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Showing the uphill battle Disney's handling of Star Wars has caused - "Skeleton Crew's first two episodes were the least-watched premiere of any Star Wars series to date.."
Which is a shame but multiple people I know that watched the previous stuff just showed no interest in watching this.
It's pretty perfect as is. Probably the best thing Disney has done with the brand and I'm largely a fan of most of what they've put out. Absolutely loved it.
"Bad News For ‘Skeleton Crew’ Season 2, Which Doesn’t Deserve It"
Skeleton Crew ended its first season last night with an excellent finale that caps off one of Disney’s best Star Wars project.
It is also its least successful by quite a wide margin, it seems.
There’s no real way to spin that Skeleton Crew is simply not a meaningful hit for Disney, and despite its quality, seems unlikely to get a second season despite positive reviews from both critics, and even jaded fans, thanks to the eternal viewership vs. cost problem.
As it stands, Skeleton Crew appears to be the least-watched Star Wars show ever, below even The Acolyte which set the record, coming in below Andor. Skeleton Crew did not chart with Nielsen in its first few weeks at all, something The Acolyte managed at least a couple times, and it does not seem likely that when the chart catches up to present day, that’s going to change.
So, it wasn’t well-watched. But it was cheap, right? Well, there’s cheap, and there’s “cheap for Disney Star Wars.” While The Acolyte clocked in at an absurd $200+ million, Skeleton Crew was “only” reportedly $136 million, breaking down to $17 million an episode for The final season of Game of Thrones cost $15 million an episode.
What Andor, The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew all have in common is that they feature no core characters from the Skywalker/Dave Filioni era, needing to stand on their own. This bodes poorly for Disney’s need to get away from the Skywalker era, but it shows they really can’t effectively, at least if these budgets stay as sky-high as they’ve been.
Skeleton Crew was a genuinely great show. Even as the Star Wars fanbase is constantly in turmoil in the Disney era, most came together to acknowledge how fun and well-done it was. It’s got a 91% critic score and an 81% audience score, and I think most people would be excited to see it return.
The show is fortunate in that, unlike The Acolyte, it was designed to theoretically have what feels like a concrete ending. But those behind the show really wanted more. From co-creator Jon Watts:
“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.”
“It’s exciting to think about. We’ve mainly been focused on telling this story, but there’s always a chance that they [the kids] could meet some surprising people in the future.”
The only way Skeleton Crew gets another season is if Disney thinks that a quality show like this, a rare win for the brand at this point, deserves to return as a beacon of kind of content they can still make, regardless of how little it was viewed and how much it cost. Again, there has to be a way to keep these budgets down, and a show like The Acolyte might have even lived if it didn’t cost the GDP of a small country.
Disney has said that it wants more series that are actual series, less one-off miniseries and lead-ins to spin-offs and movies. Skeleton Crew would be a great place to start that, and yet barring some miracle, it’s headed to the Disney Plus graveyard like so many other shows before it.
When Andor s2 drops, I'll probably re-subscribe to D+ to check this out, as even folks who aren't Disney d-riders said it was pretty good.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2025/01/15 19:08:16
"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
I do wonder how much Disney are hurting Star Wars content by having it locked away on D+. Maybe they need to consider some cheaper, license-specific subscriptions for those who want to watch, say, Star Wars or Marvel content without investing in a full D+ subscription...
Although it also seems like they just need to work on some more cost effective ways of making their series. Less CGI and more scenes set in old quarries, perhaps...
So far as Skeleton Crew goes... Whole family enjoyed the hell out of it.
Spoiler:
Particularly pleased that, while they did give him a bit of a wishy-washy, 'but I didn't actually want to hurt anyone!' turn at the end, there was no sudden pivot to good guy or redemption arc for Jod. Nope, he's a pirate, just not a very good one.
And while a season two would be cool, it would be difficult to do without it being a very different type of show, or some improbable set up to have the kids jetting off into space again. So as cool as it would be to have more, I wouldn't be too sad if this is just one and done, and move on to other stuff.
And, Disney, if you want a continuing series, again, find a way to make them on a smaller budget and, for the love of kittens, make an actual series instead of a movie chopped into 8 episodes.
I liked the Supervisor, he seemed an interesting character, but they were offed so quickly and easily with one stab to one small part of their large body and ended up being such a massive single point of failure for the whole city. Just felt like a waste and bad engineering.
