Chapter Twelve
When Mando and the Child return to Navarro for repairs and a much needed rest before continuing on their quest to find a Jedi, Cara Dune and Greef Karga call upon their old friend to destroy the last remaining Imperial outpost on the planet...
It took me a while to write about this episode because it wasn't great, it wasn't bad, it was fine. The best thing I can say about it is that it felt very Star Wars, in a good way. The worst I can say is that it isn't very memorable.
It focuses the narrative on an adventure into the heart of an unknown Imperial base with just a blaster and a hope that luck will be on their side. This kind of storytelling is quintessential to the fabric of Star Wars. So much so that plots like this should be the bread and butter for a series like this one, but it frequently isn't the case.
The action itself was quick, fun and involved characters we know and like. Mando took a bit of a back seat to Karga and Cara, and that was fine because the banter between them and their reluctant accomplice Mythrol was engaging and made me laugh more than once. The entire sequence with the chase along the lava canyon with the TIE fighters and landspeeders also made this feel like suddenly we were in a galaxy far, far away...
I also loved the callbacks to the films in the smaller details. Such as the way important control equipment is tucked away behind a terminal accessible from a small walkway without a rail next to a fatal drop, this time into lava. Or the utter incompetence of the stormtroopers who occasionally die by very bad luck. I guess putting on that uniform drops their luck score to almost zero.
I liked the way the town felt like a town, and how Greef Karga and Cara Dune actually made something of the place rather than going back on their word. To see an actual school in Star Wars was neat, although that kid should’ve shared his cookies with the Child. It was also about on par for there to be a turncoat working in town, and he even looked like a turncoat.
So why wasn't this a home run? All the elements to create a great episode are there. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure. Sometimes it isn't one thing, but a bunch of smaller, almost invisible things that drag something down from greatness. Here it is not obvious, but I think it may be a combination of the setting and a bit too much fan service pulling me out of the ride.
Bits:
Moff Gideon is alive, and actively looking for the Child for some kind of experiment involving growing something humanoid. Maybe clones of the Emperor?
 |
| Roller coaster pic right before throwing up |
It was such a small moment but when Captain Teva asked Cara about Alderaan, it finally felt like that moment was a defining one for a lot of people.
Quotes:
Captain Teva: “You're from Alderaan. I served during Alderaan. Did you lose anyone?”
Cara: “I lost everyone.”
Karga: “Are you comin' in or what?”
Mythrol: “I'll take my chances down here, but thank you.”
Cara: “Well, when the lava tide comes in, give us a holler. We'll drop you a rope.”
Cara: “What is going on back there?”
Karga: (trying to fight off TIE fighters) “You wanna come back here and try this? Be my guest!”
Like I said, this wasn't a great episode, but I feel like it should've been.
2 1/2 out of 4 TIE fighters piloted by idiots
All images captured from the Star Wars website
Samantha M. Quinn spends most of her time in front of a computer typing away at one thing or another; when she has free time, she enjoys pretty much anything science fiction or fantasy-related.
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