TCW S6 Discussion *Spoiler Heavy*

I wanted to put together a place where we can chat about "The Lost Episodes" - the 13 Season Six episodes recently released on Netflix, of The Clone Wars. Talk away, and be warned - SPOILER HEAVY ZONE!!!!!

I'm still working through the new content, but actually started with the four-episode Yoda/Sifo-Dyas/Qui-Gon arc because a friend and I were most interested in that. We both loved them. Finally answering Sifo-Dyas' role in the creation of the clone army as a pawn/partner to Darth Tyrannus was great, hearing Liam Neeson play Qui-Gon was great, so many great things!

1. CGI Oppo Rancisis both sitting and slithering around![/*:m]
   
2. I didn't know the council had yet to put together that Count Dooku = Darth Tyrannus[/*:m]
   
3. Liam Neeson! Dagobah![/*:m]
   
4. R2-D2 is officially the most knowledgeable character in the Star Wars universe. He is, I'm pretty sure, not wiped at the end of Episode III, like C-3PO, meaning he knows everything. He's been to Dagobah with Yoda before. Crazy.[/*:m]
   
5. Darth Bane. On screen. Was awesome. Even if he looks a bit different and is on Moraband, not Korriban, it's still Darth Bane. My friend and I freaked out.[/*:m]
   
6. Speaking of, when you search Moraband on Wookieepedia, it redirects you to Korriban, so it looks like the SW EU Gods have decided they are different names for the same planet. Which I'm cool with until Dave Filoni gives an opinion.[/*:m]
   
7. Finishing these episodes suddenly gave my friend and I the realization that ghost Yoda can appear in the sequel trilogy and it make total sense.[/*:m]
   
8. Sub-thought, I also realized that Yoda, I think, is the only movie/TV Star Wars character to die a peaceful death of old age. Lucky.[/*:m][/list:u]
   
   Anyways! Thoughts on the episodes, any and all? I'm watching the Clovis/Padme stuff right now!
   

If you read the Korriban wiki article and talk page, you'll see the behind the scenes discussion of the episode, "Sacrifice", was the trigger for the Moraband/Korriban thing. Apparently, George Lucas always liked the name Moraband and because of that (super retarded reason) they changed the planet's name in that episode. In terms of EU Canon, the SW Wiki guys have decided that the best way to handle it is to say Korriban is the planet's true name and the name used by the people who have lived their in past and future. Moraband is just the name it was referred to in Clone Wars time... possibly because Korriban has fallen off the radar dozens of times throughout history only to be rediscovered again. That is probably the best explanation we can hope for.

But, man... I really wish George Lucas would stop touching Star Wars. Seriously. Dude may have invented it (and lucked out with an accidental hit), but he's just butchered it since the 70s (right around the time he introduced Ewoks versus trained soldiers...)

As for episodes themselves: I've watched up to episode six so far. I love the take on the clones and the build up towards Rise of the Sith/Order 66. Gives a lot more weight to the events of the (lackluster) movie. Only thing is, those first few episodes reminded me of the plot of the old Darth Maul book, "Shadow Hunter". The same kind of thing happened. Someone discovered the secret behind the Sith/Naboo thing before it went down, almost made it to report to the Jedi, but died moments before the reveal. As a regular arc it would have been great. Less so for one of the "final arcs".

"The Rise of Clovis" was entertaining. The whiney-bitch part of Anakin's personality (that we see in the movies, but haven't seen really in the show) was a bit annoying. But I *loved* his brutal smackdown of Clovis for hitting on Padme. That's how a borderline psychotic Jedi/Sith should act. Not whining about being jealous and insecure :P You could almost feel them stretching things a bit to tie better into the characterizations in the movie.

It really is a shame they couldn't produce more than what they already had at the time of the sale to Disney. These episodes are good Clone Wars episodes, but clearly not created for a "final season". Will be watching the rest of the season soon.

For me? The whole thing went to shit after the Order 66 Arc died down. The rest of it was just seemed like a bunch of disjointed and irrelevant story arcs.

I got really excited with the Order 66 arc. I feel like they could have devoted a season to that, and just kept poking around the edges, and weaving the story in and out of the other arcs, or at least combining it with the Sifo-Dyas one.

We can basically just write off whatever the hell was going on with the Jar Jar fan service... does anyone even actually like Jar Jar enough to want the fan service? Then there was the Clovis one... I mean sure, it was nice to see the continuing pressures keeping a secret love had on Anakin, and his continual falling to the dark side because he loved Padme, and it almost helps set the scene for just how jealous Anakin gets when he chokes a bitch for no apparent reason in RotS, but really, it didn't need to be there.

I still really don't know what to make of the whole Yoda arc at the end. The fact that it was Lucas' fingers trying to change one of the most iconic Sith worlds makes me a bit nauseated. Add in some weird Force Ghosts who represent emotions, and a second set of Jedi trials for some reason just to give us more Yoda face time and some Liam Neeson sound-bytes and I'm just left with a sour taste in my mouth.

