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The First Order closes in during this week's Star Wars: Resistance
It’s another two-episode recap for Star Wars: Resistance as we’re speeding toward the series finale. In “the New World,” Doza may have finally found a safe harbor for the Colossus, but the indigenous people take issue to the platform’s presence. And in “No Place Safe,” Kaz finally decides to rejoin the Resistance, but the First Order’s plans make Kaz rethink his decision and his place aboard the Colossus.
Warning: This recap contains spoilers for Season 2, Episodes 15 and 16 of Star Wars: Resistance.
Swapna: These were two interesting episodes! The show is really picking up the pace and setting up the series’ endgame.
Preeti: I’m going to be the downer here and say that these were not my favorite episodes — I didn’t understand a lot of the character motivation, and I feel like it was a lot of action to reassert what we already know!
Swapna: You know what, I do agree with you in some respects. Let’s start with “The New World.” I really sympathized with the indigenous lifeforms here, because clearly contact with the New Republic, Resistance, and First Order hadn’t worked out well for them in the past. And Doza is basically asking these people to risk their necks to shelter the Colossus.
Preeti: I loved the visuals in this episode. Resistance has consistently created some of the most interesting alien landscapes and life forms over the course of its two seasons, and this fits right in with their track record.
But I wasn’t sure how to feel about that conversation that Kaz had with Griff about why he left the Empire with Doza. It almost felt like they were downplaying how evil the Empire was, and that Griff’s decision was based on Doza giving him a choice and the failure of the Empire, rather than reacting to the atrocities the Empire committed? It didn’t sit right with me.
Swapna: I get that, and I think I’d feel the same if I hadn’t read so much of the Expanded Universe stuff (which, I always say that you shouldn’t have to engage with that to understand individual pieces of Star Wars media, and I 100% stand by it). But the idea is that most people who worked for the Empire didn’t see or experience or even hear about the atrocities because the propaganda machine was so efficient. It’s only after the destruction of Alderaan that it became truly apparent. I am NOT an Empire apologist at all, but that’s the narrative Star Wars has given us. I’m not sure how to feel about it all, to be honest.
Preeti: That makes sense! But so does your point about people not being asked to read all the supplemental material to learn about that aspect of it. I think a simple fix would have been Kaz pushing back against that, or at least mentioning it. It felt like a missed opportunity to flesh out that relationship and Griff’s character (since they chose to have him be the one to accompany Kaz). We saw the evil in gold-armor-whose-name-I-never-remember, when he says “we’ll fix the mistake” of letting the locals live, but I want our heroes to understand and recognize it, too.
Swapna: Yes!! I completely agree that it feels as though Doza and the others never truly took into account the danger they were putting the indigenous population in. It’s like how the platform-ers deal with Tam joining the First Order: They know the organization is wrong. It seems as though that isn’t applied as much within the show to the Empire? Does that make any sense at all?
Preeti: Yes! The Empire is this theoretical thing, almost. Even though we know Doza’s relationship to it, and the reasoning for his wife’s joining of the Resistance — everything this season, specifically, has felt very surface level. That actually leads right into my second frustration: the conversation Yeager and Kaz have at the end of “The New World” was very confusing. In the first season, Kaz wants to be a pilot, yes, but a pilot working with Poe Dameron in the Resistance. This idea that Kaz’s goal has been to race as an Ace pilot on the Colossus? I’m not sure where that came from.
Swapna: Yeah, I agree. I mean, that was Kaz’s cover for being on the platform, right? A mechanic and pilot who eventually wants to become an ace — but his real motivation was always to pilot and spy for the Resistance. That didn’t jump out to me during the conversation, but you’re completely right.
I also had issues with Tam (surprise!) in “The New World.” I think she was ready to take down Kaz, and she almost sacrificed herself for the First Order. I know she’s conflicted but that doesn’t seem in line with her more recent actions.
Preeti: Seriously! We know Tam is conflicted, we’ve seen her several times make concessions to help out the Resistance from her place within The First Order — so her actions in this episode were just more of the same waffling. She hesitated to shoot Kaz down but saved higher-ups in the Order. We get it, you’re conflicted. I was really hoping that her ship might crash down on the Colossus after shooting down that bomb that Kaz set off, but instead, she got promoted.
Swapna: It would have been the perfect time for her to switch sides, and I’m disappointed that the writers didn’t make that choice for her! This storyline has been dragging out a little too long, especially because it’s pretty clear at this point she’s going to turn her back on the First Order.
Preeti: It really has. I hope they don’t want for the last two episodes for her to switch sides. I want to see at least some of Tam getting to help plan how they’re going to fight against the First Order. I also want to see how all the people on the Colossus who were upset with Kaz leaving to join the Resistance contend with the fact that they can’t run away from the fight.
Swapna: I feel like this episode introduced a lot of stuff that should have been discussed way earlier in the season. And because we only have a few episodes left, it’s not going to get the consideration it deserves.
Preeti: This feels like where the show could have benefited from another few seasons. A slow build to understanding your place in the Rebellion or the Resistance is fine. We watched it happen in Rebels and could have happened here, but because it’s such a truncated story, it has less time to do so much in. That’s frustrating.
Swapna: Or I think they even could have explored it this season, but instead they had quite a few filler episodes. It’s as though the writers thought they’d have a season or two more, and already had the early season scripts written, so when the cancellation came through they realized they had to stuff a whole lot of plot and exposition into the back half of the season.
Preeti: That’s definitely how it feels! Like, I can appreciate how in a longer show, having back to back episodes of the false hope of a new home immediately shattered with “No Safe Place” is great — but with only a few episodes left in the series? I wanted more.
Swapna: I agree. And it’s sad because I do genuinely love the show and I think these episodes could have been great, and I hate being negative. But the themes were just too rushed, and as you pointed out, some of the character stuff didn’t make sense.
I did want to mention a few things that I did really like — such as the indigenous creatures! They reminded me of the Zora from Zelda.
Preeti: Ha ha, I had the same thought! Like I said above, I love how much work the artists and animators put into creating all these new worlds and creatures. Also, did you catch the mention of Batuu??!! I always appreciate getting those connections to the larger universe.
Swapna: I did, and I was excited! It was also nice to see Norath again, and I hope that, despite Kaz’s decision (which I think was the right one), we’ll see more of Poe and the rest of the Resistance before the show’s end.
Preeti: I always want more Poe Dameron, so wholeheartedly going to be crossing my fingers for that one.
Swapna: And I laughed out loud when Kaz imitated Yeager in the cockpit! That was a nice touch, and it was lovely to see how far Kaz’s (previously non-existent) mechanic skills have progressed since he joined the Colossus.
Preeti: It gave me major Kristoff-speaking-as-a-reindeer vibes, so suffice to say I loved it. Plus, Neeku’s over the top responses to Kaz leaving and then immediately returning were character decisions I 100% believed and appreciated!
Swapna: Yes, and Kaz struggling to warn the Colossus about the First Order while Neeku was strangle-hugging him was great!
Preeti: Overall, I’m hoping they can bring it back around next week! They’ve set up (or re-set up as it were) a lot of big pieces, and now it’s time for those pieces to have some impact on the plot.
