Episode three was the first episode that put Jude Law’s Jod Na Nawood aka Captain Silvo aka Crimson Jack (seriously though, who is this guy?) front and center, while giving us an equal mix of world building and action. Although the episode does not take any risks or leave any major impact, it’s solid all the way through and acts as a great way to continue laying the foundation for the rest of the season. The episode dives slightly further into the planets of the Old Republic and the history of At Attn, and they did it at a drip-feed pace that ensures sure I’ll definitely be watching again next week.
The episode opens back at At Attin with the parents of all the kids gathering as parents would if all of their kids went missing at the same time. While Fern’s mother does not sound concerned at first, KB’s parents mention that they are very worried because they no longer can track her life monitor After some conversation, a security droid appears at the house they are gathered at and informs them that their kids have traveled out past the barrier. The supervisor will not risk contact, and despite the concerns of the parents it looks like nothing will end up being done.
The main story pick up with the group of kids introducing themselves to the new “Jedi” they had just met in their jail cell. They ask why he didn’t escape before meeting the kids, and he told them because there wouldn’t be a point without a ship. Fair enough. After leaving the cell they make their way back to the pirate ship where the kids tell Jod that before they can leave, they need to go back for SM-33. After a back and forth between the kids and Jod, he reluctantly agrees to go back for the droid. This scene was particularly well done because of the dynamic between the kids and their new “Jedi” pirate buddy. Wim is eternally optimistic and innocently believes everything Jod tells them, Fern is aggressively skeptical and challenges him over the idea that he is a Jedi (he never actually calls himself a Jedi, remember), while KB openly distrusts Jod and Neel remains pretty quiet for the majority.
The next scene starts right away with a pirate shouting something about Captain Silvo escaping the cell. Well, there you have it, Jod is Captain Silvo confirmed. They clearly were not trying to make that a mystery and plan to include it in his character’s immediate story. Jod goes to what looks like droid storage for the port, and eventually finds SM-33 after he seems another of those little alien creatures pop out of his eye. Right then, another of the pirates finds Jod and SM-33 and after Jod fails to talk his way out of it he calls the guards. Cut to the next scene, the kids are on the ship discussing if they should wait for Jod or not, and right then a shuttle ship comes barreling from the port right towards the kids. Looks like Jod and SM-33 escaped.
Brutus pursues the pirate ship, knowing that the kids are from At Attin, but they are able to put it into hyperspeedescape. Next thing you know, the new group, Jod included, are now back out in the middle of space. This scene is fun because you get to see how the kids have set up a make shift living quarters on the ship. Jod tells the kids he has a friend who lives on a moon that might be able to give them more information on At Attin so they can get home. After the kids all eat their space food and go to sleep, you see Jod walk through the quarters that includes some hammocks that Wim and Neel sleep in and some make shift beds for Fern and KB. KB is still awake, and when Jod talks to her she tells him she doesn’t trust him.
They make their way to the alien moon, and when they arrive Jod takes the group to his friend Kh’ymm, who looks suspiciously like an owl. He warns the kids that she may betray them, and she calls him Crimson Jack, so I’m assuming there is some established history there. Once inside Kh’ymm’s home, Jod tells her that the kids are from At Attin, to which she tells them that’s very interesting. She tells them that it is the last planet left from the Old Republic and that it was purposely sealed off from the rest of the universe, then begins narrowing down where At Attin could by asking the kids about what they have learned in school. They have heard of certain planets in the Star Wars universe, but they did not know about wars or other significant historical events on those planets. She then sees an emblem on Ferns jacket and analyzes it to try and find where it could be from, but then Jod realizes Kh’ymm is only doing all of this to stall them as she has secretly called in some X-Wings to come pick up Jod, a known pirate. Kh’ymm tells the kids to ‘trust their gut’ when dealing with Crimson Jack, and that she will always be there if they need her, so it sounds like she is worried that Jod will betray them the way he was worried she was going to. Interesting dynamic. It’s also here the KB tells Jod that they are not partners and that he works for them. Not only is KB the smart one, but it seems like she is the one who secretly wears the pants in the group, not Fern like we’ve been led on to believe.
The last portion is an old fashion Star Wars X-Wing battle that looks like it could have come from one of the movies, aside from the fact it was the kids in the pilot and gunners seats. Once they are back on the pirate ship, Jod puts Neel in the pilot’s seat (which results in some initial swaying), and Fern and Wim take the gunners pods. It was fun to watch the kids shoot at the X-Wings, with Wim even hitting the ship, but I couldn’t help feel like it was an ad for Millenium Falcon’s Smuggler’s Run at Disney World. Not a huge deal, but it was very obvious. Either way, it was a fun segment and eventually the group escapes. The X-Wings return and tell Kh’ymm they didn’t attack with full force because kids are on the ship.
The verdict: 7/10
The episode delivered on two fronts: it helped to better define the relationships between the characters in the group, and it served as an introduction to Kh’ymm and additional lore about At Attin. While it also delivered a pretty solid gunner fight at the end, it did feel gratuitous (in the words of Professor Hulk). The episode also did not really give us any more immediate setup for future conflict or anything like that, but also deepened the mystery on who Jod actually is. While this episode was entertaining, it was all very surface level, which I think is exactly what the show was going for. Hopefully throughout the next episodes we start to see a little more action with some stakes, or a cliffhanger, or something that we can sink our teeth into a little deeper.