Author: jawajames

Welcome to Star Wars geometry! Today, we’ll be looking at lines and a sphere. Or more precisely what our esteemed colleagues on the internet have to say about two recent episodes of The Clone Wars, ‘Supply Lines’ (Bail and Jar Jar convince Toydaria to sneak some relief supplies to a Ryloth under siege where Jedi Master Di has his last stand) and ‘Sphere of Influence’ (Baron Papanoida, Ahsoka, and Chuchi track down the baron’s daughters after Greedo kidnaps them).

Waiting in ‘Supply Lines’ (which I gave an A here, though it appears that this was a minority view):

• IGN gives ‘Lines’ a 7/10, with too much going on, and the middle getting bogged down in the talk of blockades and trade routes.
• Big Shiny Robot liked the action, and seeing the Republic in a defeat, and Jar Jar’s character, but was bugged by poor audio quality.
• Den of Geek calls the episode a bit of a snoozefest, but highlighted Master Di’s role as showing the true price of valor.
• Dauntless Media gives ‘Lines’ a D, with the endless talking-while-standing-around dragging it down, and only Di’s memorable ending adding value.
• SW Clone Wars Reviews gives it 2.5 out of 5 stars, calling it ho-hum with its ‘kid-friendly version of diplomacy’.
• TheForce.net enjoyed the ‘thought-provoking politics’ as well as the battle scenes, and was pleased with Jar Jar’s role as well.

It seems that with ‘Supply Lines’, it really came down to which side of the line you were on: is all the politicking a dull tangent, or an acute angle of interest?

Now to round out ‘Sphere of Influence’ (which earned a C+ here from Stooge):

• TheForce.Net has a ball with ‘Sphere’, liking its balance of talking and shooting, and takes a look at the Greedo canon issue (Greedo the Elder vs ANH Greedo).
• IGN gives another 7/10, liking Ahsoka showing off her growing but still not perfect Force powers, but was not invested in the Papanoida clan.
• Dauntless Media passes it with a B, liking the many connections to the films (trade blockade from TPM, Greedo, Baron Papanoida), and points out a few key developments, including Anakin sending his padawan off on her own without consulting the Council first.
• FilmEdge finds the episode enjoyable but not necessarily memorable.
• Den of Geek likes Ahsoka’s development, and the return to the cantina for a firefight, but finds the story to miss the mark.
• Big Shiny Robot calls ‘Sphere’ a tale of political intrigue and all-around fun, really liking the Baron’s quest.
• Mania was left disappointed in both characters and storyline, and Greedo not living up to the hype.

As ‘Sphere’ went, it seems to the reviewers to end up a little flat.

Tune in later for more Star Wars geometry, when we visit the planet of Pythagorean basic solids, aka the cityscapes of Mandalore. Not since Donald Duck went to Mathmagic land has animated geometry been so much fun!

While we’re waiting for the survivors of Ryloth to dig themselves out, let’s take a look at what the tubes are saying about the Season 3 double-episode premiere of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Don’t forget our reviews of ‘Clone Cadets’ and ‘ARC Troopers’.

• Clone Wars Reviews gives 3/5 out of 5 to ‘Cadets’, highlighting Dee Bradley Baker’s voice acting, and then gives 4.5 out of 5 to ‘Troopers’, though disagrees with offing 99 so soon after introducing him.
• TheForce.Net focuses on the camaraderie and development of the clones as individuals and as a unit for the first part, and compared the battle in the second half to Episode III, and then dove in to cover Asajj. Discussion of 99’s character fits well into both reviews.
• Newsarama covers both episodes in one recap, but points out that ‘Cadets’ lack of intense action helps to really set the stage for the stronger finish of ‘ARC Troopers.’ TV.com more or less agrees, saying, ” ‘ARC Troopers’ was nothing short of amazing and rewarded fans for patiently waiting through the ‘Clone Cadets.’
• Den of Geek calls ‘Clone Cadets’ a brave but low-key opening, and loves the visually stunning scenes of ‘ARC Troopers’ but points out that story takes a back seat to the action.
• BigShinyRobot calls ‘Cadets’ fun but not very substantive, and points out that really, Asajj Ventress owns the ‘ARC Troopers’ episode, and ends with “you need to be watching this in HD on the biggest TV possible”.
• Dauntless Media gives ‘Troopers’ a B- for being visual excess, saved by the clones’ story. As for ‘Cadets’, it earns a C- in its review, feeling that while the story idea of humanizing the clones was worthy, the execution in storytelling was lacking.
• IGN calls ‘Clone Cadets’ (giving it an 8/10) a nice departure for the series, with no real villains, and the not using the show’s main characters – and spreads some good observations on both 99 and what he means for the clone mythology, and on the role of bounty hunters on the side of the heroes. ‘ARC Troopers’ earns a 9/10 and the review starts with the statement: really cool – focusing on the battle scenes, Ventress, and the clones.
• Mania.com is glad at the lack of Ahsoka Tano, and speculates that with ‘ARC Troopers’ delivering eye-popping action combined with just enough thoughtfulness, there’s a lot of great things coming this season.