Full Series The Clone Wars: Episode 408: The General -- Discussion Thread

^Well, they are adapting Slaves of the Republic, and Rex is in that one.

Though they changed the way the enemy species looks so I suppose they could change that as well.

 

Perhaps if Rex is killed, "Sergeant" Appo will step up and take charge. If that happens, perhaps Krell is safe from the clones.

Just throwing poop at a wall here.

 

I loved this episode. Great action, great visuals, great interaction between clones. Just all around great star wars fun, this is exactly what i imagined this entire series to be like. I give it a well deserved 10/10. My one question about the episode and problem is the title. The general made no sense to me with what happened in the episode.

 

I don't know about Rex being killed. Demoted for insubordination maybe. Had this been a real war, he'd probably have a dishonorable discharge.
Or maybe he'll go MIA on one of these crazy high risk missions, and Appo gets bumped up the command chain.

 

CT-7567 could get killed by an Umbaran.

 

Unless you know of a 'Captain Appo' somewhere, I think that's overstating the case. Appo could just as easily be Ahsoka's replacement. Or no replacement at all. General Undulli has (Commander) Barriss Offee, Commander Gree, and no doubt a number of Captains under her command.

Plus Rex is shown in at least one post-Umbara scene in the trailer. I think the good Captain can breath easy for now.

I think people over getting Rex's effective position confused with his rank - he's Anakin's right-hand man, so he's effectively at a 'commander' status. Who knows, maybe Rex prefers the lower rank because it allows him to stick closer to his men, specifically Torrent Company. I'm sure Anakin would oblige if Rex turned down a promotion. He's not officially the leader of the 501st, he's just the most prominent clone officer.

Another possibility: maybe Appo isn't even a Commander at the time of Order 66. If the de facto clone leader of the 501st goes AWOL upon the delivery of the order, Appo may step in the fill the gap, as a Sergeant, receiving a promotion for his service afterwards. Vader is said to be rather fond of Appo - perhaps this is partly out of spite for another clone's "betrayal".

 

I doubled checked the season 4 trailers and previews before my post. I didn't see footage of Rex that couldn?t be included in this arch. Please post an image if you have found something.

Regarding Appo, prior to this episode we didn?t know he was a Sergeant. Why can?t he be a Captain?

I agree that Rex is the de facto Commander of the 501st.

 

Have to agree with you there. The story was obviously centered around the clones, the general was a secondary character at best, so it seems weird that they would pick that for a title.

 

well we both said everything we needed to say and disagreed- so moving on....

Yep- glad to see I'm not only one seeing this idiotism Appo should've been Commander of 501st all along and Krell would've been his jedi partner while torrent company of Rex would be separate unit of same legion placed under command of Skywalker by Supreme Chancellor himself.... that is not too good explanation but works for me..... until now... 501st legion is suddenly battalion and lead by mere captain

 

I love the exotic vehicle designs... which was something the show was really lacking.

My inner child will force me to buy an Umbaran crawler tank toy when its released.

 

Check the "Will Rex Die in Season 4" thread for a screenshot from the trailer - Serrow posted it, IIRC. There's some sort of brawl scene where Rex smashes some villain's nose.

Appo could be a Captain. My point was that it's too soon to call Appo Rex's "replacement." We have no idea how that's going to work out. AFAIK the films never specify Appo was a Commander at the time - in fact he isn't even identified as Appo. Knowing TCW, I'd expect them to have free reign with this aspect. As long as it doesn't contradict ROTS, it's all good.

 

I just realized, the Umbaran starships are extremely similar in design to these: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Chiss_clawcraft

 

I liked the Umbaran starfighter, and while the caterpillar was a bit silly it was at least creative.

This, however:
[image=http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111105050814/starwars/images/thumb/9/92/UmbaranMHC-SWE.jpg/589px-UmbaranMHC-SWE.jpg]
Just looks like a crab droid/dwarf spider droid kitbash.

I also thought that sequence was a bit redundant after the caterpillars.

 

Maybe sergeant Appo and Commander Appo are two different people and it?s just a reference.

