In the second season of Star Wars Resistance, “Rendezvous Point”opens on fire across the stars. The First Order is ambushing the Colossus and the Aces have their hands full defending the Colossus. But Captain Imanuel Doza (Jason Hightower) is reluctant to escape into hyperspace, holding out for the arrival of a mysterious pilot who might assist them. However, the critical loss of power forces the Colossus to light-speed away, right before the pilot pops up.
Who was Doza waiting for? Kaz (Christopher Sean) theorizes Doza was contacting the Resistance. But they’re contacting just one Resistance pilot. And it turns out, it’s Imanuel Doza’s wife and Torra’s (Myrna Velasco) mother, Venisa Doza (a snappy Tasia Valenza). And the First Order has captured her. And next thing you know Tam (Suzie McGrath) becomes tangled in Venisa’s escapade.
Meet Venisa Doza
When thinking of the still-developing diversity of women–especially women of color, or those coded as such–in Star Wars television, Resistance has been a noteworthy step at elevating female characters in various prominence and personalities, from the hardworking but misguided Tam and the chaotic perky Torra to the snarky and skillful Mika Grey. Now we have Venisa. Considering the dead mother cliché for the missing-mom trope, Venisa is a refreshing portrait of a not-estranged-but-separated wife and mother in Star Wars. Bantering with trusty astromech Torch, any words that fall from her lips radiate her experience in any escapades.
Kaz learns that she persuaded Captain Doza’s defection from the Empire, a history that she brings up with the First Order cadet Tam (Suzie McGrath). For Venisa, helping isn’t just shooting at the problem and blowing up TIE Fighters, although she does do that, it’s counseling misguided young people on the wrong side. Even Venisa throws a “there’s still hope for you” to Jace Rucklin (Elijah Wood).
Venisa Counsels Tam
Tam is making mental negotiations that were familiar back in season one. No, she never always agreed with the First Order and is glad to help people evade First Order punishment, yet she wholeheartedly believes in the First Order as an institution.
Not only that, but Venisa gets Tam tangled in her escape so they can have a pilot-to-pilot chat. Venisa has quite a forward way of dressing down Tam’s brainwashing while respecting Tam’s needs to survive and work things out. Tam repeats her conditioning, the number that replaced her name, more out of insecurity about her mistake than actual allegiance to the First Order it appears.
Penned by Jennifer Corbett, the interplay between Venisa and Tam is genuinely cutting and emotional while trying to compensate for the previous lack of developments. I wish we saw much more of the indoctrination the First Order seeded into Tam–and Jace as well. Last time Tam was seen in “Live Fire,” she was affected by the First Order’s Darwinist scolding, but there’s too little of her history, referenced in “The New Trooper,” that shaped her trust in the First Order. As a result, there’s a missing brick for Tam and Venisa’s already cutting conversation to elevate into exceptional verbal warfare.
While it was during the high-stakes escape, it does seem a bit dismissive on Venisa’s part to pass off Yeager’s lack of trust as “everyone makes mistakes.” She does acknowledge Tam’s hurt–“I’ve been hurt too”—but doesn’t have quite the time to work out the depths of Tam’s agony as she applies some tough love advice.
Kaz’s Insubordination
Kaz and the Aces are still adjusting to the militaristic protocol. Hype (Donald Faison) and other Aces are naturally livid that Doza endangered the Aces and the entire platform. Even while speaking faithfully in Doza’s defense, Kaz concurs it was not a good idea for Doza to light up the beacon. They themselves resent the Doza’s secrecy and who could blame them?
Yeager (Scott Lawrence) reprimands Kaz for the insubordination of tearing into a private conversation without authorization. It’s a reminder of the ragtag and scrappy nature of their organization and that Kaz–and the Aces–has to straighten his act to adjust to the military standards. Yeager telling Kaz to keep the secret of the pilot’s connection to Doza suggest order and minimizing the possibility of mutiny more than reverence for the Doza’s family confidentiality.
Final Thoughts
Directed by Bosco Ng, “Rendezvous Point” has a miraculous escapade interspersed with emotional developments. There’s some seemingly developing action with Torra, but it subverts it with a conversational reckoning and a tearjerking final image. Torra nearly commits the reckless, but she internally realizes the price of dragging another Ace along with her and that her awesome mother quite likely does not need her help. Talking it out with Kaz grounds her.
There is no reunion for the Dozas, but necessary acceptance to the situation and respect for Venisa’s work. They live with not being able to see her again and blessing the good she has to do for the galaxy.
“Rendezvous Point” sets up some difficult questions about the consequences of secrecy and its necessity. For Kaz, his secrecy over contacting Tam in the season two premiere has yet to come to light. For Yeager, his secrecy about Kaz’s spy work with Tam in season one was practical but took a toll on Tam. We also see how secrecy affects the Colossus, which dated back to “The High Tower.” While we don’t see the common people’s reaction, the more well-off Aces are a stand-in for them for voicing the consequences of Doza’s confidentiality.
For Venisa, her secrecy does have the price of separating herself from her family, a decision she made her peace with. But her daughter and husband have invested a complete understanding unlike the matter between Tam and Yeager. Time will tell how Kaz and Yeager might learn to measure the effects of their secrecy.
Tidbits
- Who’s hungry for a Gorg cake?
- Nice to see Agent Tierny (Sumalee Montano) be a truly competent Imperial.
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