What is the First Order doing in the Unknown Regions on Star Wars Resistance?

In “The Core Problem,” Poe Dameron arrives on the platform to swap BB-8 out for a different droid — after all, he has orders from General Organa to make his way to Jakku. Before that happens, though, he and Kaz head out to the Unknown Regions and find a surprise. Planets have been completely destroyed, and the First Order must be to blame.

Preeti: This felt like a big episode, or at the very least, the episode before a BIG episode. We got a mention of Jakku, Poe and Kaz going on a very tense mission, and a reference to a temple of some sort. And then that droid!

Swapna: When Poe said that General Organa had ordered him on a mission to Jakku, I gasped. I knew we were going to overlap with The Force Awakens at some point, but I didn’t think it would come that quickly!

Preeti: I was hoping for quick, to be honest. Like we talked about in an earlier recap, maintaining the tension of a show when you know the outcome is difficult. This was a great way to up the stakes!

Swapna: Agreed! I was wondering if it was too quick, because The Last Jedi takes place right after The Force Awakens, but then I remembered that the final installment of the trilogy comes out this Christmas. Which means, with the show about to wrap up its first season, it seems like it’s not going to drag its feet in moving the plot forward.

Preeti: It’s thrilling to think that this show might cover ground that ties into the as-of-yet-untitled Episode IX. But even without knowing that, this episode was a nail biter. I love every time Oscar Isaac shows up to voice Poe, I feel like we get a little more insight into his character (especially tying the Poe from The Force Awakens into the Poe from The Last Jedi). His disregard for danger — how many times can he jump off of a moving ship??? Or his harebrained schemes. I love all of it, even while I’m yelling at him to dial it down a few notches.

Swapna: I agree! I’m so glad they have Poe in this show, as it gives us a connection to the larger Star Wars universe.

Preeti: So necessary to remind us of the bigger picture, because the show can feel very insular at times. I want to quickly shout out the music during the gravity well sequence — did you get thrown back to Hoth? Because I think my heart rate actually accelerated thanks to the soundtrack (though that may be flashbacks to the Hoth sequence in the Nintendo 64 game …)

Swapna: I definitely felt some Empire Strikes Back musical cues throughout this episode. We didn’t find out too much more about the First Order’s plans — though we know they are destroying planets. Is this all a part of building, maintaining, and fueling their fleet? I feel like we’re being set up for a different reveal than what we already know about the First Order. Everything keeps building, and the writers keep upping the ante. But then I worry I’m expecting too much and will end up disappointed by where it leads!

Preeti: Yes! I was a little disappointed when Kaz and Poe didn’t venture further into the temple, I was dying to see if there was a deeper connection there. And I worry that whatever this is building to won’t feel as groundbreaking as the story might need it to.

Swapna: I think that this is the difference between Clone Wars and Rebels. We got some big reveals in Rebels because we only knew roughly how things would end, whereas, in Clone Wars, it was about the smaller character moments and showing us the larger galaxy. We still don’t know what path Resistance is taking, but I have a feeling we’re going to find out before the season is through.

Preeti: I’m being selfish because I want both. It feels like all these characters have so much potential … I’m thinking about how they sort of squandered the opportunity in the episode about Yeager’s past, and I’m hoping that the end of this week’s episode means we’ll be getting more of Tam … but it does seem like they’re taking on the Rebels approach to bigger reveals.

Swapna: Yep. For example, there’s still a lot about Captain Doza we don’t know, and it’s possible there’s stuff in Yeager’s past we’ll find out about later.

Preeti: It’s also fair to say that every season of Rebels is drastically different than the season before, in terms of depth and narrative, I think we’ll see something similar from Resistance in that way. This season has been a lot of set up, and I think it will pay off long term. I don’t know what that means for any reveals we’ll get before the end of the season, but if they have the opportunity, I think we’ll get really strong, wider-world storytelling down the line.

Swapna: I think you’re definitely right. After all, once Episode IX comes out, their storytelling won’t be as shackled and I think we’ll be able to see more of what’s going on in the galaxy.

Preeti: Can we have a moment of silence for BB-8 who has left the crew to adventure with Poe? I am somewhat distraught, even though I knew it had to happen. And even though I very much dig CB-23’s maroon and teal paint job.

Swapna: Yes! I’m glad they gave us BB-8 for as long as they did, but we know it’ll be a little while before we see him (or Poe) again. I am looking forward to getting to know CB-23 though.

Preeti: I think there’s a lot of personality in that one, so agreed! Did you notice that Kaz brought that Twi’lek doll with him when they left the moon?

Swapna: I didn’t! That’s sweet. You can tell that Kaz is really taking the First Order’s campaign of destruction personally. This might have started out being an exciting spy gig for him, but it’s become about the people being hurt and killed. He’s got such a good heart.

Preeti: It was a nice moment for us to be reminded, as well. We know the Empire well, but we still don’t have a view of the First Order, other than being evil on a large-scale level. It’s good to be reminded of the pain they can cause to actual individuals.