One Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Episode 7 Scene Evokes Anakin Skywalker's Darkest Moment

This article contains spoilers for "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew" episode 7, "We're Gonna Be In So Much Trouble."

All "Star Wars" projects exist on a spectrum of intensity, ranging somewhere from the Saturday morning adventures of animated series like "Rebels" to the hyper-mechanical, anti-imperial politics of "Andor." But within each project, there's also a range. "Rebels," for instance, has plenty of cartoonish episodes full of hijinks and dad jokes, but it also pulls out all the stops now and then for some much heavier moments.

For the most part, "Skeleton Crew" stays on the younger side of things, as should be obvious from its four pre-pubescent protagonists. There are references to some more adult-oriented ideas, sure, but the show has generally stayed in the Amblin Entertainment sector of dangerous-but-not-dark childhood adventure stories. That said, "Skeleton Crew" episode 7, "We're Gonna Be In So Much Trouble," has a brief moment that harkens back to one of the darkest moments in the entire "Star Wars" franchise.

After a whole season of characters telling the kids that they can't trust Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law), he proves all his haters right by returning to his pirate ways. Sneaking back onto the Onyx Cinder as it escapes from his old pirate crew, Jod goes fully mask-off, shouting at the kids that they're weak, annoying, and generally useless. He does all this while brandishing a plundered lightsaber, which he found earlier in the hidden treasure trove of legendary pirate captain Tak Rennod. While it's pretty clear that Jod actually has a soft spot for the kids, and that he's mostly posturing, it's still hard to watch him threatening the children with a blue lightsaber and not think of Anakin Skywalker's massacre of the Jedi younglings during Order 66.

Lightsabers are always cool, but they aren't always scary. When they are, it's usually a red one doing the damage. When Jod swings into the Onyx Cinder cockpit and ignites his stolen blade, the kids all cower in fear, and rightfully so. While it isn't exactly shot-for-shot, the scene will naturally conjure images of the younglings hiding in the Jedi Council chamber in "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith."

Perhaps the most interesting part of this scene is that it's quite feasible Jod himself was a survivor of that attack. He looks to be in his 40s in "Skeleton Crew," which would have certainly made him old enough to have been picked by the Jedi and taken to the temple on Coruscant before or during the Clone Wars. We also know he received at least some proper Jedi training since, in an earlier episode, he tells Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), "Your focus determines your reality," the same line Qui-Gon Jinn delivers to a young Anakin in "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace."

If Jod wasn't at the Coruscant Jedi temple during Order 66, he would have been out on assignment with his master, fighting in the war. Given his age, the former option seems more likely, which would mean that he's all too familiar with the damage a blue lightsaber can do in the wrong hands.

So far, it's hard to tell how much proper lightsaber training Jod Na Nawood has, as he hasn't done much with the one he stole other than brandishing it threateningly. Likewise his arc has mostly been a copy-paste of Long John Silver from "Treasure Island" (or "Treasure Planet," whichever you prefer). After a spot of bad luck, he runs into some kids who have a real shot at getting him to a major payday. He comes to care for them, but when the treasure is in sight, he turns his back on his apparent character development in order to make off with the booty. Even his pirate name, Captain Silvo, is a reference to the character.

It seems obvious that, in episode 8, Jod will have a change of heart and regret how he's treated the kids. But with just one episode left, we may yet end "Skeleton Crew" season 1 with some big questions looming about Jod's past. His Force powers don't seem to be that strong, relative to some other characters in the "Star Wars" universe, but he could still come in handy if the rumors are true that some "Skeleton Crew" characters will feature in Dave Filoni's upcoming "Star Wars" movie. That film is meant to be a climax of sorts for the "Mandalorian" era, and it would be interesting to see Jod interact with some other Jedi and Jedi-adjacent characters like Ahsoka Tano, Ezra Bridger, and even Grogu, who himself was a survivor of Anakin's Jedi Temple attack.

The "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew" season 1 finale drops January 14, 2025, at 6pm PST on Disney+.