Fuel for the Fire – Star Wars Resistance S01E04 Review

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In “Fuel for the Fire,” Kaz is desperate to make friends on Colossus Station, but may have fallen in with the wrong crowd.

“Fuel for the Fire” opens up with Team Fireball anxiously awaiting Kaz’s engine repair, but again he proves that he has some work to do on perfecting his “cover” as a mechanic. More interested in watching the races, Kaz tries to head outside with Tam and Neeku, but is stopped by Yeager. Jarek explains to Kaz that he needs to fix the engine and he needs to maintain his cover. It’s not just himself that he could jeopardize, but everything Yeager and Team Fireball have.

Unable to see eye-to-eye, Kaz storms off and seeks solace in Aunt Z’s tavern. Soon he’s approached by Jace Rucklin, who invites him to sit with him and his friends. Jace and crew were impressed with his racing against Ace Squadron’s Torra Doza. After a few drinks the conversation turns to Yeager and his hidden racing speeder which surprises Kaz. Jace then challenges Kaz to a speeder bike race out on the sea, which takes a turn for the worse as Kaz’s speeder starts to stall out and Jace is forced to rescue him. This is all as they planned; the effort was made to gain his trust for a favor later.

Returning to the hanger Kaz gets into another argument with Yeager about his need to take his mechanic work more seriously. He’s too focused on the larger picture to worry about what he feels is inconsequential. Kaz ends up taking off again at the first opportunity and rejoins Jace and his friends. While working on his own racer Jace tells Kaz he’d love to take a peak at the ship Yeager has been hiding in a private hanger. Reluctantly Kaz agrees and the two sneak into Yeagers office. Their luck runs out almost immediately as both Tam and Jarek enter and they are forced to hide and sneak out at the first chance, but not before Rucklin steals a canister of Corellian Hyperfuel to use in his own racer for an unfair advantage.

It’s not long before the droid Bucket notices the hot sauce is gone and informs Jarek of the theft. Quickly, Kaz realizes what must have happened and rushes to stop Jace from using it, after learning that it could be disastrous if not used properly. Kaz manages to leap onto the cockpit of Jace’s ship just as it takes off from the platform. In a risky maneuver, and because Jace refuses to stop, Kazuda pops open the cockpit and hits the eject launching them both away from the ship moments before it explodes over the sea.

Rucklin is furious at what Kaz has done, refusing to thank him for saving his life. Rucklin and his friends leave, but not before telling him that this isn’t over. Yeager, to Kaz’s surprise, isn’t upset with him. In his opinion, Kaz may not be the best mechanic but his actions have shown him that he is a good person.

Yeager’s Past

“Fuel for the Fire” is a lesson, and a reminder, for Kaz that not everyone here on Colossus Station is to be trusted. An argument with Team Fireball and his frustration with what he sees as medial tasks takes its toll. All it takes is a small amount of appreciation in his piloting skills and Kaz is willing to forsake his other duties and possibly his mission. But the most memorable moments of “Fuel for the Fire” are the few, very brief details that are revealed of Jarek Yeager’s past.

Poe Dameron contacted Yeager upon arriving on Castilon because the two of them have met in the past. Nothing was made too obvious yet but a hologram that Kaz spots shows that Jarek was once a New Republic fighter pilot, and fought at the Battle of Jakku no less.

There is also a photo of Yeager with what appears to be a wife and child. Where are they now? As an interesting side note, eagle-eyed fans have pointed out that the skyline in the background of the photo should look very familiar. It matches up with concept art and construction photos of Disney’s Star Wars themed park Galaxy’s Edge. It’s a really cool Easter egg.

None of this has been disclosed to Kaz by Yeager himself and who knows who else might be aware of his past. A family. Service in the Rebel Alliance. Racing. Poe presumably is aware of this, and it is why he is entrusting Kaz with him, but there must also be a reason why it isn’t common knowledge. The extent of his involvement in the Galactic Civil War and how he came to Colossus Station is a tale for a future episode more than likely.

A Good Head On His Shoulders

“Fuel for the Fire” serves up some fantastic character development for Kazuda Xiono. Kaz is a good person. He’s young, brash and tends to look at the bigger picture at the expense of the present. At his core, however, he means well and is only trying to accomplish the mission that brought him to Castilon in the first place.

Like a young Luke Skywalker, his first instinct is to rush right in.

What Kaz learns in “Fuel for the Fire” will hopefully stick and inform his future actions, to be more careful of who he trusts and to set his ego aside. His eagerness for attention and appreciation put him in a difficult spot. But unlike most, he did not hesitate to apologize and admit to his mistakes. He set out to make it right when he learned of Rucklin’s deception. Yeager sees this and it’s why Kaz still has a place on Team Fireball. Quality character is not something that one can learn in the garage working on ships.

You either have it or you don’t.

Resistance Is Finding Its Voice

“Fuel for the Fire” is a lighter episode, bringing in some action while exploring the dynamic between members of Team Fireball. It effectively keeps the tone light while touching on some more serious concepts like trust and responsibility.

So far, only a handful of episodes in, the series has balanced being a Star Wars show and a show primarily targeted at a younger audience.  It brings the action, it brings the humor and is shedding light on this calm before the storm that is The Force Awakens.

The voice actors are also coming into their own by now, and showing they have a grasp on their respective characters. Josh Brener’s Neeku adds some much appreciated comedy with his literal interpretations of just about everything. Christopher Sean makes Kazuda Xiono believable as the young and inexperienced pilot out to prove himself to his peers. The gruff Yeager’s hard past seeps through Scott Lawrence’s amazing vocal performance. Scott is also no stranger to Star Wars voice acting either. He was the voice of Darth Vader in all Star Wars games from 1994 to 2006! Plus, if Jace Rucklin’s voice sounded familiar it’s because it was none other than Elijah Wood playing the part.

Only three episodes in and already Star Wars Resistance is earning its place in the pantheon of Star Wars lore. With no signs of slowing down it’s only going to get better.