Jude Law’s Character in ‘Skeleton Crew’ May Borrow Han Solo’s Scrapped Origin

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  • Han Solo’s Cut Origin From ‘Revenge of the Sith’
  • Is Jod From Kashykkk…and Was His Jedi Teacher in ‘Revenge of the Sith’?

Following several weeks of hinting at the enigmatic past of Captain Jod Na Nawood, played by Jude Law, in “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew“, the show has finally offered a glimpse into his origins. It was disclosed that this pirate, who used various aliases, received training in the ways of the Force from an unnamed female Jedi, who met her end before him. Although Jod does not explicitly mention the identity of the Jedi, the scant information he reveals about himself in the final episode, as well as his character development throughout the series and his role as a space pirate, could potentially shed light on his backstory.

Since Disney purchased Star Wars, creatives have enjoyed resurrecting abandoned ideas from the initial six films and reinventing them within the franchise. For instance, Zeb in Star Wars: Rebels was modeled after Ralph McQuarrie’s original Chewbacca design, while the Krykna spider, initially intended for Dagobah in The Empire Strikes Back, made an appearance on the ice planet in The Mandalorian. It appears that Jod’s backstory may hint at Jon Watts, Christopher Ford, and Lucasfilm revisiting some of George Lucas’ original concepts for Han Solo, which were initially meant to be part of Revenge of the Sith dating back to 1977.

Han Solo’s Cut Origin From ‘Revenge of the Sith’

Han Solo, a highly popular figure from the Star Wars series, owes much of his fame to Harrison Ford’s outstanding portrayal. While many fans are aware that at one point, Han Solo was initially conceived as an alien with green skin and gills, before Lucas decided to make him human instead and keep the alien role for Chewbacca, the Wookiee co-pilot. What they might not realize is that George Lucas originally intended Han Solo to be an orphan from the planet Kashyyyk, where he would have first encountered Chewbacca, as revealed in Paul Duncan’s book “The Star Wars Archives: Episode I-III 1997-2005.

In the initial plans for “Revenge of the Sith,” Lucas intended to incorporate Han Solo, portraying him as a 10-year-old living with the Wookiees. This storyline would have featured Han helping Yoda in battle. However, Lucas eventually chose not to include young Han Solo for several reasons. One reason was that the Kashyyyk scene was relatively minor within “Revenge of the Sith,” and adding Han Solo could have been somewhat distracting. Additionally, Lucas recognized that introducing another young character from the original trilogy, following the appearance of a young Boba Fett in “Attack of the Clones,” might have been pushing the franchise’s boundaries.

In the absence of Han Solo’s previously conceived origin, there was an opportunity to reconsider his background. The 2018 film, “Solo: A Star Wars Story“, offered a Charles Dickens-inspired take on Han Solo’s life, depicting him as a Corellia orphan who worked for street criminals before escaping the planet. He joined the Empire out of necessity, but later ran away with a fellow prisoner, his future companion Chewbacca. Eventually, Han Solo became a smuggler and pilot in the criminal underworld, shaping into the iconic character we know today. Interestingly, while the film was produced following Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, George Lucas had already started planning a Han Solo origin story before the sale. This suggests that the orphan on a Wookiee planet idea was something Lucas abandoned and never revisited. However, the concept could have found a place in the Skeleton Crew, another potential narrative.

Is Jod From Kashykkk…and Was His Jedi Teacher in ‘Revenge of the Sith’?

In the Star Wars universe, Jod is modeled after Han Solo’s character due to his pirate-like nature, as Lando himself referred to Han Solo as such. Given that Han Solo initially exhibited a roguish and self-centered behavior before joining the Rebel Alliance as one of its key figures, audiences have grown accustomed to witnessing transformation tales in scoundrel characters within Star Wars.

Jod plays the role of an apparent rogue pirate who allies with the children from the “Skeleton Crew.” He appears to have a tender spot for them, even going so far as to put their safety above his treasure. It appeared that he would follow a path of redemption; however, the series “Skeleton Crew” opted for a different route, casting him as the main villain in the latter episodes. Jod can be seen as a twist on Han Solo, and hints in his background may point to his backstory being an early concept for George Lucas’ “Revenge of the Sith.

In Episode 4, titled “Can’t Say I Remember No Attin,” I mentioned that the planet Attin resembles my home significantly. It’s shrouded in fog and appears to have some scarred vegetation, possibly the result of fires. Kashykkk also had foggy landscapes, and both The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch depict forces attempting to burn the trees on the Wookiee planet. If I indeed grew up on Kashykkk, and if there’s a chance I was part of the action in Revenge of the Sith but just out of the camera’s view, this might imply that the enigmatic Jedi master who trained me could have been residing on Kashykkk as well. However, it wouldn’t be Master Yoda; instead, it could very well be Luminara Unduli.

Luminara Unduli was a female Mirialan Jedi, active during The Clone Wars. In Revenge of the Sith, she is depicted on Kashykkk, working with Wookiees. Alongside Yoda, she was present on Kashykkk when Order 66 occurred, although they weren’t shown together. It is often speculated that Luminara might have perished during Order 66, as Yoda seemed to leave her behind. However, it’s plausible that Yoda assumed Luminara had died but managed to escape and hide on Kashykkk for a brief period before being found and killed. Star Wars: Rebels reveals that the Empire utilized Luminara’s body deliberately as a trap to attract surviving Jedi from hiding after Order 66, but it remains unclear why they selected her specifically among the numerous Jedi who were killed during Order 66, whose bodies the Clones presumably had access to.

It seems plausible that Luminara managed to elude Order 66 at first, living in hiding for a brief while before her eventual demise. During this period, she could potentially have encountered Jod on the planet and shared some basic Force skills with him prior to her death by the Empire. This scenario aligns with the statements made by creators Jon Watts and Christopher Ford after the season finale, suggesting that they planned for Jod’s mentor to be someone who survived Order 66.

If the TV show “Skeleton Crew” is incorporating Han Solo’s original backstory for “Revenge of the Sith,” it could provide a possible Jedi master to train Jod Na Nawood, thus linking his character to the wider Star Wars universe and potentially resurrecting an old storyline. This seems like an intriguing resolution to the mystery surrounding Jod Na Nawood, and something that Lucasfilm and Disney might consider exploring in Season 2 or other media formats such as comics or novels. “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” is currently streaming on Disney+.

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2025-01-20 03:01