“From Beneath” Star Wars Resistance S02E06

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With the Colossus low on fuel, Kaz, Tora, Flix, and Orka make a stop on Draghor 3, only to learn about a grave danger in, From Beneath.

This article contains plot points from Star Wars Resistance From Beneath.

Star Wars Resistance season two had a lot riding on its shoulders since it was announced it’s the final season, and it would tie together events of the sequel trilogy. With events butting up against the release of The Rise of Skywalker and it being the final installment of the Skywalker saga, the expectations for Star Wars Resistance are high, very high. And sometimes, high expectations can be unreasonable.

So far, season two of Star Wars Resistance has been up and down. It started off strong with the first two episodes and then dipped over the next two. The series, in general, is fine, but for a Star Wars story fine isn’t good enough. The plots so far have been the weakness. From Beneath had the makings of another down episode, until its DNA became clear. It may have been the episode most worthy of wearing the Star Wars badge this season.

Draghor 3

Star Wars Resistance: From Beneath didn’t have any space battles; it didn’t have any Force references (Resistance doesn’t have any as a series, so no biggie), there were no shootouts, there weren’t even any crime lords. It seemed entirely pointless for the majority of the episode. Kaz, Tora, Flix, and Orka arrive on Flix’s home planet of Draghor 3 to obtain fuel for the Colossus. Flix’s family works on a fueling station on Draghor 3, and Flix is hoping they will lend them some much-need fuel.

From Beneath has a similar storyline than the seventh episode of the first season of Star Wars Rebels: Out of Darkness. Except instead of picking up fuel, Hera and Sabine arrive at Fort Anaxes to pick up a load of supplies desperately needed for the fledgling rebellion. Why does an episode like Out of Darkness feel more like a part of a larger story than From Beneath?

In Out of Darkness, Sabine struggles with the way she is limited to mission knowledge from a person considered to be a maternal figure. She’s on a need to know basis. From Beneath has a similar struggle between Flix and his cousins about whether or not he has a right to the mined fuel. The apparent reason why one works (Rebels) while the other struggles (Resistance) is the scope. Hera and Sabine are on a mission to retrieve supplies for a rebellion most fans are already very familiar with and emotionally invested in. A mysterious figure who is known only at the time as Fulcrum has sent them on this mission.

Mission Improbable

Resistance, on the other hand, is quite limited in scope to four people, basically on a similar mission. But who assigned them is never revealed (assuming it’s either Doza or Yeager), and there are no threats like Ezra faced in touching the dark side. They both are forced to face a threat from an animal (fyrncocks and dragons, respectively). The tone of Resistance can be a help or a hindrance—unfortunately, the closer Resistance gets to The Rise of Skywalker, the more comedy seems out of place.

Although Tora does not play a significant role in this episode, her resilience is refreshing amidst the slapstick comedic nature of Resistance. Tora, a teenage girl, carries Orka on her back while climbing a ladder out of a mine shaft—supporting his weight on her tiny frame and then encouraging him to do it on his own. Tora’s value to the Colossus is undervalued, she deserves more of the credit than she’s getting.

So what makes From Beneath an excellent example of Star Wars storytelling? It all comes back to a quote by Carrie Fisher, Star Wars “is about family, and that’s what’s so powerful about it.” From Beneath, when it came down to it was all about family cooperating to help each other for the greater good. The dialogue by Flanx about not drilling so deep as to disturb the dragon’s home was a little too on the nose. That bit was no doubt there to give younger audiences a lesson for the day, older viewers would’ve settled for something a little more subtle.

Less is More

As capable as Tora is, and as absent as Orka and Flix have been this season, this mission really could’ve been completed with only two people. Kaz and Flix were the only two that had anything to do. Tora flew the ship to Draghor 3, but Kaz was most likely more than capable of doing that. Orka was there maybe for moral support for Flix. In the end, Tora was only there to help Orka out of a bad situation.

Draghor 3 could appear in later episodes, especially if low fuel supplies continue to be an issue, giving From Beneath more weight. It’s been three episodes since Tam made an appearance. After the Colossus’s eventual rendezvous with the resistance fleet, Tam’s journey should be the show’s focus, yet that doesn’t seem to be the trajectory it’s headed. A third of the way through the final season, the possibility of seeing Tam in the Skywalker finale rises.

Conclusion

Star Wars Resistance From Beneath was a decent episode. The Colossus now has enough fuel it could ever need, according to Flanx. Flix’s relationship with his cousin is in much better shape than it was. Tora continues to be the brains of the group but is seldom relied upon. And Orka now knows about Flix’s desire to be a cantina singer. It’s time for Star Wars Resistance to take its hero’s journey and stop stalling by dealing with side quests. It has coaxium for hyperspace, the fuel to fly, and meat to eat. Now it’s time to find the resistance and regroup—literally and figuratively.