[8.0/10] A nice start to the series. Pilots are always tricky, because you have to establish characters, settings, and conflicts sufficient to carry at least your first season through in a very short amount of time. But “A Hero Discovered” does that with aplomb.
The Freemakers themselves are an interesting lot. A trio of siblings who are scavenging parts from Empire vs. Rebel battles to make ends meet is a good setup, and each has defined personalities. Sure, they’re a little broad, but allowances have to be made for a kids show. Xander as the more reckless but creative sibling, Kordi as the more level-headed and resourceful sibling, and Rowan as the unfocused but full-of-potential youngest sibling makes for a good mix. The family dynamic is a good one, and I like Rowan as an audience stand-in for ADD kids in the audience.
Roger the repurposed battle droid is a cute idea, but one who’s a little annoying in practice. Hopefully the show can tone him down a bit as it goes on -- though it seems like every Star Wars show decides it needs one of these slapstick-y sidekicks, so we’ll have to see.
The episode also does a nice job at filling out the setting. While it’s unclear precisely when this one is set, it’s clearly after the Empire has been established and the Rebels are up and running, which makes it feel familiar. “The Wheel” as a centralized space port and market works as an anchor point, and creates potential stories for faux-nice landlords and passersby. And the show uses its lego medium for good use with the ship construction going on.
The conflict is a strong one too. It’s basically a fetch quest, but the notion that both the Empire and our hero are looking for the pieces of the fabled kyber lightsaber works as a macguffin that the good guys can’t let fall into the Emperor’s hands. The flashbacks to its construction by Master Cantu have some cool framing, and it adds an appropriately mythic air to everything.
But my favorite part of the episode is Naare. I’ll admit, I bristled a bit when Rowan ran into a Jedi. I know this series is “canon-adjacent”, but I was a little tired of all these secret jedi running around pre-Luke because it weakens the events of the Original Trilogy. But I love the twist here -- that all of Naare’s benevolence and wizened Jedi affect was a ruse to earn Rowan’s trust and use his kyber-seeking abilities to the Empire’s advantage. The swerve totally suckered me in, and her as a secret inquisitor makes for a really interesting dynamic on the series. Xander’s crush, Kordi’s skepticism, and Rowan’s admiration for her is a fruitful thing for the show to put in place for this series.
The story actually told in the episode works well enough. The scavenger hunt that leads our heroes to cross paths with some stormtroopers gives Kordi a chance to use her Han Solo-esque improvisation skills, Rowan to show what he’s capable of when he focuses, and Naare to unleash some force-user badassery. The conflict with the rent gives the Freemakers a solid motivation, and Naare solving the problem gives them a reason to trust her.
Overall, this is a very sound pilot that knows how to kick things off for this corner of the Star Wars Galaxy, and offers plenty of promise for what’s to come.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2019-11-10T16:54:00Z
[8.0/10] A nice start to the series. Pilots are always tricky, because you have to establish characters, settings, and conflicts sufficient to carry at least your first season through in a very short amount of time. But “A Hero Discovered” does that with aplomb.
The Freemakers themselves are an interesting lot. A trio of siblings who are scavenging parts from Empire vs. Rebel battles to make ends meet is a good setup, and each has defined personalities. Sure, they’re a little broad, but allowances have to be made for a kids show. Xander as the more reckless but creative sibling, Kordi as the more level-headed and resourceful sibling, and Rowan as the unfocused but full-of-potential youngest sibling makes for a good mix. The family dynamic is a good one, and I like Rowan as an audience stand-in for ADD kids in the audience.
Roger the repurposed battle droid is a cute idea, but one who’s a little annoying in practice. Hopefully the show can tone him down a bit as it goes on -- though it seems like every Star Wars show decides it needs one of these slapstick-y sidekicks, so we’ll have to see.
The episode also does a nice job at filling out the setting. While it’s unclear precisely when this one is set, it’s clearly after the Empire has been established and the Rebels are up and running, which makes it feel familiar. “The Wheel” as a centralized space port and market works as an anchor point, and creates potential stories for faux-nice landlords and passersby. And the show uses its lego medium for good use with the ship construction going on.
The conflict is a strong one too. It’s basically a fetch quest, but the notion that both the Empire and our hero are looking for the pieces of the fabled kyber lightsaber works as a macguffin that the good guys can’t let fall into the Emperor’s hands. The flashbacks to its construction by Master Cantu have some cool framing, and it adds an appropriately mythic air to everything.
But my favorite part of the episode is Naare. I’ll admit, I bristled a bit when Rowan ran into a Jedi. I know this series is “canon-adjacent”, but I was a little tired of all these secret jedi running around pre-Luke because it weakens the events of the Original Trilogy. But I love the twist here -- that all of Naare’s benevolence and wizened Jedi affect was a ruse to earn Rowan’s trust and use his kyber-seeking abilities to the Empire’s advantage. The swerve totally suckered me in, and her as a secret inquisitor makes for a really interesting dynamic on the series. Xander’s crush, Kordi’s skepticism, and Rowan’s admiration for her is a fruitful thing for the show to put in place for this series.
The story actually told in the episode works well enough. The scavenger hunt that leads our heroes to cross paths with some stormtroopers gives Kordi a chance to use her Han Solo-esque improvisation skills, Rowan to show what he’s capable of when he focuses, and Naare to unleash some force-user badassery. The conflict with the rent gives the Freemakers a solid motivation, and Naare solving the problem gives them a reason to trust her.
Overall, this is a very sound pilot that knows how to kick things off for this corner of the Star Wars Galaxy, and offers plenty of promise for what’s to come.