Full Series The Captain Rex thread

I've never really cared about stormtroopers. I started out thinking the Jedi would be all that but the clone fascinate me and have become my favorite part of the series. I don't know if its because they remind me of Super Sentai or if its the mysteriousness around them or if its the tragedy. All of my favorite characters are clones. I love their armor, their personalities, the voice DBB gives him. It took until either "Jedi Crash" or "Cargo of Doom". For me to really notice Rex. Now he's the most important thing in the show to me. I've cooled on my Fives fandom after careful review and realized Cut is still my favorite, particularly now that Waxer is dead. There is just something about Cut. Remembering the fight in "The Deserter" helps get me excited for this upcoming episode. I think this will be the first real fistfight a clone has been in since that. There is no one in the cast I'd enjoy seeing representing some clone physical prowess and break some jaws more than Rex.

I'll find it later. The way I see it is, if any of the production people really do visit this forum. Its good for them to see that there are a few active clone threads. Not just one.

 

It is an interesting idea, but I don't see Fives willingly lining up for an execution again like he did before. The environment around him in an Order 66 scenario would be so chaotic in his eyes that I don't see him thinking there would be any point in cooperating and trying to convince people like he did last time. I just see him going down in a firefight, taking as many of the Order 66-obeying clones with him as possible.

 

I can see that, firefights and suicides seem to be the way Domino Squad members have always gone out. I doubt Fives will be much different when he completes the Domino Squad arc with him finally going out and so the last of that team.

 

Yup, when the last of the dominoes falls. Sad but poignant.

 

They really do like to name the clones very literally in TCW, including there squads.

 

"I'm no jedi."


:U Rex powah

 

Lol that was pretty epic. I really wasn't expecting much from Rex, particularly since he didn't say a single line until Obi-wan gave the word. Then it felt like total fanservice. I'll have to go back and watch tonight but I do think Rex was giving that Supervisor a predatory look from the start of the epiosde. He was awesome in that fight and it got me cheering for both him and Obi-wan. This is only the 2nd time there has been a good hand to hand fight and a show of real physical power from the clones. "The Hidden Enemy" doesn't count because that was clone on clone and in "Darkness on Umbara" Fives just flatout owned the Umbaran that attacked him. It was impressive and Rex is a better martial artist than I'd of thought, he needs to carry a staff as a regular weapon,lol. I was expecting him eventually to obtain a blaster and am glad he never did. My favorite part had to be when Rex bothered to announce -- "Incoming" -- and quickly killed all the reinforcements himself. Enough gushing, I'm still dissapointed this episode did skipped the oppurtunity explore Rex and slavery.

Its interesting to see after Umbara TCW go the other direction when it was foreshadows Rex and a few others might disobey order 66. In this episode they foreshadow the clones as the future mercilous fists of the galaxy who are certainly no Jedi. I liked the way Quango put it in the Kadavo episode thread. I thought Rex's independence was still shining and he made that decision himself regaurdless of any looks from Obi-wan, again need to go back and watch it. I predicted Rex would kill the Supervisor regardless when he was taunting Obi-wan. It is still telling Rex is willing to outright kill anybody except a traitor Jedi.

So the question is did we learn anything about Rex in this arc after all?

 

He has a good throwing arm?

 

That's awesome.

 

He must be built like a bloody tank to throw that staff hard enough at the Keeper for it to go right through him and out the back of the chair. It was an electrostaff too so it wasn't exactly sharp at the end.

 

The Supervisor was kinda built like the Pillsbury doughboy so I'm not surprised a lightly thrown blunt object could stick into him. I'll take the fanservice. Its good to see TCW recognizes Rex's popularity beyond putting him on shirt tags and merchandise. Take that Forcecast! Captain Rex is a top tier character, Ashoka has never even gotten half the consistent character development. If any original character in TCW is top tier its Rex.

BTW, Wolfpack was great in this episode ass well. They were almost heroic this time. Interesting how Wolffe kinda took charge when getting everyone off the top of the ship, maybe I underestimate him. Him and Rex were there together in that circle discussing whatever they were discussing at the end there while Ahsoka and the Governer hogged the camera. So annoying...

 

He didn't look too ripped in The Deserter.. but maybe he pulled a Alpha..

>_>

<_<



[image=http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090906044653/starwars/images/thumb/9/96/Alphatorture.jpg/429px-Alphatorture.jpg]
What is he on?! Steroids?

 

I dunno, Rex did look a little bird chested in "The Deserter" strangely enough since Cut's bare shoulders look like a shaved Gorilla's. Fives and Jesse didn't look to stronge either in their clone P.J.s but Rex did look ripped in his Zygarrian disguise. I guess its just some limitation with the models and clothing or something. Good luck finding an in universe explanation for that.

 

Rex was a beast in that episode.

His new face model really shined in the episode as well.

