Jude Law supports the extraordinary Star Wars series.

Way back when Lucasfilm first shared plans to expand the Star Wars universe via live television, the most enjoyable part was its limitless potential. Although each film has moved into latest worlds, using latest additions and revealing latest creatures, there continues to be a limit to how much of the galaxy could be seen in a two-hour film. And that deadline became even tighter when a lot of the screen time was taken up by nostalgia: revisiting old worlds, reintroducing old creatures, and wielding old gadgets. However, unlike the big screen series, not every little thing on the small screen needed to tie back to the Skywalker trilogy – or a minimum of it seemed that way before “The Mandalorian” reintroduced Luke himself and planned to develop into its own film.

“Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” is the closest exploration of the creative potential of a galaxy-sized franchise in the Disney+ era. Based on the tale of a rag-tag crew of makeshift pirates hopping between solar systems seeking each home and adventure, Jon Watts and Christopher Ford’s fantasy series can seemingly go anywhere and do anything. This shouldn’t be a prequel developing established characters and referring to previously presented events. This shouldn’t be a continuation referring to planets, people or parts of the previous parts. This is a series from the “Star Wars” series about pirates – explorers tied to nothing and reporting to nobody, and their ship shouldn’t be limited even by gravity. Its proverbial spearhead ought to be untied and the “Skeleton Crew” ought to be free to explore unseen, unheard and unimaginable latest worlds.

Eh, not a lot – a minimum of not yet. “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” starts out depressingly familiar, botches the introduction of its principal characters and customarily flounders until Jude Law shows up in the second episode. The suave scumbag keeps the ship afloat, and episodes two and three (of the eight-episode first season) gain momentum as their imaginations run wild (thanks partially to director David Lowery). But even when the wind is not at your back, “Skeleton Crew” seems stuck in an all-too-familiar pond, which is a frustrating existence for anyone drawn to the open ocean – or open skies, for that matter.

Meet Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), a middle school boy who dreams of growing up and becoming a Jedi. He plays with Jedi figurines. Reads Jedi history books (on an electronic tablet). He finds a big, buried piece of metal in the forest and assumes it to be the lost Jedi temple. In other words, Wim is a dreamer and he’s surrounded by pragmatists. Raised by an always-working single father, Wim is ordered to do his homework and stay out of trouble – two common commands that few children can consistently follow, and Wim shouldn’t be certainly one of them. Instead of preparing for a profession assessment test that worries the entire school, Wim lets his curiosity get the higher of him and returns to the forest.

By Wim’s side through thick and thin is his best friend, Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), a blue elephant with a brief trunk, wispy hair like raspberry cotton candy, and ears that fall to his shoulders. Neel is the panicked but supportive sidekick, which is certainly one of the first glaring signs that “Skeleton Crew” can be an homage to “The Goonies” (Neel = Chuck) and the way you’re feeling about Richard Donner’s 1985 kid’s classic, dear readers , may dictate your tolerance for conventional “Skeleton Crew” scenarios. Are they a sweet throwback to the past or predictable and banal? You could argue that that is all latest to viewers in a certain age group, except that I can consider a minimum of one kid’s show released in the last six months that deals with a really similar topic.

But I digress: in the forest, waiting for Wim and Neel are a pair of rivals destined to develop into buddies, Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) and KB (Kyriana Kratter) – two girls who’re also best friends, also students of Wim’s school, and in addition residents the nondescript bourgeois neighborhood that Wim calls home. All we actually find out about Fern and KB is that they enjoy hovercraft racing, they’re pretty good with tools, and Fern’s mom is a senior government official who worries about maintaining her daughter’s “top” social status (which might be why , that Fern is doing her best James Dean impression, albeit a more openly hostile interpretation of the rebellious Jim Stark).

More importantly, we all know that none of those kids fit into the boring, homey suburban landscape of Star Wars. KB wears a La Forge visor and keeps to himself; Fern has an attitude that screams “I don’t play by the rules”; Neel is blue and Wim zigs at any time when he’s asked to zag. Only Neel has an idyllic home life, which further unites the quartet of their quest to repair families by tearing them apart during Amblin’s time. Eventually, parents will understand their children higher, children will understand one another higher, and everybody will understand themselves higher.

But I digress again: as the kids get sucked right into a space adventure (quite literally), Wim finds himself closer to the life he so desperately wants as a substitute of the one he has: Jedi. When he finally meets the mysterious Jod Na Nawood, played by Jude Law, the older man’s insightful demeanor, hooded appearance, and command of the Force leave little question in Wim’s mind: Jod is a Jedi. It needs to be. Not only is there loads of evidence, but this can be a Star Wars story – doesn’t there should be a Jedi in it?

The evocation of “Andor” and his history and not using a lightsaber is probably the most promising aspect of “Skeleton Crew,” and I can only hope that it continues to maneuver in that direction, toward its own distinct voice. Episodes 2 and three hit viewers hard, disregarding the top-notch acting from its child stars (which Law helps combat together with his tuned, confident performance), amping up the motion and revealing a plethora of distinct genres and wealthy settings. The environments are colourful and vibrant. Events unfold at a cheerful, nice pace. There is so much to see and little time to see it (accurately).

However, the series doesn’t fully capture the tactile pleasures of “Andorra”‘s sets or the light show pyrotechnics of previous digital battles. Taken together, the CGI and practical effects feel more daunting than engaging, even when the idea of ​​overwhelming viewers with an unfamiliar atmosphere is a sound one. These kids have never seen anything like this of their sheltered homeland, and attempting to mimic their reactions in front of an audience is admirable. Perhaps it could even work if the mise en scenes were more convincingly tied together, but because it stands there’s an incredible disparity that leaves the show drifting between owning and realizing its own imagination. The excitement I felt after I first spotted the owl-like alien figure flying into the frame slowly, step by step fades away as its CGI design and practical surroundings prove clunky, misplaced.

That being said, if the creators keep their hearts in the right place and take a look at to interrupt latest ground with each latest episode, “Skeleton Crew” still has a likelihood to fill that gap. Lowery’s skills are an ideal fit, and the “Pete’s Dragon” director creates a gripping escape sequence from a bustling interstellar stopover. Future directors shouldn’t lack for creative inspiration either – not in the case of The Daniels (“Everywhere at Once”), who directed Episode 4 and Episode 6 and was supervised by Lee Issac Chung (who directed an episode of “The Mandalorian” in between his feature movies ” Minari” and “Twisters”).

Experience has taught us that the key issue with any latest Star Wars project shouldn’t be talent, but whether true ingenuity can thrive under Disney’s heavy hand. The more “Star Wars” evolves, the more “Star Wars” stays the same, and the structural stereotypes driving “Skeleton Crew” suggest a similarly rigid course ahead. We can only hope for a real revolt – one which adheres to the original pirate ideals and the original idea of ​​Star Wars.

Grade: C+

“Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” premieres on Monday, December 2 at 9 p.m. ET on Disney+. New episodes will air weekly on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST.