Jodh's Jedi background in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Explained

This article contains spoilers “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” for episode 8 “The Real Good Guys”.

As “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” reaches its thrilling Season 1 finale, “The Real Good Guys,” we're finally treated to so many of the answers we've been wanting, even though we still want so much more. Jod Na Navud (Jude Law), who might be the most mysterious character in this groupbegins the series with his found lightsaber at the throats of children and their parents. However, when the adults thank him for bringing the children home safely, he smiles and takes a different approach. He then gets Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) and her mother Farah (Kerry Condon) and sends the rest of the family home under the watchful eyes of the planet's security droids, forcing Fern and Farah to help him remove the barrier. that his pirate crew might descend upon Athens, subjugate it, and rob it of its treasures.

Unfortunately for him, the children he has traveled the galaxy with are determined to save their planet, stop him from carrying out his nefarious scheme, and bring real good guys to save the day. As they put their plans into motion, Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) has a confrontation with Jodh, which leads to the latter revealing information about his backstory that feels completely genuine, as if it might be the first time he's actually told the truth.

As he tries to explain to Wim how the galaxy really works, Jod discovers what appears to be a deep truth about himself. He was a kid who, like Ezra Bridger from Star Wars Rebels, found himself on the streets, struggling to survive. A Jedi then picked him up, told him he had the potential, and tried to train him in Force techniques to hunt him down and destroy him as an enemy of the Republic before she finished teaching him. It is unclear if Jodh met this Jedi after Order 66 had already been promulgated or during the republic. However, given his age, it seems plausible that he was found by the Jedi in the middle of nowhere during the Republic, and that his master had begun training him before returning to Coruscant to seek the Jedi Council's blessing. so that Order 66 would be issued before this could happen.

Together, Jod and his instructor were able to go on the run. However, with his master dead, his skills in the Force improved simply enough to be useful, and with nowhere else to go, Jod seems to have chosen to turn to a life of crime. No wonder he fell in with pirates and made his way through the galaxy that way. Watching his master die and seeing the cruelty in the galaxy and life being taken away from you would be enough to harden anyone to such a life.

It's also hard not to wonder: Where could Jod have ended up if his master hadn't been killed by Imperial Jedi hunters, and how did he escape them himself? We know from Star Wars Rebels and Obi-Wan Kenobi that the Inquisitors preyed on both Force-sensitive adults and children, while Darth Vader had no qualms about killing babies (as we saw in “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith”). So how did Jod manage to escape? Is this a hole in his story, or is he stronger in the Force than he lets on? It would be nice to know more about him.

As the rest of the episode unfolds and Wim and the other kids release Jodh and his pirate gang, he realizes that he can't win the war, but at that point he also gives up on the fight. This is a very interesting character trait. Jodh could still use the Force to retrieve his lightsaber after Wim grabs it and injures the children, their parents, and the rest of Atin, but he's happy to give up the fight entirely when he realizes he's become the best. That there isn't the same Jod who killed Captain Brutus cold-blooded. He has a soft spot for these kids, and it's obvious that when he says he doesn't want things to go this way, he means it. He and Wim even seem to share a moment before going their separate ways, as if all is forgiven here.

Jodh's fate remains a bit of a mystery until the end of The Real Good Guys, it's possible that he might even be responsible for bringing the power back online at Attin, as he was left in the watchtower where the power was still out when we saw him. What will become of him in the end? At this stage, no one can really say unless he turns out to be the same Captain Jack we later see marauding with the Halcyon. Personally, I hope we get more “Skeleton Crew” seasons to find out. His adventures with the kids and piratical escapades have been nothing short of entertaining.

Star Wars: The Skeleton Crew is now available in its entirety on Disney+.