‘Skeleton Crew’ Composer Mick Giacchino Talks Loving ‘Star Wars’ and Following in His Father’s Footsteps
The next chapter in the Star Wars story will unfold this December when Skeleton Crew debuts on December 3.
Inspired by the Amblin films of the 1980s such as Goonies and Gremlins, the series will follow the adventure of a group of kids who stumble upon an Old Republic ship and find themselves lost in space.
Photo: Lucasfilm
Starring Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Kyriana Kratter, Robert Timothy Smith, Tunde Adebimpe, Kerry Condon, Nick Frost, and Jude Law, Skeleton Crew will showcase a different side of the galaxy.
Introducing Mick Giacchino
To the score the upcoming Star Wars series, Lucasfilm turned to composer Mick Giacchino. Needless to say, he was excited.
Photo: StarWars.com
“I wanted to ensure that this was a show where you get to really put yourself in these characters’ shoes because most of us grew up with Star Wars and our dreams were to be those kids and blast off on some adventure,” he told StarWars.com. “I’m still pinching myself about it. It’s so exciting!”
Following in His Father’s Footsteps
The moment was extra exciting because Mickey’s father, Michael Giacchino, is an acclaimed composer who worked with series creators Jon Watts and Chris Ford on the Marvel Spider-Man franchise. He also scored Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Michael Giacchino. Photo; Vanity Fair
When Mick got the call, the only person he told was his father.
“From the beginning, he said, essentially, ‘Just remember to have fun with it,’ especially given the nature of the show. He was very supportive,” Mick recalled.
For as long as he can remember, Mick has been accompanying his father to the scoring stage. As he got older, he and his siblings would watch their father at work.
Photo: Film Symphony Orchestra
“There’s a special feeling when you get to sit out on a scoring stage and listen to the orchestra play,” Mick said. “It’s almost as if they’re playing just for you and you can feel the vibrations of every instrument. I learned a lot about it that way, just observing and getting to know the musicians in the tight-knit orchestra.”
A Prolific Composer Himself
By the time he was a teen, Mick had decided that he could score music for a living. Since turning professional in 2015, Mick has scored more than a dozen shorts, movies, and television series, including The Muppets Mayhem and The Penguin. Star Wars, however, has always held a special place in his heart.
Photo: D23
“My dad is very particular about the way he showed us films,” Giacchino recalls. The first time the siblings watched Star Wars was on an old projector to beam the film onto one wall of the family’s living room. “The second that title card hits, even being that young, I was like, ‘Oh, this is different.'”
Setting the Mood For ‘Skeleton Crew’
Looking ahead to Skeleton Crew, Mick wanted to pass on the same sense of awe and wonder that he felt to a new generation.
“One of the most appealing parts of Star Wars for so many people can really be summed up by Luke staring out at the twin suns on Tatooine and dreaming of a life outside of his own filled with adventures,” he said.
Photo: Lucasfilm
“For me, Star Wars was always an escape into this fantastical world where I could imagine myself flying an X-wing or riding a tauntaun around. And, especially as a kid, it takes you to all these places that we can’t go as human beings, but we can be taken there through movies.”
A New ‘Star Wars’ Theme
To that end, Mickey explained how he developed Skeleton Crew’s theme.
Photo: PEOPLE
“I found this chord sequence that was very simple and easy to use as a musical motif as well. When Jon Watts first heard it, he quickly associated the opening four chords with the four kids. I wanted you to feel as if you were stepping into a storybook at the very beginning, so I arranged it for some harps and synths to create this kind of whimsical floating feeling, almost like a daydream,” he explained.
Photo: PEOPLE
“I started developing the theme in the Lydian mode over the chord progression, and little by little it started growing into this childlike piece that is very playful and fun, but can also be twisted in darker ways. The childhood wonder only lasts so long for these kids until they’re plunged into the galaxy. Ultimately, at the core of it, I wanted to capture that feeling of being a kid, looking out at the twin suns, and knowing that there’s an adventure out there waiting for you.”
Skelton Crew will premiere on December 3 on Disney+.
