Hello I'm Going To Watch All of Star Wars

[SAUSAGEMAN]

 

[CaptainWacky]

She's got my vote now!

 

[The Tomtrek]

Episode 502 - A War on Two Fronts

Fear is a malleable weapon.

Separatist takeover complete! Another Republic planet has fallen. Onderon has seceded to the Confederacy of Independent Systems under the rule of a new king. However, a small band of rebels have taken refuge deep within the vast and savage wilderness.

From an abandoned outpost, they plot to take back the heavily fortified capital city of Iziz and end the Separatist occupation...​

You can tell that they've been able to upgrade their animation technology over the last few seasons, because the Jedi can now wear their full robes for more than five seconds.

So, the Onderon episodes! While fairly standard episodes by themselves, these episodes have now gone on to have some major importance to the Star Wars universe, most of which was never intended at the time.

The episode starts with the Jedi debating the merits of forming rebel cells on Onderon to fight the Separatists - Anakin is very much in favour of the idea, while Obi-Wan doesn't like the idea of training terrorists. While this is some great discussion about the nature of "rebellions" and their differences between acts of terrorism (if they are any), this whole thing is covered in a layer of irony considering the position both of these characters will be in two decades later.

Arriving on Onderon we meet the leaders of the rebel cell: The brother and sister team of Saw And Steela Gerrera and, ugh, Lux Bonteri. I still don't really like Lux, but to this episode's credit he is much more tolerable here, mainly because he's stopped being the dumbest person ever.

The Jedi train the rebels about how to take out droids, with Obi-Wan maintaining the line that they are here to teach, not fight. This stuff is fine in itself, but the real story of the episode is the "love" triangle between Ahsoka, Lux and Steela. I don't really want to use the word "love", especially because this show never really shows Ahsoka having romantic feelings for anyone (the Ahsoka novel didn't give us the canonically-bisexual-Ahsoka people were hoping for, but it did make the case for "canonically-asexual-Ahsoka"), but she clearly cares for him.

I'd be mad about this whole triangle - both because I never got the Ahsoka/Lux thing, and because love triangles are rarely ever done well in any media - if it wasn't for how this episode handles it. This episode goes out of it's way to show that Ahsoka doesn't really have anything against Steela, and instead shows her as being friendly and supportive of her. This is a great piece of characterisation for Ahsoka, while other shows would have had her being very jealous of Steela and acting against her because of this, here we see how Ahsoka's compassion goes above her own feelings. It's one of the reasons I love the character of Ahsoka Tano so much.

We get a nice little battle scene where the rebels get to show off the skills they learnt, and we see the first part of an infiltration plan where they enter the capital city, with the episode ending with Obi-Wan and Anakin wondering how things will go.

This is a fine episode. Nothing, like, super majorly important happens (so far), but it sets up the scene well and has some nice character stuff.

Just wanted to shout out how much I love Ahsoka in her Jedi robes, just because of how her montrals in the hood change her silhouette so much.

Episode 503 - Front Runners

To seek something is to believe in its possibility.

Jedi form rebel alliance! Led by Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi have trained a band of rebels to fight the Separatists on the planet Onderon. With the help of the Jedi, the rebels escaped capture and infiltrated the heavily fortified city of Iziz.

Now our heroes have launched an armed campaign to subvert the Separatist occupation of the planet. The Jedi Council continue to observe and advise as the rebels strive to gain momentum against the Separatist forces. Despite the absence of civilian casualties, public fear has ensued as reports of the rebels' daring strikes circulate throughout the city...​

This episode picks up where the last one left off, with the rebel attack on the city. It works well, but the people of Onderon are clearly not sure what to make of these rebels.

This is pretty much what this episode is about - getting the people of the planet on to the side of the rebels, and to do this they aim to take down the power supply for the area, so that the droids have no way to recharge. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan and Anakin return to Coruscant, leaving Ahsoka with the rebels.

This episode is pretty straightforward? They attack the power generator, they steal a tank, there's some nice squabbling between Steela and Saw that makes them more believable as brother and sister. It's fine? It's the sort of fine that Clone Wars gives you at this point: Nothing really special, but still enjoyable to watch.

The Ahsoka/Lux/Steela love triangle is played down in this episode, although it does get a brief bit of attention. Again, what's important to note is that instead of Ahsoka going straight to jealously of Steela, she's more trying to sort out her own feelings, which does lead to her getting distracted. Even Anakin points this out, which makes sense considering he knows all about losing focus due to having feelings for someone.

We get to see the King of Onderon, or at least the Separatists have put in charge, and yeah he's kind of a jerk. BUT we do see him whine to Dooku about these pesky rebels, and Dooku promises to send one of his top generals, a super tactical droid named Kalani. Hey I literally just watched a Rebels episode with him in!

The episodes ends with Steela being elected leader of the rebels, which Saw is not happy with.

So yeah, this episode is fine? If a bit by-the-numbers as far as Clone Wars goes. Lux hasn't been too stupid, so at least there's that!

 

[The Tomtrek]

Episode 504 - The Soft War

Struggles often begin and end with the truth.

The rebels elect a new leader! With their training complete, Obi-Wan and Anakin have left Ahsoka on Onderon to monitor and advise the rebels as they continue to strike Separatist targets under the command of Steela Gerrera.

Facing an escalation of rebel attacks, the Separatists have sent reinforcements to straighten their hold on the city of Iziz as the battle for the planet unfolds...​

Having earned the trust of the people, the rebels go about trying to rescue King Dendup, the true King of Onderon. What makes this episode work better than the previous episode is that it's entirely about the different ways the rebels go about it, building on their characters that have been established over the last two episodes.

OK, let's talk about Saw Gerrera for a moment. Here he's the headstong and aggressive member of the rebels, going out to rescue King Dendeb and getting caught in the process. We've seen him argue with his sister, who has a much more level-headed approach, and pick on Lux for being a posh son of a senator (justified). Normally he'd be an okay, if a bit forgettable Clone Wars secondary character except now that we know he's coming back on Rogue One it adds a lot of importance to these episodes that wasn't there before. How much of what happens here will actually affect his character in Rogue One? Since about 20 years has past, he's probably a very different man there, and he CERTAINLY doesn't have metal feet at the moment! It just feels a bit weird because it's so obvious from these episodes that he was never meant to be a character that we saw again, but really it's up to Rogue One to see how well that works.

Anyway, while Saw gets himself captured, Steela decides that they should keep their focus on saving the King rather than rescuing him (luckily Saw is there when they rescue the King anyway, making the choice kind of moot). I like Steela, she's very obviously "the sensible one" but that does make her a good leader. There's a lot of Princess Leia in her.

At the same time, Ahsoka is conflicted between her orders to not directly help with the rebel's attacks, and her feelings towards Lux and her new friends. It's a nice bit of conflict that comes to it's climax during the rescue of the King, where it looks like the rebels are about to be killed and she almost jumps in to save them, but not before the local militia switch sides and free the rebels. Of course, even that goes wrong and she has to jump in anyway.

I like General Kalani, it's nice to see another droid general apart from Grievous (not that I don't like Grievous) and it's nice that he's so different - cool and calculating rather than a moustache twirling villain (AGAIN THIS IS NOT A BAD THING I LOVE THIS ABOUT GRIEVOUS). Once again, he's another character that makes these episodes a little bit more important, thanks to his recent reintroduction in Rebels. FUN FACT: Kalani is voiced by the same voice actor as Grimlock. That's great.

This is a much more successful episode than the last one, as the character's own stories work a lot better with the main rescue plot, and it's the point where we see that the rebels can work alone without the need of the Jedi (mostly).


Episode 505 - Tipping Points

Disobedience is a demand for change.

War in the Inner Rim! Rebel leader Steela Gerrera has joined forces with General Tandin after boldly rescuing Onderon's former king from execution, evading a trap set by Separatist ally King Rash and the droid general Kalani.