Oh, and no mention of Ahsoka at all. I honestly at this point would have been happier if they'd just left all these episodes on the cutting room floor, and just left us wondering. Instead I end with a very bitter taste in my mouth :\

I still haven't watched the Order 66 arc, but I've seen the rest of the episodes. My opinion is more positive, heh - The Clovis/Padme/Anakin arc was kind of forgettable, but I think it's useful to point out that I think these episodes were suppose to air during Season 4 or 5. Notice that Palpatine/Sidious is being voiced by Ian Abercrombie, not Tim Curry. I watched them, they happened, I moved on. Didn't hate them.

Jar Jar has problems, but Mace Windu is a badass. I mostly ignored Jar Jar and just watched Mace, and those episodes were enjoyable as a result. As for the Yoda stuff, the Moraband thing (especially after hearing the Lucas' preference bullshit) is irritating, but for me each episode was filled with a lot of cool moments that give them an overall positive sense. Yoda fighting Gollum was weird, but Darth Bane showed up!

Then again, I'm one of those "basically loves all things Star Wars" guys. Seems like the Order 66/Fives arc is beautiful, though - should get to watch it this weekend with my Yoda arc friend.

Oh! I agree with Aidan that none of these episodes felt like the end of the series, which is the saddest part. They probably had tons of stories lined up, maybe even more than one season's worth, and we won't see them. Personally, I would have rather they complete production on the Maul arc than, say, Jar Jar. Instead we have to read it in comic form...

Woah! Apparently Mark Hamill voices Darth Bane in "Sacrifice!" That's damn awesome - Check cast!

Not available on Netflix here in the UK (though I, erm, will be watching them soon anyway...) but I've been reading a lot of spoilers...

Moraband is Korriban, yeah. There's a quote from Lucas -- I forget where it was, so can't grab it to copy and paste -- where he basically said: "Planet is cool, but I prefer this name, so use this" and... yeah, Lucas being Lucas. I think Filoni or one of the Story Group guys then Twittered or something that Moraband is just another name for Korriban, so they're both the same planet now -- of course, it probably does mean if Korriban is ever mentioned again in the Sequels and/or books, they'll probably always insist on using the new Lucas-approved name now.

Mark doing Bane's voice was awesome. Guy's such a great voice actor. (Something the Emperor voiced by Mark Hamill's Joker" video proves so utterly, utterly awesomely -- seriously, that vid is hilarious.)

Order 66 stuff being about implanted control chips is interesting. I suppose it ties into the later Yoda visions and why the Jedi are doomed whatever he does, which is kinda tragic.

Jar Jar and Mace buddy cop story... that just sounds weird to me. I've heard people say it's hilarious, but bleh, I hate Jar Jar, dunno. I love Mother Talzin tho, so the few clips I saw of her sound cool.

The Yoda episodes... interesting, weird, but interesting. I like what I've read of the Five Priestesses stuff, who people are saying are basically the Whills without being called the Whills, so... yeah, maybe, maybe not. The planet sounds cool, but... I admit, I'm unsure what I feel about this idea of "all midi-chlorians in the galaxy radiating out from the planet at the heart of the galaxy" until I can actually watch the episode for myself and hear what the exact dialogue lines are. At the moment, as much as I love my fantasy in Star Wars, it sounds... kinda weird. I liked the Mortis episodes tho, so maybe I'll enjoy it.

Beyond that...? I agree that some of the episodes feel kinda worthless as the "final" ones, though I guess with Disney axing it in mid-production, we just got whatever they'd already had half-finished. Shame really, as I'd have liked to learn what happened to Ahsoka (maybe she'll show up in Rebels though, dunno), and it's annoying that Darth Maul's fate is now going to just be told in a short Dark Horse mini-series in a few months, as Filoni gave them the script to adapt into a comic. I love the comics, but I dunno who they've got working on that, and usually the Clone Wars comics have had the crappy artists.



Shame that's only fan-art...

shame indeed... that would be awesome

Speaking of Rebels, one aspect of the new show that I'm interested to see how it pans out is Filoni's comments that Rebels will focus on a single group of characters (the six Ghost people) in every episode. I must say that some of my favorite Clone Wars episodes are the ones that aren't Anakin/Obi-Wan focused but have other Jedi and groups. Obviously there are less Jedi for Rebels to highlight, but the same characters every episode will make for a different show dynamic. I'll watch it week to week, of course.

Tatooine Obi-Wan showing up in Rebels is not something I would discredit as impossible. Viewers of TCW during Season 1 would NEVER have thought Darth Maul to show up and characters like Quinlan Vos, Darth Bane, and more were dreams. If Rebels lasts as long as TCW did, there's plenty of surprises in store.

StarWars Blog posted a piece of an interview where Filoni talks about some of their intentions with Yoda's development during his arc (which, after watching the clone episodes, I think I enjoyed the most, despite the Moraband thing) - Click me!