One of the greatest Jedi lessons didn’t come from Obi-Wan Kenobi or Yoda. In The Phantom Menace, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) gave Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) some words of wisdom that reverberated throughout the entire saga. When teaching young Skywalker to trust his instincts, Qui-Gon also dropped one profound insight: “Your focus determines your reality.”
And now, 25 years later, that exact piece of advice has resurfaced, albeit it in an unexpected way. In Episode 5 of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, “You Have a Lot to Learn About Pirates,” Jude Law’s enigmatic pirate character Jod tells Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) ) the exact same thing: “Your focus determines your reality.” But does this mean Jod trained as a Jedi? And did he know Qui-Gon?
Spoilers and speculation ahead.
While the gang attempts to locate the elusive coordinates of At Attin, they eventually realize that the ship they’re on, the Onyx Cinder, previously belonged to a legendary pirate known as “Tak Rennod.” According to pirate droid SM-33 (Nick Frost), once they get to Captain Rennod’s old lair, they’ll find those coordinates. While the other kids are pumped by SM-33’s pirate stories from the days of yore, Wim is depressed, finding that his idea of having a big adventure isn’t matching up with the actual experience of being away from his family and home. Jod gives him a half-hearted pep talk, and encourages Wim to “forget” all of his “attachments.” This clean break is what Jod said he had to do at some point in his past.
Jod (Jude Law) and Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) talk about reality, focus, and maybe...the way of the Jedi?
Jod also tells Wim that “your focus determines your reality,” echoing Qui-Gon’s exact words in The Phantom Menace. This utterance, combined with Jod’s allusions to avoiding “attachments” and having to forget his parents all suggest that he possibly had some Jedi training in the past. In Attack of the Clones, Anakin talked about how “attachments” were forbidden in the Jedi Code, and, as most fans know, in the days of the Old Republic, Jedi were separated from their parents at a very young age. This dubious Jedi policy created problems for Anakin, and, 100 years prior, also created a huge schism as seen in the events of The Acolyte.
The larger point is that Jod clearly has some serious Force powers which he sometimes attempts to conceal, and only uses when they’re absolutely convenient. In the shocking final act of this episode, as Jod appears to turn on the kids, he clearly uses the Force to overpower Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) with a kind of Darth Vader-ish ruthlessness. Plus, the final scene shows Jod using the Force to summon a discarded lightsaber, a weapon he seems pretty familiar with.
Chronologically, could Jod have literally trained as a Jedi in the pre-Order 66 era? Shockingly, if we do the math, the answer is a big yes. Skeleton Crew takes place in the same era as The Mandalorian, which is 9 years after Return of the Jedi (9 ABY). This puts the events of the show 28 years after Order 66 (19 BBY). So, assuming Jod is the same age that Jude Law is in real life (51), that would make him 23 years old during the events of Order 66 in Revenge of the Sith.
Is Jod (Jude Law) a former Jedi? Or something else?
For reference, this would mean Jod was about Anakin’s exact age at the time of Order 66, meaning yes, he could have been trained as a Jedi for a very long time. Whether he stayed in the Jedi Order prior to Order 66 is certainly up for debate. But, the idea that he (hypothetically) knew Qui-Gon Jinn at the Jedi Temple as a young child is certainly possible.
If Jod is revealed to have been a Jedi Padawan, even briefly, many mysteries about Skeleton Crew would start to make sense all at once. But if that is what the show is about to make clear, Jod’s character will either get a whole lot more likable, or much much darker. Suddenly, the lighthearted Star Wars show focused on childhood has become about the dark secrets of the Jedi, or maybe the Sith, too.
