specifically: What was the Republic doing with all these Stepford-like planets? And why do Star Wars planets all the time appear to be the very same, irrespective of the place you land on them?

Talking of playful jabs, the episode kicks off with Fern ordering Jod out of the cockpit as a result of, as captain, she has a strict “no adults within the cockpit” rule, which SM-33 (Nick Frost) is very happy to implement. As soon as they land, Fern orders ’33 to babysit Jod, and the droid is much too desirous to announce that he’s initiating his “babysitting sequence” for “the infant.” Regardless of his chagrin about his predicament, like all good pirate, Jod seizes the chance to undergo the youngsters’s belongings whereas they discover At Achrann. Whereas rifling by Wim’s issues, Jod discovers the credit he has stashed away, proper as ’33 catches him and calls him a thief. Luckily for Jod, the droid will get on a tear speaking about At Achrann and the final time he was on the planet, calling it a “harmful place” that he is aware of nicely. This interplay ends with SM-33 remarking, “Can’t say I keep in mind no At Attin,” which occurs to be Episode 4’s title, too.

There’s No Place Like Dwelling in ‘Skeleton Crew’ Episode 4

In the meantime, the core 4 are fairly unsettled by the eerie visible similarities between At Achrann and At Attin, nevertheless it turns into rapidly obvious that one thing dangerous has occurred on this planet. Every little thing is in ruins, from the shelled-out college to the properties with timber sprouting out of the center of them. Whereas investigating a headless statue that Wim jokingly refers to as “King No Head,” the crew are ambushed by a pair of youngsters who’ve been trailing them since their arrival.

The eldest of the 2 youngsters, Hayna (Hala Finley), asks them to declare what flag they fly, which they’re clearly unable to reply. Earlier than she will probe them for extra data, Hattan warriors start to march on their location, they usually’re pressured to take shelter in what seems to be an previous tram automotive. As soon as the soldiers cross, Hayna takes the crew to the varsity, which her clan, the Troik, have been utilizing as their base. She introduces them to her father and clan chief, Normal Strix (Mathieu Kassovitz), who informs them that on At Achrann they deal with their youngsters like adults. After that preliminary intimidation, the group questions him in regards to the whereabouts of At Attin, however—like everybody else they’ve encountered—Normal Strix shrugs off any information of the planet with a easy handwave, including that the Troik don’t concern themselves with off-worlders.

Hayna mentions that there are previous carvings in one thing known as the “Fallen Sanctum,” however her father insists that it’s too harmful for anybody to journey there. He’s, nevertheless, prepared to assist the youngsters in the event that they practice and show their value within the Troik’s struggle towards the Hattan, who’ve not too long ago absconded with a herd of their eopies. Reluctantly, the youngsters agree to coach, and there ought to actually be no shock that KB is an ace sharpshooter, whereas Wim is abysmally dangerous as a marksman. Whereas At Achrann is probably not At Attin, Neel is fast to make himself at residence with Hayna. (What’s going to Roona suppose when she finds out that his crush was so fleeting?) Hayna exhibits Neel across the Troik settlement as the 2 talk about the battle between the Troik and the Hattan. The dialog then turns to how fortunate Neel and the residents of At Attin are, since they do not need to face battle the likes of which Hayna has grown up with. Hayna additionally watches with admiration as Neel offers up his meal to a pair of hungry youngsters, and the 2 later share a candy change the place, for a couple of fleeting moments, Hayna can simply be a child, quite than the subsequent in line to steer her clan into battle.

Regardless of the Odds, Jod Proves Himself in ‘Skeleton Crew’ Episode 4

As soon as the youngsters end with their expedited coaching course of, Normal Strix declares that Captain Fern and her crew will lead them into battle towards the Hattan. Fern tries to politely decline the supply, however the common leaves them with no different selection. If they need entry to the Fallen Sanctrum, they must lead the Troik and show their value. Regardless of Strix’s earlier revelation that the Troik deal with youngsters like adults, this determination doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, outdoors of pushing the narrative alongside. (It’s additionally very on-brand for the ’80s vibes that Skeleton Crew has been delivering in every episode.)

