When I heard about Star Wars Visions way back when all the new shows coming up were announced, it was pretty much last on my list concerning my interest level. I’m not an anime fan and don’t know much about it. But even with it at the bottom of my list, I knew I’d at least check it out when it released, out of curiosity if anything.
I’m pleasantly surprised to report that I enjoyed it, for the most part. It’s visually beautiful and looks at Star Wars from a different perspective, one that I found intriguing, for the most part. As I suspected, there were shorts that I really liked, even loved, while others were a little too “out there” for me, lol. Here’s a list of my personal ranking from best to worst, with some brief thoughts on each:
The Elder. I have to admit, I think this is my favorite because of the familiar Star Wars elements, mainly the Jedi Master/Padawan relationship. It looks like it could be right out of the Republic era. Master Taijin reminds me of Qui Gon Jinn (and I think maybe that was intentional), and so of course I loved him. I love that Taijin was voiced by David Harbour, from Stranger Things and Black Widow.
The Duel. I loved the look of this one, and the story was pretty intriguing, too (that’s why I ordered the novel based on it, called Ronin). I want to know this man’s story, and to learn about the alternate Jedi and Sith history.
The Ninth Jedi. I think everyone universally loved this one, and I thought it was great, too. I love the idea of lightsabers changing colors based on who wields it. And it’s ripe for continuation in either more shorts or books or whatever they want to do with it.
The Village Bride. I thought this one was lovely. I recognized the groom’s voice as Christopher Sean, who voiced Kazuda in Star Wars Resistance, which immediately endeared me.
Lop and Ocho. Despite the bunny (not a fan of the cutesy stuff), this one was pretty good. I liked the strained family dynamics, the very cool lightsaber, the adopted kid becoming the father’s heir.
Akakiri. This one committed the ultimate sin of being kind of boring, lol. The main character reminded me of Diego Luna, who plays Cassian Andor, which I thought was interesting even though there’s absolutely no connection, lol.
T0-B1. An obvious Pinocchio allusion, this one was a bit too cutesy for me. I’m intrigued by a droid training as a Jedi, though.
The Twins. Although this one looked cool and the story sounded promising, it was just too much for me. Fighting in the vacuum of space? Riding on top of a ship during hyperspace? The female sibling screaming dramatically and incoherently? No thanks.
Tatooine Rhapsody. Maybe I’m being too harsh on this one, I know some people loved it, but it just didn’t work for me. The singing didn’t interest me, but I could have tolerated it if the Padawan singer actually did some Jedi stuff with his lightsaber microphone. But he didn’t. He just sang. That’s fine, but not enough for me, lol.
All in all, I enjoyed watching these shorts and I’m glad Star Wars was explored through this perspective. Despite looking a little different, they focused on what Star Wars, to me, is all about: Jedi and Sith, The Force, lightsabers (I especially loved the variations on lightsabers–even the microphone one, lol), family, good against evil, dreams and longing, wonder and hope. I’m even up for a Season Two, if it happens.
Let me know what you thought about Star Wars Visions, and we’ll talk about it!
In books this week, I’ve finished Loki: Where Mischief Lies on my Kindle. I’ve since ordered the sequel called Loki: Where Mischief Ends, and since it’s only available in paperback, I ordered the first book in paperback, too, for a matching set, lol. Can’t wait to start the second book.
I’m about two-thirds done with The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. I love this book; it’s lovely and strange and keeps you wondering “What is the truth?” I’ll probably finish it by Monday, when we have our first book club meeting about it.
Well, unfortunately I’ve set Revan aside for now. I’m just not into it right now. It’s the first time in over a year and a half I’m not reading a Star Wars book. I’d been looking forward to Queen’s Hope, by E.K. Johnston, the third in a Padme Amidala trilogy. It was originally set to come out this November, but it’s been pushed up to April 2022. 😦 So now I’m not sure what’s next for Star Wars reading. Stay tuned.
The Elder was one my favorite shorts from Visions. I love this Jedi Master (whose name I can’t remember, lol). He reminds me of Qui Gon Jinn, who is one of my favorite Jedi.
So I’ve just finished watching Visions, and it was…interesting. As I’ve said before, I’m not an anime fan, so it was mostly out of curiosity that I watched. And as I suspected, it was hit or miss with me. There were a few that were quite good and that I enjoyed: The Duel, The Ninth Jedi, and The Elder were my particular favorites. Only one was painful to watch, and that was Tatooine Rhapsody. Unbearable, lol. The rest were fine, but didn’t wow me overmuch. I know there’s a novel called Ronin that will continue the story began in The Duel, and it may end up on my Star Wars reading list. We’ll see. I’m probably going to do a brief post of my thoughts on each short sometime soon.
