We are definitely not in slow burn territory anymore. Star Wars Resistance is going full steam ahead and I am Here. For. It!
Although last week’s rescue mission went well, Kaz is in a brand new boatload of trouble. The First Order shows up at Yeager’s garage to arrest all of them for being a Resistance cell. Everyone gets away except for Tam who is arrested and also, coincidentally, the one truly innocent person in this whole mess. In an effort to save the station, Kaz and Yaeger hatch a truly absurd plan to try and break the communications blackout and get a message to the Resistance… they just have to get Captain Doza to agree.
First things first… I would like to bend the knee to the newly introduced Agent Tierny from the First Order Security Bureau. Everything about her design is just so good and she’s a breath of fresh air in the overwhelmingly male First Order we’ve been dealing with in the show so far. (Also! She’s voiced by Asian American actress Sumalee Montano!) Placing her opposite from Tam in this episode is a brilliant move. Tam’s inability to see how horrible the First Order will be for the galaxy has been frustrating yet understandable to an extent because law and order aren’t inherently bad things. It’s all about the execution. Adding Tierny into the mix is perfect because she treats Tam with dignity and not how you’d expect the First Order to deal with a prisoner. That scene would have been very different with Commander Pyre conduction the questioning. As much as I’ve been hoping Tam would wake up by the end of the season, this episode makes me less sure that will happen. Also, I can’t say enough good things about this show when it comes to diversity and representation. It was truly remarkable seeing two women of color, mechanic and agent, on the screen having that conversation. Star Wars, you sure have come a long way.
Speaking of wonderful women of color characters, Torra Doza continues to be a true delight every single time she’s on screen. She’s one of the few teenagers in Star Wars who actually feels like a teenager and who gets to act like one. Her enthusiasm is infectious and her way of looking at things is a nice counterpoint as the show gets darker and more serious. It seems as if the show may be setting things up for both of the Dozas to join the Resistance in some way, shape, or form next season and I could not be more excited.
Honestly, there’s so much going on in this episode that it’s hard to touch on everything but I don’t want to neglect Kaz or Yaeger. I loved seeing that Yaeger had an escape plan, something I suspect he probably does out of habit from his days in the Rebellion, and my heart just about broke when he was captured during the crazy plan to take out the communications black out. It’s definitely obvious how much Kaz has grown since his first day above the Colossus and how much the trust between him and Yaeger has grown too. And yet, Kaz is still that same person who sacrificed himself for his squadronmates without a second thought when we first met him in the premiere episode. I think that’s something a lot of people tend to forget about him: Kazuda Xiono is one of the bravest and most loyal friends you could ever ask for. He gets into trouble a lot and he’s not the best at being subtle of spying but he would fly to the end of the universe to help you and that’s incredibly admirable.
We know bad things are coming to the rest of the galaxy but I can’t get over how nervous I am for our friends on the Colossus as we’re coming up on the finale! I’m fine. You’re fine. Everything’s totally going to be fine… right?
