Even earlier Star Wars: Skeleton Crew hit Disney+ people were obsessed with Neel. How could they not be? The adorable blue alien boy gave off such nice and sweet vibes that you just wanted to give him a hug. And, as we have seen in the first two episodesNeel lives up to that. But one thing these first looks and trailers What I failed to illustrate is Neel’s best feature: his hair.
watching Crew of skeletonsNeel’s hair was one of the first things that struck me. We are used to seeing aliens Star Warss. We’re even used to seeing aliens with hair (Chewbacca, anyone?) and blue aliens with trunks (Max Rebo, anyone?). But seeing this little guy, it’s one species yet to be revealed— Walking around with what looks like a perfectly groomed human side part/hairdo is a perfect decision on every level.
First of all, it’s beautiful. Second, it really helps define your character. Basically, decades of pop culture have led us to believe that this particular hairstyle is for a stereotypical “nerd.” Put on any teen comedy from the 1980s and once you go for the extremely out-of-date humor, you’re bound to find someone with this haircut, probably wearing a pocket protector and glasses, reaching for a scarf. See also Pee-wee Herman or Martin Short’s famous character Ed Grimley. The hairstyle/side part says “I have hair. I want to look straight. I think I look sharp, but maybe I don’t have style.”
Which is perfectly Neel! He is a sweet and loving boy who just wants to be at home, in his bath, with his siblings and family. And while he’s not a nerd per se, coding him like this makes him seem that much more vulnerable and precious. Even though all the crew members are about the same age, Neel somehow feels like the baby of the group. So, how Crew of skeletons move on, we must protect Neel at all costs. But maybe don’t give her a helmet because then we wouldn’t be able to see those beautiful, perfectly coiffed locks.
Maybe when/if the crew returns to At Attin and Neel reunites with his family, we can see a scene of him getting his hair done in the morning. Because you just know that he takes good care of it and makes sure it’s perfect before he goes off to school or on an adventure with his friend Wim.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew it’s now on Disney+. It returns every Tuesday night at 9pm EST with new episodes.
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