This article contains spoilers for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew episode 7.Star Wars: Skeleton Crewepisode 7 features a surprising KOTOR Easter egg that’s a lot more important than it seems.Skeleton Crewis an unusualStar Warsstory; it’s surprisingly accessible to new viewers, even though every episode is absolutely packed with Easter eggs. This is because some of them are so subtle you can easily miss them, while the bulk of the story is focused on new additions to lore, such as the planetAt Attin.
InSkeleton Crewepisode 7, Jod Na Nawood manages to make his way beyond the Barrier protecting At Attin. Once he arrives,he pretends to be a “Republic Emissary” who has been officially sent to the planet- confusion made possible because of theOnyx Cinder’s true nature. This was Captain Tak Rennod’s genius: he repurposed an old At Attin ship, knowing it was the way to get past the Barrier. But the reference to “Emissaries” is surprisingly important.
“Emissaries” Have Been Part Of Star Wars Since KOTOR
Representatives of one government sent to another
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen emissaries inStar Wars. In canon, they appeared inStar Wars: The Clone Warsas far back as 2010, a title used by diplomats of one sovereign state sent to another. Ryloth’s representative in the New Republic Era, for example, was technically called an “emissary” - reflecting the looser relationship between the New Republic and its member states.
In Legends,emissaries date all the way back to theKnights of the Old Republicera, millennia before the Skywalker Saga. Drew Karpyshyn’s excellent novelRevanintroduces an unnamed emissary of the Sith Empire, sent to Mandalore to push for an alliance. So this is a term of historic significance in theStar Warsgalaxy.
What Skeleton Crew’s Emissary REALLY Means For At Attin
The title is an important one
This distinction is a lot more important than it may seem to be at first. Let me remind you what an emissary is:a representative of one sovereign state sent to another. In the case of Ryloth, the planet was a member of the New Republic, but the world remained largely self-governing. In the case of the Sith Empire, the emissary belonged to a separate government.
This has huge implications for At Attin. It suggeststhe planet was always envisioned as being semi-autonomous, largely independent and self-governing, with minimal contact with the outside galaxy- likely in part an attempt to keep it safe from pirates like Tak Rennod. No doubt matters were further complicated when the Republic turned into the Empire, because it’s clearly been a long time since a Republic Emissary came to call.Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’s “emissary” reference has rather exciting implications.
