Review: Star Wars Resistance “Station Theta Black”

Kaz has his moments – just not very many of them.

Overview (Spoilers Below):

After delivering Captain Doza’s agreement with the First Order to Poe and General Organa, Poe offers to take Kaz with him to investigate the location of a potential secret First Order space base. They quickly find it, but it seems to be abandoned. Though Kaz is eager to leave, Poe is determined to stay until they find the control room and the reason for the base’s existence.

Unfortunately, a droid apparently guarding the defunct base sounds an alarm, and Captain Phasma herself arrives with a destruction crew. They engage with Poe and Kaz in a heated melee. The two friends barely escape with their lives – and the data from the base’s computer system.

Our Take:

On this episode of Star Wars Resistance, we’re treated to a beautiful-looking adventure through space with Poe, Kaz, and the love droids (as Poe calls them…can droids even fall in love?). Not only is Station Theta Black beautifully animated, but it’s also directed to milk the most suspense from its setting and premise that wouldn’t feel out of place in a horror film. As Poe and Kaz explore the empty base, dark shadows fill the hallways and the camera lingers even after the two walks out of the frame, promising calamity not far behind our heroes. Once Captain Phasma enters the game, there isn’t much of this atmosphere left, but it still occupied enough of the beginning to make an impression. Rebels and Clone Wars had similar episodes – there’s just something creepy and cool about sneaking through an abandoned space station looking for Intel, not knowing what lifeform is around the next corner.

And what new knowledge does Poe and Kaz’s efforts at uncovering eventually lead to? The First Order has been using the station to mine Dedlanite, a material used in the creation of blaster weapons. While my own mind wasn’t blown by this discovery (of course the First Order needs lots of blasters!), it seems to be information that General Organa considers vital to the future of the Resistance. Sure, this knowledge alone won’t convince the governing body of the First Order’s corrupt intentions, especially since as Leia says, they’re making a big profit off the arms manufacture. But it will make everyone in the Resistance more prepared for the coming danger they will face.

This episode was chock full of funny lines. I love how Kaz says the Fireball just needs to “warm” up. When Kaz and Poe are placed together, comedy ensues. Poe’s more sarcastic, jaded tone meshes wonderfully with the innocently naive and optimistic Kaz, and their banter is some of the best I’ve ever heard. “I’m never really ready to anything,” Kaz says, “but that hasn’t stopped me yet.” Their exchange about Kaz’s experience with shooting is great, too, along with Poe’s barb during the battle: “Can you pretend to shoot something already?” Finally, this might be my favorite line of the night: “I have my moments. (BB beeps a response.) Yeah, I know I don’t have that many!” (Even BB-8 can’t resist making a joke at Kaz’s expense!)

The only real complaints I have are minor, technical details. It felt like the Fireball missing a repair would be a vital part of the episode that would come back to bite Kaz in the behind, especially during that escape from the explosion, but it never happened and so that opening seems a little misplaced to me now. Also, Kaz shoots a door’s control panel, which not only renders it inoperable but causes the door to CLOSES. Like, who is designing these door systems?

Station Theta Black is a very good episode of Star Wars Resistance. I feel like I’ve been writing that a lot lately, and it’s true. Resistance has quickly become one of my favorite shows in the animated Star Wars franchise canon, even topping Rebels for me, I think. This tenth (or eleventh, depending on where you’re looking) episode gives Poe and Kaz some needed screen time together and provides an interesting contrast between their two personalities. We even got to see Captain Phasma and Leia for a little while!  I believe we’re going on hiatus for the holidays, but we’ll be back early next year for more adventures with Kaz, BB-8, and all their Resistance allies!