In honor of Star Wars: The Clone Wars coming to Netflix along with a fresh batch of thirteen new Lost Missions, Scum and Villainy Radio contributor Alex Ward will be posting a weekly analysis of episodes from the series, starting with the 2008 film and into the first season, hopefully taking us to the release of Star Wars: Rebels on Disney XD in Fall 2014.
DISCLAIMER: The last thing I want to hear about a TV show is that it gets better after the first season, or, worse, the second season, or, God forbid, third season. Unfortunately, many fans say so about Star Wars: The Clone Wars, except it also starts with a generally disliked film. It takes a dedicated Star Wars fan to have blindly become a regular viewer of Star Wars: The Clone Wars after seeing its initial theatrical release; unfortunately, few, once including me, realized the film is simply three or four of the TV episodes that were crammed together for a last-minute cash grab at the box office (“The New Padawan,” “Castle of Deception”, “Castle of Doom,“ and “Castle of Salvation”). It’s completely forgivable. I’m only starting with it for chronology’s sake, but I, and any Clone Wars virgin, needs to understand this context of the Clone Wars “film.” By the way, FULL SPOILERS for all of these entries.
I saw Star Wars: The Clone Wars in theaters when I was 16 years old and too cool for clones. I wanted so badly to like it, but, instead, I despised it, killing my interest in Star Wars for a few years. Luckily, I gave the show a second chance during its fifth season, and, now knowing how much the series has evolved since then, I’m ready to see it all again through a big boy’s eyes.
The second we hear that whistling, adventurous John Williams-inspired blip of the Star Wars theme rush into tribal-ish bongos only to precede a boisterous war-time announcer replacing the classic Star Wars opening crawl, we know we’re not on Tattooine anymore (ugh). So let’s see what you got, George Lucas, you beady-eyed, prune-voiced, naked-second-chinned warlock. (One more note on the introduction: this film introduced us to the show’s tendency to establish major plot points before the episode begins, sometimes confusing the viewer into thinking he or she missed an episode while also emphasizing the old-timey serial influence of Star Wars.)
Here’s the gist: a small glob of Jabba’s fat, named Rotta but nicknamed “Stinky” presumably because it is a little brown ball, is kidnapped by Separatist-looking forces as a ploy to blackmail the Hutts into joining their side. Who are the Separatists? I didn’t know this until years after I watched Revenge of the Sith, but the Separatists are basically the enemies of the “good” guys, the Republic, but both sides are being manipulated by Sith lord Darth Sidious/Chancellor Palpatine and his nasty, long-faced, too-old-to-be-called-an-apprentice apprentice Count Dooku (a.k.a. Darth Tyrannus ,but whoever calls him that?).
After the “previously” bit, Palpatine, a visually stiff and unlikable character, tries to convince Mace Windu to send as many Jedi as possible to rescue Jabba’s son; Mace Windu obviously and immediately dismisses the obnoxious suggestion in his typical cold and condescending tone. We then briefly meet a younger version of a peripheral character from A New Hope, Admiral Yularen, before the narrative begins on Christophsis, a crystalline planet caught in the middle of the Clone Wars. It looks cool enough, but not all that innovative when you consider the inherently blocky, geometric nature of the Clone Wars animation style. Battle droids are goofing off, Jedi are going nuts, blaster bolts are everywhere, and lightsabers are whirring all over the screen, proving that we’re finally going to see Anakin Skywalker as the Clone Wars hero Ben Kenobi first described in A New Hope. This is a brand-new Anakin – it’s as if they’re trying to reboot the Hayden Christensen version in favor a confident, clear-voiced, generic-looking warrior type. The battle looks just as exciting as any major battle we’ve seen in the prequels, only proving that Lucasfilm isn’t afraid to top their previous efforts. I’m glad Lucas and Dave Filoni went for it; who cares if this cool battle makes Revenge of the Sith’s battle on Kashyyyk look less cool? Lucasfilm has always and continues to try to out-do themselves.
Once we get past the flashy colors and loud sounds, George Lucas and Dave Filoni spoon-feed us the central motif of this film: parenthood. I consider Star Wars, particularly the original trilogy, to be a saga all about parenthood, specifically involving the relationships between fathers and sons. Luke Skywalker’s entire arc revolves around his journey to still love his father despite the fact that he is arguably the most evil man in the galaxy by the time the A New Hope begins (and the fact that they’ve never really met, but that’s beside the point). In the prequels, Qui-Gon Jinn acts as both Obi-Wan’s and later young Anakin Skywalker’s paternal figure, while Obi-Wan Kenobi carries on the mantle as Anakin’s surrogate father for Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, despite Obi-Wan’s declaration after the Mustafar duel that “[they] were brothers” (perhaps the father-son relationship ended between AOTC and ROTS). So here we have Anakin playing the father role as he inherits an apprentice, Ahsoka, thus gaining a “child”, while the flabby gangster Jabba, the opposite side of the spectrum of good and evil, has lost his child. If there is any hope for this lightweight, meant-for-kids introductory Clone Wars film, it’s that it follows through on this motif. By the end of the film, Anakin needs to accept Ahsoka as his “daughter,” Jabba needs to reclaim his son, and they all need to have grown as characters as a result. Jabba’s personal growth seems unlikely. We’ll see how that works out as the story progresses.
