We've seen the finale of Skeleton Crew, though we hope this isn't the last we see of the characters, and the culmination of this kid-centric show was emotional and exhilarating. Before I ever saw a minute of the show, I hoped to feel watching this the way I did watching coming-of-age adventures from the 1980s, and my hope was satisfied. What I found outstanding about the series was its depiction of defeat and triumph for each of its characters. I'll explore how that's true in alphabetical order since I can't otherwise decide who should be in first place.
Is Fern a leader or not?
F. Scott Fitzgerald said, "Show me a hero, and I'll write you a tragedy." I saw Fern from the beginning as a heroic figure for her natural leadership skills and her sisterly way of relating to the others at times. On the other hand, she had moments of weakness. Because she established herself as Captain, she was the target of Jod's betrayal but also was prone to feelings of guilt and frustration.
I can't deny that my favorite moment for Fern was her leading her own mother to a place of courage in the Supervisor's Tower. She had already realized in one of the best moments of episode 7, "We're Gonna Be in So Much Trouble," that she didn't care if she had to face consequences and she showed even more growth by empowering her mentor to put fear aside.
Can KB fix anything?
There's no doubt that there are some kids in Star Wars with a natural talent for mechanics, such as either of the Skywalker boys or Anakin Solo in the Legends Expanded Universe. KB even reminded me of Geordi LaForge, the visor-wearing engineer from Star Trek: The Next Generation. She's already been compared to Lobot for her "augs." We don't know how long it's been since her accident, but her greatest moment of vulnerability was in "Zero Friends Again," when she acknowledged that she appreciates not being treated as different but needs to be recognized as different by her friends.
Her moms claim in this last episode that she can fix anything and yes, she has the intuition to do repairs. She is also capable of healing rifts and seeing the bigger picture of how the crew needs to work together. She does point out her inability to be as daring as Fern in "Zero Friends Again," but this might also be her considering Neel's different physical limitations and Wim's nerves about scaling a cliff.
Why do we need Neel's kindness?
One of my favorite moments in the entire series will always be on At Achrann when Hayna sees the "weakness" of Neel and aspires to it.
"Perhaps someday, when I am leader of the Troik, I will remember your ways. I see now. Your weakness... It makes you kind. My world could use some kindness."Hayna
Even in the low-stakes environment of his suburb, Neel encourages his friend's need to play-act heroism, and that serves him well in the finale. He not only eggs Wim on to get to the Supervisor's Tower, but takes command of the turbolaser to help free the Onyx Cinder.
When he falls short of keeping up with Fern, he admits it. I like to think that he has this habit of being honest about his abilities so his younger siblings can see that it's okay to be weak before you grow into your strength. Neel is my favorite big brother in Star Wars, just beating out Luke Skywalker.
Why did we need Wim to mess up?
Wim spends his days wishing he could be a guardian of peace and justice like the Jedi. He judges Jod by his failure to hold to that Jedi ideal, but it's based on books he's read. This isn't necessarily a bad thing since if he were given a test of faith, he could ace it out of sheer conviction.
That isn't easy in episode 5, "You Have a Lot to Learn About Pirates." He bravely takes up a lightsaber and is lucky he doesn't lose a foot. It is a moment of triumph when he takes up that same lightsaber and doesn't falter this time.
For me, the best part of his arc was based on his trust in his dad in the finale. Wim tended to have an explanation for everything and didn't want to take responsibility in the first episode. He returned to At Attin, having grown in unexpected ways, but tries relentlessly to ask his dad for help and alert Wendle to the danger that is hiding in plain sight. When the power goes out, and the first thing he does is tell his dad the whole truth, I felt proud of how far he's come in this storyline.
The entirety of Skeleton Crew can now be found streaming on Disney+.