– Spoiler Review –
As the Colossus runs out of food, the citizens are threatening to leave. Opportunistic pirates try to twist this crisis to their advantage…join me as I review the latest episode of Star Wars Resistance: “Hunt on Celsor 3”!
Turns out, being constantly on the run from the First Order is hard work. Not only does the crew of the Colossus need to worry about running low on hyperfuel (and consider where to get more, as they have before), but they are also facing a shortage of food and drink. Even Aunt Z’s cantina is running low on food, threatening to quickly shut down her livelihood and her business ideals. One of the major draws of Resistance is that it shows us what war-time looks like for people who are only tangentially related to the galactic conflict. Sure, we’ve seen a lot of warriors before, including those who have lost their home planets, like Leia Organa. We’ve also seen people who join the side of the heroes because of what the villains have done to their homeworlds, like Rose Tico. But it’s not often we see what happens to the cantina owner or the fruit vendor. Thankfully, Resistance sheds light on their plight, showing us that not everybody who has been oppressed is pushed into galactic conflict as a hero or a warrior. Instead, it may push them to retreat, running from trouble, minding their own (literal) business. This adds a sense of realism and depth to the show, reminding us why it’s so important to stand for what’s right in the face of intense adversity. Because so many do not stand in the face of danger, it’s up to us to have courage to do so in their place.
Unfortunately, fear has gripped most of the crew of the Colossus hard. The pirates see this as a chance to take control of the ship, and they, along with Aunt Z, come up with a plan to get more food for everyone. What better source of food than a giant, flying, dangerous, toothed hunk of meat? That’s right: the pirates are going to chase down the jakoosk from last episode and offer it as food for the Colossus, much to the surprise of Yeager and Kaz.
Both Torra and Kaz recognize this for what it is: a take over through the stomach. The two accompany the pirates to Celsor 3, the official name for the ice moon. Since Kaz has been allowed to fly as a pilot, and not act as a wanna-be spy or mechanic, he’s really, really endeared himself to me. I truly wish the show would’ve moved him into this position a lot earlier, but I’m happy he’s here now. He and Torra have great chemistry as they bail the pirates out of their failed mission, returning to the Colossus empty handed.
Considering that there is no jakoosk meat, everybody threatens to leave again. This prompts Torra and Kaz to visit Celsor 3 again, this time with an E-Web repeating cannon to take down the jakoosk. Unfortunately, they take an unexpected visitor when Buggles joins Kaz on the Fireball. The second half of this episode fell flat for me, as it was mostly focused on keeping Buggles safe from the jakoosk. On one hand, I’m glad it wasn’t a third starfighter vs jakoosk fight, but moving this to the ground didn’t add a lot of tension to the episode.
Still, the heroes kill the jakoosk and bring the meat back to the Colossus for its inhabitants to eat. Celebrations ensues, giving Neeku one of his sweetest scenes on the show, followed by one of my favorite Neeku scenes, ever, when he discusses his love for food. (Even though Tam has my favorite character arc in the show, Neeku is one of my favorite Star Wars characters ever!) His role has been diminished so far in the few episodes we’ve seen of season 2, but I understand that the show being an ensemble means sacrificing certain elements. (I am slightly disappointed by the lack of scenes focusing on the First Order, as I have come to love those plotlines this season.) I’m not entirely sold that the show is balancing the cast quite as well as it could, but it doesn’t feel nearly as imbalanced as Rebels at some points.
All in all, this was a fun episode, but I don’t have a lot to say about it. While I understand that the show kind of needs to address the crew’s need for food, I felt like this episode was too long a diversion from the stories I am far more interested in: Tam Ryvora in the First Order and Kaz’s relationship with the fractured Resistance. That being said, this episode offered some of my favorite versions of the “March of the Resistance” music, so it was a treat to the ears.
+Kaz grows more confident/likeable as a pilot
+Seeing the cost of war brings depth
– Absence of the First Order plot line
You can follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisWerms, and of course, you can follow the Manor on Twitter @MynockManor!
STAR WARS RESISTANCE REVIEWS:
Season Two (by Chris) – Ep. 2.1: “Into the Unknown” | Ep. 2.2: “A Quick Salvage Run” | Ep. 2.3: “Live Fire”
Season One (by Ryan) – Ep. 1.1/1.2: “The Recruit” | Ep. 1.3: “The Triple Dark” | Ep. 1.4 “Fuel for the Fire” | Ep. 1.5: “The High Tower” | Ep. 1.6: “The Children From Tehar” | Ep. 1.7: “Signal From Sector Six” | Ep. 1.8: “Synara’s Score” | Ep. 1.9: “The Platform Classic” | Ep. 1.10: “Secrets and Holograms” | Ep. 1.11: “Station Theta-Black” | Ep. 1.12: “Bibo” | Ep. 1.13 “Dangerous Business” | Ep. 1.14: “The Doza Dilemma” | Ep. 1.15: “The First Order Occupation” | Ep. 1.16: “The New Trooper” | Ep. 1.17: “The Core Problem” | Ep. 1.18: “The Disappeared” | Ep. 1.19: “Descent” | Ep. 1.20: “No Escape” – Part One | Ep. 1,21: “No Escape” – Part Two