Star Wars: Skeleton Crew creators Jon Watts and Christopher Ford have explained their decision to not include a cliffhanger in the show’s finale. Following the premiere of the last episode, “The Real Good Guys,” the duo sat down with Collider to discuss the series. Among the topics covered was the season’s story having a definitive end, which was an intentional choice on the creative team’s part. “We wanted it to have an ending and not be just another cliffhanger because we knew we were messing with people with so many cliffhangers,” Ford send, alluding to how some Skeleton Crew episodes ended with an intriguing tease (like Jod Na Nawood taking the lightsaber from Tak Rennod’s vault).
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“We were inspired by those old pirate serials and stuff, or even Flash Gordon, and being like, ‘No, really, we’re going to end on a ‘What?!’ moment,’” Ford continued. “But, yeah, we wanted the kids to get home and have this story have it’s beginning, middle, and end.” Despite ensuring the Skeleton Crew narrative had proper closure, Ford acknowledges that there are still lingering threads, such as Jod’s fate.
Inspired by 1980s Amblin Entertainment productions like The Goonies and E.T. – the Extra-Terrestrial, Skeleton Crew follows a group of four young friends — Wim, Neel, Fern, and KB — who accidentally get lost in the Star Wars galaxy and have to find their way back home. On their journey, they cross paths with the mysterious Jod Na Nawood, a pirate pursuing the mythical treasure of At Attin, the children’s home planet. “The Real Good Guys” sees the kids team up with their parents to save At Attin from Jod’s pirate crew, successfully thwarting the invasion with an assist from the New Republic. Like all of the Skeleton Crew episodes before it, “The Real Good Guys” does not have a post-credits scene to hint at what comes next.
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As of this writing, Skeleton Crew has not been renewed for a second season. However, Watts and Ford have ideas for a continuation in mind, though they haven’t had any formal discussions with Lucasfilm yet. If Skeleton Crew returns for a Season 2, the plan would call for a sizable time jump to account for the show’s child stars aging.
Even with the hindsight of Skeleton Crew‘s positive reviews, Watts and Ford were smart to give the show a clear ending. At the time the series was being developed, there was no guarantee that it would be successful, and it would have been a shame if Skeleton Crew spent time teasing future story threads only to be cancelled. That’s exactly what happened with The Acolyte, which made waves by including cameos from Darth Plagueis and Yoda in its finale to set up future seasons. Unfortunately, The Acolyte was cancelled after a single season, leaving its cliffhangers unresolved. If Skeleton Crew doesn’t return, it at least told a complete story audiences can enjoy whenever they want.
Since Skeleton Crew takes place in the same New Republic era as The Mandalorian and Ahsoka, it would have been easy (and tempting) to force some kind of connection to the franchise’s other projects. A cliffhanger ending could have tied the narrative into the ongoing arcs of the MandoVerse, setting the stage for what’s to come for Wim and his friends. However, that would have made Skeleton Crew lose some of its charm. One of the show’s many highlights is the fact its story stands alone, occupying its own corner of the Star Wars universe. There’s no shortage of angles Watts and Ford can explore in another season, and if Skeleton Crew comes back, hopefully they take the same approach and craft a tale that has a definitive beginning, middle, and end.