Star Wars: Resistance
The Complete Season One review by Bobby Blakey
Through the years Lucasfilm has delivered some pretty great animated entries into the Star Wars franchise. After Clone Wars ended Lucasfilm debuted the all-new series Star Wars: Resistance. Now it has been announced that the new season is almost here and takes place during the events of "The Last Jedi" leading up to "The Rise of Skywalker," so what better time than to revisit where it all started with Star Wars: Resistance The Complete First Season.
The first season follows Kazuda (“Kaz”) Xiono, a young pilot recruited by Resistance hero Poe Dameron for a top-secret mission to spy on the growing threat of the First Order. Stationed aboard an aircraft refueling station, Kaz quickly finds himself in over his head as he struggles to keep his cover as a mechanic while gaining the trust of his newfound friends. They find themselves entangled with ace pilots, marauding pirates and creatures of all shapes and sizes. Fast, fun and told in a vibrant anime-inspired style, this high flying adventure brings a new perspective to the events surrounding Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The series features a great voice cast including Christopher Sean ("Days of Our Lives") as Kazuda Xiono; Suzie McGrath ("East Enders") as Tam Ryvora; Scott Lawrence ("Legion") as Jarek Yeager; Myrna Velasco ("Elena of Avalor") as Torra Doza; Josh Brener ("Silicon Valley") as Neeku Vozo; Donald Faison ("Scrubs") as Hype Fazon; Jim Rash ("Community") and Bobby Moynihan ("DuckTales") as Flix and Orka, respectively; Oscar Isaac ("Star Wars: The Last Jedi") as Poe Dameron and Gwendoline Christie ("Game of Thrones") as Captain Phasma.
I will be the first to admit when I saw the first trailer I wasn’t overly excited about the animation style, but once I saw the first full episode I was all in. I loved the look and feel of this series that feels like something fresh and new to the franchise while still bringing that familiarity fans want. This first season allows it to slow build from the new world it is developing before fully slapping you in the face with its unexpected connections to the feature length films. Much like the previous animated series once it finds its groove it works
to perfection right up to an ending that promises to take it to all new directions in the second and sadly final season.
Everyone in the voice cast is great with Christopher Sean leading the charge as Kaz. He is yet another fun character finding his way to becoming a hero without always being perfect which always makes for better storytelling. As the series went on they fleshed out all the other characters to make it the full on ensemble it wants to be with tons of memorable characters and great action. The recreation of one of my favorite sequences from The force Awakens was so well done and serves up a great moment in the series for these characters as well as cementing your timeline in the story. I really loved this first season and was all in right up until the big ending that leaves you wanting more.
In addition to all 21 episodes of the season this release also includes bonus content including commentaries, featurettes and 12 bonus shorts that add to the overall experience.
Star Wars Resistance" returns for its second and final season beginning SUNDAY, OCT. 6 (10:00-10:30 p.m. EDT/PDT), on Disney Channel and in DisneyNOW, with subsequent airings on Disney XD.