Amid growing public support and rising unrest, Ahsoka continues to monitor the rebels' efforts as they rally around Ramsis Dendup to restore his reign as the rightful king and finally put an end to the Separatist occupation of Onderon...​

Now that the Separatists know that Ahsoka is there, they launch a full-scale attack on the rebels with new awesome gunships that are great.

Asking for reinforcements from the Jedi, they refuse as they don't want to interfere. This is a pretty great example of just how fucked up the Jedi really are at this point - after all they should be there to help people in need ("Guardians of Peace and Justice", remember?) but then they pull the "Not our jurisdiction" card. Anakin is rightfully pissed off at this, and instead goes to Hondo to supply arms to the rebels.

I do like how they can just bring Hondo back for a few scenes, and that he works well as someone who could help our heroes just as easily as he could be against them.

This episode resolves a lot of the character arcs from the previous three: Saw and Steela have now made up (a bit too easily, but whatever) and Steela straight out kisses Lux, ending the love triangle. I should hate this love triangle, but to me it works simply because of how Ahsoka handles it. Because she respects Steela and is obviously happy for Lux (giving him a cute little punch on the arm that I wish I could find a gif of) it shows a new level of maturity to the character that we haven't really seen before. She's obviously not totally above it, as the previous episodes show that she spend a lot of time dealing with her feelings.

As the battle ends, Steela dies - not by direct action from a droid, but by Ahsoka failing to save her (she does get shot, so it's understandable). It's actually a really effective moment, because not only have we as the audience become quite attached to this character, we know what this character means to Ahsoka, Lux and Saw.

It's kind of crazy how important this arc has retroactively become. Not only have two of it's one-off characters (Saw and Kalani) now come back in current projects, but Ahsoka's work with the rebels here is what would lead to her organising and leading actual Rebel Alliance cells both in the Ahsoka novel (which makes direct references to these episodes) and later in Rebels.

I like these episodes on the whole. There's a lot of great Ahsoka stuff in there, we see the Jedi being good but also kind of terrible in that way only the Jedi can be, and the side characters are interesting and developed. It even has a not-terrible Lux Bonteri and a love triangle that actually works as a way of showing Ahsoka's maturity.

BUT it did not need to be four episodes long. Episode two is mostly filler and could have easily been condensed and worked into episode three. Every arc in this season is four episodes long, and I don't think this will be the last one that feels like it overstays it's welcome...

SIDE NOTE: In a really nice bit of continuity, when Dooku orders Kalani to leave Onderdon, he sends him to Agamar, which is where he was found in the most recent episode of Rebels! I like stuff like that.

 

[CaptainWacky]

Is it not the case with Saw that he was originally an unrelated character but when they were making the film someone in the story group said "you could make him Saw Gerrera!"? I'd be really surprised if he starts talking about his dead sister Steela at any point.

 

[The Tomtrek]

Yeah basically, they wanted a character who was an old experienced rebel, and they basically said "Hey we have a character who could be that already, why not use him instead of making a new character?".

But yeah there'll probably be nothing in the film that actually reflects what happens here, except maybe some vague references to fighting in the past.

 

[CaptainWacky]

He was originally conceived by George Lucas for the unproduced Star Wars: Underworld.

That's interesting maybe!

 

[The Tomtrek]

Episode 506 - The Gathering

He who faces himself, finds himself.

As the Clone War scorches its destructive path across the galaxy, it is the Jedi who bring order to the chaos. Though as the war progresses, the number of Jedi have declined, and new younglings are harder to find. When a youngling is located, they are brought to the Jedi Temple and learn quickly that their true family is now the Jedi Order.

The trials are hard. Tests must be passed. But none is as important as The Gathering. It is then that a Jedi's path will truly begin....​

LOOK AT LITTLE 'SOKA!

LOOK AT HOW ADORABLE SHE IS.

So we're back on Ilum again! We haven't been there since waaaaaaayy back in Chatper Sixteen of the Tartakovsky Clone Wars series. And it's still the same, mostly: A giant snowy planet full of lightsaber crystals. But now we have Ahsoka leading a group of Younglings to "The Gathering", when younglings find their own crystal (yes, Barriss was shown as making her lightsaber on Ilum when she was much older but whatever).

The younglings are... pretty great actually? This show somehow manages to have six child characters and has them range from "Okay" to "actually pretty great". The two in the latter category being the Wookiee Gungi, and the Ithorian Byph. Byph is scared of everything and wears a scarf. I like Byph.

It's nice to see Ahsoka in somewhat of a mentoring role, now that she is old and mature enough that it actually suits her. It's another way of showing how much she's grown over the course of the series, you could never imagine Season 1 Ahsoka doing this. While she doesn't actually do a lot in this episode, her just being there is enough. Plus it means we get to see her in her parka again, which is always a good thing.

The basic story is pretty simple, each of the Younglings have to find their crystal before time runs out, and in doing so they each learn a lesson about themselves. Gungi learns patience, Byph learns not to be scared of everything, Zatt (a nerdy Nautolan) learns not to rely on technology... But the simplicity is what makes it work, both because it means we can follow six different characters during a 25 minute episode, and also because it means that this is supposed to be a learning experience for the younger characters, which avoids the "young genius" trap that a lot of science fiction child characters fall into.

Ilum looks great in this episode, with the ancient Jedi temple coming across as more magical than anything on Coruscant. The Ahsoka novel goes into what happened to Ilum after the empire took over (it's not good!), and has Ahsoka look back both to her own trips to Ilum to get her lightsaber crystals, and this adventure here. Fun fact: This will not be the last time we see Ilum in this rewatch!

This is a good episode. I like it. The Younglings are good, somehow.


Episode 507 - A Test of Strength

The young are often underestimated.

Ancient Jedi tradition! Six younglings are sent to the secret caverns of Ilum, where they are tested by The Gathering, an ancient Jedi ritual where each youngling must harvest a crystal around which they will construct their own lightsaber.

Along the journey, they underwent great perils, hardest of which was to face themselves. Now, having passed the test, they take their first steps into a larger world....​

Picking up right where "The Gathering" left off, the episode starts with the Younglings learning how to build their lightsabers. This is where we're introduced to Professor Huyang, an ancient droid who helps people build their lightsabers.

The big thing about Huyang is that he's voiced by guest star David Tennant. And he's fine, really! I mean, in reality, it's a role that could be played by anyone with a good "old English man" voice, but Tennant does fine and it's pretty cool to have him on the show. I do like Huyang both as an idea (an ancient droid who lives on an an ancient ship where all lightsabers are made), and I think his design is neat with it looking like an "older" droid but still looking Star Wars.

He gives Gungi his own wooden lightsaber which is brilliant and great and I want one.

The actual plot of the episode kicks off when they're attacked by none other than Hondo. It's pretty great how he's a character who can be both ally and villain - to the point where he was helping out Ahsoka only two episodes ago but now he has no problems in killing kids. It means that we can never trust him as a character, and it also means that he never just becomes another good guy (which I fear he may be doing on Rebels...). Anyway, it's good to have him as the bad guy again, and he actually poses a legitimate threat to Ahsoka and the Younglings.

The episode from then of is basically "Air Force One But With Ahsoka Tano" and that's fine because of how Ahsoka Tano is great. It's another chance to see the more mature and independent Ahsoka we saw in the last arc (ALMOST LIKE THEY'RE SETTING HER UP TO BE ON HER OWN????). Her and the Younglings hide amongst the ship, and work out a plan to get the pirates off. It's pretty straightforward from then on, really, Ahsoka fights Hondo and all the pirates get blown off the ship... except one of them takes Ahsoka with them! Now she's a captive! And Huyang has lost his arms and legs and has to sit out of the next episode because they only got David Tennant for two episodes while he's being repaired!

This episode is still pretty good, mainly because the Younglings are still not terrible and Ahsoka is always good. I'm not sure that this whole plot really needed to take up an entire episode, though, as parts of it do end up feeling like filler.

