Skeleton Crew Finally Gave Us a Great Star Wars Villain Turn

Even before Star Wars: Skeleton Crew was released, fans were curious about Jod Na Nawood. On the show, the scoundrel of many names, played by Jude Law, has delightfully tiptoed the line between a roguish hero and a devilish pirate. And while he seemed to recently flip a switch on Lanupa after betraying the crew, many fans still held out hope it was all a ruse. Well, in the series’ penultimate episode, “We Are in So Much Trouble,” Jod finally showed his true colors and we loved it.

After a very entertaining sequence of the parents trying to get a message off At Attin, which included many, many of those iconic circular Star Wars stun blasts, we pick up with the crew finally on their way home. Unfortunately for them though, Brutus and his pirates arrive first. There, they tell Jod that if he doesn’t finally deliver them treasure, he’s dead.

Unable to break through the intimidating and deadly barrier surrounding the planet, Jod comes up with a plan. The kids arrive in the new and improved Onyx Cinder, so Jod tells the pirates the ship is the key to get onto the planet. They capture it and attempt to board. You’d assume the kids would just surrender, but these aren’t the same kids that left the planet. They’ve changed. They’re more capable. And with a little trickery, they’re able to capture the pirate leader Brutus, scaring the rest of his followers. One person isn’t scared though. That’s Jod. And in arguably the most surprising and brutal moment in the entire series so far, Jod shoots a helpless, defenseless Brutus in the head with a blaster, claiming his pirate crew back for himself.

As Jod figures out what to do next, the kids get that message from their parents. It gives them new hope and, with a little help from SM-33, they’re able to escape the pirates and fly through the barrier. They’re home free, or so they think. But nope: Jod stowed away and soon takes control of the ship, using the lightsaber he got in Tak Rennod’s vault to chop off 33’s head. He then proceeds to threaten the kids with the slow, painful murder of their parents if they don’t shut up and let him do his thing. That, coupled with the elimination of Brutus, finally turned the switch for Jod. He’s in this for himself. He’s not a hero. He’s an evil, stinking, killer pirate.

Which is kind of amazing, right? Assuming it sticks through the final episode, we love that the big bad of the show has been staring us in the face from the very beginning. Jod has never been a full hero, but he’s done heroic things to help the kids, as well as himself. And yet, the fact he always had all those aliases and a latent Force ability made him extra cagey and formidable. We kind of hoped he was a good guy, but it’s so much more satisfying for the show itself that he won’t be. At least, not yet. It gives the kids a real threat to (hopefully) defeat.

Realizing the Onyx Cinder is actually from At Attin, its arrival puts a whole new protocol into play. The higher-ups on the planet don’t know that Jod is a pirate arriving with the missing kids. They believe he’s a Republic emissary arriving for a shipment of gold. Which is a little too convenient for us, the viewer, but works out perfectly for Jod. He’s ushered right down into a huge, impressive series of vaults (1,139 in fact) filled with Old Republic credits. It’s the treasure he and every pirate ever has always dreamed of. And he found it. He’s a legend.

By this point, the families have been notified that the kids have returned and they reunite. It’s a touching moment but is quickly interrupted by Jod, who pulls out his lightsaber to let them know who is still in charge. “We Are in So Much Trouble” finally got the Skeleton Crew back to At Attin, finally revealed Jod to be the true villain we hoped he wasn’t, and pulled the curtain back ever so slightly on the truths of the planet. It’s literally filled with gold. Why? To what end? And how will the crew save the day? One more episode to find out.

The first seven episodes of Skeleton Crew are now on Disney+. The season finale airs on January 14.

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