Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Reveals Jaleel White Is Playing a Space Pirate

The galaxy far, far away is expanding with the Disney+ series Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, a coming-of-age story about a ragtag group of kids that team up with a mysterious character played by Jude Law. Helmed by Jon Watts (Spider-Man: No Way Home), Skeleton Crew adds a new member to the supporting cast, this time an actor who played a major role in a lot of people’s childhoods. Jaleel White, who famously played Steve Urkel on Family Matters, is set to join the streaming project as one of its space baddies.

Entertainment Weekly released brand-new images from the upcoming Star Wars show, revealing Jaleel White will be playing Gunter, who is part of a space pirate crew that also includes Vane (Marti Matulis), Brutus (Fred Tatasciore, Stephan Oyoung), Pax (Mike Estes), and Chaelt (Dale Soules). The image does not paint them in a positive light, as they will seemingly act as some of the show’s villains. White has done voice-over work in the past few years, including American Dad, Duck Tales, and Teen Titans Go!. However, the Skeleton Crew may prove to be his prominent live-action role yet in quite some time. The first trailer divided fans, but perhaps the latest news will entice some longtime Star Wars fanatics to change their minds. Check out the images below:

Skeleton Crew Adds More Nostalgia

Inspired by The Goonies, the Skeleton Crew will feature a group of kids from a world that looks strikingly similar to Earth. Populated with more than just humans, of course. The show is looking to recapture the awe-inspiring feeling of early 80s films, and the trailer even oozes Steven Spielberg’s E.T. but set in Star Wars. There is a good hint of nostalgia sprinkled throughout the project in front and behind the camera. That said, the creative team behind Skeleton Crew worked hard to still feel like Star Wars. Jon Watts discussed collaborating with Dave Filoni, making sure Skeleton Crew remained within the canon.

“He actually is a great hockey player, but he’s also a figurative goalkeeper. We will come up with ideas of things that we like, and then he’ll be like, ‘Actually, maybe it’s this.’ Or, ‘Oh, we already did something like that somewhere else.’ And you always end up with a bunch of other episodes of
Star Wars
to go watch and things to go read, and it’s good. You feel like you can safely explore things creatively without making some huge canonical mistake.”

The Skeleton Crew is Disney’s latest effort to launch a streaming series, fresh off canceling The Acolyte after one season. The company is looking to drop its TV output after this year, only releasing one show a year instead of several. With The Mandalorian concluding its story on the big screen, and Obi-Wan Kenobi not getting a second-season renewal, it seems Skeleton Crew could be the only live-action television Star Wars fans will have for a while.