Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Featured Surprise Cameo From A Spider-Man 2 Star

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew has surprised fans with its heartwarming tale of childhood wonder, which the franchise arguably lost over the years as it overfocused on canon and interconnectivity. In addition to gifting audiences with a sense of awe, the new Disney+ series also does a fantastic job introducing quirky characters in every new episode, from the grumpy pirate robot SM-33 (voiced by Nick Frost) to a cast of wildly creative aliens. In addition to their memorable visuals, Skeleton Crew’s aliens also stand out for the talented voices Disney chose to bring them to life. For instance, an Arrested Development star voices the new fan-favorite Kh’ymm. As for Benjar Pranic, the pirate is voiced by Alfred Molina, Doctor Octopus in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2.

Benjar Pranic’s single scene (so far) shows his fateful encounter with Jude Law’s Jod. In the scene, Jod sneaks back into the pirate outpost to retrieve SM-33. On the droid depot, he meets Benjar, who fondly remembers when Jod, aka Captain Silvo, used to rule the pirate crew. However, even though Benjar is displeased with Brutus (voiced by Fred Tatasciore), he’s still loyal to the chain of command, so he alerts the guards of Jod’s escape.

Even though Jod is a minor character in Episode 3 of Skeleton Crew, Molina lends his gravitas to the pirate alien. The star’s brief appearance also marks a welcome reunion behind the cameras. In 2021, Molina returned to the role of Doc Ock for Spider-Man: No Way Home under the direction of Jon Watts. As it turns out, Watts is the co-creator of Skeleton Crew. Disney loves to keep talented people around, so it’s nice to see Watts and Molina together in the Star Wars playground after they helped shatter box office records in the MCU.

[Related: Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Drops Another Hilarious Phantom Menace Easter Egg]

What’s Star Wars: Skeleton Crew About?

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew represents a significant departure from traditional Star Wars narratives, emphasizing personal growth and discovery over galactic politics. Set in the same timeline period as The Mandalorian, the series follows four young adventurers who find themselves lost in the vast expanse of space after discovering an ancient pirate ship on their home planet of At Attin. The nostalgic blend of coming-of-age storytelling and space adventure has done wonders for the Skeleton Crew, quickly breaking some Rotten Tomatoes records for the franchise.

Skeleton Crew was born from the creative partnership of Jon Watts and Christopher Ford, who serve as co-creators and co-showrunners of the series. The duo’s collaboration extends back through several successful projects, including Clown, Cop Car, and the MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy. The series is also graced with four show-stealer young protagonists: Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), a dreamer grappling with his father’s absence; Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), pushing against her mother’s overwhelming expectations; KB (Kyriana Kratter), a brilliant tech enthusiast with overprotective parents; and Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), the reluctant adventurer who joins the quest to support his best friend. 

Together, the cast and crew have managed to recapture the magic of the original trilogy by doing their own thing instead of retracing the exact steps of George Lucas. Should the rest of the season keep the same pacing, Skeleton Crew will likely become a new fan-favorite chapter in the space opera saga.

New episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew premiere Tuesdays on Disney+ through January 14, 2025.