While Kaz and Synara investigate a distress call, the Colossus is in desperate need of an engineer to help Neeku, in The Engineer.
This article contains plot points from Star Wars Resistance The Engineer.
Star Wars Resistance: The Engineer aired this past Sunday, and it was infinitely more entertaining than the previous two episodes. It had tender moments, good ole fashion Star Wars shootouts, and Opeepit finally got his floor washer back. To say The Engineer was one of the better episodes this season isn’t saying much, but, in an up and down final season, every episode counts…or it should.
The Engineer was above average, but by the time the episode finished, it left more questions than answers. The most obvious being, why in the world would Commander Pyre only launch five TIE fighters against the Colossus if they wanted it so bad? Why wouldn’t they attack it with the Star Destroyer that just came out of hyperspace? Or at least use a combination of TIEs and TIE bombers to disable it?
Five TIEs Against the Colossus?
In turn, why didn’t Captain Doza launch the Aces to defend the Colossus? They spend an entire episode in Live Fire on training the Aces in combat flight so the racer pilots can protect the Colossus from a First Order attack, and then decide not to take the opportunity to show that. It doesn’t make sense. Maybe it was due to budget limits or time constraints then explain that in the episodes. The creators of Star Wars Resistance did such a great job pacing the second half of season one when the action increased. Thus far into season two, that purpose and direction are wavering. There are still 14 episodes to activate the navicomputer and head for a strong finish.
But for now, where is Star Wars Resistance going? What do they want to accomplish this season? It wouldn’t be the wrong decision to have a more direct confrontation with the First Order. In other words, having the First Order in nearly every episode would make sense, and it would give Star Wars Resistance a legitimate direction while it approaches The Rise of Skywalker. It’s not hard to see that any episode including the First Order and the Resistance is far more engaging than episodes featuring Kaz hunting a wild animal for food.
Neeku the Selfless
Neeku was the highlight as he is in every episode purely for his selflessness. It’s such a joy experiencing a character who has no ulterior motives—he loves his friends and family with no thought of reward. When it comes down to it, Neeku is the ultimate Jedi.
What exactly is Kaz’s purpose other than comedy relief? He’s a skilled pilot as best, can’t fire a blaster to save his life, obviously is not a Resistance spy. Kaz was named the star of the show from the onset, but it’s clear that Synara, Tora, and Neeku are stepping up and are the only reason the Colossus isn’t in the hands of the First Order already. Synara is a capable leader who knows what to do regardless of the situation. Star Wars Resistance needs to give those quality characters more of the spotlight. It was Synara who sniffed out Nena before anyone else. She has good instincts, which makes her endlessly more interesting.
Kaz’s character requires a backstory. Something, anything to make him more interesting. Christopher Sean is doing a marvelous job voicing Kaz, and he’s such a down to earth genuine guy, he deserves to do something more than scream. Although the scene with Kaz and Neeku at the end of the episode was so endearing. It’s lovely seeing two friends who care for each other so much as Kaz and Neeku do.
Leave Kragan!
Another question that needs attention is what purpose do the pirates serve? Or more to the point. Why are they still on the Colossus? Shouldn’t they be pirating the galaxy? Looting other ships? Even if Kragan and his gang have a target on their backs for helping the Colossus escaping Castilon, hanging out on the Colossus, which has a larger target, isn’t going to do them any good.
Curiously, the First Order would pay Nena so quickly instead of waiting until they had the Colossus captured. And then allowing her just to leave and make a sorry attempt at destroying the Colossus by sending 5 TIE’s against her. The First Order really blew it. Granted, they thought the Colossus was defenseless as Nena described, but why take the chance? What’s more puzzling is when the Colossus jumps to hyperspace, Tierney and Pyre are pretty aloof to it all merely stating that Nena is to be executed IF they happen upon her again. Tierney says, “an asset is only as valuable as it is effective.” Someday this philosophy could be used in describing Tam.
Missed Opportunities
Speaking of DT-533, what if Agent Tierney assigned Tam to attack the Colossus? It would at least serve to test her loyalty towards the First Order. Talk about a missed opportunity! It would’ve suited the episode much better if Nena’s part got cut a little shorter to add a scene where Tam flies a TIE against the Colossus. It would’ve been so much more emotionally driven with Neeku connecting with Nena, who is a moral person who chose the wrong side. And Tam facing her former friends for the first time since joining the First Order. If it seemed like Neeku and Nena had some chemistry, it’s because Josh Brener (Neeku) and Meghan Falcone (Nena) are married.
Conclusion
In the end, what has The Engineer accomplished? How has it advanced the story? It hasn’t. Nena is gone but should return (her character is interesting enough to have more to tell). The Colossus escaped…again. The First Order doesn’t seem to care what happens. And where have Flix and Orka been? Two of the most popular characters have barely been in season two so far. Star Wars Resistance is still engaging in that it adds to the Star Wars story and, barring any misdirection, should play a (very)small role in The Rise of Skywalker.
It is, however, suffering from not having the entire cast appear in most episodes. The cast is what makes the show, and so far, each episode is featuring 2-3 at most. It’s like Cheers with only Sam and Dianne. It’s nothing without Carla, Cliff, Norm, Woody, and Frasier. They each feed off each other, and the plots so far have not been strong enough to carry the show.
Once upon a time in a town no one’s heard of, there lived a boy who enjoyed Star Wars from the quiet of his bedroom. A time came when a new comlink allowed the boy to hear that there are others like him. Overjoyed, the boy wanted nothing more than to join in the conversation. So he did. The rest is HIStory. Besides Star Wars I also enjoy Marvel and Game of Thrones (I dabble in all sorts of geeky fun). You can find me on the couch watching one of several streaming services, reading or writing. Let’s go, Bruins!