In episode 6 of Skeleton Crew, titled "Zero Friends Again," our young protagonists have to figure out how to get their ship back in order to get off of Lanupa, a.k.a. Skull Ridge Mountain. With Fern usually taking the lead, her idea is to scale the treacherous cliff-side to reach their ship at the top of it – which is not what Wim had in mind. On a ‘Wim,’ he suggests following the trash crabs instead, as they are local creatures who might be able to help in some way. When he says words like ‘help’ or ‘follow,’ the crabs, which appear to have scavenged droid and ship parts in place of what would traditionally be a shell or conch, repeat the words over and over to instill a sense of affirmation with respect to Wim’s proposal. Though, the crabs might not be as altruistic as they appear.
Why does Wim trust the trash crabs in Skeleton Crew?
There are hints of the crabs’ nefarious nature as Wim and KB set out on their path. Not only can you faintly hear the words turn from ‘help’ to ‘no’ after Neel says no, which would suggest that the trash crabs are merely copying whatever is being said not unlike a parrot would repeat what you tell it, but when they appear to excitedly chant ‘home’ the creep starts to set in.
The way these one-word affirmations echo throughout the legions of trash crabs tends to suggest that either they operate under some sort of hive mind or that they are savvy enough with their salvaged tech to be able to communicate through a frequency. Either way, the crafty crabs are able to take full advantage of these naïve children.
In a way, Star Wars fans are primed to go along with the gambit, as we very recently saw in Ahsoka that trusting the native Noti people of Peridea was to Ezra Bridger’s benefit, so it is both believable and less likely you would question the motives of the trash crabs this time around. Of course, the galaxy far, far away is not without its monsters and creatures of the week, yet there is a hopefulness in Wim coupled with many examples of Jedi becoming one with nature and seeking allies through the Force. Unfortunately for Wim and KB, this does not seem to be a union guided by the Force, and the multitude of crabs has successfully led them to the hungry mother crab named Tet-niss (not a nice name at all).
If the snarling giant mother crab wasn’t clear enough, the trash crabs repeating the word ‘food’ over and over is both unsettling and a clue that they weren’t really communicating with the kids rather than just repeating keywords that were said in an effort to lure them into their lair. Where the crew was separated at the start of the episode, KB and Wim are thankfully saved by Fern and Neel who successfully retrieved the Onyx Cinder. While KB was in need of maintenance for her mods that she depends on for survival, Wim was able to help her with the repairs she needed. In kind, she called him a Jedi.
Whether a creature in Star Wars is a raging Rancor held captive at Jabba’s Palace in Return of the Jedi or a riding Rancor from The Book of Boba Fett, their nature (good or bad) seems to be a matter of perspective. The Noti in Ahsoka were a passive tribe, which left them vulnerable to marauder attacks, and the trash crabs in Skeleton Crew proved to be inventive and cunning when it came to providing snacks for their mother Tet’niss. Whether this is the last we see of the trash crabs or they pop up in some other Star Wars adventure, they served as a good foil for the young ‘Wim’-sical aspiring Jedi and highlighted that even though the crew has good intentions, they still have some growing to do on their own individual ‘hero’s journey.’