In 2008, George Lucas and Dave Filoni opened up the world of Star Wars like it had never been done before by telling stories that stem directly from The Clone Wars that were first mentioned in the original Star Wars film in 1977. In 2005, fans finally got a glimpse of the clones, but the war was completely glossed over. For just over five years, the story was fleshed out in a 3D animated series “The Clone Wars.” Now, in 2019, we are awaiting the next chapter of these wars when they air on Disney+. The galaxy will be watching. REWATCH RECAP S1E15 Trespass: “Arrogance Diminishes Wisdom.” This standalone episode has Anakin and Obi-Wan investigating the disappearance of clones on the ice world of Orto Plutonia where they find natives known as the Talz. S1E17 Blue Shadow Virus: “Fear is a disease, hope is its only cure.” Padme discovers a bio-weapon lab in the Planet of Naboo. Anakin and Obi-Wan must save the day. S1E18 Mystery of 1000 Moons: “A single chance is a galaxy of hope.” The day was not saved. Although the Jedi stopped the bombs, one vile of the Blue Shadow Virus goes airborne and now the Jedi must find an antidote before time runs out. S1E19 Storm Over Ryloth: “It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.” In the nineteenth episode of the first season we return to Ryloth, now under siege by the separatists. The last time we saw Ryloth, home of the Twi’Leks, Bail Organa was in need of aid in the episode “Supply Lines.” In this episode, Ahsoka loses most of her squadron in her first lead attack. S1E20 Innocents of Ryloth: “The costs of war can never be truly accounted for.” After Ahsoka and Anakin destroyed the blockade over Ryloth, Mace Windu and Obi-Wan were finally able to get aid to the people on Ryloth. An unlikely friendship is forged between a pair of clones and a Twil’lek girl. S1E21 Liberty on Ryloth: “Compromise is a virtue to be cultivated, not a weakness to be despised.” Mace Windu must convince Twi’lek freedom fighter, Cham Syndulla to help him save the capitol city from Wat Tambor. CONNECTING THE CANON #CloneWarsSaved to #RiseOfSkywalker After multiple two-part episodes, “Trespass” is a brief break before the “Blue Shadow” and “Ryloth” arcs. “Blue Shadow Virus” feels very different from other episodes. It has elements of classic horror. The Angels of Millius Prime. I need more information about them ASAP. These smaller stories don’t have much to connect to the rest of the saga, however, if Ryloth wasn’t freed, Hera Syndulla might not have been born. BEST OF THE BATCH
There is no competition with this batch of episodes. “Blue Shadow Virus” is a really great episode which both feels familiar and different in the best way. Remember, Disney+ launches in the United States on November 12, 2019. May the Force be with you, always. [email protected] @GrahamWoodMedia
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In 2008, George Lucas and Dave Filoni opened up the world of Star Wars like it had never been done before by telling stories that stem directly from The Clone Wars that were first mentioned in the original Star Wars film in 1977. In 2005, fans finally got a glimpse of the clones, but the war was completely glossed over. For just over five years, the story was fleshed out in a 3D animated series “The Clone Wars.” Now, in 2019, we are awaiting the next chapter of these wars when they air on Disney+. The galaxy will be watching. REWATCH RECAP S1E8 Bombad Jedi: “Heroes are made by the times.” Senator Padme Amidala and Jar Jar Binks journey to the planet Rodia on a diplomatic mission. However, things go amiss when Nute Gunray convinces senator Onaconda Farr to capture Padme. Jar Jar is the only one left to rescue Amidala and he comes to the rescue disguised as a Jedi. S1E9 Cloak of Darkness: “Ignore your instincts at your peril.” This episode sees Asajj Ventress on the hunt to free Nute Gunray. S1E10 Lair of Grievous: “Most powerful is he who controls his own power.” Jedi Master Kit Fisto and his former Padawan Nahdar Vebb track down the escaped prisoner Nute Gunray. Instead, they find themselves in General Grievous lair, a trap for the Jedi. S1E11 Dooku Captured: “The winding path to peace is always a worthy one, regardless of how many turns it takes.” Obi-Wan and Anakin are dispatched to kidnap Count Dooku but when things go wrong, Dooku is captured by a gang of pirates instead. S1E12 The Gungan General: “Fail