Another planet, another chance for our motley crew of rebels to get into some trouble. And lucky for them, it’s televised! Wait, lucky for us. It’s time for another Five Thoughts on Vagrant Queen. Intrepid Elida and her band of boobs get abducted by her own loyalists, and hijinks ensue. Elida’s old guardian Hath is back in the picture and ready to assist in the rescue of her captured mother. Turns out those two bumbling loyalists chasing Elida across the galaxy work for him. And, of course, Hath and his company have ulterior motives.
On the flip side, Issac and Amae get some one-on-one time as they go looking for parts to fix their ailing ship. It seems like every episode is going to have some sort of mechanic side action. Let’s dive right in. Minor spoilers ahead.
1. “Another galaxy, not yours” tag better have a payoff
We are three episodes in, and the tagline “Another galaxy, not yours” shows up in every location screen. I imagine we will see an “Another galaxy, YOURS!” screen when we check in on Issac’s wife and five-year-old child at some point. Perhaps in the final episode of the season. I say this because it’s such a specific phrasing for where our heroes are in the universe, it needs to have context added at some point. I already know they aren’t in my galaxy, as none of those alien races exist anywhere near us. As far as I know. I am calling it now because the writers don’t pay that off in a smart way, it will be a colossal waste. It will, however, justify how much I dislike it.
2. “What’s easy isn’t always what’s right” are words to live by
Elida’s mom drops a beautiful gem of a life lesson on her daughter and us. Sometimes the easiest thing to do isn’t the best course of action. Sometimes you need to do the hard stuff and reap the rewards later. General Dessai’s plan to destroy a port to strike a blow at the Republic is very much the easy way out. Just as smashing a sandcastle is easy. Destroying is easy. The hard part is building the sandcastle. It takes time, dedication, and the rewards are much sweeter than a mound of pounded sand. Elida opts to follow her mother’s past advice. She chooses to look for a solution that will be much harder but will pay off in the end. Stealth is hard. Subterfuge is difficult and time-consuming. But the reward is keeping her mom alive. We can all learn from that. Don’t take the easy way out.
3. Guns that run on batteries seem like a bad idea
I don’t know much about guns, other than what video games and action films have misinformed me on. Firearms with cells that require daily charging seem counter-intuitive. I don’t recall if the guns in this universe require ammo. Or if the shots are derived from the energy in the battery. If there are ammo AND a battery that needs charging, just use swords because that who gun situation is stupid. If it’s only batteries, it’s still pretty dumb. Reloading a clip into a gun quickly is possible and effective. From everything I know about changing the batteries in literally any device, its time consuming and unnecessarily complicated. God bless them if they have to deal with lining up the plus (+) or minus (-) symbols mid gunfight. If that’s the case, you are already dead.
4. I like this new robot, it has spunk
Winniebot is fun. Her no-nonsense spunk is not a unique trait in pace robots, but it works. She knows deep down in her circuits that she is the fastest model of her series. She is capable of anything, as long as you give her what she needs. She reminds me of every developer I have ever worked with. As long as you provide them with a ticket with all the relevant information, they can build anything. Winniebot is ready to do it all, including fly the whole damn ship, as long as you download her appropriate firmware. The tank treads were a nice touch as well. Massive shoutout to the tree branch bit. You can almost see the determination on her non-face when she pivots around it.
5. How famous is Elida’s face?
So she had to flee from the Republic when she was 10. Now she’s in her 20’s. Would she be recognizable as the Queen today? That slimy guy Grubber McCoy goes off to rat out Elida to the Republic. Not because anyone tells him who she is, but because her face is familiar. This can only be because Elida is the worst hider in the universe. Killing folks and rampaging around the galaxy has definitely made her a target.
It all goes back to Elida’s choice of profession as she tries to hide in the universe. It’s obvious she’s not trying to hide, and it’s also apparent the Republic either really doesn’t care about catching her. Run a red light and see if you don’t get the ticket. And that’s local government. You are telling me an all-powerful galactic empire can’t nab one runaway queen?
The wrap-up
Elida’s story gets a booster shot in the rump. Hath and his cohorts have arrived to fuel the ship that is Vagrant Queen. We now have a plan of attack to get Elida’s mother back, and I am finally getting invested in the story. Will they save Elida’s mom? Is the Queen Mother even alive? How will their subterfuge go now that Grubber McCoy has given up their location and possibly plan? There are things at stake, folks. Not to mention the know-it-all robot is in play. Join me next week for another Five Thoughts on the rebel queen Elida.
