Star Wars: Skeleton Crew features a young blue elephant-like alien named Neel as part of the main cast. However, his appearance confuses and divides the fandom, some wonder whether he is related to Max Rebo, another blue elephant who appeared in Return of the Jedi.
Here is your question answered.
Is Skeleton Crew’s Blue Elephant Neel related to Star Wars’ Max Rebo?
No, Skeleton Crew’s blue elephant Neel is not related to Max Rebo.
This was confirmed in a recent interview with series creators Jon Watts and Christopher Ford, published on the official Star Wars website. Here, they also shared some additional information regarding Neel. They talked about how the character acted like a “comedian” thanks to actor Robert Timothy Smith’s input on the portrayal. Watts and Ford also stressed how Smith’s portrayal of the character’s “gestures and physicality” was unlike anything seen before.
Neel’s portrayal is via a combined effort of facial motion capture, suit performance, and animatronic puppeteering of the head.
Skeleton Crew’s Neel leads to mixed fan reactions
Neel’s portrayal in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew has led to mixed fan reactions.
For instance, many netizens praised the character’s performance. One user claimed that Neel would give The Acolyte’s Qimir competition for the best performance of a Star Wars character in 2024.
However, one user was negative towards the portrayal of Neel, calling the blue elephant a “stupid gooney rip off” and expressed satisfaction that the character was not ruining Max Rebo’s portrayal, after it was confirmed they weren’t related.
Yet another user was confused by the decision to make Neel and Max Rebo from different species.
Jon Watts and Christopher Ford again addressed the relationship between Neel and Max Rebo in a TVLine interview and the fans’ confusion and wonder regarding the same. The two attributed fans’ belief of Neel and Rebo being the same due to profiling.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is streaming on Disney Plus. The series has garnered positive reviews from critics.
