With a pirate’s curse hanging over his head, Kaz and the Ace’s have to defend the Colossus from the Guavian Death Gang in, Kaz’s Curse.
This article contains plot points from Star Wars Resistance Kaz’s Curse.
This week’s episode of Star Wars Resistance, titled Kaz’s Curse, was such a fun and enjoyable chapter to watch. After winning at a card game similar to sabacc, Kaz’s opponent places a curse on Kaz as revenge for taking all of his credits. While Kaz doesn’t believe in curses, Neeku is convinced they are genuine and that Kaz should seek help. After a down episode last week, the inconsistency continues; however, when the episodes are this enjoyable, it’s better to appreciate than criticize. Kaz’s Curse had the right amount of fun and adventure, something that will always bring good fortune.
The way Kaz’s Curse starts isn’t unlike last week’s episode. Instead of play wrestling, it’s a game of chance. For a moment that same feeling of, okay, great another go-nowhere adventure. Thankfully that momentary sense of dread left because it’s immediately apparent this episode doesn’t feel the need to rush off on some hair-brained mission. Neeku is sure the curse Leoz (voiced by Steve Blum, aka Zeb from Star Wars Rebels) placed on Kaz is real and very serious. However, Kaz isn’t worried and just wants lunch.
Asteroids Are No Concern
As the Colossus approaches an asteroid field, Yeager assigns Kaz, Torra, and Hype to scout out the area to make sure there aren’t any Guavian patrols and if there are to take them out before they call for backup. The Colossus finds themselves in the middle of Guavian space, and as Yeager says, “Going through the asteroid field is the quickest way to get out of Guavian territory.” It seems like the quickest way to get anywhere in the Star Wars galaxy is through a life-threatening shortcut. For example, the asteroid field in The Empire Strikes Back, the Kessel Run/Maw Cluster in Solo: A Star Wars Story, and in The Clone Wars: Shadow of Malevolence, Shadow squadron had to fly through the Kaliida Nebula and avoid the massive Neebray’s to destroy General Grevious’ ship.
The Guavian Death Gang’s ship is an attractive new design. It’s a perfect mix of Star Wars and the real-world. They’re much larger than a snub fighter, but not as maneuverable, and feature the same color scheme as their bodysuits; maroon with dark gray. It’s similar in shape to Darth Maul’s Sith Infiltrator with its elongated hull, and rearward cockpit.
After receiving extortion threats from the Guavians, Doza sends out Ace’s to defend the station. Up against the Ace’s, the Guavian ships are no match for the much more nimble racing ships. Guavian ships are comparable to a WW2 heavy fighter bomber, something like a German Messerschmidt Bf 110, while the Ace’s are the equivalent to English Spitfire’s. Messerschmidt’s are exceptional at their jobs, but in a dogfight, they’re outmatched by any fighter.
No Such Thing as Bad Luck
Mika Grey has developed in the station fortune teller for the time being. Kaz eventually asks Mika to remove the curse placed on him, so she hands him a talisman. The talisman is a placebo for Kaz who believes it’s working and flies off into combat with all of his confidence back. But once he realizes he left the talisman on the Colossus, his back luck returns.
Kaz’s Curse worked because it was different. No missions to find supplies, food, money, or fuel. Instead, the episode stayed on the Colossus for most of the beginning with Kaz denying the fact that he has a curse and Neeku trying to warn Kaz of his impending doom. The curse and the talisman is a metaphor for confidence or lack thereof. Once Kaz began to think the jinx was real, he became unsure of his flying abilities. Kaz felt no matter what he tried to do, it wouldn’t work. The talisman is a symbol of his returned confidence. Whether or not it actually helped Kaz, it already had a positive effect because without knowing he left the amulet on the Colossus, Kaz was flying circles around the Guavian ships.
The Guavians
There wasn’t any high-risk adventuring, but getting to see the Guavians again was an excellent way of advancing the story without having to resort to a confrontation with the First Order. The dogfight between the Ace’s and the Guavian’s, really showed off how well the Ace’s can work together when everyone knows their role and does their job. They are a pretty lethal and efficient group of pilots when they want to be.
This isn’t the first time the Guavian Death Gang has been on Star Wars Resistance. They appeared in the ninth episode of season one, The Platform Classic. In that episode, they tracked Yeager’s younger brother Marcus Sppedstar to the Colossus on Castilon because he owed them 20,000 credits. To make sure he paid up, they kidnapped his mechanic Oplock. Once they were paid their due, they returned Oplock to Marcus. Despite their ruthlessness and extortion practices, the Guavian Death Gang live up to their word, at least in this instance.
The Guavian Death Gang used to occupy the Core Worlds, but after the collapse of the Galactic Empire, civil unrest in the underworld forced them to relocate to other parts of the galaxy. The gang recruited the red-armored infantry as they swore loyalty in exchange for cybernetic augmentation. One of these implants is a mechanical heart that pumped a mixture of chemicals into their bloodstream, giving them added aggression and a boost of speed. It’s surprising then that the Ace’s were able to fend off the Guavian’s rather handily. Yes, the Ace’s had much quicker ships, but if the Guavian’s had ships equally as nimble, the fight would not have been so one-sided.
Conclusion
Kaz’s Curse is one of the best episodes of season two, just behind Rendezvous Point and Into the Unknown. Even after several viewings, Kaz’s Curse held up. Once the Colossus gets through the asteroid field, what will they encounter on the other side? If the Guavian’s fled civil unrest in the core, they would settle somewhere far away to stabilize their faction, which means the Colossus is somewhere in the outer rim—awaiting a call to come home.
Once upon a time in a town no one’s heard of, there lived a boy who enjoyed Star Wars from the quiet of his bedroom. A time came when a new comlink allowed the boy to hear that there are others like him. Overjoyed, the boy wanted nothing more than to join in the conversation. So he did. The rest is HIStory. Besides Star Wars I also enjoy Marvel and Game of Thrones (I dabble in all sorts of geeky fun). You can find me on the couch watching one of several streaming services, reading or writing. Let’s go, Bruins!