– Spoiler Review –
In Star Wars Resistance‘s “Signal From Sector Six,” Poe Dameron checks in on Kazuda Xiono, but the two stumble into an abandoned ship and deal with more than they bargained for, while their rescue of someone aboard will have grave consequences in the episodes ahead.
Having actors like Oscar Isaac and Gwendoline Christine reprise their roles for their appearances in episodes of Star Wars Resistance has been stellar, as it makes the universe feel a little more cohesive, much like Rebels was able to do with Rogue One actors during its run. Knowing that Poe is returning to the show would seem to signal some important new event, considering it means they had Isaac back to voice his hotshot pilot role. While “Signal From Sector Six” ends up having more fun with Poe and Kaz hanging out, investigating mysterious distress signals from pirate-attacked ships, it does move the plotline of the First Order’s plans, via a protection racket using pirates, forward in a significant way. I’m happy Poe coming around can simply be the two of them spending time together, as it helps make the idea he and General Leia would throw an under-trained operative into a spy role a little easier if he’s giving pep-talks every once in awhile and allowing Kaz to stretch his wings, which doesn’t set up an expectation of a Poe appearance equaling big events. Not only is the cohesiveness a factor in getting film actors back to perform their roles, it makes the the reunion and love between Poe and BB-8 more genuine, even if it’s a little hard to understand how this overlaps with the recently finished Poe comic, where BB-8 was always at Poe’s side at roughly the same time period. Besides Poe’s hate for Kowakian monkey-lizards, my favorite part of his appearance here was the moment he fired off some warning shots to scare the little Kowakians’ attacking Kaz and ends up accidentally killing one.
Overall “Sector Six” was a really fun episode, with some good laughs, as a salaciousness of Kowakians (I’d love to hear someone else’s suggestions for what to call a collection of Kowakians by the way!) attacking Poe, Kaz, BB-8, and CB-23 led to some hilarious, but creepy encounters with the odd little creatures. Of course the big surprise, literally and figuratively, was the Kowakian ape! Never in a million years did I suspect there’d be even bigger and creepier version of the creature most commonly known due to Salacious Crumb in Return of the Jedi, but it absolutely works in a terrifying, enjoyable way. Resistance has really added both creatures and species at a relentless pace and I’m happy they added this one to the list, as they easily could’ve reused the formidable creatures Poe lists this episodes (gundarks, rathtars, and reeks) and been done with it. Instead they went for something new and had a good time with it too, ensuring a whole new generation (or even the older ones) get nightmares from the ghoulish creatures of Star Wars.
Of course the development “Sector Six” will be best known for is the proper introduction of Synara San, a pirate seen in “The Triple Dark,” though some viewers might not have realized it as she was masked and not named. Kaz and Poe believe her to be the sole surviving crew member of the ship transporting the Kowakians, but the episode doesn’t wait long to reveal her true nature, though it keeps them in the dark. I liked how the episode handled the reveal, as instead of letting the episode end with her now on the Colossus after Kaz and Yeager give her a fake ID to stay awhile, it first has Yeager provide an ominous warning anything she does will be on Kaz, the music stays a hint dark, and then lays it all out as she chats with pirate leader Kragan Gorr. Learning this wasn’t planned, and that she and Kragan decide to take advantage of her new situation, elevates her nefarious reveal, as it would’ve been quite silly for the whole thing to have been orchestrated. Since Kaz sees the best in people, like he did Rucklin in “Fuel for the Fire,” and even saves the jerk-face despite his betrayal, makes me wonder if Kaz will try to cover for Synara or still help her despite whatever she’ll do to the Colossus; which would add even more fuel to the traitor fire towards him, as I was theorizing in my review of “The Children from Tehar,” as Yeager, if he turns out to be the First Order spy, could use this against Kaz as well to further discredit anything Kaz might say when everyone finds out there’s a mole on the station. Now we not only have the potential FO spy and the events of The Force Awakens/The Last Jedi hanging over the show, we also having whatever trouble Synara may get into, raising the stakes for the final episodes this season.
Here are a few other things:
- It’s a little bits that stick out the most sometimes: there are a dearth of female-coded droids so it was nice that CB-23 turned out to be one; Kaz being tired didn’t have any real bearing on the episode, but it made him more relateable as it’s rare characters act tired in Star Wars; Tam certainly didn’t quite buy the “salvaging job” Yeager had for Kaz, building on her slight suspicions already.
- I first saw it from Kaz’s voice actor, Christopher Sean on Twitter, but the credits and the Bucket’s List for “Sector Six” confirm it: Dave Filoni voices some of the Kowakians. Is he the one providing Bucket’s voice, as the droid is listed as “Himself” much like Chopper was in Rebels, or is it someone else like Amy Beth Christiansen or Justin Ridge giving it a go for this show?
“Signal From Sector Six” isn’t as meaty as the previous couple episodes, but it’s a fun break for Star Wars Resistance while still laying the groundwork for what’s to come.
+ Poe and Kaz being friends, hanging out in X-wings or battling Kowakians
+ Synara San’s proper introduction
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
STAR WARS RESISTANCE REVIEWS:
Season One – 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. 1.8: “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