LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures ‘Trouble on Tibalt’ review

Hang onto your bricks because the first episode proper of of LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures Season Two is filled with action-packed scenes, special guest appearances and chill-inducing music…

Title: Trouble on Tibalt  Season: 2  Episode: 2  Original air date: June 17, 2017

In ‘Trouble on Tibalt’, the Freemakers are now sporting their new Season Two outfits and are operating like a well-oiled machine under the Rebel Alliance. Kordi is carrying around her datapad and calling the shots, Zander is fixing and modifying like there is no tomorrow, and Roger is finding the necessary parts around the hangar. Rowan, on the other hand, finds himself sitting on the sidelines, not knowing what to do. In order to lift his spirits and have him make a meaningful contribution to the Rebel Alliance, he is assigned a special mission. Meanwhile, the Emperor unleashes his new pet project, M-OC, to hunt down Reginald—no, that is not right. Ricky? Rowan Freemaker!

That right there is an example of why this show has won the hearts of so many. It is genuinely funny and clever without overdoing it. The humour comes off so naturally and that is due to executive producers Bill Motz and Bob Roth — who also wrote this episode — and their years of experience writing animated comedy. Other funny moments that stand out include Rowan touching everything in his path when he finds himself in Quarrie’s workshop, the back-and-forth interaction between Darth Vader and M-OC, and Rowan not understanding how statistics works during his fight with M-OC, effectively turning a tense and scary situation into something that will make people laugh.

This episode also gives the audience a look at Hera Syndulla and Quarrie from Star Wars Rebels in an environment set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Connections like that across media and time are always appreciated because it makes the franchise more cohesive, even though this show exists within the world of LEGO. Fans are also treated to an appearance by Luke Skywalker, and in keeping the Freemaker story adjacent to the rest of the Star Wars saga, he disappears before Rowan can tell him anything about his Force-sensitive nature.

LEGO fans, in particular, will enjoy the various brick based references incorporated throughout the episode, including the Emperor using the words ‘my own creation’ when talking about his technological terror, M-OC. This episode also features the debut of 75186 The Arrowhead and 75185 Tracker I. Both ships are seen in action and are accompanied by the brilliant music of composer Michael Kramer, who successfully attaches fear and terror to M-OC and his ship, while giving Rowan and the Arrowhead a more optimistic and heroic feel.

What truly stands out as relatable in this episode is that Rowan trying to find his purpose in the bigger picture. That is something many people experience throughout life, especially at a younger age. Rowan is a Force-sensitive child with no mentor, and most of the time, he learns as he goes. By the end of this episode, he sees a glimpse into the future and what he is supposed to accomplish, so he has a taste now of what he has to do. Another highlight of this series is the character development that allows the audience to connect with the core cast.

Overall, this episode does an excellent job at setting the stage, and it is a shame that fans will have to wait until late July to watch the rest of the season. Given the rich storytelling seen in the past, however, it seems likely that it will be well worth the wait.