Ricky Church reviews the seventeenth episode of Star Wars Resistance…
‘The Core Problem’ took a very interesting leap forward for Star Wars Resistance. Not only was it an intriguing episode on its own as Kaz and Poe Dameron investigated some strange First Order activity, but we can now say we have crossed over into The Force Awakens territory. As we enter the final few episodes of the first season, ‘The Core Problem’ set the stage nicely for what it is to come with its strong focus on story and a visually unique space fight.
After so many episodes on the Colossus, it was great to get off the station again as Poe and Kaz investigated the First Order further. Oscar Isaac again did a nice job as Poe by displaying the pilot’s wit and brash leadership to Kaz. Given that Poe is taking BB-8 to Jakku now, its very likely this was Isaac’s last appearance on Resistance for this season. Poe had a good presence throughout the episode, both coming up with a clever plan to sneak off the Colossus and imparting some new skills to Kaz, but he didn’t outshine Kaz either. ‘The Core Problem’ was still able to utilize Poe in a supporting role that worked very well.
The fact that Kaz was the main star even with Poe around was a huge positive. In Poe’s previous appearances from ‘Signal from Sector Six’ and ‘Station Theta Black’, Kaz was relegated more to the bumbling sidekick role, particularly in the former episode. Here, however, he was more confident and the episode still focused on him and his reactions to the ruins of a First Order attack. While there were still moments of Kaz messing up, such as tripping over some rocks or the way he accidentally destroyed the probe droid, he was treated more seriously alongside Poe than he was in their other outings. Where he really did great was in the cockpit as Kaz followed Poe through the gravity well of the cored out moon. It was some pretty fancy flying that show he’s no slouch when he flies the Fireball, especially with how much more he’s learnt.
The aerial animation was quite impressive in this episode. Having part of the space chase take place within the moon and gravity well is something rather unique to Star Wars, especially in Star Wars animation. The way the ships moved as they got trapped in the well was very detailed with how they shook and wobbled. Even the ruins Poe and Kaz walked through looked great, but what really stood out was the darkness. The fact that the sun was gone, presumably being drawn to Starkiller Base, cast everything in darkness that allowed ‘The Core Problem’ to really play with the lighting and shadows. It really delivered some of the best animated sequences in the series so far with the dogfight and its use of darkness.
One criticism isn’t necessarily directed at the episode, but at the season overall. Since Poe and BB-8 are now on their way to Jakku, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is literally about to begin. While we’ve gotten some insight into how the First Order operates among their standard troopers instead of the higher ups like Kylo Ren or General Hux, barely any information has been given about the Republic aside from their view that Leia and the Resistance are ‘extremists’. We still haven’t even met Kaz’s father and we’re probably not going to given the fate awaiting the Republic in Force Awakens. It would have been nice for the series to go a little more in-depth into the workings of the Republic and the rift between Kaz and his father while it could. Even in this episode alone, we didn’t get confirmation of what the First Order had done in this system (even though it clearly has to be a test site for Starkiller).
‘The Core Problem’ utilized Poe’s guest appearance very well without outshining Kaz. The animation on the planet and the aerial battle were very well done, providing some of the best animation in the season yet thanks to its balance of lights and darks. While its exciting to learn we’re now entering the events of the Sequel Trilogy, the lack of answers or insight into other aspects of this era takes some of the tension and emotion away from what we know will come. All the same, though, it sets up other aspects of Resistance‘s final few episodes in nice fashion, such as Tam seemingly having enough of Kaz and Yeager’s secrets and realizing there’s more that’s going on that she doesn’t know about. It will be interesting to see how Star Wars Resistance utilizes the events of The Force Awakens and the First Order’s threat in sprint to the finish.
Rating: 9/10
Ricky Church
