LEGO Star Wars: All-Stars Is All In The Family

Spoiler Warning!

In the latest episode of LEGO Star Wars: All-Stars, we learned some extraordinary things about The Freemakers Adventures, details that hung over the series for two years while it was on. Things that for a period of time it looked as though we wouldn’t get answers to. But now, thanks to many people not least of which Bill Motz and Bob Roth, we do.

The theme of family ran deep for the Freemakers and not just because its stars are siblings, but the subtext that goes along with what being a family “means” in the greater context of all things. Their origins were never revealed or even discussed, their lineage never mentioned, yet their love and dedication towards one another was palpable. Their intrinsic determination in seeing that each one of them achieved success, in whatever form that may take, set a high bar for emotional story telling in this medium. But again, it was just the three of them, and that was then.

Now, just two weeks ago, we learned that Zander Freemaker, the oldest, expanded the family by having a daughter, Moxie, with his long-time love Becky Smoochenbacher. I explained at the time how meaningful that was and what it meant to the Freemaker community of fans. And then last week in “The Chase with Han/Escape with Chewbacca”, we were properly introduced to two people, Lena and Pace, whose lives intersected after both becoming fugitives and were forced to run. We did meet Pace earlier on in a short, but we learned nothing about him of real consequence.

We were given no indication, other than a gut feeling, that these two would have a part to play in the future of the Freemakers, or anything of consequence. There were small, very small, hints that Pace would perhaps have a role to play but we knew nothing about Lena, or the future of their relationship. It was more about feeling rather than fact.

Then this past weekend, in the episode “Dealing with Lando/Han and Chewie Are Back”, the barn doors were officially blown wide open. As this season has progressed, it’s become clear that Bill and Bob are intent on tying up any loose ends left after The Freemaker Adventures ended last year. We’re getting a lot of “firsts” in this new series, moments that would resonate strongly with fans of the Freemakers, a kind of greatest hits. Additionally, it appears there’s a stratagem to fill out the Freemaker profile on ancestry dot com as well. So, let’s look at what we learned this week and somewhat to date.

So, as I stated, the lineage of the Freemakers wasn’t something the creators chose to touch upon during the run of that show. But, thanks to this new show, we finally have some answers.

The very first time Pace appeared all the way back in the “Trenches to Wrenches” shorts I predicted he was a Freemaker. I was instantly reminded of Zander and Kordi by his actions and mannerisms, plus he had Roger with him, so it was easy to connect the dots. And then when Lena first appeared with that beautiful Reddish Brown skin (#192) it was just math at that point, as the two combined would create the nougat (#18) colour we are all so familiar with.



As the first half of the episode ends, the “Dealing with Lando” portion, they evade capture by Graballa the Hutt and Cpl. Estoc, and take off with Lando and L3-37. They make it to the Wheel where they more or less confirm their feelings for each other and start a new life together. At the start of the next half, “Han and Chewie Are Back”, a few years have passed and we are introduced to a toddler named Zander and an infant named Kordi! And in typical Zander fashion, he was obsessed with star ships at a very young age and seemed destined to be a pilot. And although Pace expresses that waking her up would be a huge mistake, Kordi was much chiller as a baby, preferring to sleep during huge action sequences, like the one we saw on Ord Tellarom with the Zillo beast.

Timelines get a bit funky here but thanks to Solo: A Star Wars Story we can piece it together. Zander was born in 14 BBY and Han got the Millennium Falcon around 10 BBY, so it’s probably not too far off to say Zander was 4 years old in this episode. That same logic would make Kordi a one-year-old around this time.

And where does Roger fit into all of this? Well, it was on the planet Ord Tellarom that I mentioned where the family first met the battle droid R0-GR! To distract the Zillo beast so they can escape, Pace uses an old Lucrehulk ship to re-activate a squad of B1’s. The plan works and they are nearly away when young Zander spots the last remaining battle droid and calls out to him. Pace, not wanting to disappoint his son waits for R0-GR to get to their ship before taking off. So, although Pace would be Roger’s first master, it was actually Zander who is responsible for him becoming a Freemaker.

Of course, to become the droid we all know and love, he needed some reprogramming to go from his manufactured purpose of “…annihilating Jedi scum” to becoming Freemaker attaché and nanny. The fact that Roger has been with the Freemaker siblings from the very beginning is truly heartwarming and reinforces the bond between them and the love they share for one another, two things on display often in The Freemaker Adventures.

This also allows the resilient Roger to be our storyteller and guide throughout this entire adventure. It warms the soul knowing he would continue his role as caregiver, and stick by Zander and Becky to watch over their daughter Moxie. Roger is as good as it gets.



So what else did we learn? Thanks to the short “It Gets Ugly”, we now know where the term “ugly” came from, it came from Pace. “Ugly” of course is a term the Freemakers endearingly use to describe their Z-Wing creations, which they would sell out of their shop for income. Additionally, we found out in this new episode where Pace got the Jedi star fighter in that short, after his first one was destroyed on Corellia helping Han Solo. As it turns out, it was General Anakin Skywalker’s Delta-7B from the Clone Wars and was a makeup gift from Solo. It was supposed to help facilitate getting “Freemaker Salvage and Repair” off the ground but as you saw, was also destroyed. And although the shop struggling is something Zander, Kordi and Rowan would inherit, it would have likely gone under if not for this gift from Solo, something he was prone to do from time to time.

Not to be outdone, Solo’s fellow scoundrel Lando Calrissian was also responsible for a few things, including getting them started on the Wheel. The shop, located on the middle ring, would of course become their home and place of business over the next several years, broken caf machine included. He would also convince them that wearing a moustache is a good way to hide your identity. The moustache bit would turn into a running gag on the Freemakers’ throughout both seasons.

Also, it was Lando who prescribed the idea to never use their real names, and in turn inspired Lena to come up with the name “Freemaker”. Those are two very big “Freemaker” idioms that can be traced back to the smooth talking gambler from Socorro.

If you’re keeping score, we have finally met the sibling’s mother and father; we know how they met each other and ended up on the Wheel. We know where they met Roger and how long he’s been with them. And we know much about where so many of the Freemaker factoids have come from, including the origins of their last name.

So, what’s left to tell? There’s still the matter of explaining where Lena and Pace are when we first meet the Freemakers around 4 ABY. I can’t imagine we’ll see their deaths, that’s a little too melodramatic for this show despite it’s honest and sensational approach, but we’ll need some sort of explanation. And if given the opportunity, what final orders did they give Roger before moving on? If such a thing happened, surely Roger remembers it.

These people, Lena and Pace, are good people and wouldn’t leave their children to fend for themselves so I fear the worst has happened. Whether they depict that or not, I guess we’ll find out in two weeks’ time.

And of course, with only two episodes to go, there are still a couple of loose ends to tie up. One is where the Freemakers acquired their CT-900 freighter, affectionately known as the “StarScavenger”, and the other is...

...there’s still one Freemaker left!

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