The creators of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Jon Watts and Christopher Ford, have spoken about the “rules” in the Star Wars galaxy – and have proven just how flexible they really can be. As a sci-fi/fantasy genre of its own, the franchise has implemented rules over time to keep all the Star Wars movies and TV shows consistent with one another. This ranges from large-scale things, such as spaceships, to more minute details, like zippers on clothing. For Skeleton Crew‘s cast and crew, however, many rules were, in fact, quite flexible.
Speaking exclusively to Screen Rant‘s Joseph Deckelmeier, Watts and Ford address some of the “rules” they may have broken, including the supposed appearance of paper in Skeleton Crew episode 3. Regarding the latter, Watts clarifies that it was “not a scroll as much as it’s a tapestry,” which is how they were able to bend that rule. Ford goes on to clarify that, where “rules” in Star Wars are concerned, “some of them are тιԍнтer than others, but they’re all still more like guidelines.” He provides an example of Wim’s father, Wendle’s, glᴀsses, which Star Wars animation paved the way for.
Jon Watts: It’s not a scroll as much as it’s a tapestry. That’s how we ended up there. It’s not, like, crinkly paper.
Christopher Ford: That’s how we avoided that one! I understand the thinking behind the rules, and some of them are тιԍнтer than others, but they’re all still more like guidelines.
It used to be, “There are no glᴀsses,” and then you see glᴀsses and stuff in some of the cartoons. We were really happy to be able to give Wim’s dad [Wendle] glᴀsses.
Most interestingly, however, Ford also cites an example where the original Star Wars actually contradicts one of its own longstanding rules: no zippers. “People were talking about, ‘There are no zippers,'” Ford recalls, “and then Doug Chiang was like, ‘Look!’ And it was like this sH๏τ from, I think, the end of Empire [Strikes Back] or something where Luke zips up his flight suit. There are zippers.” Hilariously, Watts then adds, “Sorry, we were jealous they put cereal in Andor! We were like, ‘We were going to be the first ones to do cereal.’ They scooped us once again.“
Christopher Ford: People were talking about, “There are no zippers,” and then Doug Chiang was like, “Look!” And it was like this sH๏τ from, I think, the end of Empire [Strikes Back] or something where Luke zips up his flight suit. There are zippers.
Zippers, knives, bricks… And there are also streamers on bike handles now.
Jon Watts: Sorry, we were jealous they put cereal in Andor! We were like, “We were going to be the first ones to do cereal.” They scooped us once again.
Star Wars’ “Rules” Are A Lot More Flexible Than I’d Thought
Them Acting As “Guidelines” Makes A Lot More Sense
Honestly, as strict as Star Wars really tries to be about things like this, I’m shocked to hear just how flexible these “rules” truly are – but it also makes sense. Ford reframing them as “guidelines” certainly makes things more clear, and adds a lot of necessary perspective to what the purpose of these “rules” has always been. While the creativity of those crafting the story shouldn’t be limited, there does need to be consistency amongst Star Wars projects, and these guidelines keep things from diverging too far away from the iconic Star Wars “vibe.”
Our Take On The “Rules” Of Star Wars
I’ve Seen Them Play Out In Real Time
I particularly find this very fascinating as someone who’s quite familiar with Star Wars “rules,” and with just how strict Disney and Lucasfilm both are about maintaining them in certain situations. As someone who used to work at the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser immersive resort at Walt Disney World, I learned firsthand about all the “rules” that truly were important to maintain in such a highly immersive environment. This did, actually, include both the no paper and no zippers rules, aside from receipt paper for merchandise. Cardstock was the closest we came to paper.
While the Galactic Starcruiser may not be operating anymore, the same things apply in the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge immersive lands at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. It’s an everyday, real-life application of these rules Watts and Ford are discussing here, and I find it so fascinating to hear how flexible these guidelines really are for them while they’re making new Star Wars. That freedom certainly helped Skeleton Crew to become something truly one-of-a-kind, and I’m glad to hear that Star Wars rules can indeed be broken to make that happen.
All episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew are now streaming on Disney+.
