This article contains spoilers for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew episodes 1 & 2.Star Warshas introduced its latestDarth Vader replacement, and he’s a failure right from his first scene. There’s a sense in whichStar Warshas been trying to replace Darth Vader since the original trilogy, when the Dark Lord of the Sith sacrificed himself to save Luke Skywalker. Darth Vader cut an imposing figure, his mask giving him a sense of inhuman evil, andStar Warshas - sometimes desperately - tried to replicate that ever since.
The most famous Darth Vader replacement was Kylo Ren, of course, but he’s not unique. Nor have all the Darth Vader figures been Sith, or even Force-sensitives, as proven by Marchion Ro - leader of a group of space pirates who flourished during theHigh Republic Era.Star Wars' latest Darth Vader replacement is definitely patterned after Marchion Ro, but he’s a lot less successful.
Captain Silvo’s Opening Scene Riffs On Darth Vader
It’s not hard to spot the similarities
Star Wars: Skeleton Crewopens with a scene that brilliantly riffs on the firstStar Warsmovie (later retitledA New Hope). In this opening scene, a group of pirates attack aNew Republicfreighter, and they’re led by a masked pirate named Captain Silvo. He strikes some very familiar poses, andeven his dialogue follows the pattern ofA New Hope; “If this is a bulk freighter, why is your vault magnetically sealed,” he asks (the same sentence structure as “If this is a consular ship, where is the ambassador?").
Unlike Darth Vader, Captain Silvo… Is A Failure
He just isn’t up to the job
There’s one crucial difference between Darth Vader and Captain Silvo, of course: Silvo is a failure. The opening scenes ofSkeleton Crewepisode 1 make that abundantly clear, because the attack on a New Republic freighter leads to an underwhelming score - a single New Republic credit. What’s more, dialogue makes it abundantly clearthis isn’t the first mission that Captain Silvo has botched. He’s been letting his men down for a long time, and their patience has run out.
Jon Watts
January 14
It’s not hard to guess Captain Silvo’s true identity afterStar Wars: Skeleton Crewepisodes 1 and 2. Given this is the case, it will be interesting to see whether the character does indeed follow a Darth Vader pattern - meaning his path will ultimately be one of redemption. If so, though, it will remain different, and no doubt a result of his failures rather than his successes.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
Cast
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.