 

[The Tomtrek]

Episode 508 - Bound for Rescue

When we rescue others, we rescue ourselves.

Piracy in deep space! Infamous outlaw Hondo Ohnaka attacks a Jedi transport bearng six younglings who just received their lightsaber crystals. So rare are these crystals, that Hondo knows he can sell them on the black market for a small fortune.

In a desperate attempt to save the younglings, Ahsoka Tano is captured by Hondo and his pirate horde. Now, with a damaged ship, the younglings are stranded and alone....​

This is the episode where the Younglings dress up as circus performers and rescue Ahsoka from pirates. I just had to type that sentence out just to make sure that it was in fact real.

Yeah, so, the Younglings first contact Obi-Wan to tell him about Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan is all set to send help. In what is their first annoying moment, the Younglings decide that, no, actually, they're going to rescue her because they'd obviously be so much better at it then a whole bunch of Clones. It's just convenient that Obi-Wan suddenly gets attacked by Grievous and his fleet, meaning that the Younglings end up being the only people who can rescue her.

The episode cuts back and forth between Obi-Wan's battle with Grievous, Ahsoka being held by Hondo, and the Younglings' rescue attempt. The Obi-Wan stuff feels like 100% filler, and isn't really need in the episode at all... except that it's actually really well done. By this point in the show, you know that when you see a space battle it's going to be at least really fun to watch, and this one was no exception. We also get to see Obi-Wan Star Trek III-ing Grievous by leaving him on his ship set to self destruct, and seeing Grievous run as fast as he can back to his shuttle, leaving all of his battle droids behind, is pretty amazing (and very Grievous).

The Ahsoka being held captive stuff is, again, good - Hondo still comes across as a very credible threat, and I really like how you can tell that on some level he does probably like and respect Ahsoka, but not enough to ignore how much money he could make by selling her to someone! It's a great way to have a character who is basically totally morally bankrupt, but who still could help our heroes in a pinch (not that he does so in this episode!).

I do like how Hondo keeps that Jedi prison thing around just in case he happens to catch other one.

And the Youngling stuff is... also pretty good? But crazy? They JUST SO HAPPEN to find a travelling circus on it's way to Hondo's and they disguise themselves as acrobats in order to infiltrate his hideout and rescue Ahsoka. I think this part only really works because the episode realises how dumb and crazy this is, and has a bit of fun with it.

It also helps that the circus is run by a Dug with a moustache Sebulba could only dream of!

While all the individual components are not-bad-to-good, the episode doesn't quite work as a whole. It's mainly because we go between the serious plots of Obi-Wan fighting Grievous and Ahsoka literally about to be sold into slavery and the wacky adventures of the circus Younglings. The tone is a bit all over the place, and as such it hurts the episode. It's a shame, as a stripped down version of this episode would probably have been a lot better!

OH WAIT, FUCK, THIS IS THE EPISODE WITH THE GAMMOREAN CLOWN! FORGET EVERYTHING I JUST SAID, THIS EPISODE IS AMAZING.

Episode 509 - A Necessary Bond

Choose your enemies wisely, as they may be your last hope.

Pursued by pirates! While on a rite of passage, six Jedi younglings and Ahsoka Tano are ambushed. While protecting the young Jedi, Ahsoka was captured by the nefarious Hondo Ohnaka and taken to the planet Florrum.

Marshalling their courage and training, the younglings infiltrated the pirate stronghold and rescued Ahsoka. Now we find our heroes in a race to their starship, with the pirates closing in....​

Once again picking right up from the end of the previous episode, this episode starts with a pretty great chase sequence, where the younglings try to board the Jedi ship, only for the ship to crash and everyone be captured. It's a fun way to start the episode!

Returning to Hondo's hideout, they find it being invaded by General Grievous! As it turns out, Dooku is still mad at Hondo for capturing him waaayyyy back in season 1, and is now out to destroy everything he has.

The biggest hurdle this episode has to overcome is the fact that Ahsoka and the younglings now have to work with Hondo. But how do you make it so that it doesn't feel weird that our heroes are now working with someone who has spent two episodes perfectly willing to either kill them or sell them into slavery? Well, it only works because Hondo as a character is already established as someone who will change allegiances at the drop of a hat, and will do whatever is in his own best interest. Because of this, and because Hondo is a really likable character despite how terrible he can be, it (sort of) works that they all work together. I'd say the only part of it that doesn't work is that he forms a bond with Katooni, one of the younglings, and it's still a bit of a stretch that she would start to like him when only two episodes ago he was threatening to kill her. But it's not enough to hurt the episode.

The rest of the episode has Grievous chase down Ahsoka and the younglings, and for Ahsoka and Grievous to fight it out while the younglings escape. In a show that has had so many lightsaber fights now, it's still impressive that they find ways to keep them interesting, and in this case it's the sheer curiosity between Ahsoka and Grievous, with Grievous fighting more like the Tartakovsky version of his character than he has done before in this show.

BUT OH YEAH, AHSOKA ONLY GETS RESCUED BY HONDO IN SLAVE FUCKING ONE.

So that's what happened to it after Aurra Sing crashed it at the end of Season 2!

This is a fun episode, it doesn't have any needless filler like the last two, and is a great episode for fans of Hondo as it shows his lighter side after seeing his darkest side.

On the whole, this arc is a bit of a mixed bag. Once again, it's a four episode arc that does feel too long - you could probably merge episodes two and three into one and the whole thing would flow a lot better. But it's filled with a lot of good stuff - "The Gathering" especially is a solid episode all around - and has lots of Ahsoka which is never a bad thing.

 

[CaptainWacky]

I remember some fanboys getting really angry when those episodes were announced and saying it was the end of Clone Wars and they were trying to set up a younglings spin-off or something. They were stupid.

 

[The Tomtrek]

The most important thing to take away from those episodes is that all of the younglings that we spent time getting to know would all soon be horribly murdered by Anakin Skywalker and the Clones!

 

[CaptainWacky]

MAYBE THEY WERE VISITING AHSOKA DURING ORDER 66 AND SHE PROTECTED THEM.

 

[The Tomtrek]

Episode 510 - Secret Weapons

Humility is the only defense against humiliation.

Secret transmission intercepted! The Jedi Council has intercepted an encoded transmission of General Grievous; however, Republican intelligence officers have failed to crack the new encryption code being used by the droids. Fears escalate that the Separatists are about to mount a major offensive.

Having located the source of the transmission deep in Separatist space, the Jedi plan a counterstrike to capture an enemy decoding chip which will allow them to understand the transmission and thwart the Separatist plot....​

Oh boy, the logo is blue now! I hope that means these episodes will be as important and well done as the Darth Maul episodes from the end of last season!

Yeah... so the problem with this season being made up entirely of 4-part arcs is that they take ages to review, and I'll admit I may have been putting this one off a bit because... oof...

The set up of this episode is great. A droid infiltration team is sent on a mission to get decryption codes from a Separatist ship. That sounds fun and exciting, plus R2-D2 is there and he's great!

But where this episode falls down is that it's not an episode that focuses on R2, like the R2 and 3PO episodes we've had in the past, but rather between two new characters: Colonel Meebur Gascon and the droid WAC-47. And they're both terrible.

Gascon is a self important asshole who hates droids. WAC is an annoying comic relief. The episode is never sure which of these characters we're supposed to sympathise with: are we supposed to be with Gascon in finding WAC annoying, or are we supposed to be with WAC in finding Gascon an asshole? In the end we just end up disliking both characters, and since they're the only speaking characters on this team the audience doesn't really have a character with which to attach themselves to. It should be R2-D2, but he barely does anything in this episode!

I will say that the rest of the droid team is pretty good, and I liked the scene where the creepy droid doctor explains all of their new upgrades to them.

