The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Season 1, Episode 4 “Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin,” now streaming on Disney+.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew has been an incredibly fun adventure so far, launching the Children of At Attin from one mission to the next with the help of SM-33 and Jod Na Nawood. In Season 1, Episode 4, “Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin,” they have coordinates home and are hoping to reach their planet without further issue. Yet in the Star Wars universe, no trip through hyperspace ever goes how it’s planned. Skeleton Crew creates a lot of potential for story to unfold, yet all it leaves audiences with are more questions.

Episode 4 sees Fern, KB, Wim, and Neel tossed into the middle of a clan war. Battling factions fight over anything and everything that comes up. They are confused to find a world named At Achrin, which is seemingly almost exactly like theirs — yet it turns out to be completely different in almost every single respect. This creates so much intrigue about why At Attin survives, while At Achrin is tossed into disarray. But the questions this episode raises are immediately quelled by the story’s interest in finding the answers.

The Secrets of At Achrin Are More Exciting on Paper

Skeleton Crew Doesn’t Capitalize on At Achrin’s Appearance

One of the biggest and most consistent struggles of Skeleton Crew is pacing. The first two episodes went by lightning fast, full of action and adventure. But Episode 3 slowed down under the weight of exposition and Episode 4 falls prey to the same problem — without the payoff of providing important exposition. The Children of At Attin are immediately hit with a sense of familiarity when they land on this new planet. At Achrin creates a plethora of questions: What happened to cause the war? Why is At Attin so pristine? What are the other “At” planets really like? As the Children dive into the conflict between groups, it has the potential to be a very fun mini-adventure, but the episode doesn’t take advantage of either the fun or the plot opportunities.

As usual, the dynamic between the cast is consistently fun and funny, with the on-screen chemistry between the Children and Jod Na Nawood feeling effortless and real. The setup of the episode makes the audience believe that some answers will finally be given about what happened to these Old Republic treasure planets, but all the script does is create teases upon teases for questions that the audience was already asking. From the moment the other children appear, audiences are led to believe that Wim, Fern, KB and Neel are about to have to fight in a cool Rebellion-style battle. Instead of showing the kids being in over their heads and some Ewok-style antics in the blown-out remains of At Achrin, the episode favors going with a much more intimate character-driven story that, while touching, doesn’t add much to the overall picture of the series.

RelatedStar Wars: Skeleton Crew looks to uncover a new corner of Star Wars lore that starts with a host of hidden planets never before seen.

Skeleton Crew Makes Neel’s Story Heartfelt and Beautiful

Skeleton Crew Season 1, Episode 4 is more or less a study of Neel — a character who has already taken over the lion’s share of the audience’s affection. From the first episode, Neel’s quiet and cute personality has made him an instant favorite. Allowing the audience to see more of him and get a deeper glimpse into his personality strengthens the fans’ preexisting love for Neel. His story is extremely heartfelt as he comes to terms with the fact that war is a reality for many people and that it doesn’t make any sense. Neel is confronted with a mirror image of his life, showing him what he could have been a part of if At Attin had followed the same path as At Achrin. Yet as his friends gleefully play with the weapons provided for them, Neel is much more apprehensive and tentative. He wants no part of the fight, and his kind heart doesn’t allow him to see why anyone would want to fight.

Neel’s voice actor Robert Timothy Smith conveys so much compassion and kindness. His character-developing moments in this episode really are quite lovely. The issue is that these moments don’t fully require a dedicated episode to express. The same emotion and depth could have been conveyed in a way that was woven into an ongoing story, rather than Skeleton Crew taking an entire 30 minutes to explore it. In an eight-episode season that is mostly made up of 30-40 minute episodes, it’s nearly impossible to have character-driven stories without sacrificing the story’s overall progression. Neel’s story is well done, but it’s hard not to see it as anything else other than a distraction from larger and more interesting mysteries.

RelatedBrutus, one of the pirates from Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, belongs to the same alien species as a character from A New Hope whom George Lucas hated.

Skeleton Crew Episode 4 Continues to Spotlight Unusual Characters

Nick Frost’s SM-33 Becomes More Than Comic Relief

Star Wars needs its droid characters to pop off the screen, and SM-33 certainly does that in Episode 4. Nick Frost’s character has been primarily used for comic relief, both through his bouts of violence against other pirates, and in his behavior while a rat seemingly eats away at his circuits. Episode 4 adds a much deeper mystery to SM-33 — one that it has been hinting at since the start. SM-33 is revealed to have a much darker past than suspected, helping to kill the entire crew he previously served with. When the Children of At Attin attempt to get answers from the decaying droid, he once again becomes a deadly killing machine. A disturbing sequence ensues, which includes some strong cinematography, including a panic-inducing third-person angle from over SM-33’s shoulder.

SM-33’s development and his essential connection to the plot help to make it feel as if all the characters involved have real stakes in the story. SM-33 is looking to protect his former captain Jod Na Nawood, who wants wealth, and the Children just want to get home. Making SM-33 more than just a silly robot gives a fresh perspective and higher stakes to Skeleton Crew overall. With some fun nods to Long John Silver and his actions in Treasure Island, the moments where SM-33 is the focus of the story are the strongest in this episode, even if they lack as much emotional depth as Neel’s scenes.

RelatedStar Wars as a saga, from the Force through the Rebellion, is about the importance of life but Droids lack freedom, even though they act like people.

Skeleton Crew Misses the Mark With Episode 4

Generating Suspense Doesn’t Work Without Payoff

Skeleton Crew Season 1, Episode 4 is a disappointment because it forgets to infuse the fun of the earlier episodes into this character study. Each time there’s a mention of At Attin or its place in the galaxy, or why At Achrin is the way it is, the plot quickly moves on, as if the writers are refusing to answer their own questions. Understandably, the episode is working to build up Skeleton Crew‘s mysteries as much as possible moving into the back half of the season, but it needs to do more than just create questions. Providing a few answers helps to keep the audience hooked, while an unending stream of questions becomes tiresome.

The introduction of At Achrin could have really progressed the story and generated a lot of excitement about the future of At Attin. Instead, Episode 4 is a rather forgettable episode, sure to be surpassed by future installments that are more action-packed or have more moments that impress the audience. While Neel and SM-33 really shine, the rest of the episode fails to deliver the feeling of adventure that Skeleton Crew is already known for.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew streams Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET on Disney+.