Star Wars Resistance season 2's ending doesn't directly lead into Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but it does set its characters on a path where they can take part in the final battle. Set primarily during the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Resistance hasn't been overly concerned with tying into the overall story of the films and has instead focused on its characters' struggles during this tumultuous period for the galaxy.
The Star Wars animated series is the second from Disney after Star Wars Rebels. It follows Kazuda "Kaz" Xiono, a Resistance spy recruited by Poe Dameron. His mission takes him to the refueling station, Colossus, where he soon uncovers a First Order plot to control the station. After witnessing a broadcast of Starkiller Base's attack on the New Republic, Kaz leads the Colossus in a fight to rid the station of the First Order. However, his friend Tamara "Tam" Ryvora feels betrayed when she learns Kaz and her mentor, Jarek Yeager, kept their connection to the Resistance a secret and she leaves the Colossus to join the First Order. In Star Wars Resistance season 2, the Colossus remains on the run from the First Order as Tam tries her best to impress her superiors while not completely turning her back on her former friends.
Come Star Wars Resistance's season 2 finale, Tam is finally fed up with the First Order, and in the aptly titled "The Escape", she plans her exit. The episode is not only the season 2 finale, but the series finale for Star Wars Resistance and as such, it neatly ties up the show's overall narrative. "The Escape" doesn't directly connect to the events of The Rise of Skywalker in the same manner as previous Resistance episodes have tied in with the other sequel saga films, and movie characters like General Leia or Poe do not appear. Regardless, the Star Wars Resistance season 2 finale does leave off in a way that its characters can still have roles to play in the Resistance's continuing fight against the First Order.
What Happens In Star Wars Resistance's Season 2 Finale
Finally realizing that though her friends may have lied to her about being involved with the Resistance, it's nothing compared to being complicit in the death of the innocents killed by the First Order. Tam sends a coded transmission to Kaz on the Colossus and arranges for him to meet her where it all began - back on Castilon. Though Tam isn't able to come alone, she quickly dispatches with her fellow TIE pilots and prepares to leave with Kaz and Yeager - though not before reconciling with them over why she left in the first place. The First Order, however, has been alerted to what's happening and arrives in time to capture the traitor and her friends before they can escape.
Once aboard the First Order's Star Destroyer, Jace Rucklin - Tam's co-pilot who she couldn't bring herself to kill but has now also been accused as a traitor - gives up the location of the Colossus, forcing Kaz, Yeager, and Tam to escape custody and warn the Colossus that the First Order is coming for them. They manage to send a message to their friends back on the refueling station, but instead of using the time to escape, the Colossus prepares to fight off the incoming attack. When the First Order arrives, the Aces and Venisa's Jade Squadron fight off the TIEs as they try to blow up the Star Destroyer's engines, while the residents of the Colossus defend themselves from the First Order's ground assault. Once Kaz, Yeager, and Tam realize what's happening, they have CB-23 hack the system and lower the ship's shields, giving their friends the chance to take down the Star Destroyer.
Commander Pyre tries to stop Kaz, Yeager, and Tam from escaping, even fighting Kaz with one of the First Order's executioner's laser axes as the Star Destroyer's hangar explodes all around them. Meanwhile, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren contacts Agent Tierny via hologram to share his disappointment in her not being able to capture the Colossus. He then Force-chokes her, fulfilling a threat he made to both her and Pyre earlier in the episode. Shortly thereafter, the Star Destroyer blows up, but not before Kaz, Yeager, Tam, and CB reach the Colossus where they reunite with friends and family, gathering at Aunt Z's for a celebratory drink.
Star Wars Resistance's First Order Characters Are All Dead
The ending to Star Wars Resistance season 2 neatly ties up all of the series threads. Not only does the episode reunite Tam and her friends, reconciling the dramatic split that occurred in Star Wars Resistance's season 1 finale, it also removes the remaining First Order threat to the Colossus. All season long, Commander Pyre and Agent Tierny have been hot on the trail of the Colossus, which had since been classified as a Resistance cell and therefor was of a top priority for the First Order. Additionally, the Colossus' capabilities as a refueling station made it extra valuable to a First Order that is ramping up its galactic domination following the events of The Last Jedi. Along with Pyre and Tierny, Jace Rucklin also presumably died when the Star Destroyer exploded, meaning that none of the First Order characters featured on Star Wars Resistance are still alive come The Rise of Skywalker.
What's Next For All The Resistance Characters
As for the good guys on Star Wars Resistance, they all survive the series finale "The Escape" and could therefor join in the fight come The Rise of Skywalker. Earlier in the season, Kaz committed himself fully to the Resistance, even leaving to regroup with Poe and the others before the First Order's sudden arrival sent him back to the Colossus again. Tora's mother, Venisa, is also an official member of the Resistance, and she and her Jade Squadron will likely seek out those of Resistance who survived the Battle of Crait. Captain Doza became more sympathetic the Resistance's fight throughout the season, and with his wife already a member, it probably won't be hard to convince him to offer the Colossus' services to the cause. Yeager is also a member of the Resistance and is sure to behind regrouping with what's left of the Resistance fleet. The rest of the Colossus is likely to get pulled in as well seeing as they put up a unified front when attacked by the First Order in the season 2 finale. Additionally, both the Colossus and the Fireball are in the mix of ships in The Rise of Skywalker that arrive on Exegol for the fight against Palpatine's Final Order, so while Star Wars Resistance may not actually lead up to the final battle, its characters are still present.
Star Wars Resistance's Rise Of Skywalker Connections
Along with the Star War Resistance ships appearing in The Rise of Skwalker, the series does include a few other connections to the Star Wars saga's grand finale. Earlier in season 2, Resistance introduced a new class of stormtrooper who are specifically tasked with hunting down Sith relics for their new Supreme Leader, Kylo Ren. Following the release of The Rise of Skywalker, we now know Kylo was hunting for Sith relics and specifically the Sith Wayfinder that he found on Mustafar at the start of the film. The Supreme Leader himself makes his first and only appearance on Star Wars Resistance in the season 2 finale, appearing to Pyre and Tierny to warn them that should they fail to capture the Colossus, they will be punished. It's a very Darth Vader-esque moment, and even more so is the eventual Force-choking of Tierny, but since he is not shown in these scenes wearing the re-forged helmet from The Rise of Skwalker, this is still set prior to the events of the movie. Kylo Ren's voice, however, does strangely sound more like his voice does with the helmet on.
Unlike the ending of Star Wars Resistance season 1, which included scenes of the Hosnian Cataclysm, and even the opening episodes of season 2, which featured the Colossus arriving at D'Qar shortly after the Resistance fled at the start of The Last Jedi, the ending of Resistance season 2 isn't as overt in its connections to The Rise of Skywalker. Still, the series leaves off with its characters in such a way that it's easy to see how they would next regroup with the General Leia, Poe Dameron, and the rest of the Resistance in time to help save the galaxy one more time.