Secondly I felt it ended a tad too suddenly. Not like a full on cliff hanger, but I would have appreciated a small epilogue type deal. Don’t know if they have a season two planned to explore the repercussions of the shows events.
Right then. Here we are. Good show from start to finish. What a rare achievement.
Would be a shame if Disney did nothing but look at viewing numbers and decided it was a flop because of that. A little reflection would be appreciated. After spending close to a decade shaping customer expectations quite negatively, getting out of that hole won't be without cost. That's just the way it is.
Also this reminded me and I had to dig up this quote from pages back:
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote: I’ll give it a fair shake, but I’m suspecting I’m not the target audience.
Makes you wonder how many people dismissed Skeleton Crew out of hand because of the young protagonists and didn't give it a fair shake because it didn't look like something they thought they'd be interested in. Would be pretty ironic that the one show that does everything right is also the one that comes with insurmountable marketing hurdles.
ccs wrote: I also liked seeing the B-Wings in action - though shooting the cruiser down over the center of town seems to be a poor plan....
Normally I'd now say something about the New Republic, because that's what I do, but instead I'm inclined to wonder how well this serves as commentary on rebel war veterans. So used to swooping in, shooting up the target and getting out quick and clean that even years later they are so narrowly focused on the mission objective that they don't realize that it's no longer the enemy who has to clean up after their attack. All that combined with an overwhelmed bureaucracy that struggles so much to reorganize the core of the Republic that what happens at the margins simply doesn't attract the necessary attention to change such an attitude.
insaniak wrote: So far as Skeleton Crew goes... Whole family enjoyed the hell out of it.
Spoiler:
Particularly pleased that, while they did give him a bit of a wishy-washy, 'but I didn't actually want to hurt anyone!' turn at the end, there was no sudden pivot to good guy or redemption arc for Jod. Nope, he's a pirate, just not a very good one.
Spoiler:
I didn't think of it as a turn. He's thwarted by his own moral principles, which were explained only in this episode but could be seen before. He's not going to kill kids or emotionally scar them (much). I'm not sure if that really makes him a bad pirate. Ineffective under these specific circumstances, sure. But he had a great plan and was happy to enslave At Attin's population, made a convincing statement from the get go and brought all the force needed to set up his own little pirate paradise.
Even early on when he challenges Fern to become captain he unceasingly pleads for her to yield until she finally gives in, just so as not to hurt her. He's never been a particularly bad guy, really. He really only fails in the end because he did not ask the one and only question that mattered. What would Anakin do?
insaniak wrote: And while a season two would be cool, it would be difficult to do without it being a very different type of show, or some improbable set up to have the kids jetting off into space again. So as cool as it would be to have more, I wouldn't be too sad if this is just one and done, and move on to other stuff.
I imagine a decent way of dealing with this is...
Spoiler:
... to bring back the now grown up (or close enough) kids as formal citizens of the New Republic now that At Attin is no longer isolated. Under the new circumstances we could see them naturally travel around as functionaries or soldiers.
It would be a different type of show for sure, but unless you make sequels very rapidly, kids grow out of their initial roles too quickly to stick to the same themes for long.
Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
Why is the rum always gone?
insaniak wrote: I do wonder how much Disney are hurting Star Wars content by having it locked away on D+. Maybe they need to consider some cheaper, license-specific subscriptions for those who want to watch, say, Star Wars or Marvel content without investing in a full D+ subscription...
FX (who airs a lot of the Marvel films) aired the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special a few times over the holidays while Ms. Marvel also aired on ABC in August 2023, so there's some hope we might see a little more some day.
'It is a source of constant consternation that my opponents cannot correlate their innate inferiority with their inevitable defeat. It would seem that stupidity is as eternal as war.'
- Nemesor Zahndrekh of the Sautekh Dynasty Overlord of the Crownworld of Gidrim
That last observation? All the more so here, as shooting wrapped in January. 2023.
That’s a long gestation for the show. And means the young cast have had two years to grow. And kids grow like weeds at that age.
There’s certainly interesting things that a second season could explore.
At Attin is a planet utterly unaware of the Galactic Civil War, and quite possibly the Clone Wars.
Spoiler:
Sure, the Overseer knew about the impact of Order 66, but that’s about it. And I don’t see why he’d share that with the general populace. And we’ve still no real idea how long it’s been isolated for, whether it was helping to fund the Empire, or perhaps that Palpatine used it as a personal piggy bank.
Heck, we still don’t know how long the Onyx Cinder had been there.
