The first season of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew has delighted fans of the classic franchise throughout the past few months. Its the most recent installment in the decades-old saga and it's safe to say that all things in the world of Star Wars look as good as ever, as this show has offered up something quite unexpected from the franchise: Younger protagonists and a coming-of-age story.
Over the course of its eight episode run, the Disney Plus series has spotlighted Wim, Fern, Neel, and KB, as they accidentally found themselves travelling across that galaxy so far, far away on a spaceship they had just found. That journey brought them to Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law), an exiled, imprisoned pirate who used the kids in his bid to achieve the gold in their home planet At Attin.
It's been a thrilling story to watch unfold since its premiere, but with the season finale of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew upon us, what does the future hold for the new chapter of the iconic franchise?
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew showrunners hopeful for a season 2 renewal
If you're hoping for some answers on the fate of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, the best news that you can hope for right now is that we are still allowed to hope. The show has not yet been renewed for a second season, but it also hasn't been cancelled - which means that Lucasfilm and Disney Plus could very well decide on a deal that will bring the show back for season 2.
Showrunners Jon Watts and Christopher Ford offered a hopeful update about the future of the show to TechRadar, saying "Never say never". They told the publication that they had designed the first season to tell a one-and-done story in case they weren't given the green light for season 2, but that they have ideas for it if they do. Watts commented:
"Yeah, we wanted to make sure this season had a satisfying beginning, middle, and end... But, if people want to see more Skeleton Crew, we'd be happy to make more."
Ford added that the pair are "dreaming" of a second season as they have "come up with different possibilities" for it, closing out with "so never say never."
That's certainly the right approach to take when it comes to the future of a show, as it ensures that - if the network or platform does cancel the series - it ends on a satisfying note that doesn't leave the audience feeling short-changed. It also means that there is potential there for future stories if the more positive outlook happens and the show gets renewed for another run.
Skeleton Crew's viewership and that rumored spinoff
Star Wars fans are particularly nervous about Skeleton Crew's fate due to the recent cancellation of previous Star Wars series The Acolyte. That may be the most infamous cancellation of 2024, as the show opened with extremely strong viewing figures that Disney Plus was satisfied with, but it was simply too expensive to bring back (in spite of its success).
By comparison, Skeleton Crew has reportedly put up the lowest viewership of any Star Wars TV show in its first week, pulling in less than 382 million minutes watched. Yes, that puts it below The Acolyte but as it probably cost less than that series (which went way over its planned budget), that doesn't rule out a potential renewal.
Meanwhile, rumor has it that we might see Jude Law reprise his role as Jod Na Nawood in a separate project. According to Marvel insider Daniel Richtman, there is interest (presumably from Lucasfilm) in a spinoff centred on Law's character. It doesn't say whether it would be a TV series or a film (or perhaps he could appear in one of the already-in-development TV shows or movies in the Star Wars franchise).
We'll have to wait and see if Skeleton Crew season 2 comes to pass, but given Law's star-power, it wouldn't be at all surprising if Lucasfilm and Disney found a way to bring his space pirate back to screens. It just goes without saying that it would be ideal if that return took place in a second season of Skeleton Crew.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is now streaming on Disney Plus.