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We finally meet a new family member in this week's Star Wars: Resistance
This week on Star Wars: Resistance, in an episode called "Rendezvous Point," we meet an old Rebellion pilot friend of Yeager's who has a link to Doza and his daughter. That's right: Veniza Doza, Torra's mother, is here and she's fighting for the Resistance. While trying to meet up with the Colossus, Veniza gets captured by the First Order, so it's Tam who ends up spending time with her — by which we mean, taken hostage by so Veniza can try to escape.
Warning: This recap will contain spoilers for Season 2, Episode 8 of Star Wars: Resistance.
Preeti: Can I just start by saying how much I love that more often than not when there's a new character introduced, it's a woman of color? Also, Veniza Doza is my new hero.
Swapna: Agreed, completely! And Star Wars has quite a few women of color in the expanded universe, but quite a few of them work for the Empire or First Order. Here's a hero who believes incredibly strongly in the work that the Resistance does, and what's more her husband and daughter support her even though it takes her away from them. I loved this portrait of family.
Preeti: It gives us some insight into how the Rebellion and the Empire impacted families beyond just terror and loss. There are divides that happen, and some things are bigger than ourselves. I appreciated seeing that be celebrated and not demonized in a woman who chooses to fight for a better galaxy, even though it forces her to be separated from those she loves most. It's sad that they can't necessarily be together, but it's not a tragedy (I'm thinking primarily of Ezra and his parents in Rebels).
Swapna: Yes, exactly! Veniza is doing what she believes is best for her daughter, which is fighting to free the galaxy from the First Order's tyranny. She hasn't abandoned Torra, and clearly mother and daughter are still very close, despite their physical separation.
Preeti: I also really loved how Veniza was written. She had a very Poe Dameron and Han Solo feel — cocky, headstrong, but very self-assured. It's not often we get to see women play that role.
Swapna: She reminded me of the little we've seen of Shara Bey, Poe's mother, who we meet in the limited comic series Shattered Empire.
Preeti: You're right! I'm amped to see more of Veniza. But let's talk about her interactions with Tam, who I'm glad is finally getting another perspective because I am starting to be very frustrated by the way she's internalized Yeager and Kaz's betrayal. When Veniza says the thing about the Order going after whole planets — how do you reconcile that??
Swapna: Exactly. I think Tam is really starting to see through the First Order's claims, but she's still so angry at Kaz and Yeager that she's having trouble forgiving them. I'm hoping that her conversations with Veniza will help her move forward. Tam doesn't necessarily have to forgive them right away, but she can accept the situation for what it is and get back on the right side of the fight.
Preeti: I do hope she takes Elijah Wood-baby-bad-storm-trooper with her when she goes. I like the way their relationship has built.
Swapna: I hope Elijah Wood's douche canoe dies in a fire? But to each their own!
Preeti: LOL FAIR ENOUGH. But I think Tam's going to need someone who has seen what she's seen. That ending with Agent Tierny was pretty ominous.
Swapna: Agreed. My thing with Tam here is that she needs to separate her issues with her friends from the galactic politics going on — she can't see past her own anger, and maybe that's the case as well with Jace Rucklin. They might actually work well together in this case.
Can we talk about the bombshell that Doza betrayed the Empire and defected to the Rebellion? I loved that!
Preeti: Yes!! I kept hearing Riz Ahmed's Bodhi Rook voice like, "I defected." This changes my perspective on last season when we learned Doza had been an Imperial officer. The way he looks at his old uniform feels less regretful now, and more anxious about potentially heading back into a war in which he's up against a powerful force.
Swapna: Yes! Now the uniform feels to me like a warning/reminder to fight against tyranny. I really love the way the writers have developed Doza's character over these two seasons. He started out as a character we had no idea if we could trust, and one who seemed ominous. Now it's clear he's trying to do the right thing while protecting his daughter and the members of the platform.
Preeti: But this episode still leaned into the running thread of the season, which is questioning his leadership of the Colossus — this time we saw it from the Ace pilots. Torra was there to nip that conversation in the bud, but I do think they're building to something with all these separate perspectives on Doza's decision-making.
Swapna: Yeah, I agree. There's something brewing there, and especially considering this is the last season, I do wonder where that storyline will go.
Preeti: This season will end after The Rise of Skywalker, right?
Swapna: That's my assumption. The last season ended in March, so it's safe to assume this one will do the same. But assuming there are no time jumps in Resistance, it looks like we might be getting some post-The Last Jedi fill-in from the show.
Preeti: I appreciate that the show, thus far, has stood on its own pretty well, but I'm looking forward to a more direct tie-in to the films only because this is our viewpoint into a larger Resistance… we haven't seen more of the Resistance itself in the movies beyond Poe's squadron and the loss of Leia's forces in The Last Jedi.
Swapna: I'm really hoping we'll get some tie-in to Rebecca Roanhorse's Resistance Reborn.
Preeti: That's a good point! There's no specific crossover in Resistance Reborn, right? But there's potential?
Swapna: Yep, there's potential! The characters aren't mentioned but, without going into spoilers, the remnants of the Resistance split up a bit to accomplish a few goals. So it's quite possible they could make contact with the Colossus or even meet up with them later.
Preeti: We are living in a Star Wars renaissance and I am very much here for it, so I hope we get that!
