It’s Taken Star Wars 47 Years To Introduce This Massive Sci-Fi Idea… & Skeleton Crew Just Turned It Upside-Down

WARNING! Spoilers ahead for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew episode 7.Star Wars: Skeleton Crew just showed how to enter the mysterious planet of At Attin, but in doing so, Star Wars just turned a sci-fi idea completely upside down. From the show’s beginning, it’s clear that At Attin has many secrets, and was hidden away from the rest of the galaxy for a reason. At Attin is the last of the nine “Jewels of the Old Republic”, which were planets of treasure.

One of the other nine planets was seen in Skeleton Crew episode 4, when the kids and Jod Na Nawood traveled to At Achrann, a planet that had been war-torn for generations. At Achrann was chillingly similar to the At Attin audiences had seen in Skeleton Crew episode 1, but it was as if the characters had entered an alternate, post-apocalyptic universe when landing on the planet. With post-apocalyptic stories being a popular trope in science fiction, it’s no wonder that Skeleton Crew took on another massive sci-fi idea in Star Wars that has everything to do with At Attin.

Skeleton Crew Introduces Terraforming Technology Into Live-Action Star Wars

It Has Long Since Been a Sci-Fi Trope

As we previously speculated, it seems that the Jewels of the Old Republic were shielded from the rest of the galaxy by terraforming. Terraforming is when the environmental and weather conditions are manipulated by technology. It’s believed that At Attin and At Achrann could be designed so similarly because their atmosphere was protected and changed by outside forces.

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It’s likely that the defunct satellites seen in the atmosphere of At Achrann originally served the same purpose as the satellites seen in Skeleton Crew episode 7. The network of satellites works together to create the serene suburbia audiences saw in Skeleton Crew episode 1; however, when the satellites do not work, the weather conditions change, causing much of the other aspects of life on planets like At Achrann to change too.

Skeleton Crew Turns Terraforming Technology Into An Impenetrable Barrier

We’ve Never Seen Terraforming Quite Like This

While terraforming is most often seen as a method of weather manipulation, it’s interesting that Star Wars and Skeleton Crew take it a step further in Skeleton Crew. The Barrier on At Attin works to maintain its picturesque façade, but it also serves as a security grid that looks like a storm from the outside. Additionally, the storm, which contains satellites, targets any ship that is not from At Attin. It’s unclear if ships from other Jewels of the Old Republic can also pass unharmed through At Attin’s barrier, but Skeleton Crew’s season finale may let us know.

With a planet that mints currency being a high-value target for pirates, extremists, and others who oppose the Republic, it’s clear that terraforming At Attin was necessary.

It’s clear that At Attin is well fortified and that the technology that keeps the planet safe is kept under wraps so as not to attract pirates. With At Attin being a minting hub for the Old Republic, it’s no wonder that it was kept secret. Audiences have seen other money heists in Star Wars, most notably in Andor season 1. With a planet that mints currency being a high-value target for pirates, extremists, and others who oppose the Republic, it’s clear that terraforming At Attin in this way was necessary.

Trust Star Wars To Turn A Sci-Fi Trope Upside-Down

Skeleton Crew Changed the Terraforming, But In a Great Way

While terraforming is a sci-fi staple, it’s interesting that Star Wars, a franchise so known for its mysticism, has adopted something so scientific. However, it’s amazing to see that Skeleton Crew has taken a sci-fi trope like terraforming and spun it into a myth about a treasure planet. Not only does At Attin get to keep the mysticism and myths about the planet going, but it also gets to utilize one of the greatest technological feats we’ve seen in Star Wars.

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This isn’t the first time Star Wars has tried to incorporate something more scientific into the galaxy far, far away. In fact, George Lucas aimed to make the Force seem more scientific when he introduced midichlorians in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. While this was met with backlash and is largely seen as a confusing part of the prequel trilogy, terraforming in Skeleton Crew seems to already be getting a better reception. Not only is hiding At Attin ingenious, but it’s also a great way to bring more science into Star Wars.

With only one episode left of Skeleton Crew, it’s clear that the show is going to have to rectify bringing Jod Na Nawood to At Attin’s surface and into their vaults. Since the satellite system that terraforms At Attin is protecting the planet, it may be a matter of waiting out the pirates that surround the planet’s exterior. Since Jod cannot contact the other pirates, the people of At Attin technically have an advantage. Hopefully, audiences will get a more complete understanding of how terraforming works on At Attin in the Skeleton Crew finale.

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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.

Release Date

December 2, 2024

Cast

Jude Law
, Ravi Cabot-Conyers
, Ryan Kiera Armstrong
, Kyriana Kratter
, Robert Timothy Smith
, Nick Frost
, Fred Tatasciore
, Jaleel White
, Dale Soules
, Geoffrey Lower
, Marti Matulis
, Sisa Grey
, Dominic Burgess
, Vivienne Sachs
, Esai Daniel Cross
, Shane Almagor
, Paloma Garcia-Lee
, Alan Resnick
, Anthony Atamanuik
, John Gemberling
, Tunde Adebimpe
, Kerry Condon
, Alia Shawkat
, Cass Buggé
, Geneva Carr

Character(s)

Jod Na Nawood
, Wim
, Fern
, KB
, Neel
, SM-33 (voice)
, Brutus (voice)
, Gunter
, Chaelt
, Merchant Captain
, Vane
, Kona
, Beef
, Mean Kid
, Human Kid
, Bonjj Phalfa
, Melna
, Tuut Orial
, Fry Cook (voice)
, Greasy Creature (voice)
, Wendle
, Fara
, Kh’ymm (voice)
, Maree
, Nooma

Seasons

1

Writers

Jon Watts
, Christopher Ford

Directors

David Lowery
, Bryce Dallas Howard
, Jake Schreier
, Lee Isaac Chung
, Daniel Scheinert

Showrunner

Jon Watts
, Christopher Ford

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