Exclusive new data reveals how Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
is performing, drawing a particularly powerful comparison with Obi Wan Kenobi
- Lucasfilm's most successful show. There's a lot of talk about "Star Wars fatigue," with some evidence suggesting that Lucasfilm is seeing diminishing returns from its Disney+ TV shows. But Is this really the case?
Screen Rant spoke exclusively with Diesel Labs, a third-party analytics company that analyzes the performance of streaming shows. Your data reveals viewers’ engagement with Star Wars shows, including Skeleton Crewand they point to an undeniable truth: it's no surprise that there's talk about the return of Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen...
Obi-Wan Kenobi Was Lucasfilm's Most Engaging Show... And Skeleton Crew Isn't Even Close
Let's start with the high-level data that discusses engagement with Star Wars TV programs. Obi Wan Kenobi was the clear leader in terms of audience engagementwhile Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is behind other titles in terms of launch engagement. It is working similar to The Book of Boba Fett post-launch.
It is easy to understand why involvement with Obi Wan Kenobi it was so loud. The show is directly linked to the Skywalker saga, even bringing back Darth Vader himself. It was marketed as an “event” of sorts, given the return of Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen. This effect is difficult (perhaps impossible) to duplicate.
The comparison with The Book of Boba Fett is more than worrying.
Skeleton CrewThe country's gigantic budget means comparison with The Book of Boba Fett It's more than a little worrying. This was generally seen as a failure for Lucasfilmso much so that there has been no news about a second season - and characters like Temuera Morrison's Boba Fett and Ming-Na Wen's Fennec Shand appear to have been left aside. But data from Diesel Labs suggests that may not be the full picture here.
Skeleton Crew is Reaching a Whole Different Audience
Here's the problem; Diesel Labs data suggests Skeleton Crew is resonating with a very unusual audience for Star Wars. The show has younger "participants" (based on conversations about the show) than others Star Wars programs in this set, with 62% of conversations generated by Gen Z. Interestingly, this is the inverse of audience engagement measured for The Mandalorian season 3.
| Skeleton Crew | Ahsoka | Obi Wan Kenobi | The Book of Boba Fett | The Acolyte | The Mandalorian season 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Generation Z | 62% | 53% | 54% | 48% | 52% | 30% |
| Millennial+ | 38% | 46% | 46% | 52% | 47% | 70% |
We know that the audience is smaller than other programs; Skeleton Crew it failed to reach the top 10 of streaming in the week of its debut. But the public this he does get is very unusual for Star Warsaimed at Gen Z, and word of mouth in this demographic seems very positive indeed. There's something about this show that's resonating with a new audience - perhaps the young protagonists, perhaps also the fact that it's independent. So many Star Wars TV shows depend on a deep understanding of tradition.
How is the public reacting to Skeleton Crew?
Diesel Labs' sophisticated AI media analyst analyzed the online conversation and confirmed that Skeleton Crew was well received - with particular praise for the young cast, as well as Jude Law. It is generally praised for trying to appeal to the child in everyone, although there are some criticisms Skeleton Crewexecution. A smaller portion of the audience feels it lacks depth, with concerns about the direction Disney is taking the franchise.
Is it possible that the “smaller portion” of the audience is primarily made up of millennials rather than Gen Z?
The analysis is fascinating reading, but it raises many more questions than it answers - namely whether there is a difference in dialogue at a generational level. Is it possible that the “smaller portion” of the audience is primarily made up of millennials rather than Gen Z? Are we really seeing evidence that different generations are responding to Skeleton Crew in a different way?
What this tells us, though, is that raw viewership numbers aren't everything. Star Wars: Skeleton Crew may not be Lucasfilm's biggest success and may be overshadowed by Obi Wan Kenobi in terms of overall engagement, but it still performs well in a different way. The key factor is that the show is simply reaching a different audience.
Source: Diesel Laboratories
Set in the Star Wars universe, Skeleton Crew follows four young adventurers as they become lost in the galaxy while searching for their home planet. The series chronicles her exploration and encounters with diverse worlds and characters, presenting themes of friendship, discovery and the search for belonging.