Review: Star Wars Resistance “The Platform Classic”

Brotherly bonds are tested in a heartfelt episode of Star Wars Resistance that isn’t afraid to race at top speed.

Overview (Spoilers Below):

There’s a new pilot onboard the Colossus who’s in need of a quality mechanic – but Yaeger isn’t happy about it. It turns out that the new pilot is the famous racer Marcus Speedstar. He also happens to be Yaeger’s brother.

Marcus has come to compete in the Platform Classic. After being goaded on by his staff, Yaeger challenges him to race and is shocked when he accepts. Marcus can’t afford to lose the race because his partner has been kidnapped by a group of outlaws he owes credits. The race itself is thrilling, and as they near the finish line, Yaeger and Marcus come to an understanding about their past.

Our Take:

Niku is back with a vengeance. His first line and loud, obnoxious laughter made me realize how much I didn’t miss him. Oh well, at least the rest of The Platform Classic was a lot more entertaining. Resistance continues to be like a blaster bolt of pure fun. Yaeger’s statement about giving Marcus his ‘best mechanic’ made me literally laugh out loud. “I didn’t say what he was best at,” he later justifies himself to Niku and Tam. Part of the reason it works so well is Kaz and his reaction to the moment. He’s so engaging to watch because he’s a character with a personality that’s larger than life. I’ve also got to give Tam an award for her retort: “Wow, Yaeger used to be a kid?” It is kinda hard to picture.

Let’s talk about Marcus Speedstar – I love him! Introducing a family member for Yaeger serves a number of different purposes in the show. The main and most obvious, of course, is the addition of a new cast member. In this role, Marcus is well-suited. He’s brash and cocky (as a galaxy-famous pilot should be) but not stereotypically mean in his boasting. But there’s clearly a real human underneath all the bravado who cares about his brother and just wants to reconcile. Their conversation through the intercom during the climax of the race was intensely heartfelt and more mature than I ever expected Resistance to touch on.

We’ve known that Yaeger had a hidden past ever since Kaz saw his family photo while sneaking into Yaeger’s personal office. We also knew he was a famous racer back in the day. But what we didn’t realize was exactly how good of a racer he was. If Captain Doza and Marcus’s claims are to be believed, then Yaeger is practically unbeatable. (No wonder he was involved in the fight against the Empire – his piloting skills would be unrivaled!) The fact that his family was killed by his own brother’s cheating is straight up dark.

The race between the two brothers is one of the best parts of The Platform Classic. We get to see Yaeger in top form as he easily bests the other competition. The race involves flying through a circular loop machine that deactivates engines, just to make the race more exhilarating to behold. I was definitely holding my breath as the racers approached the re-activation loop mere moments before crashing into the water.

Overall, this episode marks an exciting addition to Star Wars Resistance. Though we’ve only known him for a single episode, Marcus Speedstar is already interesting to watch and he’s even developing as a fully realized character after less than 20 minutes of screen time. The conflict between Yaeger and Marcus gets deep, and though it came from out of left field for this show, I’m loving it. The show’s humor is still going strong, too, and The Platform Classic packed plenty of laughs in-between all of the heart-stopping racing action and brotherly love. This is definitely going to go down as one of the top episodes of the season due to both the race itself and the brotherly bond it begins to restore.