“Star Wars” has exhausted its fanbase. There’s just too many shows that have come out in the last few years, with many of them half cooked. The magic just seems to be gone. 

Enter “Skeleton Crew,” a “Goonies”-like tale from showrunners John Watts and Christopher Ford. Despite its low viewership, I’ve heard many people say that this show reignited their interest in “Star Wars” and restored their faith in the franchise’s future. 

Is its rating bust warranted? Or is it a hidden gem that’s fallen victim to franchise fatigue? 

The show’s main cast is comprised of children from the isolationist planet of At Attin, which is protected by a barrier that both hides and protects it in an artificial storm that encompasses it. It’s a fitting setup for our point-of-view characters, who get to experience X-Wings and Jedi for the first time. 

And that’s the real purpose of this show; to introduce “Star Wars” to a new generation who might not have latched onto the sequel trilogy. In many ways, it succeeds in capturing a sense of childlike wonder and optimism that is genuinely refreshing. 

The group includes Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) and Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), a boy and a girl who serve as its leaders; KB (Kyriana Kratter), a girl with cybernetics installed after an accident; and Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), an alien boy. They are set to take a high-stakes test that determines their career, when they stumble upon a crashed pirate ship that still works. Helping them is a droid they find in the ship named SM-33 (Nick Frost), who serves as both enforcer and comic relief, complete with a stereotypical pirate accent. 

The ship starts up and transports them to the main “Star Wars” universe, which they know nothing of. This creates the main objective for the children in the show: Find their way home. 

Along the way, they meet Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law), a charismatic force sensitive pirate with a heart of gold. At least that’s how some of the show’s episodes want you to view him — lazy writing unfortunately makes him a frustratingly inconsistent character. 

Law’s performance, however, is the strongest element about the show (the kids fail to leave any impression, and mainly serve as stand-ins for child viewers). He sells the series and elevates what is often terrible writing. 

It’s a shame that Disney decided to shoot some of these episodes without a script. The finale in particular stumbles over itself, not quite knowing what to do with Law’s character at a juncture that demanded a resolution. 

The direction for the show is usually superb — it oozes with wonder and nostalgia that makes me long for better writing. Watts and Ford — who penned the majority of the show’s screenplays — should have delegated that task to someone else. 

“Skeleton Crew” is a painfully average show that could have been much better, especially if its ending was rewritten. Its cardinal sin is how they wasted Jod, who seemed to be softened by the kids, only to be forced into the role of a villain by Watts and Ford at the last second because they couldn’t come up with something better. 

It didn’t suit his character and it was a mistake that unfortunately takes the whole show down a notch. It makes this season — which might be the only one it gets — feel incomplete and rushed. 

There are several positive aspects to this show. But it doesn’t do enough to be the franchise savior some make it out to be. I don’t think it’s even earned the right to continue in a second season. 

“Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” gets a 6/10