Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for ‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’ Episode 4.Star Wars: Skeleton Crew‘s first few episodes have taken the main cast to some of the shadiest places in the galaxy, so far introducing us to seedy pirate hangouts and an all-but abandoned lunar outpost, but Episode 4 of Jon Watts and Christopher Ford‘s series takes the cake for most disturbing setting. After jumping into hyperspace at the end of Episode 3, this week’s episode sees Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) and her crew explore another of the Old Republic’s lost planets when they mistakenly land on At Achrann. A desolate mirror image of the children’s glittering home planet, At Achrann’s barren landscapes at first appear deserted, but it doesn’t take long for the truth to be revealed in what quickly becomes the darkest arc in Skeleton Crew to date.
‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’s At Achrann Storyline Takes Child Endangerment to a New Level
The storyline for Skeleton Crew‘s most recent episode, “Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin,” begins innocuously enough with a familiar premise for Star Wars fans. As soon as the children realize they’ve crash-landed on an unfamiliar planet, they set out to investigate their ominous surroundings in order to find a new way home. Fern and her friends are soon treated to a rude awakening, however, when they stumble into the conflict between At Achrann’s two warring factions, the Troik and the Hattan. Taken to the leader of the former, Captain Strix (Mathieu Kassovitz), the main cast is then pulled into a recent dispute over stolen livestock, with the children’s role in a subsequent raid against the Hattan quickly demonstrating just how dangerous it is to be a child on Star Wars’ newest war-torn planet.
From the moment Strix’s daughter, Hayna (Hala Finley), takes the children of Skeleton Crew into custody, it’s clear At Achrann’s ongoing conflict is brutal, but the true scale of children’s involvement in the planet’s cycle of violence is what makes Skeleton Crew‘s latest episode so horrifying. When Fern and her friends are first brought before Strix, the latter makes a point to mention that children are treated as adults on At Achrann. And while this sentiment immediately appeals to characters like Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), who romanticizes the historical struggle between groups like the Sith and the Jedi, Episode 4 quickly demonstrates the harmful effects of At Achrann’s violence on its young combatants. In particular, the conflict between the Troik and Hattan is particularly hard on Hayna and Fern.
Hayna’s absolutely adorable scenes with Neel (Robert Timothy Smith) give us a glimpse at the longing the young girl has for the peaceful life he describes, but Hayna’s own responsibilities to her father’s crusade keep her tethered to a place that threatens to destroy her. Likewise, Episode 4’s ending provides us with the first time Fern lowers her confident facade, with Skeleton Crew‘s captain breaking down in tears to Wim after confessing she feels guilty about almost getting them killed in the Hattan raid. This scene not only demonstrates just how devastating the experience of war can be on a young mind, but it also underscores the intimate trauma of the At Achrann storyline.
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‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’ Episode 4 Highlights the Franchise’s Fraught History With Child Soldiers
The treatment of children on At Achrann also connects directly to the larger Star Wars universe, with Skeleton Crew‘s most recent episode highlighting the galaxy’s long history with child soldiers. Recent Star Wars projects make it easy to dissect the galaxy’s many stolen childhoods, with the Clone Wars-era flashback in Ahsoka demonstrating just how young the character was when she was thrust into the Republic’s final war. Yet, Anakin’s (Hayden Christensen) apprentice is far from the only one forced to exchange adolescence for violence. From more recent additions to canon like Grogu to staples of the franchise like Anakin and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Star Wars has long been defined by children whose lives were upended by long-running galactic tragedies.
What makes Skeleton Crew‘s latest episode feel so different is the main cast’s unique perspective on At Achrann’s situation. Having been born neither to the Empire nor the waning days of the Republic, neither Wim, Neel, nor Fern are accustomed to the kind of conflict that has become familiar to audiences. Between sneaking in subtle Easter eggs and giving Jod (Jude Law) some surprising character development, Skeleton Crew Episode 4, therefore, reminds us of just how jarring it should be for a child to suddenly wander into a battlefield, simultaneously demonstrating the darkness of At Achrann and reminding us that this fun series still takes place in a galaxy divided by war.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S. New episodes air every Tuesday night.
WATCH ON DISNEY+
Four kids make a mysterious discovery on their home planet that leads them to get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy.
- Release Date
- December 2, 2024
- Cast
- Jude Law , Ravi Cabot-Conyers , Ryan Kiera Armstrong , Kyriana Kratter , Robert Timothy Smith , Tunde Adebimpe , Kerry Condon , Nick Frost
- Seasons
- 1
- Franchise(s)
- Star Wars
