Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for ‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.’The finale of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew came full of surprises, debunking some of our major theories about the show. Among them, people speculated that At Attin could be part of a secret Sith cult led from the shadows by Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid), but that isn’t the case, thank the Force. There may still be a connection between the planet and the Sith Lord publicly known as Sheev Palpatine, though, and that is hinted at when the At Attin supervisor’s (Stephen Fry) confronts Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law) and his claim of being a Jedi. Aren’t Jedi officially traitors to the old Republic, after all?
As the Supervisor tells Jod, Undersecretary Fara (Kerry Condon), and Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), the last message sent to At Attin by the Republic “stated that all Jedi were traitors.” This message was certainly sent when Order 66 was issued in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, proving that, at least during the Clone Wars, the Republic was indeed aware of At Attin’s existence and location, and, if the Republic knew, then Supreme Chancellor Palpatine also knew.
At Attin was supposed to be a mystery, hidden from the galaxy, as Kh’ymm (Alia Shawkat) explains in Episode 3, “Very Interesting, as an Astrogation Problem.” It was once part of a group of nine planets known as the Jewels of the Old Republic, mints to produce the currency used back then, known as dataries. This is why the planet was hidden behind the Barrier, but knowledge of secret planets with secret operations is something Palpatine has always excelled at having, including Exegol, from Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, for example.
The fact that a message was sent to At Attin to warn about the Jedi means that the Jedi Order probably knew about the planet, too, and there was a risk of some of them hiding there. But, with the Jedi mostly gone, At Attin remained a closely guarded secret, until, eventually, it became a legend, just like the Jedi. But Palpatine’s history doesn’t end with the Clone Wars, of course.
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Apparently, At Attin Remained a Secret During the Reign of the Empire
Also in Episode 3, the kids mention to Kh’ymm that they have studied planets like Coruscant and Alderaan in school, to which she replies, asking if they have “missed the war.” The war is the Galactic Civil War, fought between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance, and Kh’ymm asks that because Alderaan is destroyed in one of its first acts, as seen in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. At the time, this dialogue meant that At Attin was incredibly secretive, but, now, it may actually mean something else.
The Empire reigned for 24 years, during which there was no contact between them and At Attin, apparently. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Palpatine forgot about At Attin — such an evil mastermind rarely forgets things. Instead, he probably kept At Attin at arm’s length, choosing to seek it only if the Empire’s situation became really desperate. The planet is a mint, after all, so its role is purely economic, and, if the Empire had plenty of funds to build two Death Stars, then money was certainly no issue. At Attin was valuable mostly as a gold reserve, then, because neither the Republic nor the Empire used dataries as a currency anymore. That’s the kind of long-term investment best left untouched unless it’s necessary.
So the theories about a possible connection between At Attin and the Sith weren’t that far off. Palpatine certainly had something in mind for the planet, even if he was just leaving it be until it proved necessary. There were communications between him and the Supervisor, something that’s hinted at when the Supervisor tells Fara and Fern that he had been watching over them “with great interest.” That’s exactly what Palpatine tells young Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) at the end of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace after the boy destroys the Trade Federation blockade over Naboo. Who knows? Maybe they were pen pals before Palpatine became Emperor and focused on other things. One thing is certain: Eventually, Palpatine would figure out a use for At Attin, and it probably wouldn’t be good for its people.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
Four kids make a mysterious discovery on their home planet that leads them to get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy.
- Release Date
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December 2, 2024
- Cast
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Jude Law
, Ravi Cabot-Conyers
, Ryan Kiera Armstrong
, Kyriana Kratter
, Robert Timothy Smith
, Nick Frost
, Fred Tatasciore
, Jaleel White
, Dale Soules
, Geoffrey Lower
, Marti Matulis
, Sisa Grey
, Dominic Burgess
, Vivienne Sachs
, Esai Daniel Cross
, Shane Almagor
, Paloma Garcia-Lee
, Alan Resnick
, Anthony Atamanuik
, John Gemberling
, Tunde Adebimpe
, Kerry Condon
, Alia Shawkat
, Cass Buggé
, Geneva Carr - Network
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Disney+
- Seasons
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1
