Skeleton Crew is an upcoming series for Disney+ set during the Mandoverse. It presumably takes place in 9 ABY, following The Mandalorian Season 3 and Ahsoka Season 1.
While there is no definite release day yet, Skeleton Crew is expected in 2023. It could potentially come out sometime between Christmas and New Year’s, similar to The Book of Boba Fett. However, the latest rumors have the series delayed until sometime in 2024.
From when it takes place to the details about the show, here is everything we know about Skeleton Crew and when it comes out.
What Is Skeleton Crew?
Skeleton Crew is a live-action Star Wars TV series coming to Disney+ in 2023 or 2024. The eight-episode series is a coming-of-age adventure similar to early Amblin Entertainment films like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and The Goonies.
The premise of the series has four children lost in the galaxy. Described as an adventure series, showrunner Christopher Ford mentioned that it would also include dangerous situations.
The United States Copyright Office filing for the first episode offers the best description of the series yet:
In the first episode of the Skeleton Crew we are introduced to four kids who make a mysterious discovery on their seemingly safe home planet and get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy. Finding their way home, meeting unlikely allies and enemies, will be a greater adventure than they ever imagined.
In a June 2023 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Jude Law said, “Because it’s through their eyes, at times there’s a sort of goofy nature and a goofy relationship between the kids and the adults. And then other times it’s really quite dark and quite scary, which I guess is what the world probably looks like to an awful lot of 11-year-olds.”
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When Does Skeleton Crew Take Place?
Skeleton Crew takes place during the same time frame as The Mandalorian and Ahsoka, as announced during Star Wars Celebration Anaheim in May 2022.
The series seemingly takes place in 9 ABY, likely following the events of The Mandalorian Season 3. It could take place concurrently or after the Ahsoka series.
Assuming that it is set following the most recent season of The Mandalorian, it will take place approximately five years after Return of the Jedi. This is 14 years after Andor Season 1, 18 years after Obi-Wan Kenobi, and 28 years after Revenge of the Sith.
As part of the growing Mandoverse, any of the characters from the previous series could cross over. Given the premise, Mandalorian Din Djarin and Grogu could be hired to locate the missing children.
Similarly, New Republic pilot Carson Teva could appear as well. Teva has appeared in all of the series in the Mandoverse to date. Zeb from Star Wars: Rebels, who is also a New Republic pilot, could also cameo in the new series. Together or separately, the pilots could go looking for the children.
Given their current situation, it seems unlikely that Ahsoka, Huyang, or Sabine Wren would appear in the series. And since these appear to be all new characters, it is unlikely other notable Star Wars characters would appear.
Footage shown during Star Wars Celebration Europe in April 2023 appears to show the pirate Vane. Vane previously appeared in The Mandalorian Season 3 as part of Gorian Shard’s pirate gang. An RX-Series pilot droid, similar to DJ R-3X from Oga’s Cantina in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, is also seen.
What Do We Know About the Series So Far?
The cast includes Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Robert Timothy Smith, Ravi Cabot-Conyers, and Kyriana Kratter. Jude Law co-stars as an unknown Force user. Tunde Adebimpe, Kerry Condon, and Jaleel White also appear.
Showrunners Christopher Ford and Jon Watts also serve as executive producers, having also written the bulk of the series. Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, and Kathleen Kennedy also serve as executive producers.
Myung Joh Wesner wrote two episodes of the series. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, David Lowery, Jake Schreier, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Lee Isaac Chung, along with showrunner Jon Watts, serve as directors.
News of a new, untitled Star Wars series broke in Production Weekly in February 2022. Jon Watts was attached to direct at least one episode, with Jon Favreau serving as executive producer. The series was expected to include four teenagers and a 30-to-40-year-old adult.
At that time, the prevailing rumor was that the series was set during the High Republic time period. Known for its peace and prosperity, the High Republic era takes place roughly 200 years before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope.
A Vanity Fair article in mid-May 2022 confirmed that Christopher Ford and Jon Watts created the series. It also placed the series after Return of the Jedi, around the time of The Mandalorian. During Star Wars Celebration Anaheim in late May 2022, Lucasfilm announced Skeleton Crew and confirmed Jude Law would star in the series.
Cabot-Conyers, Kratter, Smith, and Armstrong, along with Adebimpe and Condon, were confirmed during Star Wars Celebration Europe in early April 2023. A short clip was also shown during Celebration Europe, which appears to show Adebimpe and Condon as parents of the missing children. In May 2023, it was confirmed that White portrays a pirate.
When Is the Skeleton Crew Release Date?
Skeleton Crew is anticipated in 2023, although no definite release date has been released. Assuming it is still coming out in 2023, it seems likely that it will be released in late December. Here is everything we know about the upcoming release. However, it is important to stress that this is all conjecture.
Similar to The Book of Boba Fett, the first episode could come out the week between Christmas and New Year. Subsequent episodes would then come out in early 2024.
The copyright filing for the first episode lists an approximate completion date of December 2023, with an approximate publication date of January 2024. Given that Lucasfilm listed approximate dates for those fields, it seems reasonable that the episode could come out just before New Year’s.
December 29th is a Friday, which could see the return to episodes released on Friday, like The Mandalorian seasons one and two. December 27th is a Wednesday, which fits with the release cycle for The Book of Boba Fett. However, they could keep with the Tuesday release pattern from Ahsoka. In that case, the episode would come out on December 26th.
Still, Wednesday releases seem the most likely. With the exception of Ahsoka, most Disney+ shows have come out on Wednesdays over the last few years. And it’s worth noting that Ahsoka was scheduled for release on Wednesdays. It moves to “Tano Tuesday” just before the series release.
However, the Bespin Bulletin claims Skeleton Crew is delayed until 2024. According to their sources, it might not come out until November 2024. Reasons for the delay include the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, which have put the release schedule for all Star Wars live-action content in flux.
When Will We Get a Trailer for Skeleton Crew?
It is unknown when Lucasfilm will release a trailer for the series. Assuming that the series is coming out in late 2023 or early 2024, we could expect a trailer any time now.
The Ahsoka trailer was released 43 days before the series. There were 45 days between the trailer and the release of The Mandalorian Season 3 and 51 days between the Andor trailer and release.
However, it could be weeks or months before we see a trailer if the show has been delayed.
There are several fan-made trailers on YouTube using footage from other movies and shows. Since an official trailer has not been released yet, these trailers often appear first in search results.
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