As the youngsters march the soldiers by the smoke-filled streets of At Achrann, Fern’s discuss of deserting the trigger is met with veiled threats of violence, and all the state of affairs has her questioning her function as a frontrunner. Fortunately, as soon as they attain the top of the road, the core 4 and the Troik don’t discover Hattan warriors ready for them: it is Jod and SM-33! Whereas the youngsters educated, Jod tried to get the droid to inform him in regards to the final time he was on At Achrann, which is exactly once they bumped into the Hattan warriors.

Jod is hailed as a hero by the Troik for returning their stolen eopies, though he later admits that he used Wim’s Republic credit to purchase them again from the Hattan. Although he didn’t know the youngsters had been taken in by the Troik, he noticed some use in utilizing the eopies as a bargaining chip with them, and the Hattan had been simple sufficient to repay. Normal Strix affords him various issues in return for liberating their eopies, however all he asks for in return is the youngsters. Fern appears genuinely stunned by this flip of occasions, and I worry Jod will solely let her down sooner or later. Since they held up their facet of the discount, Hayna takes Jod and the crew to the Fallen Sanctum. With the promise of discovering residence as soon as once more in sight, Neel tries to get Hayna to come back with them in pursuit of peace and a greater life on their homeworld, however she will’t go away her individuals behind. She expresses hope that at some point, when she’s the chief of the Troik, she would possibly recall her dialog with Neel and usher in a greater way of life for them. As they half, Hayna crops a candy little kiss on Neel’s blushing blue cheek, proving that Neel is the rizz-master of the Star Wars universe.

How Many Planets Like At Attin Are There in ‘Skeleton Crew’ Episode 4?

Jod, the youngsters, and SM-33 rig a rickety raise to take them to the highest of the Fallen Sanctum tower, and it’s extremely creepy inside. Like each different constructing on At Achrann, it’s a destroy. They uncover intergalactic coordinates etched into the columns inside, resulting in At Atyuu, At Arissia, At Aravin, At Acoda, and At Attin. Sadly, the coordinates to At Attin have been fully destroyed, leaving them as soon as once more with no clear route again residence. SM-33 declares that he is the one who destroyed the coordinates when he was on At Achrann together with his former captain, however he’s unable to recall something greater than that.

This discovery prompts Fern to have a very comprehensible meltdown, and she or he runs off to gather herself away from the crew. Wim goes after her and he tries his greatest to reassure her that she has been doing a superb job. Fern outwardly worries that she isn’t a superb captain, that she ought to’ve let Wim be captain (which might have been a horrible thought), and that it’s all her fault that they will’t discover their approach again residence to At Attin. Whereas rambling about her no-good-very-bad-day, Fern remarks that she isn’t a droid who can simply do what she’s advised to do, which triggers an thought.

Fern heads again into the Fallen Sanctum with a transparent plan to say her place as captain to pressure SM-33 to inform them what he is aware of about At Attin. It’s the identical workaround she used on her household’s droid within the premiere, and it really works with SM-33—to an extent. Fern orders the droid to recollect all the things about At Attin, and he states that his captain killed everybody who noticed the coordinates to At Attin, after which he reveals that his former captain additionally ordered him to “pull aside” anybody who got here searching for At Attin, which prompts him to begin short-circuiting. He begins to go after Fern, KB, and Wim, and Jod tries to assist, however finds his blaster rendered ineffective. Left with nobody else to show to, Neel decides to step into the function of Episode 4’s hero of the week by drawing SM-33’s consideration away from his buddies. The diversion offers Jod simply sufficient time to leap into motion and shut off the droid as he stalks after Neel, nevertheless it isn’t quick sufficient to forestall Neel from fainting after his buddies reward him for his heroics.

And with that, Episode 4 attracts to an in depth, and the collection has formally hit its midway level. Whereas the plotline was a little nonsensical, the Daniels delivered a really enjoyable episode that strikes proper on the coronary heart of the adolescent pleasure that Skeleton Crew is constructed on. Not like different Star Wars collection which have felt like creators enjoying with their motion figures, Watts and Ford have created one thing that feels communal. The present continues to be a real brilliant spot within the Star Wars universe, and precisely what the franchise has wanted.

The primary 4 episodes of Skeleton Crew are streaming now on Disney+, with new episodes dropping weekly on Tuesdays at 9 PM ET.

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