The best of the droid team (apart from R2) is easily QT-KT, because pink droids are cool AND I like that she's Aayla Secura's droid because I totally see Aayla wanting a nice pink droid with her as she takes part in a galaxy-wide war (that's not sarcasm, I actually believe she would want that and I wish we could have seen them together in a story). It's a shame they didn't use the already existing pink droid of R2-KT but they didn't want two droids named "R2", which makes sense.

There's a nice little action scene set in zero gravity, but apart from that... this episode really isn't that great. It's by no means the worst episode, but it's the worst we've had in a long time. And what makes it worse is that this could have been great as the concept is really solid; if they had given the focus to R2-D2, or even given us speaking characters that were actually fun to watch, then this could have been a really fun heist/infiltration episode. But as it is, it's just kind of bad. It's such a shame because Clone Wars has been on a pretty amazing roll until this episode!


Episode 511 - A Sunny Day in the Void

When all seems hopeless, a true hero gives hope.

Secret weapons! The Jedi Council deploys a squad of droids on a desperate mission aboard a Separatist cruiser. Under the guidance of Colonel Meebur Gascon, the droids succeed in stealing a crucial encryption module.

Now the Colonel and his droids squad must return the module to the Jedi Temple to crack a Separatist code detailing an impending terror plot against the Republic....​

Oh yay, we're still with these characters.

Multi-episode arcs are not something new to Clone Wars. Rather, they're something the series eventually decided to build itself around and for the most part they work really well. But every now and again you get an episode like this, where you just have to wonder why it's a multi-part story at all. By the end of "Secret Weapons" the plot was 100% done: They had stolen the module, escaped the ship, and Gascon had started to respect the droids. Plot done. Episode over. No cliffhanger. So then to have another episode set right after it just feels... tacked on? It didn't feel like there was any more story to tell, yet here we are. MAYBE if the previous episode had ended on a cliffhanger (like most of the episodes in an arc do) it would have worked better.

As for the episode itself? Well, they tried something interesting, I'll give them that. Crash landing in a desolate void, Gascon and the Droids have to find their way out of what looks to be a hopeless situation, all the while Gascon has an existential crisis. Once again, this isn't a terrible idea... but Meebur Gascon is still a terrible character so the episode still sort of falls apart. At least WAC is a bit more tolerable in this one, so we at least know that we're probably supposed to find Gascon insufferable now.

What the episode does have going for it is the visuals. From the comet storm at the start, to the wide empty vistas of the void, to the strange creatures Gascon and WAC find to lead them to civilisation, this episode is pretty damn pretty.

The orange skies and the while surface give this episode a very unique look (deliberatly based on the artwork of Mœbius, which is great), which is pretty much the best thing this episode has going for it.

Oh there's also that skeleton that looks like the corpse of Jaaxon. That's pretty great too.

Man this arc. MAN THIS ARC. Why didn't it have better characters? It could have been so great without fucking Meebur Gascon! WHY AM I STILL ONLY HALF WAY THROUGH IT??

 

[The Tomtrek]

Episode 512 - Missing in Action

A soldier's most powerful weapon is courage.

Stranded! On a secret mission for the Republic, Colonel Gascon and his intrepid droid squad successfully steal an encryption module from a Separatist ship. During their escape, our heroes crash on the Outer Rim planet of Abafar and find themselves stranded in the strange wasteland called The Void.

Now, after surviving against all odds, our heroes must find a way home and deliver the encryption module to crack the Separatist code and stop an enemy attack....​

Well at least the last episode ended with somewhat of a cliffhanger, so going into this episode doesn't feel as forced. And we actually get a character who is interesting and fun to watch and does fun things and looks cool, which is something we really need after the last two episodes!


We meet Gregor, a Clone with amnesia. It turns out he was a Republic Commando (called "Clone Commandos" now for some reason) but is now working as a dishwasher for a bad Sullustan named Borkus. Now, finally, we have a character we can invest in. Clones are great, and Clone Commandos are cool, plus the story of him remembering his past and becoming a commando again is one that works well.

It's not that this episode is anything super special. Aside from a really well done action scene at the end, this episode is just "pretty good" - but that easily makes it the best episode of the arc so far! Since the focus is now less on Gascon and more on Gregor, Gascon becomes a little easier to watch as a side effect.

But yeah, Gregor's last stand is easily the highlight of the episode (and of the whole arc, really) - a really nicely done action scene where Gregor single-handedly holds off the droids to let Gascon and the rest of D-Squad escape. Gregor's fate is left ambiguous - will we ever see him again??

At one point Gascon says "There's no way in Malachor" (instead of "There's no way in Hell") which is a nice continuity nod.

I know I'm not really writing a lot about these episodes but there's not really a lot to write about. "Annoying characters are annoying with each other but that Clone Commando is cool" can only take up so much space. But maybe the next episode is better!


Episode 513 - Point of No Return

You must trust in others, or success is impossible.

Mission accomplished! Colonel Gascon and his droid squad steal an encryption module needed to crack a Separatist code and stop an impending attack on the Republic.

After surviving The Void and escaping the hostile planet of Abafar, our heroes finally appear to be headed in the right direction.....​

Well, it's not better, but it's okay I guess.

Landing aboard the Republic cruiser, D-Squad soon find out that it's been taken over by droids, who have loaded it with explosives and plan to send it crashing into the site of a Republic strategy conference.

There are a few things I like about this episode. I like that D-Squad teams up with the service droids (the mouse droids, the gonks, etc.) of the ship, who were essentially forgotten about. It's a nice way of showing how these droids, who are essentially at the lowest rung of the ladder, can stil be useful in situations like this.

I like how it somehow manages to make buzz droids a bit creepy, whereas before they always came across as a bit goofy. The droids get swarmed by them so naturally R2 sets them all on fire because R2-D2 is STONE COLD.

I really like the explosion of the Republic ship and it's aftermath. Not only do we get huge chunks of debris hitting the conference station, but I was really impressed that they had R2-D2 actually stay on the ship when it explodes instead of getting away just in the nick of time. It means we get to see Anakin once again desperate to find him and save him (calling waaaaay back to season 1), and we see that R2 was actually pretty much dead due to the explosion.

But, as ever, there's still the character problem. It's really telling that the first time the episode cuts into the people on the conference station it's this big feeling of relief. Anakin! Obi-Wan! Even Tarkin! Finally characters we actually give a damn about! The stuff with Anakin looking for R2 lasts all of about three minutes but it's easily the most interesting thing that happens in the episode because we as an audience gives a damn about Anakin looking for R2. We still don't care about Meebur Gascon and how he wants a promotion.

And that's the problem with the whole arc, really. Had "Secret Weapons" been a one-off episode (and it could have been with literally no changes to the episode) then it would have been easy to write it off as just a short blip of low quality in what is otherwise a really high quality show now. But instead it drags on for three more episodes, and I'm sorry but WAC and Gascon are just not strong enough characters to carry four episodes. The best it gets is when Gregor appears and those two characters take a backseat.

Plus if it had only been one episode that would have freed up three other episode that could have been about, I dunno, Barriss? Aayla and QT-KT? BOTH OF THOSE THINGS??

 

[CaptainWacky]

Yeah, four episode was too many. One would have been fine, two at a stretch if they had enough ideas for it. It doesn't help that A Sunny Day In The Void alone feels like it lasts the same length as four episodes.

 

[The Tomtrek]

Episode 501 - Revival

Strength in character can defeat strength in numbers.

Death and destruction! Darth Maul and Savage Opress spread chaos as they descend on the Outer Rim. After rescuing his brother from despair, Savage and Maul murder and pillage at every turn.

Fueled by rage and vengeance, they search for meaning in their new alliance as reports of their brutal attacks spread across the galaxy....​

Now this is more like it.

We finally get the continuation to the best episodes of the last season, and we see what Maul and Savage are up to. It's worth noting that this episode originally aired at the very start of the season as they figured people would want some sort of resolution to the end of "Revenge", and otherwise they'd have to wait 12 episodes (like I just did!). It makes sense why they'd do that, although it does create some continuity errors (most notably the fact that Hondo's stronghold is wrecked here after the events of "A Necessary Bond", which wouldn't have aired yet.

