Everything We Know About The Onyx Cinder, Skeleton Crew's Mysterious New Star Wars Starship

Skeleton Crew's story is kickstarted due to the finding of a starship called the Onyx Cinder, a mysterious vehicle that may have a deeper past than first thought. The ending of Skeleton Crew episode 1 introduces the ship for the first time after it was found by Wim. Wim is arguably the lead of Skeleton Crew's cast of characters: a young boy from the planet of At Attin who dreams about helping people as the knights of the Jedi Order once did.

After taking a shortcut through the woods to get to school on time, Wim finds what could soon become one of Star Wars' best spaceships. Initially, Wim and his friends - Neel, Fern, and KB - think the spaceship is a buried Jedi Temple. However, after uncovering a derelict Star Wars droid, restoring power, and letting curiosity get the best of him, Wim accidentally sends the “Jedi Temple” blasting off into space, revealing it as the Onyx Cinder. This begins Skeleton Crew's entire story, with the starship potentially having more history than it lets on.

The Onyx Cinder Is A Mysterious Pirate Starship

The Ship Was Used For Illicit Methods Before Being Stranded

Jude Law as Jod Na Nawood and the Onyx Cinder in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew episode 6

Concerning the more basic, surface-level elements of the Onyx Cinder, it was not entirely clear what type of ship it is after Skeleton Crew episodes 1 and 2. Unlike Din Djarin's ship, the Razor Crest, the Onyx Cinder does not have a designation. This, combined with the knowledge that it used to belong to pirates thanks to the droid SM-33, means it was all but confirmed that the Onyx Cinder is a mishmash of different types of ships. It was hobbled together by its previous owners, using any parts and elements they could scavenge from the victims of their piracy careers.

Regarding its design, the Onyx Cinder is medium-sized, likely about the same dimensions as the aforementioned Razor Crest from The Mandalorian. It has a black hull that is decorated with multiple white stripes. As evidenced in Skeleton Crew episode 1's ending, the Onyx Cinder possesses a hyperdrive and has six engines, three on either side of the vehicle with two at the front and four at the rear. The engines can rotate to make landing easier, with two turrets atop the hull allowing for space warfare.

The Onyx Cinder Has Likely Been Lost For 200 Years

At Attin's Mysterious Past Hints At The Onyx Cinder's Timeline

Kerry Condon as Fara in Skeleton Crew (2024) next to artwork of Lina Soh for Star Wars: The High Republic

Despite being found in Star Wars' New Republic timeline in Skeleton Crew, there are hints that the Onyx Cinder was first lost centuries before this. Firstly, it is worth exploring the planet on which it was found - At Attin - in order to explain this assumption. Initially, At Attin was presented as a fairly inconsequential planet in the Star Wars galaxy on which its inhabitants live their everyday lives. That said, Skeleton Crew has since hinted that the planet is more than meets the eye.

When trying to find help on the spaceport of Port Borgo, Wim, Neel, Fern, and KB are met with laughter and disbelief upon telling people they are from At Attin. The pirates, and another person who tries to help Fern and KB, refer to At Attin as the lost planet of eternal treasure, stating that no one knows if it even exists. This links to SM-33 stating that At Attin is not in his memory banks, despite the droid and his ship being found on the planet. Then, there is the potential Easter egg referencing Star Wars’ High Republic era.

Fern's mother in Skeleton Crew, Fara, mentions that the children of At Attin need to do well at school and pick a good career to contribute to the planet's Great Work. What this phrase pertains to remains to be seen, but it is very similar to an element from the aforementioned High Republic timeline. In the many High Republic books, set centuries before Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Chancellor Lina Soh wants to build "Great Works" to help the galaxy.

It may be the case that the Onyx Cinder was a ship during the High Republic era and got stranded on At Attin...

The fact that At Attin is hidden from the rest of the galaxy and potentially links to the High Republic could reveal when the Onyx Cinder was lost. It may be the case that the Onyx Cinder was a ship during the High Republic era and got stranded on At Attin. In the centuries it has been lost, At Attin could have faded from the memory of the wider galaxy - potentially being purposefully hidden if it connects to the High Republic - making the ship one that is strangely out of time.

Is The Onyx Cinder A Nihil Ship?

If the Onyx Cinder is from the High Republic era, it is highly likely it once belonged to a group of Star Wars villains named the Nihil. In the High Republic books, the absence of the Sith meant that the biggest threat to the Jedi was a group of pirates called the Nihil, which threatened Lina Soh's Great Works. Given the confirmation of the ship from Skeleton Crew as a pirate vessel and the links between At Attin and the High Republic era, the Onyx Cinder may have been one from the Nihil horde.

This would be significant as it would mean the ship has a Path drive. In the High Republic, the Nihil used Path drives to manipulate hyperspeed travel and avoid hyperspace lanes. This could be very useful to several people in Star Wars' New Republic era, as well as explain how the Onyx Cinder ended up on the seemingly hidden planet of At Attin. Overall, the Onyx Cinder's potential links to the Nihil is one of the mysteries the show has yet to answer as it moves into its final two episodes.

The Onyx Cinder's "Hunk Of Junk" Exterior Was A Trick All Along

The Ship Had A Sleek Secret

The Onyx Cinder in Star Wars Skeleton Crew

In Skeleton Crew episodes 5 and 6, some major reveals about the Onyx Cinder we provided. Firstly, the former name-dropped the ship as the Onyx Cinder for the first time, something the characters of the show were not aware of before. Secondly, it was revealed as such due to the discovery that the Onyx Cinder was once owned by Tak Rennod, whom Jod Na Nawood describes as one of the most infamous pirate captains in the galaxy. Then, Skeleton Crew episode 6 provided another, more materialistic reveal about the ship.

Upon hearing Tak Rennod's name, Jod Na Nawood deduced the name of the Onyx Cinder and concluded that At Attin was real once and for all.

In an earlier episode of the show, SM-33 warned the kids to never touch a button on the dashboard that activated the "emergency hull demolition sequence." In Skeleton Crew episode 6, the kids went against SM-33's warning in a time of great peril and pushed the button, revealing an entirely new ship beneath the Onyx Cinder's junk-based exterior. The mishmash elements of the ship fell away, revealing a sleek, stylish ship beneath that proved much more fitting for a renowned pirate captain.

Skeleton Crew's Onyx Cinder became much cooler and much less clunky after this transition. The new variant of the ship featured a more pointed design, with the engines at the back making the ship look like a cross between a U-Wing and the Mantis from the Star Wars: Jedi video games. This secret came as a big surprise, making the Onyx Cinder an even more important ship to Skeleton Crew's story than it first seemed.