There’s a mutiny on the Colossus! What’s a captain to do? Enlist the help of a spy, of course… but not Kaz. Read on to find out who Doza entrusts the fate of his entire ship with and beware of spoilers.
1. Breaking the fourth wall
This was the last thing to happen in the episode, but the first thing I want to talk about. I’ve spent the majority of the season griping about how unconvincing a spy Kaz is; he is bad at his job. I always assumed that was because Resistance at its heart is a goofy kids show, nothing more, nothing less. And while I still stand by that assessment, imagine my delight when at the end of “The Mutiny,” Neeku basically calls Kaz out on it. It was glorious!
Without rehashing the entire episode in this one bullet, basically Neeku is given a spy job while Kaz is kept in the dark about it. Neeku succeeds spectacularly by secretly programming the B1 droid to be solely in charge of Kragan’s super battle droids, which leaves Kaz feeling a little hurt despite his joy for his friend and relief that the pirates weren’t actually able to take over the Colossus. After all, Kaz is the spy, not Neeku! Why wouldn’t they have asked him to help?
Neeku of course reassures Kaz that everything he learned about spying, he learned from Kaz. Then, because he has no tact, proceeds to explain what exactly he’s learned from watching Kaz: “As long as you look naive and clumsy, no one will know your true motivations! You just have to look somewhat inept and uncertain…”
I guess the Resistance team is aware that their main character is a little lacking in skills after all! Does that make the fact better? Not at all, but I did feel vindicated that at least someone said it. I was beginning to feel like all my exasperated sighs and frustrated yelling at the TV were going nowhere. Vindication!
2. Can we all agree the pirates are more trouble than they’re worth?
I’ve been wondering for a while now why Doza has kept the pirates around. They’ve been nothing but trouble, really, and considering how often the Colossus is in a low supply crisis, you’d think they’d want as little mouths to feed as possible. Kragan is a bully who has very little to offer with the exception of Synara, who’s proven to be an asset to the Colossus more than a few times. Why not offload them the first chance you get?
This episode attempts to deal with exactly that. For some reason, Doza lets Kragan and his team (sans Synara) leave the ship for whatever reason and they come back with some contraband super battle droids. Shocking! Of course they don’t let Doza know this (though he and Yeager are suspicious enough to send Neeku on his spy mission), because the goal of the droids is to help Kragan and his crew stage a mutiny and take the Colossus for themselves. Again, shocking.
It’s too bad, really, that the pirates are so single minded when it comes to their role on the Colossus, because they’ve actually provided a decent amount of amusement over the course of the season (the episode where they curse Kaz comes to mind, as does their random brawling in Aunt Z’s). I think there’s a lot of missed potential in pigeon holing them into such black and white character motivation, but I do sympathize with the difficulties of maintaining such a large ensemble cast. It’s hard to devote enough time to fleshing out 40 different characters, especially when the show insists on continuing to add more and more. Plus, I guess someone like Kragan doesn’t get into power by maintaining a secret heart of gold. A pirate’s life for him no matter what.
3. Return of the Crimson Corsair… but why?
Disney loves its tie ins, doesn’t it? This time it’s in the form of Sidon Ithano, a.k.a. the Crimson Corsair, a.k.a. the guy who Finn almost runs away with in The Force Awakens after visiting Maz Kanata’s place. In Resistance, Ithano is the person who sells Kragan his super battle droids. It’s clear the two have crossed paths before — Kragan refers to him as “the best weapons dealer in the galaxy.”
Continued belowIs it important to the episode to know that Ithano previously appeared in The Force Awakens? Not in the slightest, but I’m always curious when Disney makes decisions like this. Especially when it doesn’t seem to add anything to the show. Is it merely the convenience of not having to create an entirely new character out of thin air, or is it an attempt to manufacture some interconnected lore after Disney blew up the entire Star Wars EU?
One of my favorite things about Star Wars growing up was how the plots and characters extended over many different books written by different authors. It truly felt like its own existing universe, so when Disney decided to undo that it was alarming, to say the least (RIP Mara Jade). I thought I knew everything there was to know about Star Wars and now you’re saying I have to unlearn that and learn something new?! So now I always wonder if decisions like this are Disney trying to fast-track decades of lore into their new properties. Who knows. Either way, I think we can all agree that Ithano’s appearance in this episode was pretty unnecessary, but maybe it’ll help them sell more toys. I don’t know. I’d love to hear other people’s thoughts on this.
4. Neeku + B1 = A+ content
I love battle droids. I really, really do. There’s something about their tinny voice but also their mannerisms and dare I call it a sense of humor that’s really endeared them to me since they appeared in the prequels. So I was very excited when Neeku discovered B1, a battle droid, in with the shipment of faulty super battle droids that he was fixing for Kragan. B1 “roger rogers” himself into Neeku’s heart, and I think it’s safe to say that the two are going to be fast friends. After this episode, I have a strong desire to watch a Neeku and B1 buddy cop-esque episode where they go on some type of adventure together. It would be adorable! And great. Plus I’d sort of like to see Neeku on a mission that doesn’t involve Kaz. He is the character who makes me laugh the most and he has so much to offer, as this episode clearly showed.
5. Synara is here to stay
The pirates are banished from the Colossus — that is, all of them except Synara. She’s proven herself loyal to the Colossus time and time again and, given the choice, is more than happy to give up her life of pirating for the loyalty and stability of Kaz and crew. Kragan is taken aback by this — he raised her! — but it seems she’s caught the Resistance bug and is looking for more. Still, she clearly isn’t ungrateful for her years by his side and convinces Doza to strike a deal with the pirates: their freedom for the promise that they never return to the Colossus. Frankly, as I said at the beginning, it was about time. Still, it was kind of bittersweet to see them go. I wonder if this will actually be the last we see of them?
Either way, I’m looking forward to seeing what sort of role Synara falls into now that she isn’t under Kragan’s thumb. She’s clearly proved herself more than capable, especially in the last two episodes. I’d like to see her skills be put to good use going forward.
