This episode aired January 27, 2019.
Commander Pyre tells Kragan that he and his gang haven't been doing enough to make Doza come begging to the First Order to help. Kragan retorts that he's lost a lot more men and ships on this job than he expected, and demands triple the agreed payment. With a nod from Captain Phasma, Pyre agrees, and tells Kragan to go after something precious to Doza, something he's close to.
On the Colossus, Synara is working at the loading docks when she gets contacted by Kragan. He tells her he's sending two of his pirates in a crate to the platform, and to meet them and ensure they get through security. Suspicious, Synara asks him what he's planning, and he retorts that she's begun to get too close to the platform's residents, and that after this job she'll be able to come home, to remember where her allegiances truly lie. He also orders her to make sure the pirates can get inside Doza Tower, which makes Synara even more suspicious.
At Aunt Z's, Kaz is watching Tam and Torra play holo-darts when Synara arrives, and he invites her to join the game. Tam points out that Torra has a new hologame, and she invites all of them, including Synara, to the tower to play with her. In Torra's bedroom, as they play the shooting game, Synara remarks on the security, and Torra explains that it's because her father thinks there are spies on the Colossus, shooting a glance at Kaz as she does. Synara does so well in the game that Kaz asks her where she learned to shoot, and she quickly states that she went hunting with her father on Vanqor as a child. Kaz does absolutely terribly, and claims that he's better with a real blaster, not that he's ever used one. Synara's comlink buzzes, and she quickly excuses herself saying that she has to work. Torra says that all of her friends, including Synara, are welcome in the tower anytime, giving them permission to use her security code.
At the repair shop that evening, Kaz, Neeku, Tam and Bucket finish working on a speeder bike, and Tam suggests they head to the marketplace, where Yeager might buy them dinner. Kaz instead states his intent to go to the loading docks in search of parts, prompting Tam to make an amused remark about Synara as she and Neeku leave. In his office, Captain Doza is talking to Commander Pyre by hologram, who makes it clear that the First Order is not happy with Doza's stalling and expects a definite answer from him sooner rather than later. Torra interrupts the conversation, and her father asks her to leave.
After the other dock workers have gone, Synara opens up the crate where Drell and Valik are hiding, pointing out she's taking a big risk and demanding to know what their mission is. Valik says it's none of her concern, and what matters is that she get them inside the tower. Kaz and BB-8 arrive at the loading dock to see Synara and her fellow pirates, and hide as the three leave. They decide to follow, Kaz thinking that Synara may be in trouble. In the hallways, Drell hears the slight noises made by Kaz and BB, and suspects he and his fellow pirates are being followed, but the Resistance duo are hiding when he turns around. Kaz manages to hold in the scream of pain from BB-8 rolling on his foot until after the pirates have left. Not seeing which door they went through, Kaz and BB run off in search of Synara and her two "friends".
Upon reaching an outer door to Doza Tower, Synara punches in the code to let in Drell and Valik, who ask her to stand guard. As the door closes, she asks them what their mission is, and is horrified when Drell reveals they're going to kidnap Torra. In the hallway, Drell and Valik use a droid popper to take out four security droids, and hurry to get to Torra before anyone notices. Torra is playing her hologame when the pirates arrive, and only notices when Buggles begins growling. Downstairs, Kaz literally runs into Synara in the halls, and she tells him they have to hurry as Torra is being kidnapped. In his office, Captain Doza is informed by 4D of the deactivated droids and that Torra is missing, prompting him to order a search.
Kaz and Synara reach the loading docks in time to see Drell and Valik making off on their speeder bikes with Torra, so they and BB-8 run for the repair shop. Bucket is surprised when Kaz and BB-8 hop in the Fireball as Synara is ordered to tell Captain Doza what's happened via the coms. When Doza learns that his daughter has been kidnapped, he scrambles the Aces, as Kaz follows the pirates. Kaz witnesses the pirates board another vessel while sending their empty speeder bikes off as a decoy, but the new vessel has a turbolaser, and the Fireball's transponder is shot out, preventing him from transmitting coordinates until BB can fix it. Aces 3 and 4, Griff Halloran and Bo Keevil, wind up discovering the decoys, and the Aces fan out in a wider search area.
Eventually, the pirates reach Kragan's ship, waiting in a misty area of Castilon's ocean. Kaz, following, still can't do anything, but manages to send coordinates when BB-8 finally fixes the transponder. Kragan, having reported the kidnapping's success to the First Order, is pleased when Pyre tells him the payment is already on the way. Kaz is surprised by the sight of a First Order shuttle, and watches it dock as the Aces approach. The shuttle contains Major Vonreg, who abruptly backstabs the pirates and rescues Torra, neatly concealing the First Order's true role in events. Kaz is quite surprised, and Doza, upon hearing from Vonreg, orders the Aces to escort the major's shuttle back to the platform.
