Star Wars: Skeleton Crew will be the next addition to the “Mandoverse” Star Wars TV shows, but its premise sounds like a ripoff of a certain Star Trek series. Set to release around Christmas 2024, Skeleton Crew is a coming-of-age drama starring Jude Law and a group of children as they travel across the Star Wars galaxy. Little else is known about the series, but that leaves Skeleton Crew full of potential, and the basic premise promises a moving and heartfelt story.
However, some fans were quick to note that the plot of Skeleton Crew is remarkably similar to one of the recent Star Trek TV shows. While this is likely a coincidence, as Star Wars shows spend years in development, it’s still a rare and fascinating convergence between two rival sci-fi franchises. So what exactly makes the two shows seem so similar, and why might it actually be good for Skeleton Crew?
Although Skeleton Crew is meant to expand the Star Wars franchise, its premise sounds incredibly similar to the animated Star Trek: Prodigy. According to series creator Jon Watts, Skeleton Crew will follow a group of kids who find a buried spaceship and travel the galaxy to find their way home, a description that undoubtedly caught the attention of Star Trek fans. Prodigy also follows a group of children forced into a life of mining, but when they discover a state-of-the-art Starfleet vessel, they commandeer the ship and set out to find the United Federation of Planets in the Alpha Quadrant.
While no story is ever completely original, it is admittedly funny that the basic plot of Skeleton Crew is so similar to Prodigy. Star Wars is often accused of copying itself with recent movies and TV shows, so it’s a strange turn of events to see Star Wars accused of copying its biggest franchise rival. However, one aspect of Prodigy may illustrate that Skeleton Crew is taking the correct approach with its story.
Apart from being the franchise’s first 3D animated series, Prodigy doesn’t really feel like a Star Trek show, at least not at the beginning. Most Star Trek shows follow a group of experienced Starfleet officers on a mission of exploration and discovery, but Prodigy takes a different approach by focusing on aliens who know nothing about Starfleet or the Federation. A group of ragtag underdogs banding together to go on an adventure and fight a powerful enemy is a formula normally associated with Star Wars.
This means Skeleton Crew is on the right track with its premise, even if it is similar to Prodigy. It wouldn’t be the first time these franchises copied each other, as J.J. Abrams was heavily inspired by Star Wars when he directed the 2009 Star Trek reboot. All that matters is whether Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is a good show and a meaningful addition to the franchise, but fans will have to wait until later this year to find out.