Clone Wars: Analyzing the Lost Missions trailer

TCW: Lost Missions Trailer #1 (Moriband)

On Monday, Lucasfilm released a trailer for “The Lost Missions” of The Clone Wars, coming to Netflix on March 7, along with all the previous seasons. < These thirteen episodes of bonus content bring together a mix of story arcs that would have been part of a sixth season of the show. Combining with what has been revealed previously, I’ve selected two dozen frames from the trailer, and try to figure out what they might teasing, including a translation of the file in Aurabesh. From the German TV release of The Lost Missions, which has already started, we have some basic episode descriptions and here are four arcs (arc names are my own, except for ‘The Disappeared’ two-parter):

  • Protocol 66 (four episodes) – After clone Tup goes haywire, killing a Jedi, Fives investigates on Kamino and ends up hunted
  • Rush Clovis (three episodes) – Padme runs into trouble with her old flame, the Separatist Rush Clovis
  • The Disappeared (two episodes) – Mace Windu investigates a mystery on Bardotta
  • Yoda’s Test (four episodes) – Yoda goes to the Sith world of Moriband after meeting the Sages

TCW-TheLostMissions-01

The trailer starts off with Yoda hearing the voice of Qui-Gon Jinn, and telling the Jedi Council of his discovery.

TCW-TheLostMissions-02

After a laying on of hands to verify that the Jedi Master isn’t loony, the Jedi send Yoda on Qui-Gon’s quest to Dagobah, where he gets a vision of Jedi dying in an Order 66ish scene. When they first announced the Netflix arrangement, we got a clip of disembodied Qui-Gon trying to convince Yoda of his continued existence. Now we get a little more of that, and Yoda is off to Dagobah, where he sees a vision of Order 66, and Kit Fisto falling in battle. Also note: Oppo Rancisis is still on the Jedi Council at this point (but he won’t be in Episode III.)

TCW: Lost Missions Trailer #1 (Yoda on Dagobah)

So, does this Dagobah trek lead into the Moriband story arc? Based on the amount of episodes available and what is known about them, it pretty much means that Yoda’s arc is one long star trek into darkness. We’ve heard that the planet of the Sages is in the heart of the galaxy while Dagobah is usually placed way out there, so it doesn’t seem likely that the Sages live on the swamp world. More on them later.

TCW: Lost Missions Trailer #1 (Space Battle A)

Next, some quick cuts: a space battle with a really large ship or station, young clones on Kamino, and the backs of some characters. Not sure about the space battle yet, but it could fit with the start of the Protocol 66 arc or the Clovis arc.< TCW: Trailer #1 (Padme and Muuns)< We see some Muuns with what appears to be Padme’s back (Clovis arc), then Anakin and possibly Obi-Wan’s back being escorted elsewhere, and Yoda playing Mario on some giant mushrooms. TCW: Lost Missions Trailer #1 (Separatist Ships)

Then we get into a battle of droidekas versus clones and Jedi (from the 66 arc), and some gunships moving on some interesting Separatist ships: the Trade Federation Core Ships look to have separated into halved with a connecting bridge, in a way similar perhaps to the wings on the Vulture starfighter droids. It does seem like a weakness though – trading off more surface area for weapons and launch bays for a narrower weak spot with a firing arc that has a high potential shooting the other half of the sphere if a ship flew in between.

TCW: Lost Missions Trailer #1 (Plo Koon)

Then onto the Plo Koon’s discovery of the remains and lightsaber of Master Sifo-Dyas. While it seems likely to fit into the Protocol 66 arc, it could also fit into Yoda’s story arc.

TCW: Lost Missions Trailer #1 (Sifo-Dyas)

But since this trailer dovetails it into the scenes from Protocol 66 arc, it makes sense that it is part of the arc – who is Sifo-Dyas, and how did he create a clone army without the Jedi knowing – and what’s embedded in the clones that the Jedi don’t know about?

Here’s a partial translation of the Aurabesh file on Sifo-Dyas (note the alternate spelling of his name):

Case File 127456
Jedi Master
Sifo Dias

Jedi Master Sifo Dias died while trying to negotiate a peace between tribes on ?e?tra. He was aboard Jedi T6 Shuttle 77512 when it crashed. Much of the information surrounding his death remains confidential under the Office of the Chancellor.

It is believed that his body was eventually recovered and ???? by the
Selkan? Tribes. In accordance with t?er for this reason there ???? ????? the matter may be authorized at a future date.

Previous History

Served as a ?????

Here’s another pair of translations:

TCW: Lost Missions Trailer #1 (Clone Attack/Capture)

Then we see more of the clone attack and hop to Tup being under arrest, and still trying to attack a Jedi.