with honor rather than succeed by fraud.” Jar Jar is the only survivor left in a rescue mission to save Anakin and Obi-Wan and pay the ransom for Count Dooku. S1E13 Jedi Crash: “Greed and fear of loss are the roots that lead to the tree of evil.” Anakin, Ahsoka and General Aayla Secura land on the planet, Maridun and Anakin is injured. They make their way to the Lurmen village where the peaceful residents agree to help save Anakin. S1E14 Defenders of Peace: “When surrounded by war, one must eventually choose a side.” The separatists come to Maridun. The Jedi must help keep the Lurmen safe. CONNECTING THE CANON #CloneWarsSaved to #RiseOfSkywalker Sadly, this is the only one of the five episode to have Ahmed Best reprise his role as Jar Jar. In every other episode he is played by BJ Hughes. I love how Anakin left a Jedi robe in Padme’s ship. Tom Kenny voices Nute Gunray and at times you realize it’s Spongebob’s voice. “Dooku Captured” is the first appearance of Hondo Ohnaka, played by the incredible Jim Cummings. We’ve come a long way. Hondo being shown mercy directly affects the rest of the galactic history. Grievous says that his changes were “improvements” and that he chose them. The Lurmen are so cute. George Takei guest stars as Lok Durd of the Separatist Alliance. BEST OF THE BATCH There were three great storylines in this batch of episodes and lots of first appearances by many Jedi and villains. However, if I have to choose one episode it would be “Gungan General” because of the great voice work from Jim Cummings as Hondo Ohnaka and because Hondo becomes such a great character throughout the years. We also get to see a lot of great scenes with Dooku where he isn’t being overly evil. Remember, Disney+ launches in the United States on November 12, 2019. May the Force be with you, always.
[email protected] @GrahamWoodMedia In 2008, George Lucas and Dave Filoni opened up the world of Star Wars like it had never been done before by telling stories that stem directly from The Clone Wars that were first mentioned in the original Star Wars film in 1977. In 2005, fans finally got a glimpse of the clones, but the war was completely glossed over. For just over five years, the story was fleshed out in a 3D animated series “The Clone Wars.” Now, in 2019, we are awaiting the next chapter of these wars when they air on Disney+. The galaxy will be watching. REWATCH RECAP S1E2 Rising Malevolence: “Belief is not a matter of choice, but a conviction.” The second episode of the first season sets up the “Malevolence Arc.” In this episode an attack be a new Separatist weapon, a starship called Malevolence, leaves Jedi Master Plo Kloon and his troops struggling to survive. We get the first appearance of General Grievous before he appears in “Revenge of the Sith.” S1E3 Shadow of Malevolence: “Easy is the path to wisdom for those not blinded by themselves.” This is the second episode in the three-part storyline. Grievous and the Malevolence coordinate an attack on a trooper medical bay. Anakin, Ahsoka and Plo Koon race against the clock to save the day. S1E4 Destroy Malevolence: “A plan is only as good as those who see through it.” The finale of the “Malevolence Arc” sees General Grievous taking Padme Amidala and C-3PO hostage. Meanwhile Obi-Wan and Anakin must save the senator and destroy the Malevolence. S1E5 Rookies: “The best confidence builder is experience.” We catch up with Echo, Fives and the rest of the rookie cadets in this episode. They are in Rex and Cody’s unit while Anakin and Obi-Wan are on the hunt for General Grievous. S1E6 Downfall of a Droid: “Trust in your friends, and they’ll have reason to trust in you.” In this episode, R2-D2 is lost during battle and Anakin must find him before the Separatists access his memory banks. S1E7 Duel of the Droids: “You hold onto friends by keeping your heart a little softer than your head.” The conclusion of this two-part arc finds Anakin and Ahsoka on the trail to find R2-D2, which leads back to General Grievous. CONNECTING THE CANON #CloneWarsSaved to #RiseOfSkywalker I love that they started fleshing out Ahsoka’s back story so early in the series. In “Rising Malevolence” it is revealed that Plo Koon was the one to find Ahsoka as a youngling. That revelation makes this episode more meaningful. One thing that drove me crazy as a kid was that every time Yoda says something like, “One step ahead of us, Count Dooku