I don?t really care for Appo anyway. I always thought it was just a regular squad of clone troopers that the Jedi kid killed. Making that one guy the commander seems to have been an afterthought, I mean there?s nothing that distinguishes him from any of the others.

 

Never mind, I found him on my own. My bad.

[image=http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/6849/rexeb.jpg]

 

That is what I thought when we first saw them in Season4 preview after Wookiee Hunt - really I thought there is some similarity between these designs- but I'm not sure if i said it here .... whatever i also remember calling them Pretzel-fighters...

See for yourself:
[image=http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6129/5967344720_c4751fdc74.jpg]
[image=http://www.fundraisersuperstore.com/Files/images/Pret/Icon-Pretzel_2.jpg] what a striking similarity

 

lol

That was kinda the point, when Vader is marching up the steps all the clones with him are identical, which is the main theme of clones.
[image=http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20070521230235/starwars/images/thumb/0/0e/Knightfall2.jpg/830px-Knightfall2.jpg]
Plus, in the movies, none of the clones have any little doodles on them like in TCW.

Btw, Appo is in the script and is the Clone Commander of the 501st Legion in the novel Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, which takes place soon after ROTS.

 

I think a large part of Krell's character is that he does think like this. The Jedi are great warriors, but as Mace puts so well in Shatterpoint, they aren't soldiers; through the very act of being soldiers, they have to, on some level, stop being Jedi. As heartless as it may seem, in war, it's much more devastating to lose a general than it is to lose a trooper. The Jedi, however, don't see it this way; they're humanitarians fighting a war. I think there's a reason why Jedi casualties are so high by ROTS.

Krell's a heartless bastard, too, but he's also a realist. If he dies there, no one is there to command them; we know that Rex would probably do an adequate job in that event, but I'm sure Krell sees that as barely above putting a droid in command.

It's never outright stated, kids show and all that, but to Krell, the clones are cannon fodder. And like I said, it may not be the most "heroic" thing, but he's not being an inept general, even though someone like Anakin would think so.

 

Why so many say it is silly somehow - IMO it is cool and more terrifying than those big metal cows Empire calls At-At:s what is silly is how all their tanks seem to be filled with explosives because they blow up so damn well ...

HMC-walker looks like this from RC: [image=http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090515170720/starwars/images/f/f9/A-DSD.jpg] but it is not a bad design still.... just bit less imaginative...

 

Swash, that's the droid I've been looking for. Thanks.

 

I completely agree, and it's a shame that point doesn't get proper attention. What makes a Jedi "good/bad" is not the same yardstick with which one measure the effectiveness of a military leader. Because Jedi were never meant to be military leaders. It's well attested within EU material, and at least hinted in AoTC. Anakin's discussion with Tarkin laid it out perfectly, in the context of TCW.

That said, Krell's biggest problem is that he's trying to be a tough "Paton-style" General, while also holding the position of Jedi Master. The clones see the incongruity, and resent it. They understand that they're lives aren't "worth" the same as a General, but this is supposed to be a Jedi. You can call them spoiled, if you like, but they are accustomed to serving under those who respect them as individuals - Anakin, Ahsoka - and in comparison, Krell is a monster.

That said, yes, Krell is being oversimplified. I really, really wish they'd flown in Tarkin - Anakin already knows him, adding an interesting dynamic. But I guess that may have foreshadowed the Empire a bit too clearly.

 

While I understand the clones' need for a Jedi to lead them into battle, they really shouldn't be so dependent on them. Of course Krell should lead his own troops, but he shouldn't have to hold their hands into battle. Hopefully that makes sense.

 

It looked more like a centipede to me than a caterpillar. Not that it matters. Some kind of creepy crawler.

 

No argument there. And it's worth noting that many trooper's have died under Ahsoka and Anakin, in some cases due to reckless decisions. And yet the clones don't resent them, because they know that Anakin and Ahsoka respect them as real people. The fact that those two regularly risk their own lives alongside the clones helps, I'm sure. It's not that the clones demand perfection in their leaders, or that they refuse to put themselves in harm's way. But they know who cares for them, and who doesn't.

 

Rex's men got so used to Anakin's lightsaber keeping them safe, that now when they have to rely on themselves to dodge the bolts, suddenly that's too much.