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Five Thoughts On Star Wars: Resistance‘s “The New Trooper”

By | February 11th, 2019
Posted in Television | % Comments

The First Order’s occupation of the Colossus is in full swing, there are stormtroopers roaming the halls and stopping civilians for ID checks at every corner. Now, what happens when one trooper fails to report in and all of a sudden Kaz has to step in and assuming his role? Well, let’s find out as we dive into another episode of Star Wars: Resistance.

1. No Politics At The Dinner Table

I’ve had this exact argument over the dinner table multiple times in my life. One side is advocating for the empathy of beings over the authority of the regime and the other is advocating the security of governance over the safety of the people. It sucks, but it’s something of human nature. Not everyone can agree, even within a family, but the most we (and by we I mean, compassionates, and by compassionates I mean me) can do is hope we can influence the rest in such a way that they see that the needs of the people outweigh the needs of the system.

2. Life As A Trooper

I quite liked the premise of this episode, it’s not exactly what I would have assumed going in based on the title, but it did allow for the show to go in an unexpected direction. Sure, I could continue to go on about the show’s penchant for slapstick over action, how the presence of blasters remains downgraded and how Kaz is still a bumbling idiot, but those aspects have almost become part of the charm.

What I enjoyed was seeing Kaz experience the First Order’s occupation from within the helmet of one of its troopers. It almost reminds me of that issue of “The Invisibles” that details the life and history of an otherwise unnoteworthy henchman killed by King Mobs a few issues prior. It puts a face and a person behind the helmet, reminds the audience that there is someone personally responsible for the curbing of civil liberties while, in the end, reinforcing the fact that these soldiers are literally brainwashed with the ideology of the First Order.

3. The Episode That Could Have Fixed Tam’s Arc

Now, there wasn’t as much resolution to this as I’d like because, once again, the episode kind of forgets about Tam once Kaz’s main plot kicks in. Sure, she and Neeku continue to watch over the trooper in the lower levels and she at least acknowledges that, despite the trouble Kaz got into, he at least helped the kids… but that’s it. Despite continuing to push this divide between Tam and Kaz over their opinion of the First Order, the show doesn’t actually seem interested in either showing why Tam continues to think that in the face of, y’know, everything that happened in this episode or showing Tam coming around to Kaz’s side after seeing what the First Order is really doing to the citizens of the platform.

Instead, the show once again posits the only black woman on the show as a strawman defender of the First Order as a source of protection despite the fact that the audience knows that Tam is textually in the wrong. It’s frustrating and I hope something comes around on this soon.

4. Pyre’s Command, Doza’s History

There’s something about Pyre casually digging into Captain Doza’s past with the Empire (and the show hinting at a past connection between the two?) before asking him to vacate his own office in order to discipline his trooper that is just… muah. Italian Chef Kiss™.

I’ll admit, I was skeptical of the implementation of Pyre in the beginning of the show. After Phasma turned out to be little more than an ideological foil for Finn to surpass in the films (not quite as “badass” as one would have hoped from the look and the marketing) and after Cardinal in the Phasma novel turned out to be the most milquetoast turncoat possible, I was not trusting of another “special” trooper. But, honestly, so far, so good. I hope they take Pyre places.

5. The Plan Revealed

Since the beginning of Resistance, we’ve known that the First Order have been aggressively targeting the Colossus for takeover and using the pirate raids as a cover for offering their protection. Now, Kaz and Yaeger finally know the reason why: the First Order have amassed a fleet far larger than anyone else currently in the galaxy and are planning on using the Colossus as a refuelling depot in a massive supply line as they make ready for war against the New Republic.

I’ll admit, I love the simplicity of that. It’s the kind of reasoning I had guessed last year, but I was expecting there to be some extra layer added on just to make it a bit more interesting. Instead, the focus is less on why the First Order want the Colossus, but on how they’re going to remove Doza and the civilians. There’s much more pertinent drama there and I love it.


//TAGS | Star Wars: Resistance

Alice W. Castle

Sworn to protect a world that hates and fears her, Alice W. Castle is a trans femme writing about comics. All things considered, it’s going surprisingly well. Ask her about the unproduced Superman films of 1990 - 2006. She can be found on various corners of the internet, but most frequently on Twitter: @alicewcastle

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