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March 11 2011

view: (720p)



"Without honor - victory is hollow."

Episode Guide: Citadel Rescue

Episode Air No: 64
Production No: 317

Director: Steward Lee
Writer: Matt Michnovetz

Synopsis: After their ship and the only way off-planet is destroyed - Anakin & Obi-Wan must lead the escaped prisoners across Lola Sayu's perilous landscape as Plo Koon leads a Republic strike force through the Separatist defenses.

view: (SD HDTV)

[align=center]STILLS • CONCEPT ART • TRIVIA[/align]
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[align=left]Secrets Revealed

• The Citadel combat scenario seen during the clone training sessions in "Clone Cadets" are named after the Citadel installation in this trilogy.

• When escaping the crab droids, Commander Cody pulls a move that one of his clone troopers in Episode III will later do on Utapau -- running atop a crab droid and gunning it down.

• The Expanded Universe of Star Wars novels originally had Even Piell survive the Clone Wars only to be killed while as a fugitive in the early days of the Empire. Piell's death in the Citadel Mission is the character's true fate.

• In the script for this episode, Osi Sobeck was to have been killed by Tarkin. Tarkin would have shot an unarmed Sobeck in cold blood, causing the Jedi to further question his honor.

• When Saesee Tiin refers to "the Old Republic," he is talking about the government that predates the modern founding of the Galactic Republic 1,000 years ago. That is a time of great strife and conflict, when the Sith battled against the Jedi.

• Saesee Tiin's starfighter has the same pattern on it as Ahsoka Tano, but in a different color. Likewise, Adi Gallia's fighter has the same pattern as Plo Koon's starfighter, seen in earlier episodes.

• During the space battle, a clone trooper aboard an exploding Republic vessel lets out a distinct, high-pitched scream. This scream, called the "Wilhelm," is an old sound effect that dates back to the 1930s, and appears in all six of the live action Star Wars feature films.

• The Plo's Bros gunship that rescues the strike team from Lola Sayu is designated a "space gunship", with a sealed cabin and search spotlights mounted in the gunnery sockets.
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[align=center]PADAWAN LOST & WOOKIEE HUNT PREVIEW

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would it kill them to have a full space battle in this show? Other then that this was a very solid episode and i really enjoyed it.

I think it was interesting that they almost completely aped the shot from Revenge of the Sith with the Venator gunner and the Wilhelm: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cwzDIU-5LQ&t=465

Also, was this the first time the show killed off a council member, or Jedi of such high stature?

Another awesome episode. Something I didn't bring up in the previous week's thread was the visuals. From the STAP fights to Hyperspace to the approach of the Jedi Cruisers versus Trade Federation Ships - brilliance backed by high-definition sounds.

Nice touches were the inclusion of a certain Original Trilogy cue (again). Of course, there was the shocking death many were unprepared for: OOM-10. Minor annoyances include Ahsoka in general and Tarkin as Lost In Space's Dr Smith.

Hasbro should totally make the Gun Space Ship.

Excellent episode.

Great episode. Was I the only one to caught The Lion King reference (If it's even meant to be one) when Obi-Wan kills the last Anooba?

That open-top Trandoshan airspeeder reminds me of the troop transport in Killzone 2 and 3.

I know what you meant, and I thought about it too. I doubt it's a Lion King reference, since if nothing else that would be strange and out-of-place.

Yes, probably they didn't even thought about that. But it was nice nonetheless.

720p OAR - Original Aspect Ratio upgraded.

SKY-UK will be broadcasting the finale 2 to 3 weeks earlier than America with no on-screen network banners or advertisements. New episodes are upped by Saturday 12PM to 4PM EST.

Below are the broadcast dates and synopses for the next two episodes:




Episode S03E21 • Padawan Lost • March 19

Director: Dave Filoni
Writer: Bonnie Mark

Synopsis: The hunt is on! Can Ahsoka Tano save a group of younglings stranded on the planet Iwasskah? Will Anakin disobey orders and mount a rescue attempt? Time is running out as the Trandoshan Hunters are getting closer to their prey.

Episode S03E22 • Wookiee Hunt • March 26

Director: Dave Filoni
Writer: Bonnie Mark

Synopsis: An unexpected ally lends a hand as Ahsoka and the Padawans formulate a daring plan of escape. As the Trandoshans move in for the kill, all hopes rest on a kindly Wookiee named Chewbacca.

Regarding Tarkin - I got a sense that Tarkin may be in cahoots with Sidious. Don't know if this will, or even should, be explored in this series, but Tarkin is already being portrayed as somewhat of a dork bag who doesn't agree with "peacekeepers leading a war," etc.

How is that being a dork bag? He's right. His attitude isn't, but then again he's Tarkin.

