Move over, lightsabers, because Star Wars: Skeleton Crew has given us another cool gadget to obsess over: hover bikes. In the finale, “The Real Good Guys,” the kids use theirs to run from the pirates and get to the Onyx Cinder in a very Amblin-type scene, and they once again prove to be the perfect means of on-planet transportation in Star Wars. They have been a franchise staple for a long time, but Skeleton Crew uses them in a unique way.
Speeder Bikes Are the Perfect Means of Transportation Anywhere
Cycling is one of the best means of transportation – it’s clean, quick, and avoids traffic. Now, imagine doing it on a floating bike. That’s what a Star Wars speeder bike is, only much faster and, well, maybe dangerous, too, as it prioritizes speed over stability, but if you can ride a regular bike, it shouldn’t be a problem. What the kids ride in Skeleton Crew is actually a hover bike, and those are much smaller and slower, but also safer for children.
Speeder and hover bikes use a very common technology in Star Wars called repulsorlift, which creates a kind of field that pushes against a planet’s gravity. Every transport that has either “speeder” or “hover” in its name has one such engine. They do have limitations, though. For example, they usually aren’t able to fly like actual starships (which use actual sublight engines instead of repulsorlifts), but skilled riders have no problem riding them over greater heights.
Skeleton Crew uses hover bikes in an interesting way, adapting them as children’s transport, complete with baskets and whatnot. It’s a nice touch, given the series’ Amblin style. It also shows how they don’t require a connection to an energy mainframe to function, as they are the only transport that works after Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law) shuts the energy down throughout At Attin. Still, they probably require fuel or charge.
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Welcome to the rest of the galaxy, At Attin.
Speeder Bikes Have a Long History in ‘Star Wars’
The way Skeleton Crew uses hover bikes is very similar to movies like The Goonies, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, and Stand By Me, where it’s all about giving the kids a way of outsmarting the adults and finding their way to adventure. It’s the first time these vehicles are used like this in Star Wars, seeing how, before the series, they were almost exclusively ridden by adults pulling dangerous stunts.
The first time speeder bikes were featured in a movie was in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, in the scene where Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) chase two Scout Troopers on Endor. It’s one of the best and most iconic action scenes in the franchise, combining speed, stakes, and stunts. Those are 74-Z speeder bikes, one of the most powerful models, but there have been countless other variations inside the Imperial military, depending on the planet they are deployed on.
Another famous chase sequence involving speeder bikes in The Book of Boba Fett Episode 3, “The Streets of Mos Espa,” when the mods chase the Majordomo (David Pasquesi) through Mos Espa. It’s a rather slow chase, but it involves some of the coolest designs of speeder bikes in Star Wars. The Mos Espa mods are known for heavily modifying their bikes, making them colorful to contrast with the monochromatic tones of Tatooine. Their speeder bikes were heavily influenced by how 1950s cars looked, and even them being called “mods” is also a nod to 1960s British mod culture (although, in Star Wars, “mod” is short for “modified”).
Speeder and hover bikes are actually some of the Star Wars gadgets that could perfectly make their way into our own lives. Everyone who wants a hoverboard like the one Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) uses in Back to the Future: Part II, for example, could easily be swayed to get a speeder bike instead. Even yours truly, who can’t ride a real bike (true story) wants one! The question that remains is: why are we not funding this?! We deserve our speeder bikes!
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
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