 

Yeah the facial animation the new clone model is awesome, very expressive. Seemingly a little more so with Rex. Its easy to read him when he isn't talking.

 

That was my first thought at that scene, but after thinking about it, I don't think Rex's performance in any way casts doubt on his honor or moral standing. He watched this man drop helpless slaves to their deaths - that has to stick in his mind for at least a while.

And since Rex and Obi-Wan both know this slaver is a monster, and the only reason Obi-Wan can't kill him is because of the Jedi's self-limitations, it was perfectly reasonable for Rex to make the killing blow. I almost wonder if Obi-Wan thought it might do Rex some good after the horror he'd witnessed, to be the man who nailed this tyrant.

Exactly. Rex showed an awareness and initiative, like he did in the last episode, and that fits with his character.

That moment is one of the biggest hints of Rex's actions upon Order 66. Maybe even too much of a hint - I don't think it was necessary to keep Rex from killing Krell, even if he does disobey Order 66.

Personally, I don't think so. I was kind of miffed that Rex was absent from the group at the end - obviously the Jedi would head off on their own at some point for meeting with the Council, etc, but they could have shown them while they were still with Rex and Wolffe.

 

I need to rewatch this one in correct aspect ratio. It seems the CN zoom really cuts stuff out of this one. I think from now on I'll review the episode and Rex's performance in an episode when he's in one just for fun. I'm shallow.

Really Rex is still a born and bred killer just like when he killed the Umbaran tank driver. Its just what he does and that's simply how he knows to deals with almost all enemies. If your going to mess with Rex you'd better be either a brother, a Jedi, or maybe a child. I'm sure he was pissed off at the Zygarrians and Arguss or whatever the hell his name was in particularly. Rex stared at the guy like an eagle looking at a rabbit for most of when they shared screentime and the second he got the shackles off Rex wailed on the first Zygarrian. It was kinda interesting how Rex glared hatefully at Dooku's hologram as well. I mean it seems like a real hatred, beyond any... heh... programming, in his eyes.

I think Obi-wan sensed what Rex was going to do when he looked back. He didn't command or ask Rex to do anything. Rex simply did what he though he had to do for the good of the children. This guy and this slavers' camp was not good for his children and his childrens' children or anybody's children. Dead and destroyed makes sure of that.

I find Rex's failure to kill Krell himself a nice touch for 'Carnage'.

Actually at the very end look in the background. Everybody but Ahsoka is standing in a circle chatting at the very right of the screen. Wolffe and Rex are across from each other. Damn if we're going to have a moral summery of the episode why not go Johnny Quest corny round the circle and let each state what they learned. I would enjoy that more actually than Ahsoka's chat with the governor.

 

One point which I mentioned in the Escape From Kadavo thread is the symbolism of Rex's final kill.

The Keeper barely notices Rex's presence. He only seems to notice Obi-Wan. That's fair enough, since a Jedi General is more prominent and powerful than a Clone Captain.

Not even after the firefight does the Keeper acknowledge Rex's existence. He merely taunts Obi-Wan for being too honourable to kill an unarmed man. He only notices the clone when the electrostaff is flying towards him, and his dying eyes are fixed on Rex.

The Keeper is behind the times. He doesn't realise that the enforcement of the will of the Galactic government is no longer carried out solely by honourable warrior-monks, but also by utterly ruthless supersoldiers. "I'm no Jedi" takes on a new meaning as foreshadowing of future Imperial brutality. Rex himself may or may not be one of the future stormtroopers, but he shares the same ethos with the clones (Appo, Cody, Gree, etc.) who will be.

 

I thought that was a great observation on Arguss ignoring Rex until he was killed. Thanks Dr. Fett. So, what are your current thoughts on Rex's fate Quango? Have they changed since the big Umbaran arc? I can't remember if You've posted in here since 'Carnage'.

 

I agree that Rex is a soldier, and he kills "for a living" as Cut says. Personally I don't see Rex taking a life as a harbinger of Imperial brutality or Stormtroopers or Imperial brutality. Soldiers kill, and Rex is a soldier. Rex actually has a pretty composed bearing when he makes that statement, almost a reserved manner in fact. He's satisfied that this monster has been put to rest.

I agree with Quango's premise, and there could indeed be some symbolism going on there. But I could also see it as being a bit I fanservice without much thought behind it. Its hard to pick up foreshadowing in TCW, in most cases. One could almost take Ahsoka's statement at the end as some sort of foreshadowing to the fall of the Republic - the Jedi would arise as a stronger people because of the losses they narrowly survived. Was that intentional? I don't know; I'm not sure I give the writers that much credit.

That said.... I am very curious as to Quango's answer to Seerow's question, so please feel free to ignore all this.

 

Here is what TFN's review had to say about it including what I hope are typos :

Speaking of wolves...well, okay, not really. But speaking of the ferocity one often observes in wolves, I was surprised and pleased to see Captain Rex step up to the plate in the final minutes of this episode. For some reason, when Keeper Agruss taunted Obi-Wan for his refusal to kill an unarmed combatant, I thought Anakin must burst through the door and slice off the villain's head. But then I remembered that Anakin was otherwise occupied at the moment, and my thoughts, in sync with the movement of the camera, turned to Rex. I really, really enjoyed the fact that he killed Keeper Agruss and then said, "I'm no Jedi." Both his action and his statement portend major shifts in his character. These shifts started as early as Season 1's The Deserter and came into sharp contrast with this season's Umbaran story arc. Such a killing would have been unthinkable for Rex earlier in the series, when he was a more rigid soldier, but as we've seen, he's changing.Even as Rex distances himself from the character we saw in Seasons 1 and 2, he also separates himself from the philosophy of his lightsaber-wielding commanders. In some ways, that scene was even darker than when Anakin cut through the Zygerrian slavers. We know that The Clone Wars will end with a different clone-Jedi dynamic than it had when it began in Ambush, given the changes we've been observing in the clones -- and in particular, Rex and the 501st Legion. When we look back on the clone army after the series finale, among the harbingers of the show's conclusion will be the moment in Escape from Kadavo where Rex acted upon, and then elucidated, his ideological distance from the moral firmness of the Jedi Order.

 

I still think that's a stretch, but I could be wrong. Rex's performance does attest to his growth as a soldier, but to make it a harbinger of the coming Empire is a bit much for me. Rex did what any soldier would do in that situation (in the GFFA, at least). He kills the bad guy.

At what point in his life would Rex not say something as obvious as "I'm no Jedi"? He isn't! He certainly knows that Jedi have strict rules about what they can and can't do - Rex has such rules himself. It's not a matter of ideology, it's a matter of technicality. In this instance, Rex could do what a Jedi could not, and he played the part well.

If I sound a bit worked up, well... I'm no fan of the TFN reviews. They seem to be too positive, and often miss important details (IMO, of course). Among other things, they have not to my knowledge ever allowed that we might see Rex (or any clone) disobey Order 66. They seem to take it for granted that he will obey it, along with every other clone. They also take it for granted that Ahsoka will die. I disagree with both of those opinions, but that aside it'd be nice if they acknowledged that there are actually some big questions on those issues.

 

Its just the review of one guy who's got a blog on a big domain name. His opinion isn't worth more than yours or mine. Its just something to add to our discussions. I read the reviews and listen to the roundtables but often don't agree with them either. I read the TFN review as contradicting to itself. In all honesty the "I'm no Jedi" line was 100% fanservice and a little out of character. In character for Rex would of been silent badassery. The actions were in character but the line not so much. But its not his fate Quango is talking about so much as all the clone troopers which is being foreshadowed. Rex may die or desert. But Cody, Gree, and such will go on to be the ruthless enforces of the Galaxy. Anyone whose taking their opinion about Rex's fate for granted one way or another needs to get real. The ax could still fall about four different ways.

 

I've been a bit busy in recent weeks and TCW wasn't on until recently, so I didn't feel the need to post here so often. However, after the Umbaran arc, I think Rex is most likely going to be taken on a path different to the other clone officers. I don't know if that means outright disobedience of Order 66 like Omega Squad, but I doubt he will just calmly kill some Jedi without a second thought. He knows what happens when he follows "wrong" orders. He doesn't agree with Fives on the need for outright disobedience before Krell's treachery become known.

On the other hand, Sgt. Appo goes through the same traumatic experience of killing fellow clone troopers because of "wrong" orders, even consciously going along with Rex's insubordination as a result. He still remains unquestioningly obedient in his service to the Republic and Empire, right up to his death. Rex is obviously being taken down a different route, but it's interesting to consider why Rex and Appo diverge...

@ sacharias

Rex is a soldier like any other. That's my point, dude. In AOTC, Mace Windu says that the Jedi are not soldiers. The fact that there's a soldier there is significant.

During and after the Clone Wars, the responsibility of enforcing the will of the Galactic government is handed over from the "guardians of peace and justice" to soldiers, and the clone troopers are the consummate soldiers - competent, obedient, ruthless. The Clone Wars are the transition.

Before the Clone Wars, Rex would not even be there and the Keeper would not be skewered. By the time of ANH, the honourable Jedi would not be there and an utterly ruthless soldier like Rex would be calling all the shots...

It may have been completely accidental as a side-effect of gratuitous Rex fanservice (thank you very much, LFA ), but it was symbolic.

 

Lol, I just gotta post it somewhere. According to forcecast Rex has nothing to do with The Clone Wars story. At this point I just listen to hear what crap is gonna be said next. Why do they keep failing to realize Rex's story arc is one of the important threads in TCW?