Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vaderis easily my favoriteStar Warsvillain, but Disney has repeated one aspect of his story one too many times—andStar Wars: Skeleton Crewhas finally given audiences something different. Anakin is one ofStar Wars’best characters, which is true not only because he becomes one ofStar Wars’most powerful Sith, but also because his fall to the dark side and redemption are both some of the most compelling storytelling in allStar Warsmovies and TV shows.Star Warswas meant to be innovative, not derivative, though.
That was George Lucas' vision from the very beginning, and, for the most part, Lucas continued to innovate, even if not all of his new ideas were popular—midi-chlorians created quite the controversy, for example. DisneyStar Warshas had plenty of new ideas as well, and I’m far from disliking Disney’sStar Warsprojects. In fact, I think some ofStar Wars’best TV showshave been created by Disney. Even so,there’s been one consistent pattern since Disney boughtStar Wars, and I’m so gladSkeleton Crewjust broke it.
Star Wars Has Almost Always Given Its Villains A Sympathetic Backstory
Disney Star Wars Has Doubled Down On This Even More
The original premise ofStar Wars, beginning with the original trilogy, was that anyone, no matter how far they had fallen, could be redeemed. This was effectively the story and message of Darth Vader, and it was an incredible one. Vader had done so much harm and had been so thoroughly evil, yet, in the end, he was able to make the right decision to save his son.
TheStar Warsprequel trilogy built upon this idea, proving the inverse is also true.Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menacerevealed that Anakin had once been a sweet, even selfless boy, but throughout the prequels, that innocence was manipulated and corrupted until he turned to evil. That is,the original trilogy showed that anyone could be redeemed, and the prequels showed that anyone, even the most innocent, could turn to evilunder the right circumstances.
All 15 Defining Moments In Anakin Skywalker’s Fall To The Dark Side
Anakin Skywalker’s fall to the dark side of the Force is a pivotal event in Star Wars, and 15 key moments defined how that turn happened over time.
The Phantom Menacehad also done the unthinkable: it gave Anakin a backstory that made him truly sympathetic, revealing that the origins of his evil ways were in part out of his control. Yes, Anakin did horrible things, but he also experienced terrible losses and suffering, felt rejected by those around him, and wasn’t given the freedom to work through his emotions. At the time, this was brilliant. Now, however,this arc in which villains are either redeemed or given backstories that make them more sympathetic has been overdone.
The Phantom Menacehad also done the unthinkable: it gave Anakin a backstory that made him truly sympathetic.
DisneyStar Warshas repeated this pattern to an almost absurd degree. In the sequel trilogy, Kylo Ren followed in his grandfather’s footsteps nearly beat for beat, coming from difficult beginnings (even if they weren’t nearly as terrible as Anakin’s), feeling betrayed and rejected, and ultimately reverting to the light side of the Force to save someone he cares about—like Vader, sacrificing himself and dying in the process. Even in DisneyStar Wars’more recent projects, likeThe Acolyte, the villains are revealed to not really be villains after all.
Mae is a prime example of this. Mae seemed to at first be an out-and-out villain, going on a killing spree after wiping out her entire family when she was young. The show then revealed that, really, Mae had been framed by the Jedi as a child and was seeking revenge. While she was still committing acts of evil, she was much more complicated than she first seemed—so much so that the ‘villain’ label had to be questioned.
Sometimes Villains Should Just Be Villains
Palpatine Fits The Bill, But Disney Star Wars Hasn’t Introduced Many True Villains
While, yes, all characters—villains included—should be nuanced and dynamic,Star Warsis lacking villains who are truly villainsand are never redeemed or presented in a sympathetic way. The biggest example would of course be Palpatine, who was evil for evil’s sake and never had any kind of redemption or even much of a backstory, at least in canon. Even other canon Sith, like Count Dooku and Darth Maul, were made much more complicated in DisneyStar Wars, such asStar Wars: Tales of the Jediin Dooku’s case andStar Wars Rebelsin Maul’s.
As a massive fan of Anakin Skywalker, I understand why a nuanced villain is so compelling. Yet,I’ve found the constant doubling back on a character’s evil nature disappointing. After all, Disney even confirmed in the canon comicThe Rise of Kylo Renthat it actually wasn’t Ben Solo who burned down Luke’s Jedi Temple after all, and he hadn’t meant to hurt anyone. Thankfully,Skeleton Crewjust proved thatStar Warscan have an excellent villain who isn’t redeemed or made more sympathetic.
Skeleton Crewjust proved thatStar Warscan have an excellent villain who isn’t redeemed or made more sympathetic.
Jod Wasn’t Redeemed In The End, And His Backstory Didn’t Make Him More Sympathetic
At the beginning ofSkeleton Crew, it seemed Jod Na Nawood was well on his way to beingStar Wars’latest lovable anti-hero. He was a pirate who was clearly still violent and selfish, but he seemed to have a genuine affection for the kids, at least in the show’s first few episodes. That changed very suddenly, though, in a thrilling way.
When Jod and the kids landed on Lanupa, one ofSkeleton Crew’snew planets, they discovered Captain Tak Rennod’s lair. This pushed Jod to finally and truly turn on the kids, threatening Fern with a knife to her throat until she yielded the title of captain to him. At first, it seemed as though he might still redeem himself, but he actually only got worse as the episodes went on, eventually attacking At Attin, calling upon other pirates to join him, and continuing to threaten the kids. Even then,Skeleton Crewavoided explaining away Jod’s behavior with a tragic backstory.
The finale ofSkeleton Crewconfirmed that Jod had briefly been trained by a Jedi and then watched her cut down in front of him, but little more than that was revealed. While that is sad, it’s far from explaining away Jod’s behavior (assuming it’s the truth). Rather, Jod remained a true villain throughoutStar Wars: Skeleton Crew, finally breaking the long-standing, tired trend in DisneyStar Warsof villains being redeemed or in some way made more sympathetic.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
Cast
Skeleton Crew follows four ordinary children who become lost in the expansive Star Wars galaxy. As they navigate unfamiliar worlds and the challenges they present, the group endeavors to find their way back to their home planet, undertaking a journey across the iconic Star Wars universe.
