Review: Star Wars Resistance “The High Tower”

Kaz comes face to face with the First Order on an exhilarating episode of Star Wars Resistance.

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Curfews and power outages? Something funny is afoot at the Colossus, and Kaz is determined to find out what it is. After meeting ace pilot Hype Fazon at the bar, Kaz is invited to the tower: the special lounge for ace pilots and the potential source of the First Order spy.

Kaz manages to eavesdrop on a group of stormtroopers meeting with the owner of the Colossus – Captain Doza. They offer him protection from the pirate attacks, but he turns them down for now. They see Kaz as he’s trying to sneak away, and a big chase ensues, ultimately ending with Kaz barely escaping with his life. But his anonymity is gone.

Our Take:

Well, I think The High Tower was exactly what I was hoping for after last week’s episode. While the show has been a ton of fun up until now, the connection to Poe, the Resistance, and the larger galaxy was starting to fade into the background. This episode throws us right back into the fray, with the First Order paying a visit to the Colossus. Kaz finally getting to put some work into his actual mission is great to see, and this was an exciting episode full of tension punctuated with the show’s trademark sense of humor. Though Captain Doza doesn’t seem to be the spy on the inside, Kaz is on the First Order’s radar now, and it’s only a matter of time before he gets in over his head. There’s a bunch of interesting elements in this episode, like Tam’s connection to Hype, or Torra being an accomplice to Kaz’s escape.

The chase scene as the stormtroopers pursue Kaz through the tower is definitely one of the most enthralling and well-animated segments the show has attempted yet. Apart from the racing sequences, this is the most action movie moment that has occurred, and it was well executed and kept me on the edge of my seat. The bar patrons cheering him on and taking bets on whether he’d survive or not was fun (and kind of dark!). I’ve also got to point out that it looks like Resistance is sticking with the Star Wars tradition of making the stormtroopers have awful aim. Kaz is no gymnast, and they had so many opportunities to hit him that I’m surprised they didn’t at least graze him with one of their frantic shots.

This was potentially one of the funniest episodes that we’ve seen so far. Though I still have serious reservations about Niku’s use as the comedy relief, I have to admit that the scene where he was questioning the First Order on Kaz’s behalf was just wonderful. The look on Kaz’s face and his body language as the troopers file by him is priceless. There’s just a bunch of hilarious moments in this episode, whether it was Kaz trying to follow the snack server droid or his nervous mantra as he inched along the ledge: “This is fine. I’m fine. It’s gonna be great.” The fact that Torra thought Kaz had entered her room for, er, more adult purposes was not something I expected to see, and I love that Kaz has no idea what she meant. “I think you’ve mistaken my kindness for… something else.”

The fourth episode of Star Wars Resistance takes it to the next level with the entrance of the First Order on the Colossus itself. I’m so glad we have a show that is more lighthearted and takes time for comedy but also isn’t afraid to show the more serious sides of the galaxy. Captain Doza knows Kaz’s face now – and he’ll be on the lookout for trouble.

Score
9/10