Everyone’s mouthing off about Adi Gallia in this episode, so allow me to join in the chorus. Though my complaint isn’t quite the same as everyone else’s. I mean, c’mon folks, it’s Adi Gallia. Maybe she’s someone’s favorite character in the history of ever, but to me, she’s always been a big pile of whoop-dee-doo. True, I once wrote a limerick in which I charmingly rhymed her name with diarrhea, but her appearances in this show and elsewhere in the EU have left me with exactly zero impression of her. So it’s hard to get emotional about a dullard, even a dullard who just happens to be a famous prequel Jedi. (Is that redundant? I kid, I kid.)
And that’s my problem. When someone like Adi Gallia shows up sitting next to Obi-Wan, it’s pretty clear that she’s toast. If Obi-Wan is sitting next to, say, Ahsoka, I can’t quite predict what will happen because I know the show has a lot invested in the character. But Adi Gallia in a season premiere? Obvious canon fodder. Still, even though I knew she was a goner, I applaud the show’s willingness to keep upping the body count. And the way she died – whoa. I saw a friend the next morning and all he could say was “Gored by the horns!” Not every death trumps polite salutations but apparently this one does.
As for the “but she died a different way in the comics!” crowd… Well, here’s my half-tushed retcon: it’s the Clone Wars, people! Maybe she was cloned. Can’t you just see it? Adi and Even Piell take a little trip to Kamino, badabing badaclone, problem solved.
So now that I’ve wasted three paragraphs on truly trivial quibbles, let’s discuss what worked. In a word: everything. The rivalry between Maul and Savage was totally believable and, in its own strange way, kinda touching. After they both lost a limb (always a nice touch), the way they hobbled a retreat was about the most adorable three-legged race imaginable.
And then there’s Hondo. Oh Hondo, you were missed. Has it really been two whole seasons (and change) since we’ve seen him? He was in prime form, funny and intensely quotable and reminding us all why being a pirate is so fun and cool. And in case anyone doubted that his voice is a based on Ricardo Montalban, this episode proved it beyond a doubt. Now all we need it for someone to imitate Shatner and scream Hooooooooooooooooooondo!
Grade: 
Stray thoughts:
- Clone Wars has been riffing on famous war movies for a while, but the scene of Hondo-as-Patton is probably my favorite gag yet.
- Would’ve been nice to find out what happened to Ventress after last season’s finale, but whatev. I’m sure we will eventually.
- The ending scene with Palpatine totally worked. Dude’s a rock star.
- Nice to see Darth Maul being a true Sith, i.e. a true dick. It’s a good color on him.
- Welcome back, Clone Wars. You were also missed.
Not being a big reader of comics, I had not a clue about Adi Gallia’s untimely passing.
Twice.
So I think if you’re going to be the Jedi equivalent of a Red Shirt by starting out next to Obi-Wan, then that’s not a bad way to go.
Jim Cummings has said he’s doing a version of Yul Brynner as Hondo. Or so I read once at a formerly informative website somewhere.
I completely agree about Gallia. Obi-Wan’s response to her death was decent, but as a person Gallia’s a non-entity.
Great review. I look forward to more from you. Now to work “badabing, badaclone” into my daily vocabulary.
yeah, Gallia is a redshirt with a cardboard character so it’s no problem she died in this episode…unless you read the comic where she actually developed a character. It’s just a lame and unnecessary move.
Although at least this time it was awesome when she was killed and somewhat credible.
I thought Galia died in the order 66 scene on the speeder bike. One Wookieepedia search later and I find out it was some other gal names Stass Allie who was related to Adi. Then I realized that those weird greenish blue things are supposed to be part of her race’s head, not just a ceremonial headdress. I always thought Adi Gallia was a human, not a . . . Tholothian? Weird. Why are so many Star Wars aliens just humans with weird head appendages? Anyway, I will miss Adi Gallia. She was awesome in Jedi Power Battles on ps1, and she seemed nice.
I was unaware of her demise in the comics so it didn’t bother me. I don’t like it when they tread on continuity, but I also don’t love the clone wars era, so it bothers me less than it otherwise would. I thought it worked well as a way upping the ante right out of the gate.
Sean: yay for Jedi Power Battles. too bad the later works never incorporated her lightsaber and fighting style.
Stooge: doing a Kirklike Hooooonnndo! ends up more like the Babylon 5 ambassador’s wife shrilly summoning her husband: Lonnnnnnddooo!
I agree thought that Hondo is the big winner here. we need more of him.
Wait, we’re allowed to make Babylon 5 references? I thought they were too obscure. This seriously changes my whole world.
I do wonder if less is more with Hondo. As long as the show runs ten years and we’ll get plenty of him!
Pablo, I totally believe you but that’s… odd. My ears aren’t what they once were, I guess.
And Sean, yeah, the whole Stass Allie/Adi Gallia thing is (my guess) one of the big reasons why people started paying close attention to the Clone Wars continuity. To my eyes, it was clearly just an actress switch and the character was *probably* supposed to be the same. (A la Kit Fisto, who also went through an actor change.) But when separate characters were established, every little detail began to matter. So from that perspective, I understand why continuity buffs are upset with how the show plays fast and loose with history.
Stooge: I’m not sure Lucasfilm ever meant for the Tholothian who is killed in Ep3 to be Adi Gallia. The actress they cast looks quite different, and the audience gets to see her close enough to tell the difference. It seems like they were going for an apprentice clothing similarity thing, kind of like how Bariss and Luminara look so similar.
Ok, one beef. Why do all these jedi have huge epic back stories? I’ve been reading wookieepedia and going “WHAT?” In the words of Dash from Incredibles: “If everyone is a hero, no one is.” What the carp are these writers thinking? If everyone in the Star Wars galaxy lives an epic life, it just makes the world that much dumber and unbelievable. I demand background characters with dull, uneventful lives, like in real life. Otherwise, why should I watch Anakin and Obi-Wan when Ugnaught #4 is fighting a one man revenge war against Black sun, or maid-bot #2 is secretly a spy for another galaxy inhabited by spider monkey ghost beings? Just stupid.
Well, MY life is unceasingly epic so I just assume it’s the norm.
Uh, you do realize there are quite a few Jedi with dull backgrounds, right, Sean? And the fact that there are hundreds of Jedi characters across a timeline that is as about as long as 25,000 years, there are sure to be quite a few compelling characters along the way.
And as for minor characters, they make up the bulk of the expended universe. Tell me that Ponda Baba has a particularly epic history or story, for instance. Characters like that exist mainly to flesh out the universe and fill up the info boxes on the back of action figure packages, and they help the universe feel bigger and more alive along the way.
I completely disagree with your assertion that Ali is a dud. Check out “Grievous Intrigue” from season 2. She was pretty bad ass in that episode. Yup.
I just wish everyone didn’t have to 1. visit Tatooine, 2. meet a Fett, 3. Meet Han Solo and/or Chewie, and 4. have a run-in with the Jedi or the Sith. It bugs me.
Also: why does EVERYONE know what a Bantha is?
I think I’ll write some fan-fiction about some farmers on an obscure planet who never do anything or have anything remotely interesting happen to them :)