A LITTLE OVER five years ago, a little green creature took Star Wars fans, and, well, the entire internet by storm. When The Mandalorian premiered in November 2019, launching on the very first day of Disney+’s existence, a fleet of Star Wars loyalists tuned in excited to see a big-budget space Western about a Boba Fett-esque bounty hunter. The show was set to star Pedro Pascal, himself an ascendant star (though nowhere near the level he’s reached in 2024), and for most fans, that was enough to tune in.
But at the end of that show’s first episode, something changed. The show wasn’t just a space Western about a Clint Eastwood-esque bounty hunter in space; it was about that character protecting an adorable little green creature, known at first colloquially as “Baby Yoda” and officially as “The Child” before officially being named “Grogu” in the show’s second season. For our purposes, we’ll call him Baby Yoda, because that’s what he most clearly is: an adorable young version of a Star Wars creature of Yoda’s species, like the Star Wars version of the Muppet Babies takes on Kermit, Gonzo, and the rest (although, to be clear, Yoda and Grogu are two different characters).
Baby Yoda mania ensued. Memes were made. Merch was sold. To this day, with five years of existence, three seasons of The Mandalorian, and an upcoming film (aptly titled The Mandalorian and Grogu), the little green bundle of joy remains a sensation. Others in the Star Wars sphere have made similar impact; Rise of Skywalker was not a good movie, but at least it introduced Babu Frik. In the time since, though, the creature work has been lacking.
That is, until Star Wars: Skeleton Crew debuted. While the show centers on a quartet of space kids (including an Elephant-esque alien named Neel), episode 3 raised the game by introducing us to a character named “Kh’ymm” (pronounced like “Kim”). Kh’ymm is a space librarian, a map expert, and a friend of Jude Law’s mysterious Jod Na Nawood, a space pirate who we’re not sure can be trusted. But, as he tells the kids—lost from their home planet of At Attin and looking for a way to get home—he may not be their most trustworthy person, but she definitely isn’t trustworthy; she’s a noted backstabber. They have some kind of backstory, and, well, we’ll surely get there soon enough.
But once we see Kh’ymm, that all goes out the door, because she looks like the most adorable and funny Cat/Owl hybrid creature you’ve ever seen. How could this person not be trusted? Kh’ymm wants to help the kids get home, and, because how could you not trust a Cat/Owl hybrid speaking proper English, we believe. Well, that is, until Kh’ymm calls the authorities on Jod (who she calls Crimson Jack, perhaps a reference to his pirate past, perhaps a reference to Star Wars history in Marvel Comics, perhaps both). Jod reminds us that he said she can’t be trusted, but, like, come on, how could we resist.
Jod and the kids escape—only once he agrees that he works for them—and, it seems like the next step of the adventure is only beginning. But we’re just wondering when we’re going to get to see the Cat/Owl excellence of Kh’ymm once again. Considering the fact that Kh’ymm was featured in the show’s marketing, and that her voice actress—Alia Shawkat!—was at the show’s premiere, we have to assume it’ll be soon.
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Alia Shawkat plays Kh’ymm in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
Alia Shawkat plays Kh’ymm in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, going the same route as Lupita Nyong’o did in her role as Maz Kanata in the Star Wars sequel films—a very animated performance for a very animated character. And much in the same way that Maz was a delight to watch in The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and, yes, even The Rise of Skywalker thanks to Nyong’o’s committed performance, Kh’ymm is a delight in her introduction in the third episode of Skeleton Crew.
Shawkat hasn’t done anything like Star Wars before, but there’s a good chance you’ve seen her in something—and also a good chance that whatever you’ve seen was awesome. She’s probably still best known for her breakout role as Maeby in the cult favorite comedy series Arrested Development, but she also played the lead character of Dory in Max’s Search Party, a wildly funny and often surreal comedy series that began in 2016 and concluded in 2022. She’s also part of the main cast alongside Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow on FX’s The Old Man, and provided her voice for the underrated sci-fi animated series Scavengers Reign.
She’s also been a part of a number of major motion pictures, including a big role alongside Channing Tatum in this past summer’s Blink Twice. She made her film debut as a child actor in David O. Russell’s Three Kings, and also appeared in movies like Green Room, The Runaways, and 20th Century Women.