So, Marvel: I absolutely loved the latest What If? episode, about party boy Thor. It was light and funny, and Frost Giant Loki is probably the best thing ever, lol. But it really punctuates how relationships have a huge impact on who we become. Without Loki as a mischievous brother competing with him for their father’s attention, it was Thor who became the mischievous, irresponsible one. And his relationship with Frost Giant Loki, his “brother from another mother” is swell. And Loki actually seems happy for once (thank you, Marvel!). I got a hoot out of Captain Marvel’s “Hey Whitesnake!” which you probably won’t get unless you’re familiar with 80’s hair bands. It was just a fun romp, the total opposite of the tragic Dr. Strange episode (which I also loved). This show can really do anything, and it’s gold, lol. Oh, and I have no idea what those robots at the end were. Even the Watcher was surprised.
This made my heart happy.
So my X-Men marathon isn’t quite complete, but I’ve watched all the major X-Men-centric movies, up through Dark Phoenix. I haven’t watched The Wolverine, Logan, or the Deadpool movies yet. Since they’re not on Disney+ I have to pay for them individually on Youtube, which is fine, but I’ll space those out more. Really enjoying these movies, no matter how corny some may be. I’ll watch anything with Fassbender in it, lol.
Finally, I just want to do a shout-out to our lovely Ewan McGregor for winning the Emmy for Halston. The series isn’t for everyone, but I loved it, and there’s no denying he fully deserved the award for his amazing performance.
That’s it for this week. What’s been entertaining you lately? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
So I finally caught up with all of my reading and finished four, count ’em, four books this week!
Out of the Shadows, by Justina Ireland. I finally finished this YA High Republic Star Wars book, mainly featuring young Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh and a young hauler named Sylvestri Yarrow. I’m really enjoying the High Republic stories, and this one’s not bad, but I also felt it was kind of all over the place. There seemed to be a lot going on, and yet nothing really seemed to happen, if that makes sense. There was a lot of characterization, which I like, but the plot was a bit dull, concerning a possible Nihil weapon being built in an out of the way sector of space. But it’s about Jedi, which is what I love about the High Republic, so I’ll keep reading!
Freefall, by Alex Segura. This is the other YA Star Wars novel I’ve been working through, this one about a young Poe Dameron and his time with the Spice Runners of Kijimi. This one was fine, as well, a solid story about 16-year-old Poe wanting to get away from the boredom of Yavin 4 and kind of accidentally getting involved in the Spice Runner organization. The only reason he really stays is because of Zorii Bliss, but she is clearly more invested in the group than he is. It’s a decent coming of age story for Poe, when he finally decides what path he wants to pursue in his life.
Truth and Other Lies, by Lyra Wolf. This is the latest Loki novel I’ve read, and it concerns mythical Loki and his relationships with the other gods of Asgard. This one is borderline paranormal romance, and it seems Loki’s slept with quite a few of them, including Sif, Thor’s wife, and Odin himself. But it’s when he meets the human woman Sygin that he falls head over heels. It’s also a sign that Ragnorok is coming, with Loki at its center, as The Destroyer of Worlds. Quite entertaining, actually. It’s the first of a trilogy, and I’ll be starting the second book, The Order of Chaos, soon. Here Loki is ginger-haired and green-eyed, incredibly vain but witty and passionate.
I Was Anastasia, by Ariel Lawhon. This is a novel my book club is reading, and it’s split between the events leading up to the murder of the Romanov family in 1918, and the story of Anna Anderson, the woman who claimed to be Anastasia. Since Anderson was proven a fraud in 2007 through DNA results, the book was less about “is she or isn’t she?” and more about “how in the world did this woman pretend to be Anastasia for 60 years? And why?” Although I was more interested in the real Anastasia and the lead-up to the murders, this was an interesting and ultimately heartbreaking read, for both Anastasias.
With all these books finished, what’s next? Well, the next Loki book, as I mentioned, as well as the next book club book, which we’ll choose in a few days. But I was also thinking about exploring the Old Republic in the Star Wars universe. I haven’t done that yet, and since there will be no more High Republic books out until January (except the comics) I thought it was high time. So I’ve ordered the first Revan book by Drew Karpyshyn. I think I’m ready to dive into that era of Star Wars.
