Star Wars Resistance review: Kaz and the Mining Guild customer

Kaz minds the shop for Flix and Orka, thwarts the plans of a Mining Guild customer, and acquires new information for the Resistance — all in one hectic and crazy day.

Last week, Kaz took to the skies in “Bibo” and offered assistance to the ace pilots as a giant sea creature attacked the Colossus. In the latest episode, “Dangerous Business,” Kaz spends his day assisting Flix and Orka by looking after their shop. Things start off well enough before chaos descends.

For what it’s worth, it wasn’t Kaz’s fault. In fact, he did everything he could to get back what was stolen from the acquisitions shop. And even though he found himself in the worst situations, we couldn’t help but laugh. The humor in Star Wars Resistance continues to be some of the best in the franchise.

Kaz the assistant

Tam, Yeager, and Neeku wake up extremely early to work on the Fireball. Instead, they find Kaz installing new parts and making it possible for Tam to fly the ship that afternoon. It’s an incredibly sweet and thoughtful gesture from Kaz. He spent the first half of the season taking her ship without permission, so it’s nice to see him being mindful and making up for his past actions.

It’s also great to see his skills as a mechanic improving, even though he installs a few things the wrong way. The fact is he tries and applies himself. We admire those qualities in his character.

Yeager and the others are curious how he managed to get the parts for the Fireball. Kaz says he got them for free under the condition he’ll mind the Office of Acquisitions for Flix and Orka while they’re away. Yeager thinks he’s biting off more than he can chew, and we agree. Then again, it shows Kaz’s willingness to try out a new challenge. After all, moments like this are learning opportunities for Kaz that could help him grow as a person.

When he arrives at Flix and Orka’s shop, they tell him the basic rules. Most importantly, they emphasize not to sell anything from the back room. It’s funny because that’s obviously where the story goes.

Rude customers

After Flix and Orka leave, Kaz meets his first customer. Thankfully for him, BB-8 is there to help because Kaz is still a novice when it comes to being a mechanic and knowing the names of equipment and such. While not having the appropriate knowledge would deter others from taking up such a job, we like how Kaz’s lack of knowledge doesn’t stop him from carrying out his responsibilities. He’s a resilient character and bounces back quickly from moments that would normally keep others down, especially in a customer service job.

His second customer, Teroj Kee, claims he’s with the Mining Guild. That is an interesting detail because the Mining Guild have popped up in Star Wars before, most recently in Star Wars Rebels. In the past, they worked alongside the Empire, so it stands to reason they’re working with the First Order. We appreciate how Star Wars Resistance continues to flesh out the First Order’s behind-the-scenes activities.

Teroj Kee randomly purchases several parts to distract Kaz, who leaves BB-8 to look after the shop. When Kaz delivers the parts, Teroj shuts Kaz into a shipping container. This is when our anxiety starts to build because BB-8 is normally the one to get him out of sticky situations. The thing is BB-8 is courageously taking on Teroj Kee as he tries to steal the phase connector from Flix and Orka’s back room.

Kaz has no choice but to figure out an escape. At the same time, there’s crazy awesome space music playing in the background. The entire sequence comes across as a futuristic take on MacGyver because Kaz literally MacGyvers his way out of the shipping container. It’s brilliant and goes to show how Kaz can accomplish so much when he puts his mind into it. There will also come a time when BB-8 will no longer be with Kaz, so it’s great to see Kaz tackling things on his own.

First Order connections

Kaz follows Teroj Kee to his ship, where he discovers First Order stormtroopers. Luckily for him, he’s not alone. Flix and Orka’s pet gorg, Bitey, tags along for the ride. Kaz cleverly uses Bitey to cut through the electrical wiring with his sharp teeth. Again, the laughs just keep coming because this little gorg is unstoppable.

We particularly love the scene when Kaz intentionally wiggles his fingers to have Bitey munch down on his hand. Kaz starts running and screaming as he attempts to escape with Bitey before the ship crashes into the water. It’s pure comedy.

All of a sudden, things get serious when Bitey falls off Kaz and accidentally stays behind. When the ship crashes and explodes in the water, we feared the worst. We wanted to both laugh and cry when Kaz said, “You gave your life for the Resistance, my friend.” With cartoon magic, though, Bitey miraculously survives. We’re partly curiously as to how that happened, but at the same time, we don’t care because Bitey’s alive and that’s all that matters.

Heavy mining equipment

Upon returning to the shop, Kaz discovers the place is an absolute mess due to BB-8’s fight with Teroj Kee. Flix and Orka come back at that precise moment and they’re shocked at the shop’s condition. Kaz explains what happened, being completely honest with them. Orka’s impressed at the lengths he went to in order to stop Teroj Kee, so that softens the blow a bit.

Kaz also discovers the purpose of a phase connector. They’re used to open planetoids and asteroids for heaving mining. While Kaz suspects this connects to the First Order’s mining operations, we’re inclined to believe this is related to Starkiller Base. Either way, the Resistance is several steps behind, and we know what the consequences look like in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Lingering thoughts

We feel sorry for Kaz because he took on the assistant job in order to get the parts Tam needs for the Fireball, but Teroj Kee ruined everything. So now, Kaz has to pay for it by coming back to Flix and Orka’s shop to clean up the mess. Then again, the whole ordeal is a blessing in disguise. Had he not been at the shop, Teroj Kee would have stolen the phase connector without interruptions and the First Order would be one step closer to achieving their plans.

All in all, this episode is an absolute joy. Kaz is such a sweet and endearing character, and we had a blast following his crazy solo mission from the storage container to Teroj Kee’s ship. We also commend him for acting intelligently and courageously in completely foreign situations. All of these factors just make us love him even more, and we can’t wait to see where he goes next.

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