Every now and then, The Clone Wars throws me for a loop. That happened a few times during this episode, starting with the setting. We’re back on Christophsis, the abandoned warehouse planet, and apparently there are some civilians in trouble. High above the planet, in outerrrrrrrrrr spaaaaaaaace, Anakin Skywalker leads a squadron trying to deliver humanitarian (alientarian?) aide. Naturally, I figured that he was returning to the site of his great victory from the Clone Wars movie. I figured wrong. Continue reading “The Clone Wars review: ‘Cat and Mouse’”
Luke and Ben seemed to have abandoned their mission to uncover the murky truth of Jacen’s turn to the Dark Side during the third FOTJ book, Abyss, when a weird new tribe of Sith caught their attention. In Backlash, the adventure continues.
Luke’s on the prowl, metaphorically sniffing out Vestara Kai like some crazy bad ass Jedi hunting dog. With his blood splattered on her person after a lightsaber battle that ended with the death of her Master, Vestara is unaware she’s even being tracked, but you can bet she’s looking for a place to hide. Ben, aware of his father’s exhaustion and despite Luke’s protests, elicits the help of the Jedi via an encrypted, sneaky, and very under-the-radar message intended to make absolutely clear it isn’t Luke who’s asking (which would violate the terms of his parole.) Eager to help and reminding us the “good thing about the Solos and Skywalkers” is they “never run out of things to do” (p. 6), Han and Leia pack Allana and her pet nexu aboard the Falcon and head to the place Luke and Ben guess is the most likely location Vestara would land: Dathomir. And here, ladies and gentlemen, is where the fun begins. What follows is a witty and wild adventure in which Daala realizes she’s in over her head, Han gets a flamethrower, and a nexu manages to elicit more pathos out of me than Allana ever will. Continue reading “Review: Aaron Allston’s Fate of the Jedi: Backlash“
Love… exciting and new… or in the case of Obi-Wan Kenobi, repressed and a little scary. The latest Clone Wars may have been pitched as Titanic in space, but it plays out a bit more like an episode of The Love Boat. Old flames reignite, different plotlines intersect, and romance is simply assumed. All that, plus a Special Guest Appearance by R2-D2 – right after these messages. Continue reading “The Clone Wars review: ‘Voyage of Temptation’”
Ahsoka has finally come into her own. Not as a Jedi, mind you – she actually seems to be getting less mature as time goes on, no doubt due to prolonged exposure to a Skywalker. But in terms of her status as a character, ‘Lightsaber Lost’ marks a definite turning point: it’s the first episode where she’s really on her own, with the action following her the entire time and not cutting away to any of the “classic” movie characters. Yes, Jocasta Nu puts in a cameo, but she’s hardly one of our regular heroes. Anakin also makes an appeareance for the first minute or so, but after that, he ducks out for good. But is it for good? Ahsoka, without Anakin for support and/or moral confusion, turns out to be a mixed bag. Continue reading “The Clone Wars review: ‘Lightsaber Lost’”
‘Brain Invaders.’ Just say it to yourself a few times. Brain Invaders, Brain Invaders, Brain Invaders. Those two words remind me of so much… arcade games, Star Trek II, dewy summer morns relaxing at Grandma’s farm. Alas, the title is never seen on-screen, nor spoken within the episode. Still, we have it here, on the internet, and in the future, on DVD menus. It is enough. Continue reading “The Clone Wars review: ‘Brain Invaders’”
So we’re sticking around Geonosis for a while, huh? I suppose it makes sense. Season 1 included a little virus-fueled trip to Naboo, and now that we’re in Season 2, it’s time to mine those Attack of the Clones locales. At this rate, the Ewoks will show up in Season 6, in what will be billed as their triumphant return to animation. Yub nub, Cartoon Network. Yub nub. Continue reading “The Clone Wars review: ‘Weapons Factory’”
As a wise man once said: and now for something completely different. Just two weeks after I complained that the show had gotten repetitive, I hungrily eat my words. As the Senate SpyEpisode Guide proudly proclaims, “Not a single blaster is fired in this episode, nor is a lightsaber ignited, nor does anything explode.” Star Wars without ‘spolsions? Isn’t that like Christmas without eggnog? Or, um, Hannukah without fried potato skins? Continue reading “The Clone Wars review: ‘Senate Spy’”
Welcome back to another exciting season of The Cad Bane Show! The self-appointed breakout character is the clear focus of the Season 2 opener, and if Cartoon Network’s promos are any indication, we haven’t seen the last of him. So I hope you like the blue dude with the rude ‘tude, since it looks like he’s the main attraction for the next year or so. Continue reading “The Clone Wars review: ‘Holocron Heist’ & ‘Cargo of Doom’”
Mace Windu is like the Christian Bale of Star Wars… he can do anything in the world except smile. Don’t get me wrong, it works for him. While Obi-Wan and Anakin seem to get their jollies by slicing and dicing through droid armies, Mace knows that just because you’re good at creating carnage doesn’t mean you have to enjoy it. So it’s appropriate that his big spotlight turns out to be the most solemn episode yet. Continue reading “The Clone Wars review: ‘Liberty on Ryloth’”
The inherent problem with The Clone Wars is that the main characters are never in any real danger. We’ve all seen the movies, and we know Anakin’s not going to die. We know Obi-Wan’s not going to die. We know Padme’s not going to die (I mean, we know she is going to die, but not until her iddle-widdle heart gets broken and she loses the will to live). Thankfully, the Clone Wars writers also know this, so they load the cast with vulnerable secondary characters… most notably Little Miss Spunkadelic, Ahsoka Tano. Continue reading “The Clone Wars review: ‘Storm Over Ryloth’”
Luke and Ben seemed to have abandoned their mission to uncover the murky truth of Jacen’s turn to the Dark Side during the third FOTJ book, 
