Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures: Season 1: Story 23: Off the Rails
What is it ? : The Young Jedi are using the force to load wood onto a train for delivery to settlements to build new housing. They board the train and enjoy the view as it speeds towards its destination, but it is raided by Taborr Val Dorn and his gang who want to steal the wood.
They fight, but the rear car gets separated from the rest of the train, and slows down disconnected from it's power source. Taborr and Kai work together to power the car from a junction, and it speeds up but is going too fast as it is out of control. Nubs and Jys have to work with Pord and EB-3 to connect the rear car as it arrives with the two pirates using brute strength to connect it while the Jedi use the force to slow the impact.
The two groups celebrate, but Taborr and his gang betray the Jedi to steal the wood, but Kai convinces him that working together was his choice and he can choose to do good. So Taborr leaves the wood and leaves with his comrades, allowing the Jedi to deliver the wood to the village where they begin using them to build as Master Zanna arrives.
High Points : Again a really simplistic story, although the idea of the train being seperated and the two groups having to work together is decent enough. I wonder if it would have been more entertaining if rather than coupling Kai and Taborr as the leaders of each group, if by putting Taborr with Jys and Nubs, and making him learn how to work as part of a team, and Kai with Pord and EB-3, and making him learn how to inspire and lead a group!
The message is obviously "Team Work", but I suppose it's also that you can always choose to do the right thing, no matter what bad decisions you've made in the past.
Low Points : Not sure about the logistics of cutting down trees at the main settlement and shipping them via a high tech railway to remote settlements, instead of just cutting down trees at the settlements? Also the way the trees are attached to the outside of passenger cars, rather than having dedicated cargo carriages seems a little improvised.
I've also got to question that the wood is loaded by the Jedi using the force to lift it? Is this standard, is the force often used for tasks which normally would need loading equipment or heavy labour?
So what do you really think ? : A very simplistic episode once again, just being Taborr tries to steal some wood and they fight, although the team work core of the episode is solid enough. Not sure why the Jedi are loading an delivering wood, it doesn't seem much of a job for guardians of justice.
Final Words : They're definitely trying to have a journey for Taborr in this season, with his learning to play well with the other kids. But the hints of his character seem to be that he has been somewhat forced into this role, although if that's by his family, or by the pirates he associates with, but I'm guessing they're not going to show the pressure he's under and the massive break he'll need to do to break free. They'll just make it a choice for him, and suddenly he'll be good.
Score : 7.5/10
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