always seems,” it cuts to Chancellor Palpatine with a bit of foreshadowing. I know none of the characters know that Palpatine is a Sith Lord but come on. Anakin says, “This is old-fashioned flying,” a clear call back to his, “now this is podracing” line in “The Phantom Menace.” The battle droid who says, “I have a bad feeling about this,” is just classic Star Wars. Anakin also says, “spinning is a good trick,” another callback to “The Phantom Menace.” One of the things I love about this show is that there are multiple instances where Anakin learns and grows as a hero but so does Ahsoka. Meanwhile, we also see Anakin and Ahsoka both question the Jedi Order. Great character development only helped by the fact that we know where their arcs are heading. It must have been difficult to always keep Anakin and General Grievous from meeting, since they don’t officially meet until “Revenge of the Sith.” R2 says that C-3PO is always getting into trouble in the episode “Destroy Malevolance” yet R2 is the one who gets kidnapped in the next arc. General Grievous says, “Hello there,” which is what Obi-Wan says to Grievous in “Revenge of the Sith.” A radio program in “Rookies” says, “this goes out to the Mudjumpers of the 224th, mucking it out on Mimban,” a planet which we see for the first time in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” Ron Perlman guest stars in “Downfall of a Droid” as Gha Nachkt, a vile Trandoshian. BEST OF THE BATCH The Most Valuable Episode this week was “Shadow of Malevolence.” The entire “Malevolence Arc” was great, but this episode was by far my favorite. Remember, Disney+ launches in the United States on November 12, 2019. May the Force be with you, always. [email protected] @GrahamWoodMedia In 2008, George Lucas and Dave Filoni opened up the world of Star Wars like it had never been done before by telling stories that stem directly from The Clone Wars that were first mentioned in the original Star Wars film in 1977. In 2005, fans finally got a glimpse of the clones, but the war was completely glossed over. For just over five years, the story was fleshed out in a 3D animated series “The Clone Wars.” Now, in 2019, we are awaiting the next chapter of these wars when they air on Disney+. The galaxy will be watching. REWATCH RECAP S2E16 Cat and Mouse: “A wise leader knows when to follow.” The first episode in the chronological order opens up with a mission lead by Anakin Skywalker to bring aid to the planet Christophsis. Watching this chronologically for the first time, it is great that we open up with Anakin and Obi-Wan. We see a new Republic weapon: a stealth ship. However, Anakin and the ship must go up against a new enemy, the terrifying Admiral Trench. Anakin eventually makes it past the blockade and delivers aide to Bail Organa. S1E16 Hidden Enemy: “Truth enlightens the mind but won’t always bring happiness to your heart.” In the second episode, once on Christophsis, Anakin and Obi-Wan are ambushed and forced to retreat. They go behind enemy lines while Captain Rex and Commander Cody set out to uncover a traitor among them. Asaj Ventress has the separatist army march on the city to delay the Jedi while she executes the next part of Dooku’s plan. The Clone Wars Movie: None This story picks up in the theatrical release of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” which is basically just three or four episodes put together. In the film, Jabba the Hutt’s son is kidnapped, the battle rages onwards on Christophsis and we are introduced to Ahsoka Tano, Anakin’s new Padawan. Anakin and Ahsoka eventually rescue the Hutt baby and get him back to Jabba while Padme and C3PO are instrumental in revealing that Zirro the Hutt and Count Dooku were working together and they were the ones to kidnap the Hutt. (This essentially concludes the first major arc in the series.) S3E01 Clone Cadets: “Brothers in arms are brothers for life.” In the third chronological episode, let’s say fourth and count the movie as one, we are introduced to five headstrong clones Hevy, Cutup, Droidbait, Fives and Echo who need to learn to work together. This is a cute episode put right in the middle of these two arcs. S3E03 Supply Lines: “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” The next episode takes us to Ryloth, the home planet of the Twi’leks, which we will see a lot more of in the upcoming episodes. We actually meet Hera Syndulla’s