The Official The Clone Wars Series Thread (Spoilers Allowed)

I don't think she is made to look bad in that scene thought. At least the narrative of the movie doesn't seem to look down on her supporting Anakin.

I had never really given that scene a second thought. But now that you put it that way, looking at it objectively without the emotional context of the movie, I agree that it was the wrong thing to do. However, the movie doesn't play it that way.

From TOS Episode Guide:

ACT I
A flotilla of three Jedi cruisers, led by the Resolute float beyond the inner rim of the rocky ring surrounding Bothawui.

As I recall, those episode guides are not necessarily canon, unless Leeland has come out and said something officially since I last checked. As it is, they seem to be more authorial intent than anything else. Fun to read, but not for sure canon.

I tell myself the Bothans put a giant fake ring in place around their planet, to fool Grievous into thinking he arrived at the wrong system. It's the kind of thing Bothans would do, after all.

MANDALORIANS!!!!!

Of course, they'll probably be treated as expendable cannon-fodder...

FANDALORIANS!!!!!

Let's hope those Mandies will be treated as expendable cannon-fodder...

Gosh, you must really be bored.

Why? Don't you think having competent masked soldiery would be a refreshing change at this point?

Which is what they are...

*Goes to play KOTOR 1 again*

You wish.

As unpleasant as it may be to consider, there's also the issue of whether Tuskens are really considered "people" by the Galaxy at large. Given that they're mostly known for being barbaric raiders of supposedly-peaceful colonists and farmers, it's entirely possible that the aristocratic Padme considered them little more than animals.

Plus, given the circumstances (they'd kidnapped his mother and effectively tortured her to death), she probably found his actions at least somewhat understandable, and not being read into the deeper philosophies of the Jedi Order, didn't realize exactly how "bad" an act Anakin had committed.

^ That's how I tend to think of part of her reaction: That the Sand People weren't really considered "people" by someone of her "class".

But, even at that, shouldn't she have drawn the line at CHILDREN (if not women, as most likely the women would have had nothing to do with the torture)? I mean, dogs aren't people, but if some dude told me he slaughtered a whole den of puppies that would still raise some serious red flags with me.

I think Padmé has some really big issues and I hope to see them explored, though I doubt TCW will be the vehicle for that.

As for Season Two, I'm still waiting on those "heroes on both sides"...

I don't recall the battle droids wearing masks.

I don't recall making reference to droids.

And I don't recall any lack of competence outside of battle droid units.

For some reason, it goes with being a mercenary, gushing and bashing aside.

Don't think dogs, think wolves. That seems to be how the sandpeople are considered by the farmers - come out of nowhere, hunt in packs, are fiendishly clever and live to kill them... In none of the 18th/19th century handbooks for local authorities that contain methods of getting rid of the wolf packs that still were a danger in the remoter regions of South Eastern Europe I ever read anything saying "but don't kill their cubs". I'm sure the moisture farmers have a similar policy if they can get away with it.

What Anakin did was very, very wrong. Because giving in to anger and vengeance is wrong, and even wronger for a Jedi. But looking at it from the POV of a moisture farmer (which is likely the only PV on that issue that Padmé knows) their issue would more likely be with the person who lost control (what if it happens again when there are 'real' poeple around?) not with the fact that Sand People are dead.

You must be thinking of that other animated Clone Wars series.

Not really. It usually only seems to affect groups of more than two or three, and isn't limited to mercs.

Quite right, really.

I meant possibly dying is part of being a mercenary. I don't think they deliberately choose to think of Mandos as mooks. I know Luke didn't, my alternate character interpretation notwithstanding of Luke as a closet Sith (possibly even in denial to himself) notwithstanding. (This would make Jacen Dooku.) Just like I don't think the Jedi actually thought of clones as meat droids (the assertions of one author notwithstanding); I think the Jedi just didn't know how to relate to other people. (Exhibit A, Obi-Wan and Yoda charging Luke with the task of killing his father.)

So, the Mandos, like the rest of the Star Wars cast, offer something to the storyline, but are exposed to a lot of danger in the process.

I personally want to see Boba bring down Cad Bane.

Ah.

I was joking with Thrawn McEwok that the worst thing the government ever did was make me agree with Karen Traviss. But Indians are eugenically bred (in the form of blood quantum, patented genes, and until Clinton, forced sterilizations and forced Norplant and Depo-Provera experiments) and we do serve in the military at disproportionate numbers, so, yes, I can see the personal thing with clone slaves. And I love her portrayal of the clones as children trapped in twenty-year-old men's bodies.

(An aside: My cousin's unit has "Vode An" tattooed in Gothic font on their right biceps. So the Mandalorians have a huge fanbase.)

The "Mando mook" thing seems to go only back to their association with the clones. (The first time we saw Mandalore, they weren't mooks. In fact, one of them served as a potential love interest for Leia. He got fridged, of course. But he did so to save his people. And what more can a warrior ask for?) And even then, the Jedi developed a camaraderie with the clones; the Jedi were the ones who insisted the clones be granted the rights of sentient beings. (Palpatine, of course, considers everyone a pawn.) I think the Jedi just didn't like thinking about it.

I know Luke saw Boba Fett as a full ally in LOTF. The only thing that did concern me was his "not my concern" attitude. This from the guy who previously said the whole galaxy was his concern. Possibly even more epic character derailment than the way he killed Lumiya.

So that's my theories about Mandos, clones, and general mook-ness.

Sorry to continue the tangent, but what unit is this?

The ending was my favorite part - it was a nice homage to Hitchcock's Notorious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ikko4UU0dg

On a side note, that seems to be a tactic that's favored by all news sources, regardless of their political allegiance. Just as Fox news routinely implies that the president will at any moment suspend the Constitution and declare himself emperor, it was true enough that many news outlets and political commentators hinted at the same about Bush during his tenure as president. Those ideas always exist in public consciousness however.

I don't think Palpatine had to insert that into the public conciousness, so much as he gave it legitamacy by indicating that he was aware of it. No one trusts government, so by denying it, and being someone obviously on the side of the Jedi at the time, that made the population believe it more.

Of course, he's absolved of being complicit in the plot by RotS, and is seen to be a dupe like everyone else, but the idea had already been subconciously reinforced years earlier. Those ideas don't need to be introduced to a public, since the public will always make them up all on its own.