Skeleton Crew to Make Forgotten Star Wars Alien Canon (And It’s a Weird One)

Star Wars is dipping into its nostalgia bag again – just not the way anyone would’ve guessed. It’s being reported that Star Wars: Skeleton Crew – the upcoming Star Wars TV series aimed at young adults – will be cementing an obscure alien race as official canon. That race is none other than “The Teek,” who were featured in the infamous 1985 Ewoks TV movie Ewoks: The Battle For Endor. “Teek” was actually the name of a single alien character in Battle of Endor, but his name also doubled as the name of his race. Like the Ewoks, Teek was cute and furry fun and mischievous – the embodiment of George Lucas’ creative sensibilities in the 1980s, following Return of the Jedi’s release (1983).

Skeleton Crew director David Lowrey confirmed that the Teek are going to be featured in the show during an interview with Esquire, and revealed that they will be created onscreen through the use of practical effects like puppeteering:

“I was most excited about having hand puppets on set,” Lowery said. “It’s the most ancient technology being used with the most cutting-edge technology, simultaneously. That combination was absolutely magical. There’s a character in my episode that’s […] the Teek, from Battle For Endor. And it’s just a little hand puppet! It’s just (wiggles hand). I was like, ‘Is he gonna get digitally touched up, or replaced?’ No, in the final episode, it’s just a hand puppet in the middle of this crazy Volume set. The cognitive dissonance of seeing those two things together, live in front of you, is absolutely incredible.”

Some Star Wars fans may be concerned to hear that Skeleton Crew is throwing off one of its directors by mixing the new era of blue screen and CGI created on the Volume (i.e., filming live actors interacting in CGI-rendered environments) and old-school practical effects. Star Wars TV series have been consistently criticized for leaning too heavily into the Volume filmmaking techniques, and in the process sacrificing the immersive environments and bustling sets of extras that we got in the Star Wars Original Trilogy.

What is Star Wars: Skeleton Crew about?

When four kids make a mysterious discovery on their seemingly safe home planet, they get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy. Finding their way home, and meeting unlikely allies and enemies will be a greater adventure than they ever imagined.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Jude Law (Captain Marvel, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore) plays the human Jedi Jod Na Nawood, the adult leader of a motley crew of galaxy-faring kids that includes Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), KB (Kyriana Kratter), Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), and Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong). In addition, Jaleel White (Family Matters), will play a space pirate named Gunter, while The Mandalorian’s pirate character Vane (Marti Matulis) will also appear in the show, as will other pirate characters like  Brutus (Frank Tatasciore, performance artist: Stephan Oyoung), Pax (performance artist: Mike Estes), and Chaelt (Dale Soules).

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew debuts Tuesday, December 3rd on Disney+.