We also know from the conclusion of Episode 7, there’s a lot of still valuable currency planetside. Enough to make Scrooge McDuck look penniless. That’s….thats not something that won’t affect the wider Galactic Economy.
The word is also out now. At Attin has been found. Which is probably going to require a permanent New Republic Garrison, lest pretty much anyone rock up with a small fleet for a bit of light fingered, heavy pockets pilfering.
Heck, it could mean any planet or individual’s wealth that’s currently based on a decent stock of Republic Credits could be looking at a significant impact, if this devalues that resource.
You know, I think I could live with the show coming back in three or four years. Let the cast and characters grow up, and return us at a narratively later point. Just because I’d love a second season, is no reason to rush it.
Overall? More please. More stand alone stories in the familiar background with new characters. I do like my Saga stuff, and have unironically enjoyed all the Disney fare barring Bad Batch (even that had good points, razing of Kamino in particular. That was beautifully done).
Basically? Remember the original MCU Formula. You’re not making a Star Wars show or movie. You’re making a Political Thriller/Kids Adventure/Heist/Slapstick/Noir movie, that just happens to be set in a universe the audience are familiar with. And as long as you ensure you’re making a good genre film? It should be fine.
That where the DCEU went wrong if you ask me. That was trying to make Superhero Movies. And it’s also why Phase 4 of the MCU felt a bit wonky. I don’t think any of the movies are all that bad, but they felt like pretty average genre movies. And it’s why Book of Boba Fett wasn’t great.
The Mando is a Space Western, and a pretty good one. Its latest season is more pioneers trying to find a home. And I’ve greatly enjoyed that. And I think I still would if you removed the Star Wars names and places, and just made it its own SciFi.
insaniak wrote: I do wonder how much Disney are hurting Star Wars content by having it locked away on D+. Maybe they need to consider some cheaper, license-specific subscriptions for those who want to watch, say, Star Wars or Marvel content without investing in a full D+ subscription...
FX (who airs a lot of the Marvel films) aired the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special a few times over the holidays while Ms. Marvel also aired on ABC in August 2023, so there's some hope we might see a little more some day.
I’ve been signed up to D+ since before Day One in the UK, so I’m not sure if they do a free trial. But if they do? Might be worth waiting until Andor S2 is finished airing, then binge Andor and Skellington Crew. I genuinely don’t believe you’d be disappointed.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2025/01/16 00:04:28
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Viewership numbers for Skeleton Crew were down probably because The Acolyte just sucked so damn hard, and several of the other recent Star Wars shows (Ahsoka, Kenobi, even Mando S3) have been mediocre mostly (Ahsoka was okay, at least to me, and parts of Mando S3 were good). My brother, a longtime Star Wars fan just like me, has been so burnt out on Star Wars lately and how it's been treated by Disney that he refused to even watch Skeleton Crew, but said he might if I told him it was good. He said he might come back to it for Andor S2 also as he loved the first season. And like I said, he was a hardcore Star Wars fan. A lot of fans have been pissed about the direction Disney has taken the franchise, and that's why some of them haven't bothered with Skeleton Crew.
Now as for my opinion of Skeleton Crew, I really enjoyed it a lot, and for once they actually stuck the landing. I'm not sure where they'd even go for a Season 2, so I'm okay if there isn't one. What we do need is more Star Wars media of this quality though, instead of another The Acolyte. I like that none of the main Star Wars characters showed up in it; it did some good world-building, expanding the lore of the wider Star Wars universe without being burdened by tying in to the Skywalker saga (mentioning Order 66 and that the Jedi were declared traitors to the Republic was a nice nod, tying it into established history without hitting the audience in the face with it). I'd love more stories like this.
My armies (re-counted and updated on 11/7/24, including modeled wargear options):
Dark Angels: ~16000 Astra Militarum: ~1200 | Imperial Knights: ~2300 | Leagues of Votann: ~1300 | Tyranids: ~3400 | Stormcast Eternals: ~5000 | Kruleboyz: ~3500 | Lumineth Realm-Lords: ~700
Check out my P&M Blogs: ZergSmasher's P&M Blog | Imperial Knights blog | Board Games blog | Total models painted in 2024: 40 | Total models painted in 2025: 21 | Current main painting project: Warhammer 40k Leviathan set
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote: You need your bumps felt. With a patented, Grotsnik Corp Bump Feelerer 9,000.
The Grotsnik Corp Bump Feelerer 9,000. It only looks like several bricks crudely gaffer taped to a cricket bat.