It’s also worth noting that a) Ahsoka Tano was originally supposed to be Obi-Wan’s apprentice, which makes me think that Obi-Wan – known for half-truths and mild deception – was in on her last-minute transfer to Anakin, and b) Ahsoka is introduced as a talented youngling fast-tracked to the role of apprentice, further reaffirming how big of a loss she was to the Republic after she left the Order at the end of the fifth season. But for now, her quips are pretty lazily written and her character has yet to become interesting. Rex, a bleach-blond or possibly bald clone trooper, chuckles as she refers to her new master, Anakin, as “Sky-guy,” showing that clone troopers aren’t the mindless drones they seem to be in the movies; they have individuality and warmth that George Lucas must have forgotten about when writing the prequel trilogy. They also have really bad senses of humor. I couldn’t even fake-laugh at “Sky-guy.”
Unfortunately, the story strays from the Jabba/kidnapping plot in favor of the plodding battle on Christophsis. Obi-Wan’s “surrender” to the Separatist leader is interesting in that it showcases James Arnold Taylor’s well-practiced Ewan Macgregor-Alec Guinness-hybrid voice, but this portion of the film seems to be nothing more than one of the most formulaic episodes of The Clone Wars. The battle finally ends as Yoda sends Obi-Wan to diplomicize with Jabba the Hutt, and Anakin and Ahsoka to save li’l Rotta. Obi-Wan’s visit to Jabba is a nice call-back to Return of the Jedi, even if it does portray Jabba to be a little softer than the vile criminal from the films, while Ahsoka’s “So, this is where the fun begins” is an uncomfortable call-back to Revenge of the Sith. The wall-crawling AT-TEs are pretty cool, and the reference to the B’omarr monks is incredible, but nothing’s really redeemed the narratively dull first act yet.
Rotta is not cute at all. Upon first sight, I was hoping Anakin and Ahsoka would fail and that the Separatists would end up popping him like a blueberry. Anakin comments, “Just wait until you see what he’ll grow into,” making me partially hope for a Rotta the Hutt appearance in Star Wars: Rebels or Star Wars: Episode VII (The Rise of Rotta? Rotta Strikes Back? Old Luke Smushes Rotta?). The next few scenes start to drag as Rotta gets cuter, Rotta gets a fever, Rotta gets even cuter, and Asajj Ventress, Dooku’s presumably secret Sith apprentice, is indirectly introduced.
This may be my personal preference, but this mysterious planet looks far more interesting than the story shows us; there are strange temples on tall, isolated canyons with weird cocoon things dangling beneath them. I want to know about the magic and mythology of this place, yet all I see are blasters and ships and lightsabers, which do, unfortunately, get old after a while. I think at this point, I’m experiencing the literal equivalent of watching three consecutive episodes of a loud, flashy action-oriented kid’s cartoon, so some character moments and storytelling intrigue are long overdue.
Dooku curiously warns Ventress, “Need I remind you who gains Jabba’s favor will control the war in the Outer Rim?” Now, the Outer Rim is referenced so often in Star Wars that it might as well be considered to be not that “outer”; it’s got to be an enormous region/front to control, and the fact that Jabba happens to control it seems far too convenient. Just because he’s the only gangster we’ve met in the Star Wars universe doesn’t mean he has to be the most powerful. Alas, this type of coincidence is a common problem with the prequels, and it unfortunately comes back to the “chosen one” idea behind Anakin’s character, but let’s not go there for now.
Obi-Wan’s duel with Ventress is pretty intriguing; at this point, Obi-Wan seems to be the Jedi with the most experience fighting Sith. Since the Sith had been under the Jedi’s radar for a millennia as of The Phantom Menace, and Yoda, who I’m assuming is the oldest Jedi, is only in his 800s, Obi-Wan has single-handedly faced the brunt of the Sith’s resurgence, between Maul, Dooku, and now Ventress. I wonder if anyone on the Jedi Council is jealous. Probably Mace Windu. Their duel also makes me wonder when Obi-Wan and Asajj first met, which I do remember happening at some point in the series (for those who don’t know, the arcs of The Clone Wars aren’t in chronological order).
Ahsoka mildly, but still barely, redeems some of her junky quips when she says, “Lives to stink another day.” Star Wars: Episode VII: Stink Another Day. Dooku and Ventress’ manipulation of Jabba through their lie about Rotta’s death is also an interesting look at the cruelty of the Sith. As reasonable as Dooku seems at times, he is incredibly conniving and ultimately untrustworthy (though still not nearly as much as Palpatine, who probably planned the entire plot of this film beat by beat).