I think one of the problems of the PT, particularly ROTS, is that we don't really get to see any influential characters/military officers jump on Palps' bandwagon and oppose the Jedi way. That tension is never really established. It makes the sudden turn against the Jedi in ROTS a little difficult to swallow. It's not like we got the sense that there's a severe distrust of the Jedi galaxy-wide or even among the Republic by the time of the supposed "attempt on the Chancellor's life." We needed more of what we got from Tarkin in this trilogy.

I also think there needed to be more of a traditional military presence in the PT apart from the Jedi as military. This could have set the stage for some very interesting clashes between "Peacekeepers" and "Soldiers" for how to best wage the war. By the time of ANH it's clear there was somewhat of a disdain for the Jedi way among the Imperial Military that came from the Clone War era ("Your sad devotion to that ancient religion..."). I wanted to see why and we never got that until now.

Yeah, that's what I mean. Just his basic Tarkinisms.

He's right? He's 1,000% wrong. The CIS and Empire are both military-minded and they end up losing their respective wars.

The coldhearted tactics that Tarkin suggests may lead to short-term victories, but eventually, better people will rise-up (to blow you up.)



I’m not sure that it’s a matter of distrust of the Jedi. I think it’s much more an indication of Palpatine ability to make the majority of the Senators believe and do whatever he says. (As he states, he is the Senate.)

Overall, it seems as if Tarkin is the exception to the rule when it comes to the military and not a the predominant voice. In the video commentary for the episode, Filoni considers Tarkin to be a harbinger of the Empire. Therefore, the military during the Clone Wars may largely support the Jedi. Attitudes probably start to change after the war when Palpatine and Tarkin get to institutionalize their revisionist version of history.

Speaking of the video commentary, Filoni hints that Ahsoka’s parroting of Anakin’s backstab technique foreshadows things to come for her character. Personally, I’m getting the sense that she is a little more ahead of the curve then her follow Jedi when it comes to the nonexistent future of the Republic. At some point, I wouldn’t be surprised if she breaks off to join the CIS or some other tertiary group. Anakin, of course, would be obsessed with finding her (a la him and Luke in the OT).

How? Peacekeepers shouldn't be leading a war. I think the quote speaks for itself.

The Jedi shouldn't be fighting a war in the first place.

It’s a specious position. It sounds reasonable on the surface, but losses value upon closer examination. Based on the films and the series so far, there is no evidence to suggest that war would be going any better if the Jedi were not in charge.

Besides, Tarkin is not likely to be happy with the current military either. When he states that Jedi are reluctant to do what needs to be done, he is referring to the execution of prisoners and the targeting of civilians. The other Republic officers and the clones have not shown a willingness to employ these tactics. As such, Tarkin would consider them soft as well.

In general, it’s ironic and sad to see how the pacifists consider the Jedi to be warmongers while an actual warmonger considers the Jedi to be too docile. They can never win.

Agree completely. And in the end that's the genius of Sidious's plan. He made it so that either side no longer trusts the Jedi, leaving very few left the help any Jedi that may escape O-66.

SKY UK premieres Padawan Lost on Saturday Morning EST 6:00AM : GMT 10:00.


[align=center]PADAWAN LOST EPISODE GUIDE PREVIEW[/align]
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March 19 2011



Episode Guide: Padawan Lost

"Without humility, courage is a dangerous game."

Episode Air No: 65
Production No:

Director: Dave Filoni
Writer: Bonnie Mark

Synopsis: Ahsoka finds herself trapped on a Trandoshan moon - prey in an elaborate and cruel hunt.
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March 26 2011



Episode Guide: Wookiee Hunt

"A great student is what the teacher hopes to be."

Episode Air No: 66
Production No:

Director: Dave Filoni
Writer: Bonnie Mark

Synopsis: As Ahsoka and her allies struggle to evade Trandoshan Hunters - their efforts receive an unexpected boost when a new captive - Chewbacca the Wookiee arrives.
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[align=center]WOOKIEE HUNT EPISODE GUIDE PREVIEW[/align]

Not entirely. The distrust towards the Jedi was mostly caused by the simple and real fact that their methods failed in the war while they were considered the ones responsible for bringing it to an end. I wouldn't give Sidious all credit for that.

By what measure did the Jedi fail? By all accounts, they won the war and then had the tables flipped on them simply because there was a double agent acting as their chancellor.

Jedi being Jedi, they have always been shown to be effective wartime leaders and figures for troops and people to rally alongside. Because they are Jedi, they have access to tremendous powers that make them effective front-line generals (healing, battle meditation, telekinesis, near-invincibility so far as regular soldiers are concerned - take your pick from any level of canon, really). If you strip away what makes them Jedi, then you are either left with Sith or Dark Jedi leading an army (which carries its own set of problems) or simply non-Force-users leading an army, which negates all the advantages of having a Force-user as a general.