On the Marvel front, I watched All Hail the King, a short (15 min) film with the Mandarin aka Trevor Slattery, the “villain”/actor from Ironman 3, and his time in prison. At first it seemed kind of pointless, if diverting, but then it got to the point in linking to the new Marvel movie Shang Chi and the Ten Rings. Oh, okay. So there’s that. (I haven’t seen Shang Chi yet, and probably won’t until it comes out on Disney+. But don’t quote me on that).
Dr. Strange prepares to face….Dr. Strange.
I much more enjoyed the new What If? episode with Dr. Strange. These shows have been fun and entertaining, with characters switching roles or what have you, but this one was really quite moving and heartbreaking. Besides Loki, Dr. Strange is my favorite Marvel character, and this is my favorite What If? by far. This one wasn’t so much about a hero turning evil (although that’s what happens), but about grief and the impact it has on an individual, and the entire universe. Really good stuff. I’m just wondering who the heck The Watcher is, to be honest. What’s his purpose? He can’t interfere, he can’t change things. He’s not a god, as he tells Dr. Strange, the first time he’s actually spoken to anyone he watches. I guess he’s just a celestial observer of some sort, lol.
Finally, in my quest to acquaint myself with more Tom Hiddleston work, I discovered a gem called OnlyLovers Left Alive. TH and his Marvel co-star Tilda Swinton (The Sorceress Supreme–who happened to show up in the What If episode above) are modern-day vampires that have been alive for several centuries. Now, I haven’t been into vampires since Anne Rice in the 90s, but this film was really quite fabulous. It meanders along like a dream, with Adam and Eve (yeah, those are their names, lol) doing their vampire thing–Adam is a musician, creating music (anonymously) and tinkering with technology in an abandoned part of Detroit, while his wife Eve lives in Tangier with her multitudes of books, hanging out with her vampire friend Christopher Marlowe (yeah, that one) who apparently wrote all of Shakespeare’s works. They don’t kill people for blood (not anymore, anyway) and have to find it some other way, especially since most people these days have contaminated blood (alcohol, drugs, chemicals, etc.) Mostly they just hang around and listen to music and talk about Life and stuff. But then Eve’s wild sister Ava shows up and causes trouble. I absolutely loved it! Hipster vampires, lol. Oh, and I love how Adam calls humans “zombies.”
Adam and Eve chillin’.
That’s it for this week. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
Still trying to settle on the title of these weekly postings, which includes Star Wars, and lots of other things, too. It’s probably going to be a work in progress, lol.
And by the way, I’m going to be expanding the blog to cover the other stuff that I obsess about, in books, movies, and TV, as these posts have illustrated. So I’ll probably be changing the name of the blog, and just adding more categories. Nothing too drastic. I love Star Wars, but I just can’t keep quiet about all the other great stuff I love, too. I’m thinking of calling it Star Wars and Other Obsessions: All the Stuff I Love. What do you think?
Not much in book news today; I’m still reading the High Republic YA novel Out of the Shadows by Justina Ireland, and my book club novel I Was Anastasia, by Ariel Lawhon. Both excellent.
I’ve just watched the new trailer for Star Wars: Visions, and it looks really interesting. I’m totally not a Manga person, but I’ve got nothing against it, either, so I can guarantee you I’ll be checking these out. It will be nice to have some new Star Wars content to look forward to every week again, now that The Bad Batch is done.
Oh, and by the way, next week Disney+ is releasing a special about the Season 2 finale of The Mandalorian, specifically how Mark Hamill participated in bringing Luke Skywalker in for that awesome appearance to rescue Grogu. I can’t wait to see it, and I’ll report my thoughts on next week’s post.
In Marvel news, I’ve watched the second What If? episode, when T’Challa is Starlord instead of Peter Quill. I just have to say these shows are super cool and fun. To have T’Challa convince the Ravagers to do good in the universe is just awesome (seeing a “good” Thanos, and a super-sexy, benevolent Nebula is amazing!). It was a wonderful homage to Chadwick Boseman, and I got a little choked up at the end with their tribute. I think Loki is the next What If? character, and then Dr. Strange, and I can’t tell you how excited I am about that!
Also in Marvel, when I heard of the new Marvel superheroes The Eternals, I thought, meh. I’m really attached to the old crew, and who are these guys anywa–wait, is that Bucky?!? Oh nope, my mistake, I thought it was Sebastian Stan, lol, but it’s Richard Madden from Game of Thrones (another of my favorites) along with his costar, Kit Harington. Alrighty then, I’m sold! Actually, it looks really cool, so I’ll be there to watch.
