A young group of kids go on an intergalactic adventure and get lost in space inStar Wars: Skeleton Crew. The latest Disney+ expansion of the beloved Lucasfilm franchise revolves around four children who, after discovering an abandoned spaceship on their suburb-like Republic planet, become stranded after flying it to the other side of the galaxy. The group then reluctantly form a partnership with a mysterious rogue with Force powers to get back home.
The young main roster ofStar Wars: Skeleton Crew’s characters includeEncantoalum Ravi Cabot-Conyersas Wim, the adventurer of the group who yearns for something beyond his suburban life;Black Widow’s Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Fern, the leader of the group and thrillseeker;Bunk’d’s Kyriana Kratter as KB, the quieter and more introverted of the group who also has unique abilities thanks to her visor; andDear Santa’s Robert Timothy Smith as Neel, the blue elephant-like lovable group member always focused on everyone’s safety.
Everything You Need To Watch Before Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
With Skeleton Crew now on the horizon, here’s all the Star Wars content you’ll want to watch to prepare yourself for the exciting adventure to come.
Alongside Cabot-Conyers, Armstrong, Kratter and Smith, theensembleStar Wars: Skeleton Crewcastincludes Oscar nominee Jude Law, Tunde Adebimpe, Kerry Condon, Nick Frost, Marti Matulis, Jaleel White, Fred Tatasciore, Mike Estes and Dale Soules. Hailing from the Marvel Cinematic Universe’sSpider-Mantrilogy director Jon Watts and his frequent creative partner Christopher Ford, the show is a nostalgic and adventurous take on the iconic Lucasfilm franchise.
Ahead of the show’s premiere,Screen Rantinterviewed Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Kyriana Kratter, Robert Timothy Smith and Ryan Kiera Armstrong to discussStar Wars: Skeleton Crew, their various personalities and arcs in the show, what they learned as actors from the experience, and getting to work with Law for their individual arcs.
Armstrong Views Fern As Similar To AnotherStar WarsIcon
“…she’s funny, and she’s learning about herself.”
Screen Rant: Ryan, Fern is at the top of her class and the de facto leader of the skeleton crew. She’s bold and quick-thinking, but what else can you tell us about Fern?
Ryan Kiera Armstrong: She likes speeder bikes. She is kind of like Han Solo to me. She’s the leader of the group, she’s funny, and she’s learning about herself. And you kind of see this journey that she goes through throughout the show of her becoming a young woman.
You were also the captain of the ship. Tell us a little bit more about the droid, SM-33.
Ryan Kiera Armstrong: It was so fun. I love how interactive [he was], and we got to know the team that works on him, so he’s actually moving and walking.
Robert Timothy Smith: It took a whole puppeteer, it’s crazy.
Ryan Kiera Armstrong: Yeah, there’s a puppeteer sometimes inside of him and actually interacting with us. It was my first time ever really working with a droid like that who’s a part of our team, which is so fun. Not to mention the little rat in his eye was [great].
Wim Has A Very Specific Reason For His Adventurous Nature
Cabot-Conyers Also Teases An “Upsetting” Development In Wim & Jod’s Dynamic
Ravi, your character’s the adventurer of the group and the catalyst for how this whole thing even starts. He wants more than just an analyst job on his planet. Tell us a little bit more about Wim.
Ravi Cabot-Conyers: Yeah, Wim immediately felt truthful to me the moment I got the material. He’s kind of in his own little fantasy world because he doesn’t have a mom and his dad is constantly working, so he’s left to make his own fun. He’s stuck in the suburbs, which is unfortunate for him, because he wants a real adventure. No more pretend. Yeah, he is really stressed out about this test because he doesn’t want to be doing this. He wants to be a Jedi. He wants to help people and wield a lightsaber.
He really cares for his friends, and he’s so brave and so hopeful. His imagination really carries him, and I really admire that about him. He really loves his friends, and I think that that’s awesome. I found so many similarities to me. I loved implementing that to my character, and I also found similarities [between] Luke Skywalker and my character, so playing into that for my performance was a joy. I’m very grateful.
Your character also fantasizes about being a Jedi, and he kind of projects that ontoJude Law’s charactera little bit. Can you talk to me about what those two characters learn from each other throughout the series?
Ravi Cabot-Conyers: Yeah. I love the dynamic between them, definitely. And it’s so upsetting! I’m not sure what I can say with no spoilers, but I love their dynamic and their initial first interaction is so fun. It was so fun for me to play that because that was my genuine reaction to seeing Jude Law for the first time. I looked up to him, I loved his work, and he’s so grounded and so giving and so generous. He’s such a generous scene partner, and I haven’t really seen many actors like him. It’s very impressive.
