Skeleton Crew, Lucasfilm's third live-action 2023 series, appears to be following a Star Wars Disney+ pattern.
Set in the years after Return of the Jedi and within The Mandalorian timeline, the Jude Law-led series described as "Stranger Things in space" is expected to be part of the expanding MandoVerse.
But in addition to sharing the same era within the Star Wars timeline, new evidence suggests Skeleton Crew is also keeping with the same length and structure as The Mandalorian.
How Many Episodes is Star Wars: Skeleton Crew?
Skeleton Crew's listing on the WGA website shows that Season 1 of the series consists of eight episodes.
This episode count is the same as most Star Wars Disney+ shows within the MandoVerse, as all three seasons of The Mandalorian and soon-to-be-released Ahsoka are eight-episode seasons.
The same applies to the High Republic-era series, The Acolyte, which is set to premiere on Disney+ in 2024.
MCU Spider-Man director Jon Watts, along with Christopher Ford, penned the bulk of Skeleton Crew, with the exception of the series' fifth and sixth episodes which were written by Myung Joh Wesner.
In keeping with another Star Wars MandoVerse tradition, different directors are attached to different episodes with Skeleton Crew's lineup consisting of Everything Everywhere All At Once's Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheiner, The Green Knight's David Lowery, and Jake Schreier, the upcoming director of Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts.
Recurring Star Wars director, Bryce Dallas Howard, is also set to direct, along with Minari's Lee Isaac Chung, who directed The Mandalorian's Season 3 episode, "The Convert."
What Skeleton Crew's Episode Count Means
Both Star Wars and MCU Disney+ series have shown a preference for seasons consisting of less than ten episodes.
Still, that's not to say that there haven't been exceptions. Season 1 of Andor featured a whopping 12 episodes, and The Book of Boba Fett - another MandoVerse series - only consisted of seven.
However, The fact Skeleton Crew is keeping to Lucasfilm's rule of eight suggests an effort to connect the new series to its Disney+ predecessors, leading up to Dave Filoni's The Mandalorian crossover movie.
The real question is just how long will each of the season's eight episodes be as that will truly determine the length and just how much story it has to tell.
While Star Wars has yet to officially confirm Skeleton Crew's release date, Jaleel White, who's set to star in the series, revealed Skeleton Crew drops on Disney+ in November or December.
Fans should learn more about Skeleton Crew's upcoming season in the coming months.
Skeleton Crew is expected to premiere on Disney+ later this year.