At Doza Tower, Torra is returned to her father, and Vonreg points out how the night's events "prove" that a First Order presence is needed to ensure security on the Colossus. Doza is still reluctant, but relieved, and escorts Torra back inside with the slight security presence Vonreg insists on leaving behind. Kaz, watching the shuttle leave, voices his suspicions about the events to BB-8, who agrees with him. At the loading docks, Synara is informed by Kragan that the First Order betrayed them, but is forced to cut the conversation short due to Kaz approaching before she can demand to know what the deal with the kidnapping was. Kaz briefly chats with Synara about the two "customers" she was dealing with earlier, and as he walks away with BB-8, acknowledges the droid's mistrust of the salvager, admitting that she is definitely in league with the pirates and he can't trust her anymore.
Tropes:
- Agony of the Feet: BB-8 rolls over Kaz's foot just as Drell becomes suspicious that the pirates are being followed. Kaz manages to hold in his scream of pain until after the pirates have left the hallway.
- Alliterative Title: "The Doza Dilemma".
- Ambiguous Situation: Synara mentions that she learned how to shoot by hunting with her father on Vanqor. Whether or not this is true remains unknown.
- Becoming the Mask: As Kragan points out, Synara has come to see the residents of the Colossus as her friends.
- Bittersweet Ending: Torra is rescued, but only thanks to the First Order, who actually faked the whole thing. The First Order loses an ally in Kragan's pirates and Kaz realizes that Synara may be a spy, and can't trust her anymore. Though thankful for the First Order's intervention, Captain Doza is still reluctant to take up their offer and he knows that this puts him in debt to them.
- Call-Back: To "Secrets and Holograms". Torra explains to Synara that security around Doza Tower has increased because her father thinks there's spies on the station, glaring at Kaz while she says this.
- Continuity Nod: Torra says that her new hologame is "So wizard!"
- Damsel in Distress: Torra. Justified in that she's a sheltered 15-year-old girl with no combat experience outside of her ship, and she does do everything in her power to inconvenience her kidnappers.
- Defiant Captive: Torra is not happy about getting kidnapped, and makes this quite clear. She helps Kaz at one point by managing to knock out the turbolaser on the pirates' skiff while pretending she slipped.
- Diabolus ex Machina: The transponder on the Fireball gets shot by the pirates, making it unable to send their coordinates to Captain Doza until the First Order shows up.
- Engineered Heroics: The First Order's "rescue" of Torra to earn Captain Doza's gratitude. However, both Kaz and Torra are suspicious that there's more going on.
- Even Evil Has Standards: While how "evil" she is by this point is debatable, Synara is not pleased when she finds out that her fellow pirates want to kidnap Torra for the First Order.
- Exact Words: Commander Pyre tells Kragan he's sending someone with his payment; Major Vonreg does come with the case containing payment as promised, but Pyre never said they would give it to Kragan.
- False Flag Operation: The First Order has Kragan's pirates kidnap Torra, then when they meet up with them, instead of paying them, they turn on them and "rescue" Torra to get in Captain Doza's good graces. This does indeed fool the attempted rescuers, but Kaz isn't entirely convinced.
- Hurt Foot Hop: BB-8 rolls over Kaz's foot as they are covertly following the pirates. Kaz stifles his scream of pain until after the pirates have walked out of hearing range. He then hops around clutching his foot while scolding BB-8.
- I Lied: The First Order doesn't pay Kragan's pirates, instead keeping the payment and getting into a shootout with them as a part of a False Flag Operation.
- Internal Reveal: Kaz realizes that Synara is in league with the pirates. Subverted when he (correctly) realises that the pirates are in turn in league with the First Order, only for the First Order to suddenly turn on them as part of their Engineered Heroics; Kaz remains suspicious about the whole thing but is no longer sure.
- The Mole: Synara is still working as one for the pirates, though Kragan telling her she might finally get to "come home" hints that she's not really happy doing it.
- ...Or So I Heard: After performing terribly on Torra's shooting hologame, Kaz claims that he's better with a real blaster, not that he's ever used one... except the part about being better with a real blaster is not entirely accurate either — the last time we saw him do that, he was terrible at it.
- Tempting Fate: When the pirates reach Kragan's ship, Kaz remarks that things couldn't possibly get any worse... at which point the First Order shows up. Seems like a textbook example... until the First Order backstab the pirates and rescue Torra, taking her back to the Colossus.
- The Reveal: Synara's motivation is to "come home" and the pirates are in the employ of the First Order.
- Shame If Something Happened: Major Vonreg tells Captain Doza that the outer edges of the galaxy are full of despicable people and that it would be terrible if they ever came to harm the Colossus. A warning about both criminals like the pirates and what might happen if the First Order gets tired of waiting for his response.
- Ship Tease: Tam thinks Kaz might have a thing for Synara, but Kaz claims he's just getting some parts.
- Villain Episode: A semi-one for Synara, who has been bonding with Kaz, Torra, and Tam.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Not wanting the rescuing parties to see that the pirates were in league with them, Major Vonreg turns on the pirates because their part in the deal is done.
