Every time I think I’m out, Star Wars pulls me right back in. This time, I blame Neel. Who’s that? Well, Neel is an elephant alien kid who is introduced in the latest trailer for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. Following in the footsteps of Grogu and Babu Frik, Neel stars on the upcoming Disney+ series—a childhood Star Wars adventure inspired by The Goonies—and he is simply here to steal my heart.
At Disney’s D23 event this past weekend, Skeleton Crew star Jude Law revealed that although he plays a Jedi on the eight-episode series, it’s all about the kids. “I fell in love with Star Wars when I was a ten-year-old boy,” he said before unveiling the first trailer. “[This] series is told from the perspective of the kids.” In the preview, the children run around a space academy, get into some danger, and find themselves deep in space. That’s when they run into Jedi Jod Na Nawood (Law).
For everything else we know about the Star Wars coming-of-age story, read on.
What Is Skeleton Crew About?
Before meeting Jedi Jod Na Nawood (Law), we’re introduced to four kids: Wim (Encanto’s Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Fern (Firestarter’s Ryan Kiera Armstrong), K.B. (Kyriana Kratter), and, of course, Neel (Robert Timothy Smith). They end up lost in the galaxy, and as they search for a way home, they encounter characters played by Tunde Adebimpe (the band TV on the Radio), Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin), and Jaleel White (Family Matters). Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) will voice a droid named SM 33. The story is reportedly set after Return of the Jedi, just like The Mandalorian and Ahsoka.
Jon Watts and Christopher Ford (Spider-Man: Homecoming) lead the series, with additional episodes directed by an absolutely stellar lineup of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (Everything Everywhere All at Once), David Lowery (The Green Knight), Jake Schreier (Thunderbolts), Bryce Dallas Howard (The Mandalorian), and Lee Isaac Chung (Twisters).
When Does Skeleton Crew Premiere?
The first two episodes debut on December 3, 2024; the remaining six episodes run through January 2025. Since the story takes place concurrently with The Mandalorian and Ahsoka, there will be many avenues left open for the cute crew after.
Okay, but Tell Me More About Neel
Glad you mentioned it! I was dying to get back to Neel. While I search the Lucasfilm store for how much money a life-size plush of the little blue elephant will cost me, let’s nerd out a little bit. Though you may not know his name, Neel shares a species with one of the most famous Star Wars aliens in the entire franchise: Maximilian Rebo, the bandleader of Jabba the Hutt’s in-house performers in Return of the Jedi. There’s no telling if Neel and Rebo are related, but they are both aliens called Ortolans. All I know is that I’ll absolutely lose it if Neel starts jamming out on a tiny keyboard.
