Star Wars Resistance review: The Colossus rises up against the First Order

Tam makes a final decision about her future, the Colossus comes to life, and the characters embark on a new adventure in the spectacular Star Wars Resistance season finale.

In the penultimate episode of Star Wars Resistance, things ended on a somber note as Kaz watched the First Order destroy his homeworld, his family, and the New Republic Senate all in one fell swoop. This could have tossed anyone into a state of uncontrollable grief and depression, but not Kaz. Thanks to Torra’s support, Kaz rallied and sought to get rid of the First Order from the Colossus once and for all.

With the help of his friends and a strategic plan by Neeku, they succeed in doing so. Even more impressive, the Colossus is now on its way to a new destination. The future is uncertain, but one thing is for sure, we couldn’t have asked for a better ending to the first season of Star Wars Resistance. Writer Brandon Auman made the final 22 minutes feel like an hour-long season ender in the best way possible.

Releasing Yeager and Captain Doza

“No Escape, Part 2” picks up right where the previous episode leaves off. Torra tells Kaz they have to keep moving and offers her hand to help him up. Afterward, they go to the detention level to free Yeager and Captain Doza. Still saddened by the First Order’s actions, Kaz tells Yeager about what happened. They also inform Captain Doza what they want to do with the Colossus, specifically making it airborne. It’s a risky plan, but it’s the only move they’ve got.

We love how Torra went from friendly competition at the start of the series to a true and caring friend with Kaz by the end of it. Having her present at such a heartbreaking moment for Kaz was brilliant because she knows how to properly react and she knows how to help him back up again, as any real friend would.

It’s also interesting how both Yeager and Doza don’t have more vocal or visible reactions when Kaz mentions how the First Order destroyed his home. Then again, they’ve seen it before. Both Yeager and Doza saw what the Empire was capable of doing decades ago, so the First Order’s extreme actions don’t come across as news to them. In a way, it’s almost as if they already knew it was going to happen — that it was somehow inevitable.

Neeku’s plan

Neeku, Kel, and Eila are working hard to make the Colossus fully operational, but in order to make it fly, they have to flush out the water they took on during the descent. This gives Neeku an idea. He contacts Kaz and tells him they can get rid of the First Order’s forces by flushing them out of the hallways. Slowly but surely, they carry out their plan. At the same time, Neeku receives a secret transmission from Aunt Z.

While Neeku’s plan is good and helps with their overall mission, it feels incredibly disturbing to see stormtroopers flushed out into the depths of the ocean. And on top of it, the local wildlife attack some of them. We know Kaz and the others don’t have any other choice or any other means to get rid of the First Order’s forces, but the strategy still caught us by surprise, especially since these troopers won’t be experiencing quick and painless deaths.

The transmission from Aunt Z is another detail that caught us by surprise. That is a great way to drop in a loose thread from the recent past, especially in the midst of everything that’s happening — because her entrance later on with Hype Fazon makes things all the more exciting.

Tam’s decision

Tam is being escorted to the command shuttle by the First Order, but Kaz and Yeager catch up with her and attempt to convince her to stay. When Kaz gives him the word, Neeku activates the engines of the Colossus and the station starts to rise out of the water. Commander Pyre and Agent Tierny escape, but not before Tierny reaches out for Tam and gives her the offer to come with her. Yeager and Kaz yell out to her in the chaos, but she decides to go with Tierny.

The exchange between Tam and Yeager truly tugs at our heartstrings because she trusted Yeager and even saw him as a father figure. From her perspective, the lies and the favoritism meant that Yeager didn’t return the sentiment. She feels utterly betrayed, so we completely understand how the First Order swooped in and gave her the safety and security she was looking for.

At the same time, it disappoints us how she didn’t take the time to talk things out with Yeager and  hear his side of the story. That way, she could have made an informed decision. Instead, she acted on her emotions and relied on a stranger who acted as the devil on her shoulder.

Still, this dramatic change in direction for Tam makes the story all the more intriguing because she’s our internal connection to the First Order now. It’ll be interesting to see their side of the story later this year and have Tam be our eyes throughout the second season.

Fighters in flight

Meanwhile, Captain Doza releases the ace pilots. Yeager, Kaz, and Torra get to their racers, but the First Order has them trapped. Thankfully, Aunt Z and Hype Fazon show up and give them the help they need. Everyone takes to the racers and engage in air combat with the First Order TIE fighters. Soon after, Synara and the pirates arrive and offer more assistance.

The Colossus rising out of the water is an absolute masterpiece. If we could frame that moment, we would. We just couldn’t help but be in awe of the animation, the music, the writing, and everything else in between during this particular scene. Add to that the racers flying out in unison to fight back against the First Order TIE fighters and the pirates arriving as backup. Talk about amazing.

New adventures incoming

Just as the Colossus is gearing up to leave, Kaz takes down one last fighter in an attempt to save Yeager’s tail: Major Vonreg. They make their way back to the station just as more First Order reinforcements arrive. By that point, it doesn’t matter. Neeku punches in Kaz’s coordinates to D’Qar before launching them all into hyperspace. The thing is Neeku didn’t have enough time to put in the right coordinates, so they may arrive close by or several light years away.

Kaz taking out Major Vonreg the way he did deserves a round of applause. His ability to come out on top during intense moments of pressure astounds us every time. We also especially love how this takes us back to the beginning of the series when Poe arrived to save him from Vonreg. This time around, however, it’s his turn to come to the rescue and help Yeager.

The Colossus jumping away into hyperspace is a genius move. What a fantastic way to take the story someplace else. Will the Colossus eventually become the base of the Resistance after Star Wars: The Last Jedi? Will it make a brief appearance in Episode IX? The possibilities are endless.

And of course, we love how it ended in that Star Wars Resistance kind of way, where they have no idea where they’re going because of Neeku. It’s both hilarious and unexpected — two words we often associate with the show itself.

Star Wars Resistance will be back later this fall on the Disney Channel.