Once Anakin and Ahsoka get comfy on the ship, we get a brief moment between them in which Ahsoka plays an overt motherly role to Anakin’s reluctant father role, highlighting the very father-daughter relationship between the two. To Anakin, Ahsoka stinks a little bit. Having a padawan learner stinks, especially for an independent person like Anakin, and her head-tails probably stink a little bit, too. I don’t think she’s washed them once since Christophsis. Nevertheless, he’s responsible for her life now, and he’s starting to accept it.
Finally, he is revealed: Ziro the Hutt. He is one of the darkest shadows cast on this entire film, and he doesn’t even show up until the final act. I like the uniqueness of his character; he doesn’t fulfill the traditional male roles as every other Star Wars character does, as evidenced by his obvious interest in style and his overall feminine-but-tough flair. I do like this, I do appreciate this, but this does not mean he’s a cool character. I don’t even want to explain why. Just google a picture of him.
The fact that Anakin is returning to Tattooine after the whole slavery and mass-murder thing is a big deal, and, thankfully, the show runners don’t let it slide. Anakin even tells Ahsoka, who is pestering him about his past, “The desert is merciless. It takes everything from you.” That’s all we need to know. Anakin’s major dark side-motivators happened on this planet, but this slightly jovial Clone Wars-Anakin needs to take many more dark turns throughout this series before his Vader-ization becomes believable. Thankfully, this show will give him that outlet, as his fall from grace was rushed and almost forced in the prequel films.
Shortly after, Anakin encounters and duels Dooku, a rare thing in this series, who tells Anakin, “Your training has come a long way, boy.” Really? Since the two-bladed fight on Geonosis that Dooku almost lost? It’s not that I don’t believe Dooku; I’m surprised that Anakin has grown so powerful in such a short amount of time, even if it isn’t visibly clear. Well, except for his harsh kick to Dooku’s long, long face that essentially ends the fight. Anakin leaves Dooku after discovering he’d been subject to even more manipulation by the Sith, and his subsequent confrontation with Jabba makes me wonder how disgusting it would be to kill a hutt with a lightsaber: lots of guts, lots of fat, lots less motivation for Han Solo to take a certain job a couple decades later.
Jabba’s relationship with Rotta turns out to be nothing but symbolic; Jabba displays very little paternal qualities, and it’s hard to believe that such a cruel crime lord would actually make a good dad, but, as a mobster, he has to “care” about his family. What else would he live for? Instead, Rotta is simply used to highlight the budding relationship between Anakin and Ahsoka, who will either die or somehow leave forever far before before the events of Revenge of the Sith, as she is not referenced a single time in any of the films. Anakin and Ahsoka leave Jabba in order to go after Dooku, who is the greater of two evils. Yoda shows up for his ritualistic post-battle visit, and the credits roll.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
The animation looks good – it’s unique and expensive-looking, but it’s far from any of the other animated features in theaters at the time. Of course, it was designed for television, so it’s no wonder that unaware film critics and ordinary movie-goers dismissed it as poor or lazy. The score was pretty varied for a Star Wars production, and, even though it didn’t always work, it was at least trying something new. The voice acting was top notch, especially with Christopher Lee and Samuel L. Jackson reprising their roles. Legend has it that Hayden Christensen was turned down after expressing interest in reprising his role of Anakin, but that’s probably for the best; nobody wants to hear his dull, droning mumbles in such an exciting, supposed-to-be-fun series.
The story had its moments. Boring choices were made seemingly for the purpose of showing as much action and lightsabering as possible, and characters like Yoda, Padme, and either Dooku or Ventress seemed to be there just to be there. A greater focus on Anakin and Ahsoka’s relationship beyond their vague, generic banter would have been nice, and a more balanced structure would have served this film greatly. I would’ve liked more follow-through on the parenthood motif, but Jabba didn’t grow, Ahsoka didn’t really seem to grow, and Anakin’s growth was far too predictable. Again, it was simply four patchwork episodes from the first season, so it shouldn’t be appraised as a film, but that’s how it was presented, so that’s how I’m doing it. I didn’t enjoy revisiting this as much as I thought I would, but I’m excited to dive into the actual show.
While this is more of a recap/analysis, I’ll still give a rating for each entry. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 film) gets 2.5 out of 5 Wanna Wangas.
— Alex Ward
Alex Ward is a contributor to the ScumAndVillainy.com blog. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, he is a high school English teacher, a comic writer/artist, and a small boy with poofy hair and an affinity for Boss Nass. You can contact him at alex.ward@scumandvillainyradio.com and check out his comics at mildoo.tumblr.com.
Mos Eisley Cantina 