Grotsnik Corp. Sorry, No Refunds.
As a company that needs to keep people interested in theme parks and merchandise, I’d hope they know the value of a loved cult hit that can expand its fandom in time over a front-loaded, forgettable flash in the pan that numbs consumer interest.
I really enjoyed Skeleton Crew, it's a shame to hear it's apparently not doing too great, would hate for it to scare Disney off making more of these one-off shows.
I felt it ended a bit abruptly though. Could've done with a little epilogue showing what happened to Jod, or some poor low level New Republic officials trying to work out what to do with a literal treasure planet.
I’m fairly confident we’ve not seen the last of At Attin. Not sure if second season, or revisited elsewhere with cameos. But yeah, they can’t just leave the planet there!
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I thoroughly enjoyed this. After BoBF, Mondo S.3 and the shitshow that was The Acolyte, I was really burned out of SW and had effectively lost most of my interest, And then this came along. And it's wonderful.
My 11-year old daughter, who isn't a SW fan, absolutely loves it too, and I think it'll help introduce her to the rest of the franchise now too.
It's just a great show, if you're on the fence just hop off and enjoy. I think, like Andor, the viewing figures will increase over time.
Of course, in the UK and I think Europe, we get Star, which is Hulu with the fat trimmed off so far as I can tell. So we definitely have a better value offering than other territories.
I do wish they’d put more Nat Geo history content up though.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Another thought on Skeleton Crew.
I wouldn’t call the plot simplistic, but it is straight forward and uncluttered. No actions feel forced because the plot needs to advance. Nothing feels overly contrived. Let’s break it down.
Spoiler:
Kids are Kids, and are mucking around when they find the ship. Kids being Kids, Big Shiny Button is pressed, and their inadvertent adventure begins.
They want to get home, but none know how to pilot the ship, or how to navigate. Their new friend, the Pirate Droid interprets their orders as best it can.
This leads them to the Pirates, and Timmy Ten Names. And in doing something as innocent as paying for food, reveal their home planet is really special. The chase is on!
Timmy Ten Names takes them places trying to get them home. And his efforts there are genuine, if entirely selfish.
Hijinx ensue, we see trust issues explored. Each of the kids’ talents help along the way, including KB who has that head computer thing due to an undisclosed accident. But, it means she has eidetic memory, enabling her to become a Good Enough Pilot.
They make it home, pirates in tow. And from the lessons they’ve learned along the way, the day is saved through grit, pluck, luck and determination.
No offscreen secrets. No Modern Dr Who plot contrivance because writing endings is hard.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2025/01/16 14:09:17
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I'd personally be quite happy if there's no season 2. They're not going to capture the same magic again and there's not a lot more to do with the premise. I'd certainly not be sad to see these characters elsewhere though. I feel like they really want to use Wim as an X-Wing pilot at some point.
As for spoilers:
Spoiler:
I thought for sure Jod was going to pull that saber into himself at the end during the tug of war. I'm curious if they shot it as an option.
I do appreciate just how much Jude Law sells the character. His brief little starving orphan backstory works because Jude repeatedly draws a line in his villainy, even while making it clear he's not incapable of crossing it.
On that note, how great is it to see some classic henchmen who sell themselves as a real threat. While never set up as a real chance of death, seeing the villains fire back at Neel's defense array was something you don't often see anymore.
My only gripe was KB's crash didn't have the oomph to really scare anyone. The cast reaction felt overblown in comparison, which is too bad, because it was absolutely appropriate for the scene otherwise.
Really, the kids outperforming all of the adults outside of Jude Law really can't be understated. They did a fantastic job.
I certainly wish it was getting the viewership it deserves, but I understand. It didn't have a huge marketing push and the last few shows have been kind of a drag. I didn't jump in right away myself and had to explain to friends that its absolutely not one to miss.
I’ve seen a lot of comments on Facebook by folks not bothering with this, or more bizarrely watching a couple of episodes then deciding it’s not for them because it’s aimed at kids.
Which I don’t think it is, exactly. The heroes are young but this is a beautifully told tale set in the SW universe. It doesn’t even require the viewer to know about SW. (It might leave them with some questions.)
It avoids what have felt like almost obligatory cameos of existing characters or setting up something for the next series.
Don't forget a large number of adults still think "cartoons are always for kids" esp if its not "Adult cartoons" that use cartoon as a vector to do gratuitous extreme stuff.