No matter when you watch it, this is still a great episode. We start to see a bit more of the dynamic between Savage and Maul; whereas in the last arc Maul was the crazy one and Savage was his sane brother helping him get his revenge on Kenobi, now Maul is absolutely the one in charge to the point where Savage actually asks why they can't be equals, and Maul insists that he's Savage's master instead.

While Obi-Wan and Adi Gallia (she's the one who's not Stass Allie) are hot on the brother's trail, Maul and Savage go to Florrum and (very easily) convince Hondo's men to turn on him.

The rest of the episode is then the invasion of what's left of Hondo's base, including Obi-Wan and Adi Gallia confronting the brothers Maul. It's a pretty amazing action sequence, even for Close Wars standards, that has a great pace that never really lets up. The fight between the Jedi and the Nightbrothers is extremely intense, and even includes Savage killing Adi Gallia by headbutting her with his horns which is badass as Hell Malachor.

Although the episode has so much going on, it's never too confusing, and there's always something interesting happening. The battle moves inside, where Obi-Wan duels the brothers in close quarters and Hondo convinces his men to un-double-cross him. Seriously it's great that they threw in Hondo (again! Third story this season!) and still kept the idea that both he and the people who work for him have absolutely no allegiances or honour apart from making as much money as possible.

The fight between Obi-Wan and Maul & Savage is the closest we've ever really seen Obi-Wan to loosing control (so far...) - he's very clearly upset about the death of Adi Gallia and the fact that Maul is still alive, which gives the fight an emotional intensity that we rarely ever get from an Obi-Wan fight. This is also what allows him to get the upper hand, and remove one of Savage's arms in the process.

(I love the fact that he 'bleeds' Nightsister mist)

Maul too gets injured in the escape, losing one of his robot legs (which also bleeds mist!). I really like how even though Maul is asserting himself as Savage's master, they still very much rely on each other when they're hurt - they are still brothers after all.

The episode ends with Palpatine telling the Jedi that since this isn't technically related to the way they should probably just forget about it... although he obviously has something else in mind.

This episode is such a nice change of pace from the last for it's incredible. I can see why they'd want this to start the season instead of the Onderaan arc, it's a fun fast-paced episode where Actual Dramatic Things happen. A great start to this arc!


Episode 514 - Eminence

One vision can have many interpretations.

Evil alliance! Darth Maul and Savage Opress escape Obi-Wan Kenobi's assault once again.

With their plan to build a crime organization in peril, the brothers' fate is about to be changed forever as they drift barely alive, through unknown space.....​

It's always impressive how easily this show can take two separate story lines and weave them together in a way that feels natural, and that's exactly what this episodes does by having Maul and Savage join forces with Pre Vizsla and the Death Watch.

Over the years and it's many different story arcs, Clone Wars has built up a large universe of characters and places, and it's episodes like this that really pay off all of that build up. It's so impressive to me how this episode not only expands on both the Maul/Savage arc AND the Mandalore arc but also draws elements from the Ziro arc and the Asajj Ventress-is-a-bounty-hunter episodes.

This episode focuses entirely on Maul building up his criminal empire, and it's one of those episodes that I'm amazed is only 25 minutes long because so much happens in it.

After getting new robot legs (for Maul) and a new robot arm (for Savage) and joining forces with the Death Watch, they travel to Mustafar to persuade the Black Sun to join them.

Bringing the Black Sun (original from "Shadows of the Empire") into it is a great idea, as they were an already existing crime syndicate. But like most things from the EU that this show uses, it strips the concept down to it's basics and remove any of the dumb stuff attached to it like Price Xizor and his creepy sex pheromones.

Anyway, this sequence is actually another one that was censored for the Cartoon Network broadcast - but presented uncut on the DVD & Blu-Ray: Savage kills the entirety of the Black Sun council with one throw of his lightsaber, with a lingering shot of their decapitated bodies being cut out.



It's not quite on the level of Asajj kissing a Clone before killing him, but it's pretty great.

They also get joined by the Pykes, who are new and look cool, and basically just roll up and say "Hey we want to join you because let's face it this episode is only 25 minutes long and you still need to get the Hutts on board".

And then, finally, they go to Nal Hutta and meet the head of the Hutt clans (calling back to the Ziro arc!), who are protected by a group of bounty hunters that we know and love, including Denger and Latts Razzi (calling back to the "Bounty" episode!) and Embo and Sugi (calling back to the "Bounty Hunters" episode!).

I guess Latts Razzi has ended her OBVIOUS LESBIAN RELATIONSHIP with Asajj Ventress which is sad.

With the Hutts on board, Maul is finally ready to start his plan, and his new criminal underworld.

I'd also like to point out that this episode sees the return of Bo-Katan (and Katee Sackhoff), and we finally get to see her face! As in the last episode she was in she doesn't do much apart from be a badass Mandolorian, but I still just like that fact that she's there at all.

Yeah, this episode has so much going on it's crazy, but it's all paced really well. It's also an episode that's very obvious just building up to the next two, but it's filled with great moments that it never feels like filler. It's also, as I mentioned before, such an excellent way to take two totally separate story lines (Maul & Deathwatch) and merge them together seamlessly. I really doubt that when they introduced Death Watch in season 2 they planned that they would eventually team up with a not-dead Darth Maul, but it doesn't show!

Two good episodes in a row. The two best episodes of season 5 so far. Two of the best episodes of the entire show so far.

 

[The Tomtrek]

Episode 515 - Shades of Reason

Alliances can stall true intentions.

Villainy swells! With an army of the galaxy's most vicious criminals, Darth Maul and Savage Opress conspire with Pre Vizsla and the Death Watch to topple Duchess Satine, ruler of Mandalore.

While the conspirators prepare to attack the Mandalorian capital Sundari from a base on Zanbar, the fate of 2,000 other neutral systems is under threat as Darth Maul moves closer to establishing a vast criminal empire....
​

Again, how does this show manage to fit so much into 25 minute episodes? It's crazy, it's actually crazy. Especially once we get to Rebels, which has episodes that feel waay too padded sometimes.

Anyway, this episode sees Maul's rise to power on Mandalore. Like the previous episode, there is no secondary plot with the Jedi or anything like that, it's just 100% his story. I don't think this show has ever devoted two episodes in a row entirely to the bad guys before (Asajj doesn't count as she wasn't as bad when she had her episodes), but boy this episode does not suffer at all by not having any Jedi in it.

Maul's plan is to have the Black Sun and Pykes attack Mandalore, and have the Death Watch come in as saviours, to bring the people of Mandalore to their side and overthrow Satine.

It's fun watching the Death Watch show up to be heroes, and totally overthrow the Mandalorian government in the process. It's easy enough for them to totally take over Mandalore and arrest Satine, who even runs into Prime Minister Almec in prison (he was the one who poisoned the tea on Mandalore in that FUCKING TERRIBLE arc from season 3!). Although we haven't seen Mandalore since season three (in those terrible episodes that I want to forget about) we do still care about Satine and the fact that she's lost her power. As she's really the only "good guy" in the episode, it's important that we both empathise with her situation, while still being happy to follow and watch Maul and Vizsla fight it out over Mandalore.

The real meat of the episode happens when Pre Vizsla double-crosses Maul and takes Mandalore for himself. Because of course he would. Maul's plan is to take over the independent systems loyal to Mandalore, but all Vizsla care about is Mandalore itself. Again, it's interesting watching them both struggle for power since they're both the bad guys. We don't really want either of them to be in power, but it's still fun to watch!

