You know the deal by now. It’s the finale of the first season of Star Wars: Resistance. Kaz, Yeager and the rest of the Colossus Resistance must find a way to escape the First Order and get to safety.
Let’s break it down.
1. And They Shall Know This
Resistance‘s finale opens on a day that will be long remembered, as the First Order’s Starkiller Base fires on Hosnian Prime and wipes out the New Republic Senate. This is a moment that was a major turning point in The Force Awakens in theory, but one that I don’t think landed emotionally in the same way Alderaan’s destruction did in A New Hope. What marked Alderaan’s destruction as important was that it was witnessed by Leia, a character we, the audience, had followed through the film from it’s opening moments. The massive loss of life was made more relatable by connecting it to Leia’s grief at losing her family, her friends and everyone she grew up with.
In The Force Awakens, the audience has no personal connection to Hosnian Prime. No one we know or care about is on the planet (well, there is Leia’s aide Korr Sella, but her establishing scene was cut) and we’re never really enmeshed in the workings of the New Republic to appreciate the impact of its disappearance. Resistance goes a long way to rectify some of these things by having Kaz mourn his home, his family (who we never actually saw but knew existed) and where he grew up. It shows what the galaxy lost and why the Resistance that is left is so vital to the survival of the galaxy.
2. Flushed Away
So, how do you solve a problem like a station full of stormtroopers when you’re a kids focused Star Wars show that is trying to avoid lengthy blaster fights in corridors? Why, you come up with a setpiece in which the characters use their environment and exploit the fact that the station is underwater to flush the majority of the stormtroopers out into the sea. This was clever and incredibly well done primarily for the fact that it continues Resistance‘s trend of having non-violent action scenes (at least, they’re non-violent so long as you’re not in a cockpit) that are a smart use of the environment and effective use of slapstick. I hope we get more like this in the next season.
3. Raising The Colossus
Last episode, when Neeku found out that the Colossus had a hyperdrive, I was really hoping for a reveal like this: that the Colossus is actually an old (possibly Imperial?) space station that had been almost entirely submerged in the water. The hows and whys of its submerging remain elusive, but I have no doubt it’s linked to Captain Doza’s… let’s say retirement from the Imperial Navy. I hope we get a bit more on the history of the Colossus in the new season because it seems like it’ll continue to be the base of this Resistance when they return. That is, if they ever figure out where they’re jumping to.
4. Tam’s Turn
So, I guess this is what it’s all been building to. From Tam’s initial sympathy with the First Order’s cover as a faction looking only to bring peace and security to the galaxy to the revelation that Kaz and Yeager were Resistance spies to the betrayal at learning that they had both lied to her from the very beginning. It all lead to that one moment when Tam had to decide between escaping the Colossus with the First Order or remaining and forgiving Kaz and Yeager.
And she went with the First Order.
Let me just say: I completely understand why the show did this. In order to make the stakes of the ideological war between the Resistance and the First Order, they both have to be actively trying to recruit not just bystanders, but from the other side. And having someone so close to Kaz and Yeager turn their backs on the idea of the Resistance is crushing to them.
I just wish it wasn’t Tam. I know exactly why it is Tam because she was the innocent, but hardworking one from the very beginning and having her give that up to join the First Order is a major blow. She’s also one of the few black women in Star Wars and she’s still being treated like trash by the narrative. I wish Star Wars was better than this.
Continued below5. Flight Of The Aces
This has been the thing I have waited all season for: Kaz and Yeager and the Aces taking the fight to the First Order in their ships. The massive dogfight above the Colossus, defending it as it rises from the water from TIE Fighters, that eventually escalates to include Vonreg, pirates and even a Star Destroyer. It was glorious, and the kind of thing I wish this show had built its identity around. There have been more than a few dogfight scenes in the show, but the in between bits just felt so static and directionless sometimes.
It feels like with this two part finale, Resistance finally found what works for the show and I hope we continue to see it build on that in the second season and beyond.
[DIVIDER]And that’s all, folks! We’ve come to the end of the first season Star Wars: Resistance! What did you think of the season as whole? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter @alicewcastle. While we must bid farewell to Resistance for the time being, we have lots of Star Wars to come this year: Celebration Chicago is in a month and of course The Mandalorian, the return of Clone Wars and, of course, Episode IX later this year!
While I might not be around the site to cover them, I’ll always be talking Star Wars on Twitter.
May the Force be with you.
