Star Wars Resistance review: The pirates kidnap Torra Doza

In the latest episode of Star Wars Resistance, the pirates plan a new mission that ends in betrayal, Synara’s allegiance is tested, and Kaz suspects Synara’s real reason for being on the Colossus.

Things take a dramatic turn in “The Doza Dilemma.” The First Order’s patience is running thin, but they rely on the pirates one more time to get a crucial job done. Meanwhile, Synara is unsure where her loyalties lie. She withholds the truth from Kaz, but he’s seen enough evidence to recognize Synara isn’t who she says she is.

This latest episode kicks it up a notch as some allegiances are broken and others are questioned. While Star Wars Resistance excels at bringing the humor, it also does an excellent job at serving up some drama.

Hanging out with friends

Commander Pyre and Kragan have a secret meeting, and neither of them are pleased. Pyre isn’t getting the results he wants, and Kragan is not getting paid enough for the job. He demands more money. Pyre briefly looks at Phasma and concedes. In exchange, they require the capture of Captain Doza’s daughter.

It’s a brilliant plan. Star Wars Resistance continues to highlight how the First Order isn’t just an exaggeration of the Empire. They’re calculating, and every step for the past 30 years has been carefully planned out. They want to lure Doza into a false sense of security, and manipulating the pirates into stealing his daughter is certainly the best way to do it.

In order to get the pirates in, Kragan contacts Synara, and he’s not pleased with her performance either. He tells her the new plan, and Synara feels uncertain because the plan involves getting two pirates, Valik and Drell, into Doza’s Tower.

Luckily for her, she finds Torra, Tam, and Kaz hanging out at Aunt Z’s tavern. Torra playfully invites her and the others to the Tower, where they play a new drone blaster game. What we love most about this scene is how Torra is hanging out with people who are in her age group. The Colossus isn’t swarming with teenagers, so moments like these allow her and the others to simply be themselves. It’s also amusing to see Kaz just fail miserably at the blaster game, especially after Synara hits all her targets.

Pirate mission

At Yeager’s garage, Kaz decides to go to the salvaging yards in search of Synara. It’s very clear to us now that Kaz has a crush on her. We can’t blame him, really. Synara’s a beautiful and skillful woman. We love how he even straightens his jacket and smells himself before making his way there. We doubt it’ll develop into anything serious, but it’s cute to see Kaz experience something we’ve all experienced at one time or another.

Unfortunately for Kaz, he discovers Synara talking with two mysterious customers. She takes them to Doza’s Tower, while Kaz and BB-8 secretly follow. Synara eventually discovers what Valik and Drell are really up to and how it involves Torra’s capture. When she contacts Kragan, he tells her how she’s gone soft. She feels frustrated and attempts to do something about it.

Despite what Kragan says, Synara hasn’t gone soft. She’s grown a conscience. We appreciate how Star Wars continues to give us characters who are complex and come from a wide spectrum of good and evil. There are a lot of characters who sit in the middle, but their experiences have them fluctuate. Some end up closer to the lighter side, while others are forced to walk paths closer to the darker side. Synara is on this spectrum, and she’s slowly figuring out where she wants to be.

Following the kidnappers

Synara bumps into Kaz and she tells him what has happened. Kaz springs into action and takes off with the Fireball to chase after Torra and her captors. Synara warns Captain Doza, and he scrambles the ace pilots. They ultimately prove ineffective because they end up following a decoy.

We like how this particular detail plays out because it reinforces what Pyre told Doza in a private meeting — the ace pilots are racers, not protectors. It’s also a problem the Resistance runs into frequently. Just because someone knows how to fly doesn’t mean they’re capable of fighting in combat. Personally, we think the ace pilots are Resistance material, but the way things play out in this episode, it might push Doza into getting more help from the First Order.

It’s also great to hear Bo Keevil talking again and exciting to confirm he’s voiced by Star Wars Resistance creator Dave Filoni. He first spoke in the Star Wars Resistance shorts, but we hope to see more from him and the other ace pilots as the second half of the first season progresses.

The First Order to the rescue?

When Valik and Drell arrive on the pirate skiff, Kaz is able to transmit the coordinates to the Colossus. This particular scene with the skiff coming out of the fog reminds us of a Pirates of the Caribbean movie. It’s so beautifully done, and it’s just a reminder of how this show continues to blow us away with its visuals.

Just when Kaz believes things can’t get any worse, the First Order arrives. Major Vonreg descends from the ship, but a fight breaks out as he and his troopers attempt to rescue Torra. Again, it’s a brilliant plan from the First Order. It’s a twist we didn’t see coming in this episode, even though we expected the First Order to betray the pirates at some point. It’s a clever ruse — and it helps push their “we only want to help” image.

Vonreg returns Torra to her father on the Colossus, where he also leaves a small security detail while Doza reconsiders the First Order agreement. Kaz flies overhead, saying none of this feels right to him, and with good reason. He knows from experience the First Order is not to be trusted. It’ll be interesting to find out what Poe thinks of the situation once Kaz reports his findings.

Synara’s loyalties

The episode ends with Kragan contacting Synara about the First Order betrayal. She has no idea how this will affect her. Before she can fully voice her concerns, Kaz interrupts her. Synara lies about the two pirates, and Kaz knows it. He walks away feeling hurt because he comes to realize she’s either helping the pirates or she’s one of them.

It breaks our hearts to see Kaz walking away with a hurt puppy dog look, especially since we know he has a small crush on Synara. And in addition to keeping a close eye on the First Order, he’ll have to spy on Synara and see where her allegiances truly lie.

We sound like a broken record, but Star Wars Resistance just keeps getting better and better. Each episode builds on the previous one in exciting and unexpected ways. We can’t wait to find out what happens next with Synara. Will she stick with the pirates, will she stay on the Colossus, or will she find a different path for herself? Here’s hoping we get that question answered sooner rather than later.

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