Star Wars: Skeleton Crew maintains Disney+ tradition with episode count

Lucasfilm's latest live-action series, Skeleton Crew, is poised to continue the successful formula established by Star Wars shows on Disney+. Set in the post-Return of the Jedi era and nestled within the expansive timeline of The Mandalorian, this highly anticipated series, helmed by the talented Jude Law, has been likened to a thrilling blend of Stranger Things and the beloved Star Wars universe.

Beyond sharing a common era in the Star Wars timeline, new information suggests that Skeleton Crew will adhere to the familiar episode count and structure that made its predecessor, The Mandalorian, a resounding success.

This intriguing revelation further cements the notion that Skeleton Crew is keen to embrace the winning formula established by the previous Disney+ Star Wars series.

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Star Wars' Skeleton Crew: A Disney+ series with 8 episodes

Skeleton Crew, the highly anticipated Star Wars series, consists of 8 thrilling episodes (Image via Lucasfilm)

According to the Writers Guild of America (WGA) website, the highly anticipated live-action series, Skeleton Crew, is set to have an unsurprising episode count of eight for its first season.

This aligns with the consistent pattern observed in most Star Wars shows on Disney+ within the MandoVerse, including The Mandalorian's three seasons and the Ahsoka series, slated for release shortly. The pattern also extends to The Acolyte, an upcoming series set in the High Republic era, which is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in 2024.

Most of Skeleton Crew's episodes were penned by Jon Watts - the director of MCU's Spider-Man outings - and Christopher Ford. However, the fifth and sixth episodes were written by Myung Joh Wesner.

Following the established tradition of other Star Wars MandoVerse series, Skeleton Crew boasts a diverse lineup of directors for each episode. This includes Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheiner from Everything Everywhere All At Once, David Lowery from The Green Knight, and Jake Schreier, the director of Marvel Studios' highly anticipated Thunderbolts.

Additionally, Bryce Dallas Howard, a recurring Star Wars director, and Lee Isaac Chung, known for directing The Mandalorian's season 3 episode, The Convert, are set to helm episodes of Skeleton Crew.

The episode count of Skeleton Crew holds significant weight within the Star Wars and MCU Disney+ series, and both franchises have demonstrated a preference for seasons consisting of fewer than ten episodes.

However, there have been exceptions to this trend, such as Andor's first season with 12 episodes and The Book of Boba Fett, another MandoVerse series featuring only seven episodes.

Nonetheless, the fact that Skeleton Crew adheres to Lucasfilm's established rule of eight suggests a deliberate effort to connect the new series to its Disney+ predecessors, building anticipation for the highly anticipated The Mandalorian crossover movie helmed by Dave Filoni.

The true length and narrative depth of each episode in Skeleton Crew remain undisclosed, ultimately determining the overall duration of the season and the story it can unfold.

While an official release date for Skeleton Crew is yet to be confirmed by Star Wars, Jaleel White, set to star in the series, revealed that it will arrive on Disney+ sometime in either November or December. Fans can eagerly anticipate further updates on the upcoming season of Skeleton Crew in the coming months.