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 S3E04 Sphere of Influence: “A child stolen is a lost hope.” The Pantora people are in need after the trade federation put a blockade in front of the planet. However, Greedo kidnaps the daughter of Baron Papanoida and Ashoka must come to the rescue. S3E08 Evil Plans: “A failure in planning is a plan for failure.” Cad Bane is hired by Jabba the Hutt to kidnap C3PO and retrieve information about the senate building that could lead to Ziro the Hutt’s escape. S1E22 Hostage Crisis: “A secret shared is a trust formed.” Padme and the other senators are taken hostage by the notorious Cad Bane. Hired by Jabba the Hutt to help Ziro escape from prison. S3E09 Hunt for Ziro: “Love comes in all shapes and sizes.” Quinlan Vos and Obi-Wan are on the hunt for Ziro the Hutt. S3E10 Heroes on Both Sides: “Fear is a great motivator.” Ahsoka and Padme travel across enemy lines to meet with separatist sympathizers who are still friends with Padme. In order to stop this war, both sides must see peace. S3E11 Pursuit of Peace: “Truth can strike down the specter of fear.” After an attack orchestrated by Count Dooku, the battle lines are drawn more securely than ever. The senate wishes to continue the fight and secure millions of more clones, even if it will fling the galaxy into chaos. S2E15 Senate Murders: “Searching for the truth is easy. Accepting the truth is hard.” Senator Onaconda Farr is killed during the heat of the senate bill to approve more clones. Bail Organa and Padme must figure out who is working to push the bill through no matter the cost. Seth Green guest stars as Ion Papanoida, the son of Baron Papanoida. The Baron was a role originated by George Lucas in the live-action movies. Greedo appears in “Sphere of Influence” and is much older than previously imagined. Seth Green also plays Todo 360 again. The season one finale is horribly out of order and you can only imagine my confusion back in 2009 watching this. I need more Hutts in the sequel trilogy era. “Hunt for Ziro” is the first time we see Quinlan Vos. The dance number in this episode was inspired by Indiana Jones. This is also the first time we see the home planet Nal Hutta and Mama the Hutt. Vos says the line, “That’s just your opinion man,” a callback to “The Big Lebowski.” The episode “Heroes on Both Sides” shows a lot more of the politics around the banking clan and the trade federation. The Clone Wars are basically bankrupting the Republic. This episode is also the first time we see Ahsoka’s new character design with longer horns, an older look and no more tube top. The other characters have also gotten new designs. I love that we get to see the separatists’ point of view too. This was the first time that I realized Count Dooku acts as a politician and is truly being manipulated by Palpatine. I wonder how much Palpatines’ closest advisors know about his plots. It’s great to see a lot more of Mon Mothma and Bail Organa. BEST OF THE BATCH The episode “Hunt for Ziro” is everything that makes “The Clone Wars” perfect. It’s weird, has great animation, the story is fun, there’s a ton of new characters, great mythos and it pushes the narrative further. It’s my favorite of this batch. However, “Heroes on Both Sides” and “Pursuit of Peace” delves into the beautiful complexities of the politics behind war and deserves an honorable mention for the other best parts of this series. 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 S2E21 R2 Come Home: “Adversity is Friendship’s Truest Test.” This episode continues where the episode “Death Trap” leaves off. Mace Windu and Anakin Skywalker are tasked with finding the missing recruits that were kidnapped by Boba Fett and his band of bounty hunters. However, when Mace and Anakin are trapped, it is up to R2 to get message to the Jedi Council to rescue them. S2E22 Lethal Trackdown: “Revenge is a confession of pain.” After two attempts on Mace Windu’s life and taking three hostages, Boba Fett is having doubts about their next plan. Plo Koon and Ahsoka Tano set out to rescue the remaining hostages from Boba, Aura Sing and the rest of the bounty hunters. S3E05 Corruption: “The challenge of hope is to overcome corruption.” Padme journeys to Mandalore on a diplomatic mission to offer protection but her and Satine soon uncover a smuggling ring that inadvertently poisons schoolchildren. S3E06 The Academy: “Those who enforce the law must obey the law.” Satine asks for Ahsoka to go undercover at the academy to discover who is over the black-market dealings going on the planet. Her students investigate the happenings. S3E07 Assassin: “The future has many paths…choose wisely.” Ahsoka has a vision that a still alive Aura Sing will attempt to assassinate Senator Padme Amidala while on Alderaan. The bounty hunter was hired by Ziro the Hutt. S3E02 ARC Troopers: “Fighting a war tests a soldier’s skills, defending his home tests a soldier’s heart.” The republic leans that the Separatists are planning an attack on the clone factory, Kamino. Asajj Ventress and General Grievous face Rex, Cody, Fives and Echo. CONNECTING THE CANON #CloneWarsSaved to #RiseOfSkywalker You would think that the Jedi would be less inclined to discount a droid like R2-D2 but they repeatedly underestimate the droids. I think I would