Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Episode 8 Gives Jod A Tragic Jedi Backstory

This article contains spoilers for "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew" episode 8, "The Real Good Guys."

As "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew" reaches its rousing season 1 finale, "The Real Good Guys," we're finally treated to so many of the answers we've been craving, though we're still left wanting so many more. Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law), who might be the most mysterious character in the bunch, begins the episode with his found lightsaber at the throat of the kids and their parents. However, when the adults thank him for bringing the kids home safely, he dons a smile and a different approach. He then takes Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) and her mother Fara (Kerry Condon) hostage and sends the rest of the families home under the watchful eyes of the security droids of the planet, forcing Fern and Fara to help him turn the barrier off so that his pirate crew can descend upon At Attin, subjugate it, and rob it of its treasure.

Unfortunately for him, the kids he's traveled the galaxy with are determined to save their planet, stop him from carrying out his nefarious scheme, and bring the real good guys in to save the day. As they set their plans in motion, Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) has a confrontation with Jod, which results in the latter spilling details about his backstory that feel utterly genuine, as though they may be the first time he's really telling the truth.

In trying to explain to Wim how the galaxy really works, Jod reveals what feels like a deep truth about himself. He was a kid who, much like Ezra Bridger from "Star Wars Rebels," found himself on the street struggling to survive. A Jedi then picked him up, told him he had potential, and tried to train him in the ways of the Force, only to be hunted down and destroyed as an enemy of the Republic before she could finish teaching him. It's unclear if Jod met this Jedi after Order 66 had already been declared or during the time of the Republic. Given his age, though, it seems plausible he was found during the time of the Republic by a Jedi out in the middle of nowhere, and that his master had begun to train him before returning to Coruscant to ask for the Jedi Council's blessing, only for Order 66 to be issued before that could happen.

Together, Jod and his instructor could have gone on the run. However, with his master dead, his skills in the Force honed just enough to be useful, and no where else to go, it seems Jod chose to turn to a life of crime. It's no wonder he fell in with pirates and made his way through the galaxy that way. Watching his master die and seeing the cruelty in the galaxy and a life like that taken from you would be enough to harden anyone to that sort of life.

Likewise, it's hard not to wonder: where might Jod have ended up, had his master not been killed by the Empire's Jedi hunters, and how did he escape them himself? We know from episodes of "Star Wars Rebels" and "Obi-Wan Kenobi" that the Inquisitors hunted Force-sensitive adults and children alike, while Darth Vader had no qualms about killing younglings (as we saw in "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith"). So, how did Jod manage to get away? Is that a hole in his story or is he stronger in the Force than he's letting on? It would be nice to learn even more about him.

As the rest of the episode plays out and Wim and the rest of the kids out-maneuver Jod and his pirate gang, he realizes he can't win the war, but at that point he surrenders the battle as well. That's a very interesting character trait. Jod could still use the Force to take his lightsaber back after Wim gets ahold of it and hurt the children, along with their parents and the rest of At Attin, but he willingly gives up the fight entirely when he realizes he's been bested. That isn't the same Jod who murdered Captain Brutus in cold blood. He has a soft spot for these kids and it's obvious that when he says he didn't want things to go this way, he means it. He and Wim even seem to share a moment before going their separate ways, as though all can be forgiven here.

What Jod's fate is still a bit of a mystery by the end of "The Real Good Guys," it's possible he might even be the one responsible for bringing the power back online on At Attin, as he was left in the Supervisor's tower where the power was still shut down last we saw him. What will eventually become of him? No one can really say for certain at this stage, unless he turns out to be the same Captain Jack we see later marauding the Halcyon. Personally, I hope we get more seasons of "Skeleton Crew" to find out. His adventures with the kids and pirating escapades have been nothing short of entertaining.

"Star Wars: Skeleton Crew" is now available in its entirety on Disney+.