What follows is probably one of the best - if not the best - fights in Clone Wars: Pre Vizsla vs. Darth Maul. It's an incredibly inventive fight, with Vizsla using all of the tricks of his Mandolorian armour and the Darksaber again Maul. It's pretty much the end result of decades worth of "What would happen if Boba Fett fought a Jedi??" being expressed in the best possible way. I've said it before, but for a show that has so many sword fights it's so impressive that they keep finding new ways to make each of them different and interesting, and they are edited in a way that keeps the intensity of the fight without making it too confusing.

SPOILERS: Darth Maul wins:

Poor Bo-Katan. It helps that, unlike Pre Vizsla, she's spent most of her time on screen being more badass than evil, so it's easier to empathise with her when she refuses Maul's leadership and goes on the run.

What makes this episode so watchable is that Maul's plan is a really fun one to watch go into action. Death Watch soldiers (WHO LOOK COOL) taking over a whole planet. In a nice bit of timing, it's interesting to think how the effects of the events of this episode effect the episode of Rebels that aired today - Mandalore's situation during the rule of the Empire is only a result of them being split apart because of Maul's rule. It's also easy to imagine that Gar Saxon is probably one of the nameless Mandolorians in the room watching Maul and Pre Vizsla fight.

This is a great episode that really shows just how dangerous Maul actually now is. Instead of the wild animal that he was in The Phantom Menace, or the crazed man out of revenge that he was at the end of last season, he is now a cold calculating crime lord that uses his long and complex plans to take as much power and possible - and it works. That's the most important thing to take from this episode: Darth Maul wins.


Episode 516 - The Lawless

Morality separates heroes from villains.

Neutral star systems in peril! Darth Maul and Savage Opress command the planet Mandalore through the puppet Prime Minister, Almec, while they expand their criminal enterprise. With the Death Watch removed from power, and the Jedi unaware of the villainous plot, nothing stands in the way of Darth Maul's vision for a vast criminal empire.

We now find Duchess Satine imprisoned, as her few remaining loyal subjects make a desperate attempt to rescue her....
​

Oh my God this episode in insane. Okay, so, the episode starts with Satine being rescued from prison BY KORKIE. FUCKING KORKIE??? Remember Korkie, Satine's nehpew from that terrible arc in Season 3? He's back!! And he's with Bo-Katan!? Who knows Satine?! WHAT.

After sending a distress signal to Obi-Wan, and promptly getting captured again, the Jedi now have to decide whether or not to let Obi-Wan help. They pull their standard "not our jurisdiction, sorry" card, again showing how the Jedi pretty much shrug off their "guardians of peace and justice" title when it means filling in too much paperwork.

Obi-Wan takes it upon himself to rescue Satine, flying to Mandalore, dressing up as a guard and freeing her from her cell in a direct mirror to Luke rescuing Leia in Star Wars. Except that Satine knows who Obi-Wan is when he dramatically takes off his helmet!

Side note: Satine looks cute with her hair down.

Their escape is stopped by Maul - who Obi-Wan is actually totally shocked to see - and they both get captured. And Maul then kills Satine in front of Obi-Wan. And it's actually heartbreaking.

It's heartbreaking not just because we know and like Satine, and because we empathise with Obi-Wan, but because we see when she dies Obi-Wan's regret at all of the things he couldn't express to her because of his status as a Jedi, and the look of utter despair that he will never in fact be able to confess his love to her (because let's face it, he totally loved her) makes this one of the most emotionally powerful moments in the show so far.

Satine has always been Obi-Wan's Padmé: the woman he has feelings for, and has to struggle between his loyalty to the Jedi and his feelings. And we see in this episode that when Satine's in trouble he will defy the council's orders and go off by himself to save her, which is a very Anakin-like move to make. But Obi-Wan has always been shown as an example of a "typical" Jedi, so when he's overcome with the grief of her death he is able to control his emotions and not give into his grief, in the exact way that Anakin could not do.

In a way, it almost makes it even more tragic that Obi-Wan is able to control his feelings - the woman he loved was murdered in front of him, but he can't express or show that grief because the order he belongs to forbids it.

Obi-Wan is rescued by Bo-Katan, who leads Obi-Wan through a Mandalore now in the middle of a civil war. Mandolorians in red armour, loyal to Maul, fight the traditional blue armoured troops. On his way to the landing platform, Obi-Wan opens the blast doors to reveal the utter chaos that's happening on Mandalore in what is probably my favourite shot from the entirety of this show:

(MAN I WISH I COULD FIND A BETTER GIF OF THIS)

I love love love how the camera tilts as Obi-Wan sees what's going on, just the highlight the totally insanity of everything that's happening.

Bo-Katan is revealed to be Satine's sister. Normally I don't think this reveal would have worked, but simply because it comes after Satine's death, and because we see both Obi-Wan and Bo-Katan struggle to retain their composure after the death of someone they loved, it works. BUT DOES THIS MEAN SHE'S KORKIE'S MOTHER???

Bo-Katan tells Obi-Wan to tell the Jedi what happened, and that Maul is there. Obi-Wan says this will lead to a republic invasion of Mandalore, which in hindsight we now know to be setting up a story arc that would have been made had the show not been cancelled.

All of this would have made this episode totally amazing on it's own, and a vital part of Obi-Wan's character development over the series. But there's a totally separate and totally more awesome storyline also happening in this episode: Darth Sidious is FUCKING FURIOUS at Darth Maul and goes to Mandalore to sort things out.

This is actually the first time we ever see Sidious in the flesh in this show, we've only ever seen him as a hologram so far. As Revenge of the Sith will show, having Darth Sidious actually do physical things like fight with lightsabers is a very tricky thing to pull off. Both because he's such a powerful character that fighting with lightsabers seems beneath him, and because it's hard to have an old man use the super-quick fighting style of the Jedi.

This episode pulls it off, somehow. It works because he totally wipes the floor with both Maul and Savage, in a way he's only fighting with lightsabers because he's playing with them, or just wants to weaken them slightly. There's never really a question that he can totally destroy either of them. Considering we've just had three episodes showing how powerful Maul now is, this just hightlights who the actual power really is. It's the little touches, like the fact that he spends the entire fight laughing maniacally, that show this.

It also works because the transition between "old man" and "fight fighter" is much easier to make in animation, and they give him this super unnatrual looking quick fighting style that really shows just how insanely powerful he is.

It's an amazing fight, better than the one in the previous episode, again just because Sidious comes in and totally wrecks them both. Which of course he does. Savage dies, and returns to his original pre-Nightsister form (in a way that's actually quite tragic) and Maul is taken away by Sidious...

To go with this, this episode is full of little touches and nods to the history of the show. Obi-Wan arrives on Mandalore both dressed in his Rako Hardeen outfit, but also flying The Twilight (which we haven't seen since Season 2!). The Twilight promptly gets destroyed.

When Korkie (KORKIE??) rescues Satine, not only does he have a new, older character model but all of his cadet friends from that arc also return looking older.

That's an insane amount of time and effort put in to little details, but that's really what makes this show stand out.

This is a fantastic episode all around. Amazing character moments, amazing visuals, amazing action, everything about this episode - and this entire arc really - is the best example of what this show can be. Amazing payoffs to arcs that have taken literally years to build, expansion of the characters from the films, and just a lot of classic Star Wars action.

Man, the next arc is going to have to be something pretty damn amazing to beat this!

 

[CaptainWacky]

GOOD REVIEWS, TOMTREK.

Those episdoes were awesome and that one shot of Obi-Wan was movie quality.

 

[The Tomtrek]

Episode 417 - Sabotage

Sometimes even the smallest doubt can shake the greatest belief.

Invasion! The planet Cato Neimoidia is under Separatist attack.

Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, rush to the rescue as they lead a squadron of starfighters to the planet below....
​

Wow, OK, where to start. The episode starts right in the middle of the action with Ahsoka and Anakin (in their new Eta-2 Starfighters!) flying through the skies of Cato Neimoidia, under attack by Buzz Droids, with Ahsoka saving Anakin's life. Of course, what this scene is doing (apart from giving us some action in a show that is otherwise very action-light) is demonstrating the bond between Anakin and Ahsoka. Not about how close they are on an emotional level, but about how easily they work together as a team now. A scene like this works in direct contract to the scenes on Christophsis from the Clone Wars film: Now Anakin and Ahsoka are so used to being around each other and fighting with each other that they don't even have to think about ways to work together, it's just natural now.