be very excited for Daniel Logan to do more work as Boba Fett. Jim Cummings returns as Hondo Ohnaka in “Lethal Trackdown” and he delivers the line “Hey, someone scrape that guy off the floor, he sprung a leak” which is when I realized Hondo was a great character. The lower levels or “The Underworld” is a backdoor pilot of sorts. Both Star Wars 1313 and Star Wars: Underworld were projects in works at Lucasfilm before the Disney acquisition. Both the bar on Florum and the club in the underworld were animated wonderfully. Plo Koon acts as a father figure to Ahsoka and I love it. Jocasta and Bail Organa return in the episode “The Assassin.” I loved seeing holochess in “The Assassin.” Leia’s theme plays when Padme and Ahsoka arrive to Alderaan. BEST OF THE BATCH There weren’t any standout episodes in this batch, but I did enjoy “Lethal Trackdown” for the scenes of the underworld and on Florum. 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 S2E11 Lightsaber Lost: “Easy isn’t always simple.” Ahsoka’s lightsaber is stolen by a pit-pocket while on assignment in the Coruscant underworld. Ahsoka learns a lesson in patience from ancient Jedi Tera Sinube. S2E12 The Mandalore Plot: “If you ignore the past, you jeopardize your future.” Obi-Wan is sent to Mandalore to investigate rumors about the peace-abiding planet leaving the republic. This is a three-part story with the introduction of Duchess Satine. S2E13 Voyage of Temptation: “Fear not for the future, weep not for the past.” Continuing the rise of the Death Watch and Satine’s struggle to keep her people safe, the Duchess travels to Coruscant to speak with the senate. On the way, the ship is attacked by robot assassins with a trader in their midst. S2E14 Duchess of Mandalore: “In war, truth is the first casualty.” More attempts on are made to assassinate Satine. Meanwhile, Count Dooku and Darth Sidious are manipulating the senate to ensure Republic oversight on Mandalore. S2E20 Death Trap: “Who my father was matters less than my memory of him.” Boba Fett sets a trap to kill Mace Windu before he is saved by his new bounty hunter crew. CONNECTING THE CANON #CloneWarsSaved to #RiseOfSkywalker One of the best parts about being on Coruscant is the ability to see so many unique creatures and species all together. Ahsoka says that Anakin says her lightsaber is her life, a call back to Episode 2. This series is perfect at fleshing out characters and relationships. For example, last week Rex was talking about how he couldn’t fail because he’d be living under an unimaginable evil, but Rex lives long past the rise and fall of the empire so that foreshadowing is beautiful. This week, Obi-Wan’s past is fleshed out a bit with his history with Duchess Satine. “Jango Fett was a common bounty hunter. How he acquired that armor is beyond me,” one says. I was really hoping to find out more about Obi-Wan and Satine’s past in “Master and Apprentice” but maybe in a sequel? It says he spent a year on Mandalore with Qui-Gon. Jon Favreau plays Pre Visla. Jon Favreau is the director and writer of “The Mandalorian” coming soon to Disney+ and I wonder what kind of ties the two shows will have. Every episode in this batch is beautiful. Coruscant and Mandalore are both fully realized worlds at this point. First time seeing the Darksaber which comes from the fall of the old republic. I’m so glad they introduced Boba Fett into the show and that Daniel Logan was able to voice him. Introducing Aura Sing, Bossk and other bounty hunters was also great. BEST OF THE BATCH
While the Mandalore arc is great, “Lightsaber Lost” is a perfect standalone episode. It’s beautiful, fun and really makes me love Ahsoka. 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 S2E4 Senate Spy: “A true heart should never be doubted.” The Jedi believe that Senator Ruch Clovis, a friend of Padme Amidala and former lover, is working for the separatists. Padme is tasked with spying on her friend to gain intel that might change the course of the war. This is the first part of a five-part storyline. S2E5 Landing at Point Rain: “Believe in yourself or no one else will.” Anakin, Ahsoka, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Obi-Wan and Luminara Unduli return to Geonosis, where The Clone Wars all first began. They plan to capture Poggle the Lesser. S2E6 Weapons Factory: “No gift is more precious than trust.” Continuing the Geonosis Arc, Barriss Offee Anakin and Ashoka must infiltrate and escape a new weapons factory. S2E7 Legacy of Terror: “Sometimes, accepting help is harder than offering it.” After destroying the weapons factory, Luminara Unduli is captured and the Jedi must rescue her. This leads to the lair of the Queen Geonosian who is controlling the others like zombies. S2E8 Brain Invaders: “Attachment is not compassion.” After capturing Poggle the Lesser, more of the zombie/mind-control parasites sneak on board with the clone troopers and take over the ship. Ahsoka must help her friends and kill the parasites to save the day. This concludes the Geonosis Arc. S2E9 Grievous Intrigue: “For everything you gain, you lose something else.” Jedi Master Eeth Koth is captured and tortured by General Grievous. Adi Gallia enlists the help of Anakin and Obi-Wan to outmaneuver the general. This is the first part in a two-part