KB Strives To Be The “Voice Of Reason” For The Main Group
“…she is very thoughtful and resourceful…”
Kyriana, Han Solo does not like knowing the odds, but your character calculates all of ‘em. Tell us a little bit about your character, KB, and her role inSkeleton Crew.
Kyriana Kratter: Well, she’s quieter. She’s more on the introverted side, but she is very thoughtful and resourceful, and she has some special abilities because of her visor, which I think really comes in handy with her role in being a protector to the group and maybe a little bit of the voice of reason with Ms. Fern.
Your character also has a special connection with someone we meet in episode 3 named Kim. Can you talk about their connection, almost like the two smart kids meeting each other for the first time?
Kyriana Kratter: Yeah. I think that KB felt like she could relate to her. She was so interested and passionate about her work and the library, and she knew stuff that KB knew; all the techie stuff. KB felt like she could be herself around her, so she really loved her.
Everyone Needs A Friend Like Smith’s Neel
“…he just wants to make sure everybody’s okay and protected.”
Robert, I feel like everybody has a Neel in their life. Talk to me about his dynamic with the rest of the Skeleton Crew.
Robert Timothy Smith: I think he’s just a loyal best friend, and I think he just wants to make sure everybody’s okay and protected. I just think he wants to get out of there safe, but I also think he doesn’t want to show people that he wants to get out of there safe. But he also wants to make sure he doesn’t die. I just think he doesn’t really want to be a part of this, but he doesn’t want to disappoint everybody.
The Young Cast Came Out OfSkeleton CrewWith Some Important Lessons For Their Future Acting
“The arcs that the characters go through from beginning to end are so crazy…”
What do your characters learn about themselves throughout this journey, and what did you learn about yourself through playing this character?
Robert Timothy Smith: I don’t want to sound cocky, but I felt a little bit more like, “Yeah, I can play more characters than myself!” I’ve always been more like the sweet kid — which I am still a little bit of the sweet kid — but I could be more adventurous too. Actually, I am a very brave person, but I know Neel isn’t. So, I think it really gave me some insurance that I can actually do other things than just who I am.
Ryan Kiera Armstrong: What I love about Fern is she’s not afraid to say what she believes in and what she thinks is right. [Like] Princess Leia, who’s a princess but is not afraid to go into the battlefield and literally fight, which kind of plays into Fern a little bit. She wants to do her best to protect the people that she loves, and I definitely took from that. And we shared a lot in common too. She likes speeder bikes, and I like ATVs. I love her so much.
Ravi Cabot-Conyers: The arcs that the characters go through from beginning to end are so crazy, really, and it’s so fun. The adventure, the journey, changes them. I feel like we are all having this experience together. The characters and us as actors are having this experience together, and we are forced to be together and work together to become the characters. We all eventually got along really well, and I think that’s so sweet. It was so fun how my character drastically changes, without giving away too much. But he definitely changes throughout the journey. Speaking for myself, I noticed a lot of drastic changes from point A to point B.
Kyriana Kratter: I feel like my character was learning about her voice and [about] speaking up and vocalizing her feelings. And I was also learning how to do that on set while working on such a big project; how to speak up for myself and ask about things, ask the directors questions. We had some pretty incredible directors, and sometimes it was a little scary asking them [because] I admire them and look up to them so much.
AboutStar Wars: Skeleton Crew
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew follows the journey of four kids who make a mysterious discovery on their seemingly safe home planet, then get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy. Finding their way home—and meeting unlikely allies and enemies—will be a greater adventure than they ever imagined.
The series stars Jude Law, Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Kyriana Kratter, Robert Timothy Smith, Tunde Adebimpe, Kerry Condon and Nick Frost. Episodes are directed by Jon Watts, David Lowery, the Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), Jake Schreier, Bryce Dallas Howard and Lee Isaac Chung.
Jon Watts and Christopher Ford are the head writers and also serve as executive producers along with Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Kathleen Kennedy and Colin Wilson. Chris Buongiorno, Karen Gilchrist and Carrie Beck are the co-executive producers, and Susan McNamara and John Bartnicki are the producers.
Stay tuned for our otherStar Wars: Skeleton Crewinterviews with:
The first two episodes ofStar Wars: Skeleton Crewpremiere Monday, December 2, at 6:00 p.m. PST on Disney+, followed by new episodes Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m. PST for the remainder of the season!
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.