father, Cham Syndulla, long before Hera is born. Bail Organa is tasked with meeting Jar Jar Binks on Toydaria for negotiations to send relief aide to Ryloth. The Trade Federation is up against the representatives from Naboo and Alderaan trying to keep Republic aide from Ryloth. The Toydarian King ultimately helps the Republic. S1E01 Ambush: “Great leaders inspire greatness in others.” The sixth and last episode in this batch of our rewatch is actually the first episode ever premiered. We know this episode, despite being the first to air, comes after the others because we see mention of the Toydarians and The Clone Wars Movie in the serial at the beginning. We see Yoda face off against Ventress and the droid army to gain favor of the Toydarian King for protection. In the end, the Toydarians become an ally of the republic and Ventress rushes away, ultimately to be punished by her master, Count Dooku. CONNECTING THE CANON #CloneWarsSaved to #RiseOfSkywalker In the first episode, Bail Organa said, “help us General Kenobi, you’re our only hope.” I love this little call back to “A New Hope” and ultimately, it made the first episode instantly familiar to fans of both trilogies. In the first episode, Ventress already knows Obi-Wan. I can’t think of any storyline where they have met before this, however, Ventress was training as a Jedi before siding with Dooku. Maybe they met back then? Either way, it’s interesting that the first time we see Ventress is on Christophsis, where she dies in the year 19 BBY. It’s interesting that Slick betrayed his brothers. Right from the beginning the theme that the Clones are slaves is present. It’s so great to see Ahsoka’s first meeting with Rex knowing that they fight together in the “Siege of Mandalore” and in later in “Star Wars: Rebels.” The Clone Wars movie score is unlike anything Star War has ever had, it has more of a rock vibe than a Star Wars vibe. Samuel L. Jackson and Christopher Lee lent their voices for the animated movie but not the series. The movie animation just doesn’t look as good as the series animation either. This really makes me think the movie was an afterthought. It’s really interesting that the Kamino cloners say they have to stretch Jango’s DNA after his death. I never thought of that. One thing I have always loved about the clones is that, unlike a traditional army that makes soldiers conform to one standard, these are soldiers who stand out despite being exact copies of one another. That’s really the difference between the Empire and the Republic. Dee Bradley Baker is a great voice actor. He made me really feel for 99. I love all the Kamino stuff and then Ahmed Best returns as Jar Jar, it just makes me really love the prequels. I know this is a tall order, but I really want clones to make a reappearance “Rise of The Skywalkers.” I love the design of the Toydarians, especially seeing that they come in all shapes, sizes and voices. It really makes me wish that there were some familiar aliens in the sequel trilogy. I know a lot of people didn’t like the comedic nature of the battle droids, but it always worked for me. Sure they are goofy or stupid, but I like that. I also loved seeing that Bail Organa and Padme Amidala have a close relationship, especially since we saw them first meet in the “Queen’s Shadow” novel. After seeing Jar Jar’s juggling skills in the “Supply Lines” episode, I can see why he becomes a clown in the “Aftermath” series. I’m still not happy about it, though. We see our first casualty with the death of Jedi Master Di. Brian George does the voice of King Katuunko and he is a wonderful actor. Interesting that the battle droids call Ventress “Supreme Leader.” It probably doesn’t mean anything, but an interesting coincidence. “Ambush” was such a fun episode and really set the tone of the series. I remember watching it with my family when it first premiered, and it just felt like a new era of Star Wars. BEST OF THE BATCH The Most Valuable Episode this week has to go to “Clone Cadets.” While the Christophsis arc matched the tone of the movie, and the Toydarian arc had stunning visuals, it was “Clone Cadets” that had a great story, heart, action and something to say. Remember, Disney+ launches in the United States on November 12, 2019. May the Force be with you, always.
[email protected] @GrahamWoodMedia |
Erick L. Graham Wood
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