Review: Star Wars Resistance “Bibo”

Niku saves the day when a gargantuan sea monster attacks the Colossus.

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Niku has adopted a new pet, and nobody is happy. The tiny creature might have a certain rugged cuteness on first glance, but it’s smelly, gross, and tries to eat everything in sight. When its mother comes to claim it back, everyone on the Colossus is threatened by the giant monster. Niku eventually makes the right choice and returns Bibo to its rightful place with its parent.

Our Take:

As I’m sure you’re aware if you’ve been keeping up with my Resistance reviews, I’m not the biggest fan of Niku. He’s oblivious, unfunny, and generally just really annoying. So I was definitely a little nervous during the start of Bibo, when it became clear that Niku and his pet were going to stick around until the end of the episode. Luckily, Niku had a couple of actually good lines this week. Maybe the key to making his character work is pairing him with a creature even grosser and more annoying?

I’m not exactly sure why Niku becomes so attached to Bibo in such a short amount of time, especially considering the tiny slug doesn’t seem to have any redeemable qualities that would make it a viable pet. But maybe that just shows how Niku has a big heart and is willing to go to bat for those who everyone else dislikes. Either way, I had to laugh at Niku’s plea that he would give up his bunk, his rations, and even his “weekly payment” to Bibo. (Also, I cracked up when Niku found out that Bibo “kisses back”. Not something I ever expected to hear in Resistance.) Another hilarious part of the episode was how bad Kaz is at coming up with an excuse for his military knowledge. Instead of coming up with a plausible cover story, he just goes, “Uh… lunch?”

Amidst all the chaos of the sea monster attack, there’s a lot of little things tossed into this episode, like the fact that the siblings who escaped the First Order are still living in the Engineering section of the ship. Tam’s rapid acceptance of this fact is pretty funny. I have to imagine the kids are getting bored though, just hanging out with all those slow-moving turtles. Tam’s time with Niku is sweet to see. She definitely has a soft spot when it comes to him, and it was nice that she stuck up for him when Yaeger was threatening to get rid of Bibo. (Even though Yaeger was completely justified in this since the little guy destroys every ship part he comes into contact with.)

Synara’s loyalties are becoming harder to identify. While she’s still telling the pirates that she’s spying for them, she missed her last check-in and seems to be at home on the Colossus at this point. (Did anyone else find her coming on to Kaz a little creepy? I imagine she’s a good several year older than him.)

Bibo is a solid return for Star Wars Resistance. Sure, I saw the real reason the giant creature was attacking right away, but it was nice to give Niku a solid plot to get behind and make him into a more rootable character. Plus, I always love seeing the pilots of the Colossus flying into action. It’s just another reminder of how unique a show Resistance is in the Star Wars canon. It can be goofy and hilarious but also present some serious stakes at the same time. (If you haven’t seen the new mid-season trailer, check it out! It shows just how connected to The Force Awakens and the Last Jedi the show will become.)