#the resuce

Our characters are, by any measure, as close to the cream of the combat crop as you can get.  The two top bounty hunters in the galaxy, the most notorious hitwoman, a former elite guerilla soldier, and two Mandalorians who have spent decades fighting an ongoing war against the Empire.  The thought that Stormtroopers -- any number of Stormtroopers -- could pose any sort of threat to them when they have the initiative is almost laughable, and the show treated it that way.  Their invasion of Gideon’s ship was a steamroll.  They were never pinned down, never outflanked or surprised, never so much as inconvenienced by the opposition as they made their way to the bridge.  When Cara Dune’s gun jammed all she did was beat people with it until she got it working, and even that didn’t actually stop their progress.

I heartily approve of this because anything else would have smacked of cheap drama.  With what we’ve already seen these same characters do in previous episodes, I wouldn’t have believed any real difficulty.  I would have rolled my eyes and maybe glanced at my phone because an attempt to wring drama out of “Oh no, will the 32nd stormtrooper they face somehow do a better job than all the rest they’ve already killed?”  I know they’re going to win, and since the show doesn’t pretend otherwise I get to enjoy the characterization and choreography of their fight.

But then came the Dark Troopers, who were sold as solid menace.  Their startup sequence was imposing, the soundtrack malevolent, and since we’d never actually fought them before (And therefore never seen them defeated) we think “Okay, these guys can play”.  Their slow, steady motion also really helped sell their presentation as unstoppable juggernauts.  They don’t need to rush or run, because it doesn’t matter.  We see the one Trooper beat the hell out of Din as the others methodically beat down the doors with their bare hands.  Din just barely managing to flush them into space before they breach shows his desperation, but also his cleverness, and doesn’t turn them into sudden canon fodder after the one single tough fight.

Then, once the Dark Troopers have been dealt with, we return to an enemy that we know is going to lose.  Moff Gideon may have the Darksaber and be eeeeeeevilll, but he’s also a sixty year old desk jokey.  We’ve never seen anything to indicate that he’s a Secret Ninja Master or Former SpecOp, so when he faced off against Din he was good, and it was a good fight (Very well done), but again there was never a moment of “OH NO HOW WILL DIN POSSIBLY SURVIVE THIS ONE?”  With Din’s experience and motivation, combined with his armor which actually blocks lightsabers, we knew Din was gonna win.  Which is why this wasn’t the climax of the episode, because this victory doesn’t serve as the capstone of the episode.

Because that’s when the Dark Troopers return, and again it is solid menace.  No wisecracks, no clever plans, the characters just bunker down and are clearly expecting to die in minutes.  Again, the Troopers move slowly, methodically, and as a benefit of being droids they also do it in complete silence except for the thump of their feet and the bang of their fists on the blast doors.  It all sells the thought that this is it.  And now we’re not saying “Of course the good guys are going to win,” we’re wondering “How can the good guys possibly win?”

And that is when Luke Skywalker walks in and changes the fucking game.  Because for Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight, these tinpots are less of a threat than the Stormtroopers were for the main characters.  Like I said in another post, he walks through them.  Barely even needing to make an effort.  And because of how well the Dark Troopers had been presented, how clearly we saw that they were death on two feet, that makes his effortless victory so much more impactful.  Now we see just how it is that the Jedi have so often held the fate of the galaxy in their hands.

She could feel herself falling, drifting away from everything she knew. How long had she been falling? It felt as if she’d been falling for days, maybe years? the black void all around her, she couldn’t see, or hear, or feel anything. Was this death? Had she died in the battle? Or was this her existence now? She’d fought so hard, to change the fate of herself and silver but in the end she’d been so useless. Would she ever wake up again? Or would this eternal existence be all she knew?

Like a bolt of lightning she felt something grab her, and pull her back to consciousness. she gasped for air a voice telling her to hang on. Submerged in Icy cold waters, and a rushing river all around her. A Storm Raging above, purple lightning crackling through the sky. The Golden Tenrec's eyes locked above to see the girl above her, in a yellow rain coat. She had no idea who she was but those purple eyes were desperate to help her, but how? She was so far away and she barely had the strength to hold onto the small stone she’d been clinging to.

How did she get here? where had she come from? everything felt so fuzzy and it hurt trying to think about it. The girl above turned to the small beetle next to her and pointed toward the Tenrec, as the water was fast rising, and the fearful young girl insect mobian swooped down with a swift motion and picked Gold up in her arms “ Just stay Calm “ Her voice was soft, and tender, it calmed her down. But she had no strength left to even struggled, she must have fell in the icy water and lost consciousness, and yet why didn’t she recall anything before that?

Break Me Out By The Rescue

as heard on greys anatomy season 5

Tyler Ward - The Rescue