Star Wars Resistance review: Neeku makes a new friend

Star Wars Resistance returns with hints of possible Force sensitive children, a giant creature attack, and Synara suspecting Kaz is more than meets the eye.

Before the holiday break, Kaz went on a mission with Poe and discovered a terrible detail regarding the First Order. Now, he’s back at the Colossus and things appear to be normal. That is, until Neeku adopts a smelly yet adorable sea creature and attracts loads of trouble to the Colossus in the process.

“Bibo” is an amusing and straightforward episode. Star Wars Rebels taught us there are no filler episodes, so while Neeku and his small friend are the main focus, there are also other things at play in the background. Eila and Kel, for example, reveal a Force-like trait and Synara expresses interest in Kaz’s secrets. Not only that, but we get the feeling this won’t be the last time we see the massive tentacled creature.

Neeku finds a pet

The episode starts off with Kaz and Neeku meeting up with Synara at the salvaging yards to pick up a new part for the Fireball. Turns out, the Resistance didn’t repair it completely in “Station Theta Black,” as we had hoped. Luckily for them, Synara has the part they need.

At the same time, Kaz shows off his knowledge of military history, a detail we absolutely love. Kaz may not have expert combat or mechanical skills, but he’s smart and we have a hunch that knowledge will come in handy in the future.

Things start to get smelly when a tiny creature jumps out of the part Synara scooped up. For Neeku, it’s love at first sight. He calls it Bibo and takes it back with him to Yeager’s garage, where he begs Yeager to let him keep it. Neeku has the curious wonder of an innocent child, but we still don’t know much about him. We desperately want to learn more about his background to understand why he becomes so attached to Bibo.

Synara and the pirates

Back at the salvaging yards, Synara gets in touch with Kragan, her pirate boss. He informs her the two pilots who rescued her are part of the Resistance. When Kaz shows up, she invites him to go on a salvaging run and takes the opportunity to ask him a few questions. But of course, Kaz isn’t the best at lying. We get the impression she sees right through him.

Kaz, on the other hand, still hasn’t picked up on Synara’s ties to the pirates. We also don’t know what Synara is planning to do in the long run. Is she still in league with the pirates, or is she looking to break away and make a life for herself on the Colossus?

Meanwhile, Yeager wants Neeku to get rid of Bibo, but this forces Neeku to quit his job. He’s unwilling to let go of his new friend. Before Tam runs off to help Neeku, she tells Yeager to cut him some slack. She also makes a fantastic point and opens Yeager’s eyes. Kaz has done crazier things in the past and Yeager lets him get away with it. Granted, most of the crazy things Kaz does is because of his spying job for the Resistance, but Neeku and Tam don’t know that. They just think Kaz is getting it easy. We admire how Tam stands up for herself and for Neeku and how she isn’t afraid to tell her boss the truth.

Back to engineering

Neeku and Tam eventually find Bibo in engineering, where the Chelidae live. There, Tam meets Eila and Kel, the two siblings we previously met in “The Children of Tehar.” Neeku and Bibo are reunited, but Eila says it won’t last. Tam grows curious about her statement. Kel explains his sister has had repetitive dreams about a creature attacking the Colossus and how it’s connected to Bibo. He also mentions the lack of animal life and how they’ve all fled the area.

This sets off alarm bells in our heads. What Kel describes sounds like a vision influenced by the Force. Are Eila and Kel Force sensitive? Or are they just highly observant and hypersensitive to nature and the world around them? The mid-season trailer revealed how Star Wars Resistance is much closer to the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens than we originally thought, so maybe there are ripples in the Force that are heightening the senses of Force sensitive children across the galaxy. It’s a crazy thought, but the Force does work in mysterious ways.

Monster attack

Synara and Kaz race back to the Colossus in order to warn everyone of an imminent attack. The ace pilots launch and try to stop the massive creature as it tries to wrap itself around the station. Kaz joins them and offers some expert assistance. We are so proud to see him take initiative. He is a selfless person through and through, and it’ll be interesting to see whether Captain Doza will commend him for his actions in the near future.

Also, we don’t know about everyone else, but we couldn’t help but wince every time they shot at the creature, especially since we know the creature is the parent to Bibo. Thankfully, it wasn’t hurt badly during the attack.

We found it humorous when Elijah Wood’s character, Jace Rucklin, told Neeku he had to give the creature back. We couldn’t help but think of The Lord of the Rings at that moment. In that story, Frodo has to take the Ring back to Mordor in order to prevent further destruction of Middle-earth. In a way, Neeku has to do the same.

Neeku eventually realizes the creature attacking the station is Bibo’s parent, and he gives his friend up in order to stop the Colossus from being torn apart. It’s an unhappy moment for Neeku, but it’s wonderful to see Tam, Yeager, and Kaz sticking by him. Neeku may not realize it, but he has a family who cares about him.

Lingering thoughts

Things in Star Wars Resistance happen for a reason. We get the feeling this sea creature is going to come back again in the future. It’s reminiscent of the purrgil in Star Wars Rebels, giant whale-like creatures who helped take out Imperial forces during the series finale. We don’t think it’s going to play out the same way, but the creature could pop up out of instinct during a crucial moment for the good guys.

We know the story is going to get more intense from this point forward, but we appreciate the lightheartedness of this episode. It allowed Team Fireball to grow closer together, and we know that’s going to be vital in the future. The First Order is going to divide and conquer, so here’s hoping Team Fireball come through and fight back as a solid group together.

Star Wars Resistance airs Sundays on the Disney Channel at 10 p.m. EST and DisneyNOW.