TCW: Lost Missions Trailer #1 (Clone restrained)

Restrained, he’s taken to Kamino where Fives mentions that he’s had some sort of breakdown and doesn’t recall his actions: turning a Jedi during battle. Darth Tyrannus orders the Kaminoans (though it doesn’t look like Lama Su): “Protocol 66 must not be discovered by the Jedi.”

TCW: Lost Missions Trailer #1 (Red clones attacked)

More clones under fire, this time red-hued troops common on Coruscant and attached to diplomatic missions, with Padme Amidala calling Anakin to report being under attack and trapped. It looks like we’ve switched over to the Clovis arc.

Some quick cuts: Yoda jumping to hyperspace. A big green energy blast and Mace Windu fighting with a staff. Shaak Ti throwing a clone with the Force, while Mas Amedda and a Kaminoan are in the background (Order 66).

TCW: Lost Missions Trailer #1 (Padme and Clovis)

Senator Amidala is charged with espionage by a Separatist Muun, while Clovis is there and unhappy when she is apprehended. Anakin and the 501st land and wade into battle to the rescue.

Quick cut: battle droids float and escort the body of a trooper in a pod – is it Tup? Could be more Protocol 66 scenes.

TCW: Lost Missions Trailer #1 (Yoda and the… Mortis Mimes?)

Yoda arrives on a world, where he meets the emoticon-faced beings, who I am guessing are the Sages.

TCW: Lost Missions Trailer #1 (Moriband)

The Sages send him to Moriband, an ancient homeworld of the Sith, where we see Yoda show that size matters not when fighting a giant lava-ish creature.

TCW: Lost Missions Trailer #1 (Lava creature)

We then see Yoda pouncing on some sort of spectral gremlin with glowing eyes – is it a vision of an evil Yoda on Dagobah? Or on Moriband?

And then some more quick cuts: red rocket-packed droids (or are they clones?) flying in space, and Mother Talzin:

TCW: Lost Missions Trailer #1 (Mother Talzin)

Talzin seems like a likely suspect to be in the Disappeared storyline, as we’ll see in a few moments. Some more fighting, a police gunship descending into the depths on Coruscant, Fives drawing a pistol on someone…

TCW: Lost Missions Trailer #1 (Windu and the bat)

And Mace Windu facing off against a group of giant bat-faced creatures, probably in the Disappeared arc on Bardotta.

TCW: Lost Missions Trailer #1 (Padme, Anakin and Rush)

Then we hop back to the Clovis story, with Embo firing his weapon, and Anakin getting Padme and Rush to safety.

TCW: Lost Missions Trailer #1 (Snow chase)

We next see the awesomest winter sporting event in the galaxy, with the three of them in a sled in a chasm, trying to outrun Embo who is snowboarding on his hat.

Quick cuts: Fives breaking out of a medical facility, Mace taking out some very large droids, and Anakin clearing a path through some battle droids.

TCW-TheLostMissions-19< Then we get a little change of pace with Anakin and Rex exchanging some humor as they are about to face a hangar filled with droid formations. I’m supposing that this is from the Clovis arc, and Anakin is wearing a space suit here, and in a few of the next scenes as they fight commando droids near the body of a clone on a stretcher – is it Fives or Tup? Maybe this is part of the Order 66 arc after all. TCW: Lost Missions Trailer #1 (Yoda and some Sith)

And for the finale, some big fight scenes: Yoda leaping to attack a mysterious figure that looks like Darth Sidious – or is it a Sith apparition on Moriband?

TCW: Lost Missions Trailer #1 (Talzin vs. Windu)

Then we have Mace Windu squaring off against Mother Talzin.

TCW: Lost Missions Trailer #1 (Dooku tag-teamed)

The next lineup is Dooku against the tag team of Anakin and Obi-Wan.

TCW: Lost Missions Trailer #1 (Gremlin dude)

And we get another shot of Yoda attacking the evil anti-Yoda gremlin ghost thingy. I wonder if that’s in the cave on Dagobah: Yoda realizing his own potential to turn to the dark side. That is one ugly ghoulie.

And then we switch gears from action to ideas for the last scene.

TCW: Lost Missions Trailer #1 (Fives)

Fives shows just how much the clones have come in terms of seeing themselves as people, and not just clone soldiers or organic droids to serve as fodder in the war. While we already know this about many of the clones we’ve seen in the show: that they are individuals, we see that some do not see them as such. Hopefully this will resolve some of the overall questions about the clone soldiers and their realization of their own destiny.

Overall, exciting indeed. Totally psyched am I for “The Lost Missions.” Yay for more The Clone Wars!

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