Summary
Star Wars: Skeleton Crewcreators Jon Watts and Christopher Ford previously debunked a mystery surrounding a fan-favorite character. Now, the showrunners have provided a more definitive answer about this character’s identity.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crewintroduced fans to a new quartet of young heroes in Ravi Cabot-Conyers' Wim, Ryan Kiera Armstrong’s Fern, Kyriana Kratter’s KB, and Robert Timothy Smith’s Neel. While each of these characters endeared themselves to fans for different reasons, Neel stoodout as a clear fan-favorite for his loyalty to his best friend Wim and his desire for peace in a galaxy rife with conflicts (though he ultimately wasn’t afraid to fight when it was time to protect his friends). As a blue elephant-like alien, manyStar Warsfans wondered if Neel was an Ortolan, the same species as Max Reebo, leader of the Max Reebo band that first appeared inReturn of the Jedi.
What species is Neel?
WhileStar Wars: Skeleton Crewcreators Watts and Ford previously confirmed Neel and Max Reebo were not the same species, they hadn’t provided a name for Neel’s species. During an interview withCollider’s Maggie Lovitt, Watts and Ford went back and forth about whether to reveal what species Neel is, ultimately deciding not to. However, Lovitt wrote that after the interview, Ford finally revealed Neel’s species: Myykian.
As noted byLeland Cheeon Instagram, a Lucasfilm employee who maintains the franchise’s Holocron continuity database, there are several elephant-like species in theStar Warsgalaxy. So, creating a new one for Neel and his family isn’t out of the ordinary. Of course, some fans would have preferred if Neel was part of a pre-existing species. One bizarre fan theory suggested Neel was a young version of an elephantine character from the shortStar Warsmovie starring Michael JacksontitledCaptain EO. This short film was produced for Disney theme parks and played through the ’80s and ’90s. While it is not considered canon,Star Wars: Skeleton Crewfeatured a creature fromCaptain EO, which fueled the speculation about Neel’s seemingly debunked connection to the short 4D movie.
Still, others believeStar Wars: Skeleton Crewbenefited from avoidingThe Acolyte’s mistakes. Many fans suspected there would be a twist involving the true identity of Jude Law’s villainous Jod Na Nawood or the intentions of the “Great Work” being done on the planet At Attin, potentially tying them to characters or stories from pastStar Warsprojects. However,Star Wars: Skeleton Crewended relatively abruptly, with no significant connection to the franchise’s past storylines nor a cameo from a familiar character. This was welcomed relief afterThe Acolytelargely stayed away from the Skywalker story until they couldn’t resist featuring a brief Yoda cameo in the finale.
So, making Neel a new species was fitting considering how littleSkeleton Crewrelied on the past. It was a welcomed change of pace, asStar Warshas been criticized for leaning too heavily on nostalgia instead of focusing on new characters and stories. Unfortunately,Star Wars: Skeleton Crewepisodes 1-2 ratingsset a new record-low for the franchise, meaning Disney and Lucasfilm may take this as a sign that nostalgia and familiar characters work best for them.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crewis available on Disney Plus.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
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.
