In the latest “Skeleton Crew” episode, “Zero Friends Again,” the friendships of Wim, Neel, Fern, and KB are put to the test as they try to figure out how to get back to the Onyx Cinder after being betrayed by the pirate Jod.
Things do not get any better as KB starts to lose function in her body due to her corroding cybernetics. In addition, Jod gets captured by Captain Brutus and his pirates, who are chased off by New Republic X-Wings.
“Zero Friends Again” was directed by actress and director Bryce Dallas Howard, and it focused mainly on the group while it focused little on Jod. The main point of contention that Howard uses is Fern’s assumption that everyone could do everything that she could while everyone else was different in some ways.
KB was the first to point this out after revealing that she has the coordinates to At Attin stored in her memory and arguing with Fern on how to get to their ship. When the group splits up, Wim and KB follow crab-like creatures, and Fern and Neel choose to climb up toward where the Onyx Cinder is docked.
As her cybernetic augmentations start to corrode, it is also revealed that KB got her augmentations after an accident. As she is getting her augmentations repaired by Wim, KB also tells him that after her accident, Fern would assume that she would do everything that she could, which was not the case. Furthermore, KB tells Wim about her anxiety about revealing her being different to Fern and that she would end up having zero friends again, with Wim promising her that she can be friends with him and Neel.
In the scene where Neel and Fern are climbing toward the Onyx Cinder, Fern tells Neel to keep on climbing and that it is easy. However, the youngling tells her that he cannot climb like her and that he does not have long legs like her. Fern then uses a rope to hoist Neel while they continue to climb toward the ship.
I liked how Howard uses the conflict between the friends to have them bond and work together, especially when they work towards getting their ship back. Conflict molding friendships in the “Star Wars” universe is nothing new. In the Skywalker Saga, we’ve seen conflict between Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Ahsoka Tano during the Clone Wars. The same can be said of the friendship between Anakin’s children, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, and the smuggler Han Solo and Chewbacca during the Galactic Civil War. The conflict did not necessarily break them apart; it brought them together. The conflict seen in this episode definitely brought the Skeleton Crew of kids together. As a result, they were able to save themselves from a giant crab, make amends, gain a new understanding of one another, and get their ship back, but not without it nearly becoming a scrap heap.
I felt that the hull of the Onyx Cinder being blown off symbolizes a new start and growth for the Skeleton Crew. The hull represents all of their insecurities and fears that they worked together to overcome.
Meanwhile, Jod is captured and taken into custody by the pirates he once led, who are now under the leadership of Captain Brutus. As he is about to be executed, a woman among the pirates calls for Jod to speak his case under the Right of Last Appeal under the Pirate Code, which Brutus reluctantly accepts.
The man formerly known as Captain Silvo tells the pirates that he has been hungry and all that he ever had were scraps. He asks the pirates how long they have been hungry and left behind. He concludes that all the pirates are hungry and shows them an Old Republic credit that he got from the kids. He tells Brutus and the pirates that he knows where they make the credits and that he heard it from Tak Rennod. He sings an old folk song about Tak Rennod and At Attin, and when his time is up, Brutus threatens Jod that if the treasure is not at At Attin, he will die by airlock.
It seems that there is going to be a race for At Attin between the Skeleton Crew and the pirates since they now have the coordinates to At Attin. In Jod’s case, there is no silver medal for second place. Who will arrive at the planet first? Will the kids of the Skeleton Crew arrive home and reunite with their families, or will the pirates arrive and try to claim this treasure for themselves?
“Skeleton Crew” is now streaming on Disney +.
