STAR WARS: SKELETON CREW Creator Explains Why the Show Didn’t End on a Cliffhanger

One of the things that I liked about Star Wars: Skeleton Crew was how it ended. Unlike most Star Wars projects the story didn’t end with a big cliffhanger.

The creators of the show, Jon Watts and Christopher Ford recently sat down with Collider after the finale to talk about their approach to the season’s ending.

Ford explained that this was an intentional decision, saying: “We wanted it to have an ending and not be just another cliffhanger because we knew we were messing with people with so many cliffhangers.”

Throughout the season, Skeleton Crew had fun keeping fans on edge with episodes that teased big reveals — like Jod Na Nawood snagging that lightsaber from Tak Rennod’s vault.

But, when it came to the finale, the creative team wanted something different. Ford added: “We were inspired by those old pirate serials and stuff, or even Flash Gordon, and being like, ‘No, really, we’re going to end on a ‘What?!’ moment.’

“But, yeah, we wanted the kids to get home and have this story have its beginning, middle, and end.”

That structure of the series told a full, contained story and didn’t offer any desperate pleas for renewal. We got a clear resolution.

Of course, Ford noted that not every thread was tied up. For example, Jod’s fate is left hanging in the balance. But even with some lingering questions, the story feels whole. If we don’t get a second season (though I hope we do), we still have a satisfying conclusion to this adventure.

Skeleton Crew is heavily inspired by classic Amblin Entertainment films like The Goonies and E.T. It follows four young friends, Wim, Neel, Fern, and KB, who get lost in the galaxy far, far away and fight to make their way back home. It’s a nostalgic, heartfelt adventure.