This Skeleton Crew Character May Be One of Star Wars’ Most Underrated

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew works so well for a couple of reasons. It has some excellent mysteries, fun Star Wars-style adventures by way of the Goonies, and, most importantly, amazing characters. Star Wars is at its best when its stories are exciting, but without great characters, there’s nothing to care about. Skeleton Crew gives fans that. Wim, Neel, Fern, and KB are wonderful, and they play well off mysterious scoundrel Jod Na Nawood, SM-33, and the many characters they’ve encountered in their quest to get home to At-Attin.

Wim, Neel, and Fern have all gotten their chance to shine, with KB playing something of a background role. However, all of that changed with Episode 6, titled “Zero Friends Again,” which shows exactly what happens when KB is pushed too far. This humanization of someone who up until now seemed like little more than a flesh droid has given many an all-new appreciation for KB, revealing her to be one of Star Wars’ most underrated characters.

KB Is a Unique Character in the Star Wars Mythos

Of the four main characters, KB is the most striking. Sure, the Ortolan Neel wasn’t human and drew the eye, but there was something about the cybernetic KB right from the start. Neel is completely adorable, despite being obviously alien. KB, though, is human and somehow seemed the least human at the same time. A big reason for that is the fact that her eyes are covered – if eyes are the portal to the soul, then we never got to see into KB’s soul until “Zero Friends Again.”

KB, played expertly by Kyriana Kratter, is reminiscent of Lobot, a bit character from The Empire Strikes Back. Lobot is Lando Calrissian’s assistant on Bespin who has cybernetic implants, allowing him to interface with computers and use their onboard tech for a variety of uses. KB showed these abilities off immediately, helping Fern with her speeder bike in the first episode, and using her implants several other times throughout the show.

KB is basically a background character in a lot of ways for the first five episodes. She’s Fern’s sidekick, quietly supporting her best friend. In many ways, she feels like a droid, and it wasn’t until “Zero Friends Again” that she feels like an actual person. She stops listening to Fern and decides to follow Wim, whose plan seems less risky to her. Fans learn that her implants are actually quite finicky and require a lot of maintenance, her fear for her well-being influencing her decision. KB showed some spine, showing that she isn’t just Fern’s droid. She is a person and has her own mind.

[Related: I’m Worried That Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Will Have a Last-Minute Twist]

KB only did what Fern said because she never had any other friends. It’s easy to imagine that her implants kept the other kids from wanting to be her friend, and Fern gave her a chance. KB tried her best to make herself useful, constantly supporting Fern and doing anything she needed because she just wanted someone to like her. Her character in “Zero Friends Again” felt so real, so vulnerable both emotionally and physically, and that’s something that’s set her apart from other Star Wars characters.

It’s rare to find something that the audience can actually understand in Star Wars. Sure, everyone likes to pretend they’re Luke or Rey or Cassian Andor or Han or Leia, but all of those characters, in their own ways, are extraordinary. There are some things that fans can empathize with, but these heroes are on another level. KB may have droids parts grafted to her body, but she’s also vulnerable. There’s a sadness to her, a loneliness that so many people can understand. She’s arguably the most real character Star Wars has ever put up on the screen in a lot of ways, and that makes her completely unique in the Star Wars universe.

KB Helps Ground Star Wars: Skeleton Crew

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is inspired by classic films like Goonies and Stand By Me. The reason these films have stood the test of time is because generations of kids can still see themselves in the characters. In order for Skeleton Crew to join those classics in the pantheon of great entertainment, the characters have to feel real. So far, the show has done a pretty good job of doing that, and KB represents the most realized character of them all.

Wim and Fern are the big personalities of their group. Neel and KB have been the sidekicks. Both of them have gotten a chance to shine, but KB feels the most real. Everyone knows someone like her – a person who has a hard time making friends and will do anything to make people like them. Some of us are KB. Seeing her on-screen in “Zero Friends Again,” both physically and emotionally vulnerable in a way that no other character has been so far, was powerful.

The episode’s name comes from KB’s fear that Fern would stop being her friend due to the constant maintenance her cybernetic implants need. However, Wim’s simple declaration that he and Neel are her friends is such a beautiful moment. KB realizes that she’s more than a follower, she’s special in her own right. It’s perfect and it shows that Skeleton Crew‘s creators know exactly what they’re doing. KB is a great character and hopefully everyone sees it after this episode.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew airs on Disney+ on Tuesdays 9 p.m. EST.