storyline. S2E10 The Deserter: “It is the quest for honor that makes one honorable.” In the pursuit of General Grievous, Obi-Wan comes into contact with a local farmer’s family only to discover the father is a clone that left his battalion. CONNECTING THE CANON #CloneWarsSaved to #RiseOfSkywalker The first meeting between Rush Clovis and Padme is detailed in E.K. Johnston’s “Queen’s Shadow.” Padme and ANikan have more chemistry in cartoon form than in the films. It’s interesting to see Barriss Offee and Ahsoka hanging out together and questioning things. This really helps to establish their bond before the betrayal. The Geonosians have an interesting history that leads into the rise of the Empire in “Star Wars: Rebels.” We see Anakin force choking Poggle. Ahsoka says she has a bad feeling about this. Eeth Koth, Adi Gallia, Kit Fisto, Luminara Undi, Barris Offee, and Ki-Adi-Mundi all get significant stories in this batch of episodes. This is the first time we see the child of a Twi’lek and a human. We see Hera’s son J’son who looks quite different than these children. BEST OF THE BATCH
I found the Genosis arc to be pretty boring and just kept dragging on. For this week, the best episode goes to “The Deserter” because it shows the viewer something different and continues to chip away at the emotional heart of the show. 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 S2E1 Holocron Heist: “A lesson learned is a lesson earned.” After disobeying orders, Ahsoka is put on guard duty in the Jedi Temple. Darth Sidious hires Cad Bane to steal a holocron. S2E2 Cargo of Doom: “Overconfidence is the most dangerous form of carelessness.” Anakin and Ahsoka follow Cad Bane to Devaron where Bane has captured Jedi Master Bolla Ropal, keeper of the Kyber crystal. Bane captures Ahsoka and forces Anakin to open the holocron to save his padawan. S2E3 Children of the Force: “The first step to correcting a mistake is patience.” Bane is tasked with kidnapping force-sensitive children for Darth Sidious, which he plans to train as Sith spies. Anakin and Ahsoka venture to Mustafar to save the stolen children. S2E17 Bounty Hunters: “Courage makes heroes, but trust builds friendship.” Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka crash on Felucia where they find local spice farmers living in fear of pirates, and the one and only Hondo Ohnaka. S2E18 The Zillo Beast: “Choose what is right, not what is easy.” After an untested super-weapon is dropped on Malastare, the bomb’s blast awakens a beast long thought to be extinct. S2E19 The Zillo Beast Strikes Back: “The most dangerous beast is the beast within.” The Zillo Beast is taken back to Coroscant for study, however, the beast soon escapes and terrorizes the planet. CONNECTING THE CANON #CloneWarsSaved to #RiseOfSkywalker “Holocron Heist” is the first time we see a shape-shifting Clawdite Assassin since “Attack of the Clones.” Jocasta Nu returns as well. This is also the first time we meet the dead Jedi Ord Enisense. Seth Green guest stars as Todo, the cutest droid ever. This is the first chronological appearance of Cad Bane, although he was introduced in the season one finale. We learn that Madame Jocasta is a Jedi. We also meet Bolla Ropal, the keepers of the Kyber Crystal, which has a list of all the force-sensitive children in the galaxy. I’m pretty sure “Cargo of Doom” is the first time we see Ahsoka wearing anything other than her normal outfit. Nute Gunray is seen for the first time since his capture in season one. Mustafar is seen in “Children of the force.” We also see children on Rodia and Naboo. While stealing children is horrible, isn’t that exactly what the Jedi do? The Jedi seem to be just as flawed as the Sith.They even use their jedi mind tricks on Cad Bane even though there is a risk of harming him. The Chancellor wants updates on internal Jedi affairs. They should have seen that as fishy. I also love how Anakin is playing into the chancellor’s hand already. The seeds of doubt are being planted. Jim Cummings returns as Hondo Ohnaka. Stephen Stanton and Dave Filoni also voice characters in this episode. I love all the cute creatures, like the farmers in this episode. The Kowakian Monkey-Lizard in this episode is different than the last. All of the opening “newscasts” are really cool but the one for “The Zillo Beast” really made the stakes sound dire. Apparently Malastare is important for fuel resources. The best thing about animated series is it’s really easy to show a lot of familiar species, while the sequel trilogy really hasn’t done that at all. If Palpatine had been able to create impenetrable armor, who knows what could have happened. It’s interesting to know that the Zillo beast is still out there. BEST OF THE BATCH There is no way to determine one single episode being better than another in this batch. If I had to, I guess I would go with “Holocron Heist” which is fun and introduces us to Cad Bane, however that entire arc is really great. The Zillo Beast is also really cool as it pays tribute to old monster films like King Kong. Both arcs have a lot of repercussions to the future of the galaxy and have been brought up any time I’m defending why I love “the Clone Wars.” 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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