So, I’ve been in mourning this past week, along with a very large segment of the fandom, over Tech’s death in the season finale of The Bad Batch. I’ve been obsessively reading and replying and commiserating with other fans on several social media fan groups, and the consensus is we’re all devastated .
Oh Star Wars, why do you insist on breaking our hearts?
I haven’t been this heartbroken since Kanan’s death in Rebels. But even then, we had clues. Clearly something very bad was going to happen to him (and I was a bit late to the party, so I already knew he was doomed, but still, it hurt). I didn’t see Tech’s death coming until he was hanging off that rail car and announced Plan 99. But, looking back over Season 2, I suppose there were clues. These episodes were quite Tech-heavy, with him strengthening his relationship with Omega, saving the day with the Riot Race, and the little kind-of romance with Phee. I didn’t know why we were getting so much Tech, but boy, was I pleased. Now? Not so pleased. They were making us love him even more, so when he died, the emotional impact would be epic.
I misquoted him in a previous post, but I think I got the gist.
But it’s a double-anguish, because–IF, in Star Wars fashion, he might still be alive, the only outcome I can see is Tech being taken by Hemlock and turned into something really awful. And that would break my heart even more. (I was going to be upset if Crosshair suffered that fate). So, given the choice of him being dead or being turned into a monster, I’d choose him dying as a hero. And he IS a hero, even if he does come back in whatever form. When he was hanging from that railcar, he knew the only way to save his family was to cut the line. That decision will not be erased by some “miracle” of him coming back. It wouldn’t be “for nothing,” as some fans suggested. In my opinion, he’s forever a hero.
That’s it. That’s the post. I loved Tech, and now he’s gone (forever? Only Season 3 will tell).
You will be missed, my awkward but still badass friend.
With the release of the latest Mandalorian Season 3 trailer and the upcoming release date of March 1st, I decided to do a Mando rewatch of Seasons 1&2, as well as the two episodes in The Book of Boba Fett (and perhaps all of BoBF). Since it seemed so far away for so long, I hadn’t really thought about the show for the last year or so, but I’m definitely getting back into that Mando vibe. The spaghetti western beats, the music, and of course, Baby! I forgot how much I love it. Here’s the trailer for S3, in the off chance you haven’t seen it yet:
As expected, it looks like we’re going to get more focused on Mandalore, what it means to be a Mandalorian in this post-Empire period, what role Din Djarin will play, and of course, Grogu’s growing Force powers. I won’t unpack everything in this trailer, but suffice it to say, I’m psyched!
And of course I’ve been watching Season 2 of The Bad Batch. I really missed these guys, too. Here are some thoughts on the first four episodes:
Omega is back and badass.
Eps 1&2 “The Spoils of War” and “The Ruins of War”: The two-part opener has our crew going on a mission for Cid, but also for themselves–if they can snatch some of Count Dooku’s “War Chest” that the Empire is confiscating, then they can retire to an easier, safer life, which is something Hunter in particular would like for Omega. Echo thinks they should be doing more against the Empire, and makes his thoughts known to Hunter; unfortunately, Omega overhears and misunderstands him, thinking she’s put a wrench into their style of life. This makes her particularly keen on succeeding in the mission.
While not spectacular as a season opener, it’s still entertaining, and I really like how it focuses on character development. Echo and Tech, in particular, get more screen time; Echo has a few touching moments with Omega, and Tech has a learning moment with Romar. Tech also comports himself admirably in combat with the clone regs, despite a broken leg. Wrecker, not normally the innovative one, throws together a new weapon out of Separatist wreckage, and Hunter has to do a bit of tech work that, well, Tech usually does. Romar also reminds Omega just to be a kid.
The clone reg in charge of defending the War Chest mission for the Empire, Wilco, makes his report to Rampart, telling him that it’s Clone Force 99 that tried to steal the treasure. Thinking they had died on Kamino, and in fear of consequences for his failure, he tells Wilco to change the report and lie. Wilco refuses, and Rampart kills him. Truly, the clones are too good for the Empire. Despite the inhibitor chip (the influence of which seems to be waning), some clones are still operating under the principles of the Republic, as Cody will demonstrate in Episode 3.
Cody and Crosshair at the Battle Memorial on Coruscant. I’m assuming these are names of fallen clones.
Episode 3 “The Solitary Clone”: This exceptional episode catches us up with Crosshair, and reintroduces Captain Cody. Crosshair was finally rescued from Kamino after, I don’t know, 32 rotations or something, after being left for dead. And yet he still remains loyal to the Empire, something that even Rampart questions. “I’m a soldier of the Empire,” he responds. I’m starting to think that Crosshair stays with the Empire, despite removing the chip, because he doesn’t know how to do anything else except be a soldier. The rest of the Batch aren’t soldiers anymore, not really, and their future is vague. Perhaps he doesn’t know who he is outside of his assassin skills. The rest of the Batch are willing to find out who they are beyond soldiers, but Crosshair is stubbornly refusing, perhaps out of fear. Anyway, that’s my take on it.
So Rampart has a mission for him, although he’s not in charge–Cody is. Fans have been wondering what has happened to Cody after Order 66 (at least in canon), and I’m happy to see that he’s questioning the Empire and himself. (In Legends, he remains loyal to the Empire, which makes me sad, lol). So he and Crosshair are assigned to go to Desix to rescue an Imperial Governor named Grotton after he’s taken prisoner by the world’s rightful governor, Tawni Ames. The planet was a Separatist world during the Clone Wars, and feels the Empire has no jurisdiction there. The Empire, of course, feels differently.