It's an amazing way to start an episode, and an amazing scene in general. There's a great combination of elements, from the way it's shot, to the interaction between Ahsoka and Anakin, to the music, and the way it easily blends moments of comic relief into the action sequence that makes it feel it could have been in one of the films.

That filmic feeling is something that goes across the entire episode. After the wham-bam opening action sequence, the episode takes a different tone. Someone has bombed the Jedi temple, and Anakin and Ahsoka are charged with investigating it, alongside a investigation droid Russo-ISC. What I really appreciated about this plot is that the episode isn't afraid to take the time to slow the pace down and really let us get invested in the mystery. With only 25 minutes in the episode it could have been easy to make the plot relatively simple, and fill it with "action beats" that don't let the audience get too bored. Instead, as they got all their action out of the way in the first sequence, they can have the rest of the episode unfold in a way that feels a lot more natural, and indeed a lot more like a film would do it. I also appreciated that the episode treats this subject with the seriousness it deserves. It could have been very easy to have, say, the investigator droid be some sort of comic relief, but instead the episode has a much more mature tone.

What this slow pace gives us is the opportunity to look at more of this world: specifically how the Jedi and the war are viewed at the moment. We find out that not only are a lot of the population of the Republic against the war, but several Jedi are too. In a series that has often been very black-and-white about the political situation (Republic good, Separatists bad) this adds some much needed grey areas. It's not that those gray areas haven't been there before, they're actually all over both this show and the prequels, it's just that this episode makes them explicit in both subtle and non-subtle ways. There's a nice moment when Anakin and Ahsoka visit the one of one of the Jedi Temple workers who is under suspicion and Ahsoka notes that the place is kind of a shithole, and that she would have thought someone working at the temple could have afforded a better place. This isn't a clue that gets solved later, this is just left as a fact: The Jedi don't pay very well.

An episode like this is basically made or fails on how well the story is told, both through the acting and through the cinematography. Luckily, both of those things are on top form here. Matt Lanter and Ashley Eckstein both give solid performances that contain a lot of nuance - there's a couple of moments in the episode where Anakin gets a little too angry when questioning a suspect, with Ahsoka actually joining him, that could look like he's pushing it too far. The episode looks beautiful too, in the same way every episode of this show does now, but it's worth highlighting the sequence where they walk around a hologramatic projection of the explosion looking for clues. It's a really visually impressive and very Star Wars way to do a scene that could have been pretty boring.

A not on the music: Unlike the majority of this show, which uses a sampled orchestra, Kevin Kiner hired an actual live orchestra for this and the next tree episodes - something he did out of his own pocket simply because he believed these episodes needed the extra dramatic weight a live orchestra can provide. It works amazingly, and is easily one of the biggest elements that make this episode really feel like we're watching a film. He also starts to work in more of John Williams' themes into the score in this episode. I've mentioned before about how he usually shys away from using them, which makes them all the more impactful when he does, and there's no other episode that shows this more than this one. When, during the opening action scene he suddenly uses the Force theme in the middle of the action you get the instant feeling that this is Star Wars. I'm watching Anakin and Ahsoka and R2-D2 and this is all Star Wars and it's all amazing.

I love this episode. It feels like the show has finally matured beyond an action adventure show aimed at children and is now just a straight up drama.


Episode 518 - The Jedi Who Knew Too Much

Courage begins by trusting oneself.

Terror at the Temple! The Jedi Temple is in disarray after a vicious terrorist attack. Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano set out to find the truth of who was really behind this horrendous catastrophe. Their investigation led them to discover the true saboteur, Letta Turmond.

Now the Jedi attempt to return the Temple to normalcy. But first, Master Yoda must give a eulogy to the fallen Jedi warriors....​

This episode.

Starting off with a funeral for the Jedi killed in the explosion, which allows for Kevin Kiner to give us a beautiful rendition of the force theme, this episode quickly reintroduces Ahsoka's and Barriss' friendship. It's insane that we haven't had an episode with these two together since season 2. Actually insane. It's only thanks to the amazing strength of those episodes that this friendship actually still means anything to the audience, and all it takes is a scene of them talking to remind us that, yeah, they're good friends.

But what they're talking about is important - Barriss is having trouble controlling her emotions about everything that's going on, with Ahsoka stressing the importance of moving on. We also get a bit of Tarkin here, now in a higher position of power, and still obviously having a low opinion of the Jedi (except Anakin). He's in favour of having more control of the war over to the military and the Clone, and removing the Jedi, which is supposed to be what the Jedi want as well, isn't it?

The plot really starts when Ashoka is called to talk to Letta, but she still mysteriously killed in front of her by another force user. Ahsoka is obviously being framed, but as the only person who will talk to her is Tarkin, he obviously doesn't believe her. Using Tarkin for these episodes is a very clever move, as we already know he has a low opinion of the Jedi, and that he's an asshole, so him standing in front of Ahsoka and telling her that he doesn't believe anything she says makes perfect sense, and is an easy way to establish that she has no hope at all should she stay and be put on trial.

The entire escape sequence is beautifully done, easily one of the best looking sequences the show has done so far. The combination of the rain, the nighttime setting, and the glow of the Clone Trooper's stun bolts and Ahsoka's lightsabers makes it look like nothing else the show has done so far.

Seeing Ahsoka hunted down by Clone Troopers, who have been so humanised in this show so far, just shows how easily the entire system can turn on someone, and how powerless they are to escape it. These are Clone Troopers who haven't been given a secret order to kill all Jedi, and Ahsoka still barely escapes them. It's also a nice subtle move that turns the Republic into the Empire, both by the design of the interior of the prison looking basically like the Death Star, and with the fact that the troopers in white are now the antagonists.

All the while Ashoka is running Anakin is chasing after her - both to make sure the Clones don't kill her, and to try and reason with her. When they finally confront each other it's a rare instance that Anakin actually has more faith in the Jedi than Ahsoka does. He still believes that if Ahsoka turns herself in she will be treated fairly, but both Ahsoka and the audience know that's not the case. This is an absurdly well acted scene, both from Matt Lanter (Hayden Christensen would have NEVER PULLED THIS OFF) and Ashley Eckstein, as well as from the animators giving the physical performances. It's absolutely heartbreaking this this team, which we saw work so well with each other in the last episode, and who we've seen form a bond over the last five seasons, now have to split apart so that Ahsoka can prove her innocence.

On the face of it, the plot of this episode is very simple: Ahsoka is framed and runs away to prove her innocence. But it's presented in such an amazing way, with character interactions that work off the relationships that we've become invested in during the course of the show, that it elevates this episode to the next level. This episode is not only a major turning point for Ahsoka's character, but for the series as a whole - showing that it's really willing to make big changes and really delve into the characters in a way we've never really had from Star Wars before.

 

[The Tomtrek]

Episode 519 - To Catch a Jedi

Never become desperate enough to trust the untrustworthy.

Ahsoka Tano on the run! After an attack on the Jedi Temple, Anakin Skywalker's young Padawan found herself accused of murdering the person responsible for the bombings. With no choice but to run, she was chased by her Master, who begged her to turn herself in.

Knowing there is little hope of being cleared of the crimes, Ahsoka decided to find out the truth and prove her innocence on her own....​

If the last episode didn't make it clear, it's now pretty obvious: The Jedi are the bad guys here. While there's clearly someone framing Ahsoka and manipulating all this, the fact of the matter is the main antagonists of this episode are the Republic and the Jedi. Again, this is not a new concept to the Star Wars universe - there's been plenty in both this show and the prequels to suggest that the Jedi aren't exactly the righteous protectors they think they are, but this episode is where that is made explicitly clear. They clearly see Ahsoka as being guilty, and will do anything to track her down. Even Anakin and Plo Koon, Ahsoka's two mentors, seem to believe she did it.