But you have to consider that the Jedi very well could have ended the war soon after its start if Sidious was not so adept at playing both sides and continuing the conflict. Sure, Tyrannus was able to escape Yoda on Geonosis. But who's to say he could keep the momentum going if his master wasn't in charge of both sides of the war.

We've seen an example of his influence more than once this season in TCW. In Heroes on Both Sides, Mina Bonteri forwards a motion for mutual peace negotiations to the Separatist Parliament. But that voice of peace is silenced soon after Palpatine learns she was in contact with Padme, effectively cutting off one side of the discourse. Dooku could've taken initiative to have Bonteri offed simply because she started the motion. But I hesitate to to think that Sidious didn't have a hand in deciding that she needed die.

They won the war? As far as I remember ROTS there are no signs of the end of the war as the movie starts - just everyone is tired, depressed and disappointed in the republic. Dooku was killed mostly because Sidious decided it was time for that, and the separatist armies shut down already after the Jedi "treason" and only because Sidious ordered Anakin to push the "turn off" switch.

So by all means I feel that in the war the Jedi proved only good at keeping the enemy at bay and only when it comes to the key systems. But that's not much. Star Wars films show a world where there are seemingly infinite armies and infinite resources, so wars can go on pretty much forever. And with both sides unwilling to compromise and discuss the terms of peace the Jedi were clearly unable to end the war. In this the Jedi and their methods have failed. If there was a better course of action that could be taken is a different question.

Interesting thread this has become.

There's nothing in the Star Wars canon to suggest Jedi can't be effective wartime leaders. This is a myth created by Palpatine and perpetuated by his supporters throughout the Clone Wars and clearly thereafter. I commented earlier that this sentiment probably should have been more evident in the PT since it's very important. The Republic only starts to "lose faith" in the Jedi around the time of the PT. Remember that "for over a thousand generations the Jedi were the guardians of peace and justice in the OLD REPUBLIC." There were many wars - many of which are 'confirmed' by Lucas with TCW or in other SW literature such as the Jedi's wars with the Mandalorians, the Sith Wars and so forth. Didn't the Jedi WIN THOSE WARS in order to create and maintain what was known as the OLD REPUBLIC that only began to crumble 32BBY?

Fact is, this isn't a real war. This is a puppet show put on by a super-Sith who was able to sneak right under the Jedi's noses at the absolute right time and capitalize on his extremely rare position as commander-in-chief of both sides.

The most critical aspect of every war is resource management. Neither side here had resource management issues (unlike a normal war) since there are zero limitations with respect to raising capital for these armies - Palpatine can get droids and clones produced at will since he's using resources from both sides to tip the scales in whatever direction he pleases. Not to mention whenever one side would tip the balance on their own, Palpatine evened the playing field by tipping off the other side.

The problem was never that the Jedi were "incapable of being soldiers" or that the code prevented them from "going all the way;" its that they never had anything to do with the success or failure of the Clone Wars all along.

Though I hate them as villains, this is why droids were a necessary element to the "Palps playing both sides" angle of the CW - he could always end the war with the flick of a switch.

If they did not win outright, they were certainly winning - we saw them victorious in every campaign portrayed in the movies - every one - and in most battles seen in the series. The CIS was in such disarray by ROTS that when Dooku was killed, the leadership was entirely military-centric (Nute Gunray, et al.) and was fleeing. You can argue that this was simply engineered by Palpatine who, to be fair, would be capable of this. On the flipside, though, you could argue that if you view the entire war as a stage play, it wouldn't matter who the generals were, since the success would be engineered either way.

The more likely argument is that Palpatine is a pragmatist - since he wins no matter which side wins, he allowed the side to win that would be the easiest transition to victory. Since he let the Republic win this war, it seems likely that he - the war's architect - saw the Republic winning as the way things were tending towards anyway.

And it is very clear that the Jedi were not losing and certainly were not failing. You don't provide any support for the notion that the Jedi's methods were in any way the cause of anyone's failure. In nearly every portrayal of the Jedi in all levels of canon - the movies, the TV shows, the books, the video games - the Jedi have been shown to be effective wartime leaders.

The Jedi might have been effective in many singular battles, but they haven't achieved any permanent victories. All captured enemy leaders got freed by their companions, droid factories continued to operate and were well funded, planets like Geonosis got again and again back into the hands of the Separatists. And this is all I mean by saying the Jedi's methods failed. They might have been great strategists locally, but never had much success in containing and suppressing the war in general. At least the films show it that way.

That said, it's hard to speculate how (and when) exactly would the war have ended, if Palpatine didn't intervene. And the point I was originally trying to make was that the majority of people in the Republic didn't feel safe under the protection of the Jedi anymore, which was the primarily result of the chaos and horrors of war that the Jedi didn't quench fast enough. Not just the lies of Palpatine about the Jedi.