- DON’T BUNCH UP!
- Stick to cover
- Don’t bunch up, and STICK TO COVER!!
- Yes, I know you have armor, I don’t care, don’t stand out in the open like a di’kut!
All in all, it was an excellent episode. It felt a bit like “Well that escalated quickly,” as if they had more planned but then realized “Oh, we only get seven episodes for this?” and had to rush things, but they did a good job aside from the tactics.
There were a few other detractors, though:
- Those super-shiny bikes aren’t particularly discreet, and you used those to chase the Major-Domo earlier so it isn’t like they’re off the Pykes’ radar.
- The shields. He says “and our kinetic weapons are too high velocity.” If something can be “too high velocity” then something else can be not “too high velocity.” In which case, why couldn’t you just walk through the shield? Particularly Mando/Boba since they have the armor to protect them from radiation or whatever and are grounded, like we see multiple times in Clone Wars.
- The Scorponek droids need some reprogramming, they always shoot at least a meter low.
- Hollywood does not understand internal damage, at all. They think “internal damage” refers to dramatic PTSD they can use for flashbacks. NO. “Internal damage” refers to the organ/skeletal/brain trauma sustained when you’re FLUNG AROUND LIKE A RAG DOLL AND SMASHED INTO BUILDINGS. Armor can protect you from some blunt force trauma by cushioning the blow, but it can only do so much. What it can’t do so much to protect you from is what I like to call “instantaneous transfer of kinetic energy due to sudden deceleration upon contact with a solid object possessing a high inertia.” ITKEDSDUCSOPHI for short. (Pronounced "IT-kids-duck-SO-fee)
Same goes for you, Knight Rider.
I was not surprised by much in the episode. Even if I couldn’t predict it before watching, I could see it coming while watching, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. The Rancor/King Kong homage was nice, and I enjoyed the Rancor/Scorponek combat even if it wasn’t always a case study in tactical genius.
Speaking of the Scorponek, I would swear I’ve seen those things before, but the ground crew replaced my memory module and this new one is malfunctioning badly. Was it just droideka concept art, or have we actually seen them somewhere? Because I recognized them as soon as I saw the silhouettes, but I just can’t place it.
I’m pretty sure Cad Bane is dead, if for no other reason than who’s going to rescue him? But he was stabbed in the chest and left to bleed out, so I’d say he’s dead unless he pulls a Fennec Shand and somehow survives for hours and hours without bleeding out, though in her case at least you can argue that the wound was seared shut.
As for Cobb Vanth, I’m not sure why he’d need cybernetics unless the modder is just getting creative with his instructions. Maybe he’d need a cyber lung, but he was shot in his right chest, not the most vital area, and based on my knowledge of thoracic gunshot wounds (from story research), he should be okay with some timely intervention. In fact, he’d be okay even if all they do is stop the bleeding and make sure he can breathe okay on one lung until they get him to a bacta tank, and then Star Wars medicine should be able to take care of the rest.
I am a little confused about two things: The “gunned down” comment, and when he made it to a bacta tank. So sure, he didn’t die (because bacta can’t resurrect), but then why “gunned down”? Was he just waiting in town, or did they rush him to Boba’s palace for a bacta treatment? The latter seems unlikely for a variety of reasons.
Finally, Baby Yoda made the right choice, Luke made the wrong one. The Jedi’s shedding of attachment is a weakness, not an aid. Mandos have strong family/loyalty values, and make for much better allies than Jedi for that reason among others.
I had hoped they’d take a more Legends tack with Luke and not have him continue the Jedi’s shedding of attachment for his new, better Jedi order, so I didn’t comment on the choice last week because I was hoping Luke was giving Baby Yoda a false choice, where anything other than “both” was the wrong answer.
