Review: Star Wars Resistance “Secrets and Holograms”

Kaz plays Flight Simulator and learns about the ghosts in Captain Doza’s closet.

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Tora Doza is bored. Her father has forbidden her from leaving her room while the First Order is visiting. All she wants to do is have some fun, though, and a little droid guard won’t keep her inside.

While Tora is trying to escape the tower, Kaz is trying to infiltrate it to spy on Captain Doza for Poe. When he runs in Tora, they team up and have some fun together. But while the Captain is showing his First Order guests out, Kaz takes the opportunity to break into his office. What he discovers changes his perception of the Captain… and Tora may have discovered that he’s a spy.

Our Take:

Secrets and Holograms is the ninth episode of Star Wars Resistance. We’re less than ten episodes into the show, and it already feels like I’m at home in this part of the galaxy. The crew has done a wonderful job of building both the world and the characters.

Captain Doza is a great example of how fleshed out and complicated Resistance tends to paint their characters. From different perspectives, Doza is either a great father and wise leader, or a scheming and corrupt overlord with secrets to hide. Of course, the actual truth is probably somewhere in the middle. Doza clearly cares about his daughter and the ‘citizens’ of the Colossus, but he also likes to withhold information from the Ace pilots, as well as keeping a closet with an Imperial jacket stored away. At this point, my guess is that he used to serve the Empire, but realized how corrupt it was and assumed a new identity to take control of the Colossus. How suspicious of him the First Order is, I don’t know. They clearly don’t have his best interests at heart, and will likely double-cross him to take over the Colossus at some point in the future.

This episode doesn’t open on Kaz, as most Resistance stories tend to do, but he is connected with everyone we see in some way. Tora is an intriguing case study of a neglected child prodigy. Alone in her room with only racing practice to do. Even racing hologames are no fun without company. Kaz is just as fun-loving as Tora, and I think there’s a lot of potential for a strong friendship down the line… if Kaz can come clean about his real mission. Tora definitely suspects something (she’s not as carefree as she’d have you believe), and she’s going to be watching Kaz closely.

Rucklin makes a return here, working a job in the Aces lounge to earn money for a new ship. He doesn’t really add much to the plot besides re-vowing revenge on Kaz and then trying to turn him in to the Captain. Kaz avoids detection by a stroke of luck, but this will only make Rucklin more determined to do him dirty in the future.

This episode had a lot going on (like that incinerator – yikes, Tora!), but it still made time for some great comedic moments. 4-D’s aversion to Tora’s pet is adorable. Why would a programmed servant droid be so afraid of a little (probably radioactive) wee? I love it! Also, I just want to point out that when Kaz saw the datapad with the First Order plan on it, his first reaction is to ask BB-8 if he has come up with a plan yet. Really, Kaz?

This episode of Star Wars Resistance was a solid one. It finally gave Tora some screen time, which I’ve been looking forward to ever since being introduced to her colorful character. It’s going to be very interesting to see how her suspicion of Kaz manifests itself in upcoming episodes. Secrets and Holograms also opened up a lot of questions about Captain Doza and his history with the Empire. Resistance has quickly become one of my favorite series in the Star Wars franchise, largely due to its diverse cast of characters and streamlined, serial plot advancement.