Star Wars Resistance review: Tam and Synara’s newfound friendship

Captain Doza is desperate to get the targeting system back up and running before the next pirate attack happens. Little does he and the others know, a pirate spy walks among them.

Besides the First Order, the pirates have been an ongoing threat to the Colossus. They either attack the station head on or they raid the station’s shipments before the supplies reach the planet. Captain Doza is stuck between a rock and a hard place. So far, he’s held his ground, but things quickly go from bad to worse in this latest episode of Star Wars Resistance.

“Synara’s Score” pushes Doza into a position he doesn’t want to be in. At the same time, Tam and Synara’s growing friendship is a major highlight of the series so far, since we finally get to see two women interacting with each other and moving the story along without Kaz being present.

Fried computer chip

Yeager and his crew work on the targeting computer for Captain Doza. Doza worries about the station’s safety, especially since the ace pilots will be protecting an incoming shipment. Yeager promises to get the system up and running, but a vital computer chip dies in the process. This forces Kaz and Tam to search for a spare and working chip.

Whether it’s BB-8, Neeku, or Poe, Kaz always buddies up with someone in every episode. This time around, Tam tags along with him and we couldn’t be more grateful about that writing decision. Not only does it give Tam time to shine as a master mechanic, but Kaz acts as the bridge necessary for Tam and Synara to meet.

Flix and Orka also make an appearance again in this episode. We wish these two characters were more involved in the story and action instead of hiding away in their Office of Acquisitions. Still, what little we see of them is always a treat.

We also imagine fans jumping for joy when Orka mentions Kyber crystals. Even though it‘s said in jest, we can’t help but feel a little surprised to find out Kyber crystals are commonly known. Then again, the Empire made it their business to acquire Kyber crystals for the Death Star, so more than likely, others picked up on their worth and word spread from there.

Synara the scavenger

Kaz takes Tam to the salvaging port, where Synara has been working as a salvager. Synara gets them the part they need, but this also gives her an important tip. She now knows the turbolasers aren’t operational and she passes this information along to Kragan.

Synara is not your typical pirate. She is eloquent, level-headed, and strategic. To be honest, she’s more cut out to be a military leader or head of security than a pirate. There’s no doubt she also feels the same way, like she’s destined for something more, but life has been unkind to her.

For now, she’s blending in as a salvager. What we find interesting about her position is how there’s apparently a lot of scrap sitting on the ocean floor. According to the Star Wars Databank, the surface of Castilon is covered by oceans and it’s “broken up by the occasional inhabited structures, including the Colossus.” There’s a lot about the planet we don’t know much about, but given what we see in this episode, it also sounds like it was the stage for a few wars back in the day. Enough conflict took place that it left behind a wealth of scrap everywhere.

Lunch break

Synara stops by Yeager’s workshop and Tam quickly invites her to lunch so as to not have her lingering around their secret project for Captain Doza. The two women talk about their past and bond over the fact that they both want more than what life has given them.

This scene right here is our favorite part of the episode. It might not be obvious to some, but we’ve noticed how the women in Star Wars Resistance haven’t interacted much with each other. Tam is always surrounded by the men of her crew, and Torra and Freya have barely had any screen time individually let alone together. This is the first time we see two women interacting with each other in a meaningful way that contributes to the story.

They’re also not talking about the men in their lives, like Qi’ra and L3-37 unfortunately did in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Instead, they’re talking about their aspirations in life and the struggles they’ve had to endure. It’s such a brilliant scene, and we can’t thank the writers enough for featuring Tam instead of Kaz. While we adore him as the main character, this was the time for Tam to shine and she did not disappoint.

Pirates attack

Tam rushes back to the shop to help finish the repairs, but pirates suddenly attack. Worried for her new friend’s safety, Tam heads off to help Synara. Yeager and Kaz, on the other hand, install the computer to get the defenses back up and running. After some unwanted complications, the pirates finally retreat. In the meantime, Synara is surprised by how Tam risked her own life to help her.

At this point of the episode, Synara is operating as she normally would, sending Kragan information with no remorse. There’s nothing on the Colossus that would make her think otherwise, not even Kaz, the person who helped rescue her. You’d also think her conversation with Tam would have made her second guess, but it was just a fleeting conversation to her. To someone like Synara, actions speak louder than words.

We thought it was genius to have Tam spring to action and help Synara during the pirate attack. The animators also did a fantastic job at capturing the look of genuine surprise on Synara’s face when she realized she had a friend in Tam. This is obviously going to trouble Synara moving forward because she’s putting her new friend in danger. There’s going to be an inevitable conflict of emotions, as we originally theorized. Needless to say, we can’t wait to see what happens next.

For now, we’re just grateful to know Synara and Tam’s friendship actually exists. The more meaningful friendships between women in the Star Wars galaxy, the better.

Reaching out to the First Order

As the pirates retreat, Captain Doza watches the damage inflicted on the Colossus. With no other alternative in mind, he contacts the First Order and talks with Commander Pyre. Doza wants to revisit the proposal they had offered as a way to make the pirate raids stop. Commander Pyre is pleased to hear this and promises to arrive personally for the negotiations.

On one hand, this is bad news. The First Order is getting exactly what they want. On the other hand, we like what’s happening because this is the only way to get more answers. We still don’t know why the First Order is keen on acquiring the Colossus, so Doza giving in and playing into their hands will no doubt shed more light on the First Order’s plans and intentions.

This move will also provide Kaz with more spying opportunities. Granted, he’s still rough around the edges when it comes to being a spy, but his fumbling and learning make for great comedy.

What are your overall thoughts of the episode? What do you think of Tam’s interactions with Synara, and what do out think is going to happen next?