Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Episode 7.
Another week,another episodeofStar Wars: Skeleton Crewin which Jod Na Nawood’s (Jude Law) backstory is ignored. He has been one of the best additions to the franchise in recent years, so everyone is naturally curious to know more about him. While peoplespeculatethat he probably did have at least some training as a Jedi, the truth is thatJod’s backstory is simply irrelevant for the series, and that’s for the best. We already know everything that makes him such an interesting character, and his morally questionable actions, coupled with the drops of Jedi knowledge he displays, make him one of the most fascinating characters inStar Warsalready.
As a Character, Jod Stands on His Own Even Without a Backstory
One of the best things aboutSkeleton Crewis how enclosed it is in its own corner ofStar Wars. Of course, there is a whole galaxy around it, butwhat the series is concerned about is the kids and their journey, as they learn that the galaxy is much bigger than they originally thought. There are obvious ties to the larger world of Star Wars, like Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) reading about Jedi, the New Republic X-Wings, the pirates,Jod’s lightsaber, and so on, but the series is mostly self-contained, which is great.
As a character, Jod is the best example of howSkeleton Crewis better for its self-contained story. People speculate a lot about his possible past as a Jedi or something else, but the truth is that we already know everything we need to know about him:he is just someone who takes advantage of the situation to get the best possible outcomefor himself. If whatever happens somehow benefits other people, great, but that’s not at all his priority. He went along with the kids because it was his way out of jail (what’s the point of escaping and having to keep hiding out at Port Borgo?). He turned on them when he saw an opportunity to take the treasure for himself, using them as hostages. He got a lightsaber because it’s a great weapon and was simply lying around inTak Rennod’s hideout… And that’s it.
There are countless characters like him inStar Wars. The best example is probably Han Solo (Harrison Ford), who may be known as a scoundrel with a heart of gold now, but at the beginning ofStar Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, he was just a scoundrel. His not having a proper backstory works so well for him that not evenSolo: A Star Wars Storydared to change this (and his Legends backstory is just lazy, sorry).What we like about Han isn’t what he was, but actually what he becomes, and that’s something we follow closely. Jod is the same. We like him for the part he plays inSkeleton Crew, which isall we needto know about him. He is already a nuanced and interesting enough character as it is.
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‘Skeleton Crew’ Has Already Given Jod Enough Backstory Through His Actions
What is great about Jod is howSkeleton Crewbuilds on his character without relying on whatever his past was. What matters about him isn’t really what he was before the series but what he does now.His descent into villainy has been great (although jarring) to watch because it adds so much nuanceto his character. In Episode 5, “You Have a Lot to Learn About Pirates,” for example, he went from giving Wim anactual Jedi lessonto turning on the kids and holding a knife to Fern’s (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) throat. Not cool, for sure, but very intriguing. Where do such actions come from, from a moral standpoint?
This is answered twice in the series. First, in Episode 6, “Zero Friends Again,” when he pleads his case to the pirates. He tells them he has been hungry since he can remember, has been left behind, and that he is tired of it. This is the most honest he has ever been inSkeleton Crew; after all, let’s face it: no one becomes a pirate as a first choice. The second time is in Episode 7, “We’re Gonna Be in So Much Trouble,” when he threatens the children after decapitating SM-33 (Nick Frost). He lashes out at the kids, calling them “weak, sheltered, spoiled children.” Jude Law’s acting is perfect, displayingall the envy Jod feels towards them for having everything he never had as a child.
It doesn’t matter if Jod never had anything because the Jedi taught him to forget everything he loved, or because of Order 66, or whatever other trauma he has.His actions and his behavior toward the world around him speak louder than anything that may have happened to him in the past, and we are given enough insight into his character to know that what drives him is the need to make up for the trauma of never having enough to survive.
The Big Question Now Is Whether Jod Can Be Redeemed
BeforeSkeleton Crewdebuted on Disney+,Jude Law mentionedthat we would “find out an awful lot very quickly” about Jod in Episode 7, but it didn’t happen. He was probably talking about the upcoming season finale, but the promise of Jod getting an actual backstory isn’t all that enticing right now because, again, the series has already given us enough.What is more important about Jod right now is actuallywhere he goesfrom here. Episode 7 ends with him igniting his lightsaber in front of the kids and their parents on a rather menacing note, but is this actually a threat?
Jod has done many terrible things, including killingBrutus(Fred Tatasciore) and holding children hostage. His reasons for doing all that are certainly clear enough, and he still has a chance right now to do the right thing: leave the kids alone, get a handsome reward, and fly away.This certainly won’t erase his past dark deeds, but if it comes with the awareness of what he is doing, it’s a start. Or even if he doesn’t and decides to continue on a dark, selfish path, it’s still in character for him. Jod’s future is so full of possibility (for good and bad), which is something very rare in Star Wars, that it seems a shame to tarnish it with some bulky backstory that might not add much to the present storyline at all.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crewis streaming on Disney+. New episodes drop on Tuesdays.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
Four kids make a mysterious discovery on their home planet that leads them to get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy.
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