Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures: Season 1: Story 9: The Jellyfruit Pursuit
What is it ? : A pair of Rodian farmers have their harvest of Jellyfruit stolen by Taborr Val Dorn, telling him that they were supposed to be for everyone at the Jellyfruit Festival that night. But he says he's heard they're delicious and can make a profit selling them to other pirates.
Meanwhile the Young Jedi are helping Hap decorate Kublop Springs for the upcoming Jellyfruit Festival, when news comes in from the Rodian farmers that the harvest has been stolen so there are no Jellyfruit available for the Jellyfruit Festival (and I'm starting to feel silly about the amount of times I'm saying Jellyfruit).
When they hear the description of the thief, they realise that it's Taborr, and when they hear he intends to sell them to other pirates they realise he will have taken them to the tower on Yarrum, so they head off in the Crimson Firehawk.
Nash tells them to get access they'll need to pretend to be pirates, so they disguise themselves using bits of scrap from the hold, which keep falling off.
They land and get past the guard, not by being fierce pirates, but by making the guard realise he's not paid enough to care. Inside the tower they find a market where they knock things over and cause a nuisance, before locating Taborr.
He offers them an introductory free fruit, but Kai's helmet falls off and Taborr realises who they are and flees with the fruit.
The Young Jedi give chase, catching up with him at his ship and saving the fruit when they fall off the edge of the landing platform. Nash realises that the real meaning of the Jellyfruit Festival is to share with everyone, so she gives some fruit to the Pirates, including to Taborr.
Back at Kublop Springs the festival goes well, with the Pirates invited and in attendance as well, and the Young Jedi start singing the Jellyfruit Jingle . . . .
High Points : Although obviously aimed at a very young audience, the humour in this one works pretty well, as it's obvious to everyone that the Young Jedi's disguises aren't really fooling anyone (apart from Taborr), but the pirates just don't care enough to get involved. It would just be a lot of hassle that they really don't want in their lives, so let the masquerade go on unimpeded.
I also have to comment that during the chase scene it would have been easy for them to make Nash as athletic as the Jedi, but they had the Jedi making acrobatic leaps using the Force, but Nash just continued on the ground. Nice piece of attention to detail and making the characters differently able but equal, as Nash has experience and skills the others do not, while not being a Jedi and having access to those abilities.
Low Points : The message of this one is definitely to share, and I really liked that Taborr stubbornly refused to learn that message as he refuses to share the Jellyfruit that Nash gives him with his team.
So what do you really think ? : I'm a little confused about the Pirates on Yarrum, as they seem to be a fairly kind and patient bunch who are fine with everyone except Taborr, who is desperate to earn their approval (which I guess is what annoys them about him). It seems less that Yarrum Tower is a hive of scum and villainy, but more that it's just a market place.
Final Words : Again it's pretty inoffensive, and the run time passes quickly. It' seems well suited to it's young audience, and for once it has a little humour to keep the adults entertained (I've always found that in the best kids shows, where they speak to the kids, but have another level for the adults who will be sitting with their kids (Sponge Bob, Regular Show, etc are excellent examples of this)).
Score : 7.5/10
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