So who can Ahsoka trust when she can't even trust the Jedi? Well, Asajj Ventress obvious. Their teaming up isn't amazing just because they happen to be my two favourite characters in this show and I love them have a love/hate relationship with each other that turns into some sort of actual respect for each other, it's awesome because it's another example of this show taking two totally different storylines and tying them together in a way that makes sense. As is stated by Ahsoka in the episode, she and Ventress now actually have a lot in common - they can't trust their former masters, they both have nowhere else to go, and they're both disillusioned with the institutions they were once a part of.

(this might be one of my favourite shots of the show ever, BTW)

They make such a good team that it seems crazy that they've never teamed up before this (or since, sadly). It helps that they have this history of being bickering antagonists, and that we now see Asajj as such a sympathetic character. It even feels right for the character to fight off the Clones without killing them ("See? Didn't kill one - it's the new me!"). Although she has a relatively minor role in this whole arc, her being here just feels right, and shows both her character growth and the lengths Ahsoka has to go to when two former bitter enemies not only team up but actually might like each other.

Asajjsoka OTP

As she's working with Asajj, she's also working with Barriss who is providing her with information on how to clear her name. BUT when she goes to the place where Barriss sent her, she's attacked by the true mastermind of this mystery - a woman posing as Asajj! WHO COULD IT BE???

What's telling about this episode is that we are so invested in the character of Ahsoka by this point that we are totally willing to follow her down a path that has the Jedi - who until now have very much been "the good guys" - as clear antagonists. Showing the Jedi as extremely fallible was something that was obviously very important to both Filoni and Lucas, as it cements the idea that they are at least partially responsible for their own fall. These past three episodes show very clearly that not only are the Jedi perfectly willing to turn on one of their own, but that they live in a position that's so far removed from that actual people they're supposed to protect (Asajj essentially refers to the Jedi temple as an ivory tower which, yeah, it totally is) that they've become blind as to what their true purpose is. It's an amazing bit of world building that's all told through a character story that we really, really care about.

It should be noted that parts of this episode were made in cooperation with Lucasarts, who were at the time working on the video game "Star Wars: 1313", which would have taken place in the same areas that this episode does (this episode takes place on levels 1312 and 1315 - very deliberately missing 1313). This means that some of the designs for this episode, such as the police gunships, were actually designs for the game. Had the game actually ever been released this would have been a nice bit of continuity and a nice tie-in, but as it is now it's just an interesting leftover from a cancelled project.

If you couldn't tell, this is basically my perfect episode of Clone Wars. It's all about Ahsoka (whom I love), teaming up with Asajj Ventress (whom I love), while also expanding on concepts about the Jedi that had until now only been subtext. This is Clone Wars at it's best.


Episode 520 - The Wrong Jedi

Never give up hope, no matter how dark things seem.​

Ahsoka Tano captured! While on the run to prove her innocence, Padawan Tano teamed up with the deadly Asajj Ventress to find the rogue Jedi who framed Ahsoka for murder. The Jedi Council sent Anakin Skywalker and Master Plo Koon to track Ahsoka down and bring her back to the Temple.



Now captured and imprisoned, Ahsoka faces punishment for crimes she did not commit....
​

When I say the Jedi are the bad guys, I don't necessarily mean on an individual level. Obi-Wan, Yoda, Plo Koon - they're not bad themselves, it's just the order itself has fallen, trapped by it's own dogma. This is what happens at the start of the episode, where even though individual Jedi want to support Ahsoka, they still decide to abandon her, expel her from the order and let her face trial in the Republic courts.

The idea of the Jedi being a holier-than-thou order that totally throws Ahsoka to the wolves isn't exactly subtle when it comes to Filoni's direction of this episode, either.

Because that's the important thing about this episode, really. While Barriss is revealed to the one behind it all, she gives a speech at the end explicitly states that she believes that the Jedi have stopped being the peaceful order they once were and have fallen to the dark. And she's right. She is 100% right. In the Ahsoka novel, Ahsoka would look back on these events and she would too realise that, although her methods were 100% wrong, everything Barriss said was right. The concept of a Jedi Order that is filled with good people but fundamentally corrupt is such an important one to get when understanding the story of the prequels it makes sense that Filoni would devote a major four-episode arc just to highlight that fact. I can totally see how someone who just watches the prequels can get mad because "the Jedi weren't heroes like they were supposed to be", but these episode all but confirm that, yeah, that's the point.

Let's talk about Barriss.

I am fine with the idea that Barriss Offee, once a very by-the-books Jedi, would look at what the order has turned into and want to do something about it. That's fine, that's a great idea, especially in light with her relationship with Ahsoka. But we don't see it, we don't see that transformation in her character - she's just suddenly evil. That's really the only major problem I have with this arc, is that it's the first time we see Barriss, who is a great character, in three seasons and she comes back to suddenly turn evil. If we had had an arc in a previous season that would both show us her and Ahsoka's friendship and let us see something - ANYTHING - that would be the catalyst for her turn here then it would play so much better. But as it is it does come very much out of nowhere, and feels like a bit of an awkward twist instead of natural character development.

This is also another along Anakin's path towards turning to the dark side. Not only does he see how the Jedi treat Ahsoka, but he gets confronted with his own mistakes. When he talks to Asajj, she confronts him and tells him that, like her own master, Anakin abandoned Ahsoka when she needed him. This would turn out to be Asajj's last scene in the show, and it's a great scene for her to go out on - confirming her independence and character development by taking Anakin to task for being a shit Jedi.

So with Barriss exposed and Ahsoka freed, she is offered the chance to return to the Jedi. The way the Jedi go "Oh yeah sorry about totally abandoning you and destroying your life but, uh, that was all a test??" is such a shitty thing to do but also such a Jedi thing to do. Ahsoka is right to leave, because man, those Jedi, even if it's extremely hard to turn her back on people like Anakin, Obi-Wan and Plo Koon. The way Plo calls her "little 'Soka" right at the end is a great reminder that this is her entire life as she knows it that she's turning her back on.

The last scene outside the temple is simply stunning. I've mentioned Ashley Eckstein and Matt Lantern multiple times before but it seriously cannot be overstated how much they kill it. The raw emotion in this scene is incredible - Anakin desperately needs Ahsoka to stay with the Jedi, while at the same time totally understanding why she would want to leave. You can very much see Ahsoka leaving as being one of the very last pieces with his disillusionment of the Jedi. It's such a good scene that I just want to put the entire thing here because literally every aspect of it is amazing.



Ahsoka walks into the distance, and although it was never intended to be, this is the final time we see her (the real version of her at least) in this show. This is such an amazing place to leave her character, as well as Anakins, in the lead up to Revenge of the Sith. Since this show has always in some ways been about filling in the gap between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, both in a plot sense and a character sense, this arc feels like such a massive piece of the puzzle that it's actually crazy to think about Anakin's story without it now.

Over the past five seasons of this show, we've seen Ahsoka change and grow in an extremely natural way. She's so different from the character she was when she was introduced, but at the same time it feels like we got here naturally. There's been a lot of talk lately about how characters like Rey have seen a new trend of good female characters in Star Wars. But while Rey is a very important part of that, she's certainly not the start. It started in 2008, with Ahsoka Tano. This arc has a female main character team up with other female characters against the plan of another female characters. All of the characters involved are fully realised three-dimensional characters with depths that have been built over seasons of television. It's such an important step in Star Wars that it deserves to be recognised.

There's so much more I could go into with these episodes; the way Anakin and Pamdé support Ahsoka in her trial like the surrogate parents they are, the breathtaking music, the amazing direction... These four episodes aren't just my favourite episodes of The Clone Wars, they're one of my favourite stories in all of Star Wars.