We get a really amazing sequence of events as Cody’s team makes their assault and battles B-1 battle droids and droidekas, and it feels like old times with clones against battle droids again. But this time they’re fighting for the Empire, and the rules have changed. Cody and Crosshair are impressive as they work together to gain access to Grotton, but Cody negotiates with Tawni Ames (definitely Kenobi’s man) and convinces her to release him. He seems not to understand that the Empire does not negotiate, that the principles of the Republic do not apply here, and Grotton commands him to shoot her. Cody hesitates, but Crosshair doesn’t and kills her. Cody watches helplessly as stormtroopers arrive on Desix, and realizes this is not a galaxy he recognizes.
Back on Coruscant, Cody asks Crosshair if they’re making the galaxy a better place. Again, Crosshair replies with “We’re soldiers, we do what needs to be done.” Cody remarks that what makes them different from battle droids is that they make their own decisions, and have to live with them. Later, Rampart tells Crosshair that Cody has gone AWOL, and I’m so happy about that! I’m hoping he comes across Rex and we see him again, fighting against the Empire. But now Crosshair is, once again, all alone. The regs don’t like him, and now even Cody is gone. And despite his loyalty, the Empire doesn’t trust or respect him. What’s it gonna take, Crosshair??? Lol. I’m really looking forward to his arc this season.
Tech saves Cid’s neck.
Episode 4 “Faster”: Some fans might call this one “filler,” and maybe they’re right in a way. I don’t care for the word, though; I prefer “breather.” It is a bit jarring after the super-heavy episode 3, but it’s nice once in a while just to have a bit of fun. And this one focuses on Tech, who is my favorite at the moment.
This one has Tech, Wrecker and Omega (Hunter and Echo are off on a transport mission) accompanying Cid to Safa Toma, which hosts a form of podracing called “Riot Racing.” Cid has a droid racer named Tay-0 who’s quite annoying and funny, and who loses the race to a racer owned by a Dowutin named Millegi. Cid and Millegi, who seem to have a shady past together, made a bet on the race, and now Cid owes him credits she doesn’t have. Omega, who seems fond of Cid but probably shouldn’t be, proposes another race. But Tay-0 gets busted up and Tech decides he’ll step in and be the racer.
Tech employs his own strategy to win the race: instead of focusing on hurting or disabling the other racers, he gets rid of his own weapons in order to go faster; he also takes a risk on a shortcut, using his pilot skills to win the day. Using thoughtfulness over aggression is very Star Warsy, and I think George Lucas himself, who had a need for speed, would appreciate this episode.
I think this episode also sets up some trouble ahead with Cid. When they’re leaving, they’re warned by Millegi that their loyalty to Cid will not be rewarded in kind. Perhaps a Cid betrayal will spur the Batch on to bigger and better things. I can’t wait to find out!
I’ve been rewatching Star Wars Rebels, and although this is my third rewatch, I’ve never looked into the various symbols I’ve noticed in the show until now. So here’s a few of them and their possible meanings:
Starbird or phoenix on Ezra’s jacket: Ezra has a very obvious symbol on the back of his orange and yellow jacket. With a little snooping around on Google, I found that it’s been compared to the Skywalker Sound symbol, below. Kind of like a little easter egg to those in the know.
Ezrra’s jacket symbol.
Skywalker Sound logo.
By the way, the Skywalker Sound symbol can be found in Attack of the Clones, on Coruscant during the speeder chase.
Attack of the Clones
Ezra’s jacket symbol could also be a precursor to Sabine’s phoenix symbol, below.
Sabine’s phoenix symbol: Perhaps Sabine was inspired by Ezra’s jacket, or she came up with this herself, but it’s the symbol that came to represent the Ghost crew Rebels, as well as Phoenix Squadron later.
Sabine’s Pheonix
The Rebel Alliance later adapted the phoenix symbol into their own, below:
Kanan’s armor: It’s been suggested that the symbol on Kanan’s shoulder armor is reminiscent of the symbol for the Jedi Order, below. It makes sense that Kanan would want to honor his former Order, without calling attention to himself as a Jedi.
Secret allusion?
Jedi Order
Kanan’s symbol is also found on the forehead of the lothwolf, which I never noticed before I looked it up. Kanan has a deep Force-level connection to this animal, who calls himself Dume (which is Kanan’s real name: Caleb Dume). The name Dume, while spelled differently, is an obvious foreshadowing of Kanan’s fate, although I don’t care for the connotation. Kanan selflessly sacrificed himself for those he loved; that’s far from being doomed, in my opinion.
Dume
Kanan’s mask: I often wondered about the symbols on Kanan’s mask after he was blinded. Clearly they look like some sort of eyes, and I thought maybe they were meant to represent wolf eyes, since he’s connected to the lothwolf.
Jaig Eyes
After some Google research, I was surprised to learn that some clones, including Rex, were bestowed with the symbols on their helmets after distinguishing themselves on the battlefield. They’re called “Jaig Eyes,” which I never knew. I love it when I learn something new about Star Wars!
Those are the most obvious symbols that I’d wondered about. I already knew Fulcrum’s symbol, the Empire symbol, etc. I thought it was pretty cool to learn about these (finally!)
Did you know what these symbols meant, or is it new to you? Any I missed? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
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!
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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