Also hating Disney and Star Wars is like... an entire industry at this point. Manufacturing outrage for profit and all that.
Like did anyone actually think Sonic and Mufasa was a rivalry for the ages or is that something I just got to use as a litmus test for things to block?
To be fair, Sonic did really well with critics and audiences and had a strong first couple weekends. Pretty much every box office or entertainment YouTuber was comparing them on box office performance.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: To be fair, Sonic did really well with critics and audiences and had a strong first couple weekends. Pretty much every box office or entertainment YouTuber was comparing them on box office performance.
Oh, Sonic's popularity absolutely caught people off guard that haven't been paying attention the toy aisles the last 5 years. Anyone that dismissed it critically and was surprised by its performance commercially I get. No surprise there. It's all the attempts to manufacture some kind of rival narrative between it and a prequel no one wanted to a live action remake no one wanted either that feels incredibly contrived by the algorithm leeches.
Overread wrote: Don't forget a large number of adults still think "cartoons are always for kids" esp if its not "Adult cartoons" that use cartoon as a vector to do gratuitous extreme stuff.
I take your point, but it’s really the folks that watched a couple of episodes then stopped ‘because it’s a show for kids’ that puzzle me.
Unless they were expecting grisly murder and jiggly bits in SW?
Also, I really hope that Fern’s mum gets together with Win’s dad.
The kids still have SM-33. And SM-33 seemingly has a really, really good memory. And was a Pirate for who knows how long.
What other secrets might be lurking inside his bonce? What other treasures are buried?
Potential plot hook for a second, later season. Wim, Fern, Neel and KB in their awkward mid to late teens, feeling that urge to rebel. Their young, optimistic and invincible feeling minds sparked by a tale spun by SM-33.
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ccs wrote: I also liked seeing the B-Wings in action - though shooting the cruiser down over the center of town seems to be a poor plan....
Normally I'd now say something about the New Republic, because that's what I do, but instead I'm inclined to wonder how well this serves as commentary on rebel war veterans. So used to swooping in, shooting up the target and getting out quick and clean that even years later they are so narrowly focused on the mission objective that they don't realize that it's no longer the enemy who has to clean up after their attack. All that combined with an overwhelmed bureaucracy that struggles so much to reorganize the core of the Republic that what happens at the margins simply doesn't attract the necessary attention to change such an attitude.
The poor plan there is owned by shows writers/directors etc.
They clearly did it for the FX moment. I highly doubt they ever considered making commentary on Alliance Vets state of mind.
Normally I'd agree. But on some level there might be awareness of the implications. The cost of ostensible heroics is explicitly the backstory of Trace and Rafa Martez. Doesn't mean everyone involved with this show thought things through, of course. But given the precedent we can't rule out that it was done on purpose either.
Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
Why is the rum always gone?
Geifer wrote: Would be a shame if Disney did nothing but look at viewing numbers and decided it was a flop because of that.
There's literally nothing else they can use as a metric to determine if it was a flop or not. I'm not aware of any merch, and even if there was, the audience for the show was so small that you'd still end up with a glut of unsold product like you can find at discount stores all over the USA for Disney Star Wars. All the positive word of mouth I've heard means nothing if it doesn't translate to views, which thanks to streaming Disney knows exactly what people are watching or not watching.
Maybe it'll have legs over time, but for now there's a risk that anything produced for Disney could end up getting Willowed.
insaniak wrote: I do wonder how much Disney are hurting Star Wars content by having it locked away on D+. Maybe they need to consider some cheaper, license-specific subscriptions for those who want to watch, say, Star Wars or Marvel content without investing in a full D+ subscription...
The trick being, the whole POINT of these shows is to sell subscriptions to D+.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
LunarSol wrote: Also hating Disney and Star Wars is like... an entire industry at this point. Manufacturing outrage for profit and all that.
The YouTube critics I pay most attention to - especially The Critical Drinker - are famously criticized for 'manufacturing outrage for profit and all that'.
They rather liked Skeleton Crew, and aren't shy about saying so in their recent content.
It's almost like they're not 'manufacturing outrage for profit and all that', but offering genuinely honest critiques of what has been a VERY badly handled franchise the last ten years...
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2025/01/20 05:25:37
~16000 Astra Militarum: 
~1200 | Imperial Knights: 
~2300 | Leagues of Votann: 
~1300 | Tyranids: 
~3400 | Stormcast Eternals: 
~5000 | Kruleboyz: 
~3500 | Lumineth Realm-Lords: 
~700