Finally, I was in the mood for a movie the other night, but I also felt the urge to watch Loki again (because I can’t get enough of it, lol), but compromised with a movie with Tom Hiddleston in it. Hard to believe, but the man does act in other films. So out of what was available to me, I chose Crimson Peak, because I love period piece horror flicks.
This movie was directed by Guillermo del Toro, so it was guaranteed to be weird and creepy, and it was. But not so “out there” as Pan’s Labyrinth was. Oh, it had ghosts and a creepy, dilapidated English mansion, and blood and lots of stabbings, and incest, and all. Tom H’s character, Thomas Sharpe, was bad, but also kind of sweet and tragic. Sort of like Loki, but without the sass. I absolutely loved it.
So that’s it on my entertainment radar this week. What have you been up to? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
I was a little surprised at the latest episode of The Bad Batch, but not in a strictly bad sense. The episode concerned mostly the political doings on Ryloth and what a young Hera Syndulla was up to, which was great, but I really did miss the Batch. For some reason, I wasn’t expecting this series to deviate from the main characters, like Clone Wars occasionally did. I don’t think Rebels strayed too far from the Ghost crew, from what I remember (I could be forgetting an episode or two, I don’t know). So I’m not sure how I feel about it, exactly, lol.
I suppose it was interesting to see Hera as a child, growing up in the aftermath of the Clone Wars, and seeing her relationship with her parents. We know that her mother is killed at some point early on, and this seems to drive a wedge between father and daughter, which isn’t resolved until well into Rebels. We know that her father, Cham Syndulla, was the leader of the Ryloth resistance against the Empire, so it was interesting to see him giving the Empire a chance here at first. He’s so tired of war, and wants what’s best for his young daughter, he’s willing to give peace a chance, so to speak. But clearly that will change, perhaps after his wife’s demise.
I’m just not sure we really needed to see all this. It really adds nothing to what we already know. Hera yearns to be a pilot, she gets involved in the Rebel movement early on, yadda yadda. Don’t get me wrong; I love Hera, and am a huge fan of Rebels. But this isn’t Rebels, this is The Bad Batch, lol, and I wanted more of them. And I’m sure they’ll come roaring back next week to help save Hera from the Imperials.
I do have to say I loved Captain Howzer, a Clone who is different from his comrades. He’s the only one who still wears colors, takes his helmet off, and clearly is fond of the Syndulla family after helping them during the Clone Wars. He’s hesitant to arrest Hera or her parents, and I’m thinking that he’s a Clone who didn’t follow Order 66, but somehow got away with it. I’m guessing he’ll help the Batch save Hera, and possibly find Rex to join the fledgling Rebellion. If he survives, that is.
I did like how Hera was speaking in the French-like accent she grew up with, and only occasionally slipped back into in Rebels (mostly when speaking with her father); and also seeing her mischievous droid “Choppair”, lol. I liked her meeting Omega and talking about being a pilot.
It was a good episode and I enjoyed it, I just don’t know how important it is in the scheme of things. I don’t usually complain about this kind of stuff, because I enjoy all Star Wars for what it is. Guess I’m just missing the boys and Omega, and have probably seen enough cameos for the moment.
What did you think of the latest episode? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
Episode 10 of The Bad Batch, “Common Ground,” probably wasn’t as exciting as most fans would have liked, and didn’t have the same kind of stakes that the last couple of episodes had, but I still enjoyed it and thought it had some interesting themes going on.
The Batch with Senator Singh’s droid, GS-8.
The Batch are assigned a mission from Cid to save a former Separatist Senator from Raxus–the capital of the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars–and it doesn’t quite sit right with them. Especially Hunter and Echo, and particularly in the latter case, we can understand why. Echo suffered at the hands of the Separatists and isn’t willing to so easily overlook that. But let’s face it, if anyone is going to writhe under the yoke of the Empire, it’s former Separatist systems. If they didn’t like the policies of the Republic, then they’re certainly not going to accept the Empire. I think the Batch are going to find that their former enemies will likely become potential allies, as I believe they’ll eventually fight the Empire rather than continue with mercenary work.
In fact, they may not have to, since Omega paid off their debt to Cid. The other storyline of the episode was Hunter once again leaving Omega behind, his reason being that Raxus would be crawling with Imperials. True, but I believe his fears are more based on his ability to protect her rather than on Omega’s ability to handle herself. She certainly proved that she can take care of herself in former episodes, but it was Hunter who was with her when Cad Bane took her. He blames himself. So guilt goads him to insist she stay with Cid this time.
Omega’s got her game face on.
While there, Cid claims she’s useless, but during a holo chess match between Cid and a patron of the bar, Omega proves she has a talent for strategy. Cid uses it to her advantage, pitting Omega against a string of competitors, with Omega winning every time. When the Batch return, successful in their mission in extracting the Senator, Hunter is upset that Omega put herself in the limelight like that, and scolds her. Cid tells him to back off, since she just paid off their debt to her. Even Wrecker lets Hunter know he’s being unfair, with a deliberate shoulder bump. So Hunter tells Omega that if she wins a game against him, he’ll never leave her behind again.
We don’t see the end of the game, but we don’t have to. We know Omega will win, and thank goodness for it. I’ll always believe Omega will be better off with the Batch rather than left behind. And come on, the girl’s proven herself! But Hunter, as a new space dad, is just going through what every parent does: the instinctual need to protect. I don’t even like to let my 12 year old walk around the block by herself, so I get it, lol. But sometimes you just have to let go so they can grow.
And we learn more about Omega’s specialness: she’s a pure Jango Fett DNA carrier, yes, but she also has a talent for strategy. Kind of comes out of nowhere, but okay. And not much to do with the Force, really; I was hoping for a little Force sensitivity, but I can live without it, too.
Anyway, some may have thought this one was boring, but I thought it was a solid entry. Not great, but not terrible, either. Curious to see where the Batch will go from here!
What did you think of the episode? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
So it finally happened–we got Rex in The Bad Batch, and it made me so very happy!
It turns out it was Rex that Raffa Martez had been communicating with in the last episode (nice poncho, Rex), and so he knew where to find them. Wrecker and Omega come back to Cid’s place after having their post-mission snack, and Wrecker gives him a big hug–but then complains of his headache. Rex is instantly on guard, getting ready to draw his blaster. He can’t believe the Batch haven’t removed their inhibitor chips yet, and presses upon them how urgent and important it is to get them out.
He says he’ll help them, and they meet on Bracca–a junkyard planet, where some Jedi ships are being destroyed or repurposed. He brings them to the same kind of ship he and Ahsoka had been on, with a medical facility that she used to take out his chip.
Before they can get started, Wrecker’s chip finally wins out, and he attacks everyone. Not wanting him to wreck the med facility, they draw him out of the room and try to stop him, but he’s just too strong and incapacitates them all. Then he goes after Omega. At the last minute, Rex stuns Wrecker, and they bring him back to the med facility and take out his chip.
Wrecker is unconscious for awhile after the procedure, and Omega insists on sitting by his side until he wakes up, despite his attack on her. Again, she knows it wasn’t Wrecker’s fault, and wants to make sure her big brother is all right.
The rest of the crew get their chips out as well, and then Hunter and Rex have a conversation outside the ship. Rex is working with others who oppose the Empire (we’re not sure who he’s talking to on his comlink–Ahsoka? I’d love her to make an appearance here, too, but I’d be surprised if she did. I suppose she doesn’t have to be in everything, lol.) Rex suggests to Hunter that he and his crew join him–that there’s still something to fight for in the galaxy; but Hunter tells him he has to do what’s right for his squad, especially Omega. But I believe, eventually, Hunter will decide to ditch the meaningless jobs from Cid or anyone else, and fight the good fight. Rex understands, and then walks away into the mist. I really hope we see him again!
I love how Wrecker apologizes to Omega for his attack, even though it wasn’t his fault. He feels so terrible, my heart breaks, lol. I’m really starting to love this guy (and to think he was my least favorite of the bunch in Clone Wars). If someone asked me who my favorite Bad Batcher was right now, I couldn’t tell you. I love them all so much! I’ve always been a fan of the clones since watching Clone Wars, but these guys are special. I guess I’ve got a soft spot for those who are born differently (my daughter was born with spina bifida, so I’m always cheerleading the differently-abled).
Anyway, at the end of the episode, they’re spotted by the “Scrapper Guild,” who alert the Empire. I’m guessing next week they’ll have to confront Crosshair again. I’ve read in different places that the BB’s might be able to remove Crosshair’s chip at that same facility, but I feel like it’s too soon to save Crosshair, that they need to have a few encounters with him as the enemy before anything can be resolved. But I could be wrong; we’ll see what happens.
So this was a great episode, and we finally got Wrecker’s chip crisis solved. Once it was addressed, it seemed to be over quickly, with minimal emotional turmoil, and I’m kind of glad, to be honest. I couldn’t bear it if they lost Wrecker, especially for Omega’s sake, and for once, it was a happy ending here.
What did you think of “Battle Scars”? Let me know in the comments, and we’ll talk about it!
I’m continuing to enjoy The Bad Batch episodes, even though some people are starting to cry “filler!” I don’t understand that, I think each and every episode is adding to the story and creating more anticipation. Geez, what do these people want?
Anyway, I thought “Decommissioned” was a fine episode, with a surprise cameo of the Martez sisters from Clone Wars Season 7. I thought their story arc went on a little too long in CW, but I didn’t hate them or anything. So it turns out the BB and the sisters are both after a tactical droid in a Corellian factory where Separatist droids are being destroyed, or “decommissioned.” Both groups are after it for different reasons: the BB have been given an assignment from Cid, and have no idea who actually wants it; while it turns out the sisters are after it to help those who want to fight against this new Empire (seeing how the Clones are being used by the Empire, the tactical droid would know about their strategies and how to fight them).
I won’t go into details on what happened in the factory, but naturally the two groups have to work together to get out of the factory alive, with the tactical droid. The droid head ends up being destroyed, but Hunter gives the sisters the copy of the information inside its brain that Tech and Trace created. He knows they will put the information in it to good use, for something that matters. Raffa tells him that, in the end, everyone has to choose sides, which makes Hunter thoughtful. Yes, surviving is important, but at what cost? I have a feeling the Batch will eventually decide to fight this Empire that turned their world upside down, used their brothers for evil, and took their crew member, Crosshair, for their evil ends. It makes sense that they would do this, eventually, and I’m guessing once they meet up with Rex, they’ll be inspired to do so by him.
So who’s the contact Raffa talks to at the end of the episode? Could be Bail Organa. Could be Rex. Those are my top two contenders, and probably obvious. I don’t care which one it is; I’d love to see both of them (and we know we’ll eventually see Rex). And the fact that they have R7, Ahsoka’s droid, means she’ll probably be involved at some point, which is exciting. According to the novel Ahsoka, by E.K. Johnston, Ahsoka doesn’t meet up with Bail and become Fulcrum until a year after Order 66, and clearly it hasn’t been that long in this show. But events in books and comics can be tweaked, as we saw with the whole Depa Billaba and Caleb Dume thing in the first episode, Aftermath, which contradicts the Kanan comic (but only in the details). So it’s not out of the question that Ahsoka may make an appearance.
And Wrecker hits his head again, and then he says the dreaded words: “Good soldiers…” and I thought, oh crap, it’s happening! But he snaps out of it and he’s fine again. But it’s coming. Oh lord, it’s coming.
Other things I loved about this episode: Omega learning to use her laser bow. She’s not very good at it at first, which seems natural for most people, and Cid claims she needs to beef up her “noodle arms.” But Echo claims she just needs to tune out distractions. And that seems to be the case when she suddenly and effortlessly knocks off several droids later in the show. She says she just needed to tune out distractions, which sounds very Jedi-like. Or maybe I’m reaching, I don’t know, lol. I so want this girl to have the Force!
Also, this joke:
Dumb, but funny anyway! I bet Echo was waiting for someone to say that his whole life, lol.
I’m hoping to see more of Crosshair’s story soon, too.
What did you think of “Decommissioned”? Let me know in the comments, and we’ll talk about it!
In episode four, “Rampage,” the Bad Batch travel to Ord Mantell, where Echo knows of a Jedi informant that may be able to help them find out who is after Omega and why.
Once they get there, Echo admits he’s never met “Cid” and Tech, without a hint of irony, replies that it would have been nice to know that beforehand. Turns out Omega is the only one who figures out who Cid is (a female Trandoshan); is it the Force? Or just heightened instincts? The guessing game with Omega continues.
Cid says she can get them info on the bounty hunter they ran into, but only if they do a job for her (more Mandalorian echoes, but I don’t mind). She wants them to find a “kid” named Muchi who’s been kidnapped and is being held on the other side of the planet. If they bring the kid back to her, she’ll give them part of the bounty, and the info they’re looking for.
The Batch find a group of people being held by the slaver Zygerrians, and believe they found the kid. But they get captured; Omega, who had been sent back to the ship, flees some Zygerrians nosing around, and tries to help them escape. She frees a creature that turns out to be a baby rancor as a distraction. It also turns out that the beast is Muchi.
The rancor is an effective distraction, and Tech, Echo and Omega try to lead the captured people back to the ship, while Hunter and Wrecker fight off the Zygerrians and try to capture Muchi. Since the creature will submit to a strength hierarchy, Wrecker battles her until they’re both exhausted.
Once back at Cid’s, Bib Fortuna arrives and collects Muchi for Jabba the Hutt. Cid tells them that the bounty hunter that attacked them is Fennec Shand, but couldn’t find out who she’s working for. She gives them their portion of the bounty, and then offers Hunter (who she called “dark and broody”) some future jobs. Hunter replies that he’ll think about it, but Cid subtly threatens him, saying that they must be important if they’re being pursued by bounty hunters. The subtext being that she could haul them in herself if Hunter doesn’t do what she asks.
I thought this was a fun episode. Some people think that Muchi is the rancor that Luke fought and killed in Return of the Jedi, and while that’s understandable, she’s actually not–in the Aftermath book, we find out that Luke’s rancor opponent was a male named Pateesa. But if people who haven’t read the book want to think Muchi is the one from ROTS, it’s not a big deal, either. It’s just us book nerds who know the difference, lol.
I like how Omega came to the rescue and showed her strengths. I also love the big brother/little sister relationship between her and Wrecker–he high-fived her when Cid said that she was smarter than any of them. Of course, Wrecker had another headache in this episode, and it doesn’t bode well–I’m steeling myself for tragedy. I’m really hoping that it all works out in the end. (Please let it all work out in the end!)
The Batch are beginning to understand that not only do they have to sell their services to survive in this new world, but that they may be asked to do some–questionable–things. This time it wasn’t so bad, just retrieving a baby rancor, but it was for Jabba the Hutt, a known criminal. And if they work for Cid again (and they probably will, considering her threat), who knows what she might ask them to do in the future. They’ll have to decide how far they’re willing to go, for credits and survival.
It’s also interesting to consider that the Jedi used the disreputable Cid as an informant, showing how desperate they’d become during the Clone Wars, and how they had resorted to going against their principles. Definite cracks in the armor.
I just want to point out that I loved the laser bow that Omega picked up during the battle, and can’t wait to see her use it.
And as I watched and listened to Cid speak, I thought, I know that voice. Who is it? I couldn’t figure it out and had to wait for the end credits to find out it was Rhea Perlman. Oh yeah, of course! What do you know?
Anyway, a fun episode with some interesting implications.
What did you think of “Rampage”? Let me know in the comments, and we’ll talk about it!
So I finally finished both seasons of Resistance the other day, and I have to say it was worth the time. Really.
I know Resistance doesn’t get that much respect, or attention for that matter. And I understand why–it doesn’t have the same gravitas or stakes as The Clone Wars or Rebels. It was made for a younger audience, after all, and isn’t quite as dark or tragic. But does that mean it’s bad? Heck no!
Resistance is Disney/Lucasfilm’s animated answer to the sequel trilogy, just as Clone Wars was to the prequels, and Rebels was to the OT. So here’s the basic rundown:
Kazuda Xiono is a young New Republic pilot recruited by Poe Dameron to be a Resistance spy on the refueling depot called the Colossus. The Colossus is a huge station in the middle of the waterworld Castellon. Poe introduces Kaz to Jarek Yeager, a former Rebellion soldier who fought at Jakku. Yeager is now a mechanic on the Colossus, but is privy to Poe’s activities and helps him when he can. He reluctantly agrees to take on Kaz as a mechanic on his payroll, as a cover. Apparently there has been some First Order activity on the Colossus, and Poe (as well as Leia Organa) would like to know what might be going on there.
Poe with Kaz
Kaz is enthusiastic in his new duty as Resistance spy, perhaps a bit too eager. He’s young and naïve, prone to boasting (he happens to be a very good pilot), but also friendly and sweet, and just a tad clumsy. Okay, a lot clumsy. Turns out he’s the son of a wealthy New Republic Senator on Hosnian Prime, and apparently his father has micromanaged his life thus far; Kaz is eager to do something to prove to his father that he can do his own thing. He also believes in the purpose of the Resistance. But nobody is supposed to know any of that, so he’s just a mechanic for Yeager. Kaz, though an exceptional pilot, is a terrible mechanic, which leads to some problems, as you can imagine.
Also under Yeager’s employ is Tamara Ryvora, a young woman who left home to be an ace pilot in racing, but lost everything and is now trying to save enough to get another ship. Another member of Yeager’s team is Neeku Vozo, a Nikto who is a very skilled mechanic and my absolute favorite character in Resistance. He’s just so sweet and kind-hearted, and takes everything quite literally, which leads to some very funny moments. He takes to Kaz immediately, but Tam, not so much. She comes around after a while, but mostly just criticizes Kaz constantly.
Yeager, Tam and Neeku
No Star Wars show is complete without droids, and Poe left BB-8 behind on the Colossus to help Kaz (until he comes back to reclaim him for a “mission to Jakku”, at which point he leaves behind another roll-y, CB-23, who is just as adorable). Yeager’s team has their own droid in Bucket, who literally looks like a bucket of bolts with a helmet on.
The Colossus is a refueling depot, but it also has racing–and it’s own team of “Flying Aces” that put on a race every week to entertain the crew and people who live there. They’re also supposed to protect the station, from pirates and other undesirables. They’re made up of a group that includes a Rodian named Hype (who’s pretty annoying, most of the time), an former Imperial, a woman with (strangely) a Russian accent, a guy in a yellow suit whose face we never see, and a young woman named Torra Doza, who happens to be the daughter of the mysterious Captain of the Colossus. Torra eventually becomes friends with Kaz, and over the course of the show, Captain Doza becomes less mysterious. Turns out he used to be an Imperial, but defected when he met Torra’s mother, a Rebel back in the day. We don’t meet Torra’s mother until the second season, however, as she’s a Resistance fighter now.
CB-23 and Bucket
Anyway, Kaz tries to fit in and do his “spying” thing, and it turns out he does give Poe and Leia important information about the First Order, who’s been nosing around a lot. We see Phasma early on in Season One, but the main antagonist becomes a golden-armored stormtrooper named Pyre. The First Order wants the Colossus for its own fueling needs, and comes up with a plan to take it over: they hire some pirates to attack the station and make the Captain feel he needs to let the First Order onto the station to help defend it. Captain Doza increasingly feels uneasy with the agreements he makes with the First Order, until he decides enough is enough. The First Order aren’t willing to give it up so easily, and when they find out a Resistance spy is on board, they make it their business to occupy the station.
That’s the basics of it, and most of Season One; I won’t go into detail about everything, or much of Season Two (which is actually even better than S1) except to say that the Colossus is actually a space ship and takes off from Castellon, and the First Order pursues them relentlessly.
There are a few cameos besides Poe (who’s always fun) and Phasma; later we get General Hux, and even Kylo Ren. Once Poe comes back for BB-8 for that mission to Jakku, we know that the events of The Force Awakens is beginning; we even see Hux’s mad speech on Starkiller Base through a hologram. Things get pretty personal for Kaz just then–his parents live on Hosnian Prime, and when the planet is destroyed, he’s distraught, naturally.
The big crisis of the end of Season One and all of Season Two is that Kaz’s friend, Tam, joins the First Order. Naively, she feels the First Order are simply bringing order and safety to the station; when she finds out that Kaz and Yeager have been lying to her about being with the Resistance, she’s extremely angry (unreasonably so, in my opinion). She feels betrayed by the people she had come to see as family, and lets herself be recruited by a new character, Agent Tierney. (Another character named Rucklan, who’s kind of a jerk on the station, also joins. I had no idea that Elijah Wood voiced him until I saw it pointed out elsewhere, and then I couldn’t unhear Elijah Wood, lol). Season Two was about getting rid of the First Order pursuing their station, and getting Tam back into the fold.
Agent Tierney
I just found it a joy to watch Resistance, simply because it was entertaining and quite funny sometimes, and I knew my heart wouldn’t get ripped to shreds over tragic events. I even wish there was a Season Three that coincides with The Rise of Skywalker. I’d love to see the crew of the Colossus join the Battle of Exegol (maybe they do–there were a lot of ships that Lando brought with him, and maybe the Colossus is there; I haven’t taken the time to study all those ships–I’m convinced someone else did take the time and made a list of all the recognizable ships, so maybe it’s research time!)
If you’ve got some time on your hands and never watched Resistance, you might want to give it a go. Like all the other animated series, it takes a while to get going, and is geared toward the younger audience, but grows as it goes along.
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