ST Countdown to Episode IX: The Watch Along Thread!

8/10

Clone Cadets

Nice episode showing that each clone is an individual human being with their own personality. Also reinforces the image of the clones as slaves. The Kaminoans see the clones only as a product. And even the Jedi, represented by Shaak Ti in this episode, despite showing more compassion than the Kaminoans or the bounty hunter, go along with the system.

Also, the improvement in animation between this episode and the movie is huge. They were getting better so much with each season when it came to animation and character models.

 

Clone Cadets: Not sure on a rating. Maybe an 8. It was solid. I love the clones in Domino Squad and 99. This episode is efficient with character development, quickly making all of them likeable. It's easy to root for Domino Squad. This eoisepi does show how the clones are treated badly and like products. It's horrible. Watching these troops complete their training is sad knowing what's to come. As always, I love seeing episodes shown the clones as individuals, which is something this episode does very well.

I know we're not rating them until Wednesday, but since it's fresh in my mind I'm going to do Supply Lines and Ambush. Maybe an 8 as well. Considering the time between release dates, these episodes work very well together. Supply Lines illustrates how politics and battles mix. Jar Jar and Bail are negotiating with the Toydarians to obtain aid for Republic forces and The soldiers fighting on Ryloth. It adds complexity to the war and the episode is pretty fun. Also, we see the Separatists take Ryloth. I point that out because it's often said the CIS isn't portrayed well in the show. Everytime I rewatch I'm reminded that it isn't quite accurate. The battle is intense which parallel the negotiations thus increasing urgency. The end doesn't only add depth to Ambush but explains Cham's view of the Republic later on. I know we aren't there yet, but it's worth noting how Supply Lines connects to multiple episodes.

Ambush follows what we see in Supply Lines. Previously the Toydarian king was willing to secretly let the Republic use Toydaria as a launching point for Republic supply ships. Now Yoda arrives for a second round of negotiations to try to bring them fully into the Republic. However, this time the king is more willing to take sides in the war. I enjoy watching Yoda interact with the clones here. I especially love the scene where he recognizes each trooper's individuality. I also enjoy Assajj trying to convince the king to ally with the CIS. It highlights how each faction wants to win over neutral systems seeking any advantages. As we saw in Supply Lines, Toydaria would be an important Republic base. Using it as a supply post, once, allowed the Republic to deliver important supplies to the Twi'lek resistance allowing them to carry on after
Republic forces were defeated. As a result, it's pretty important for Dooku to gain the allegiance of the Toydarians. I like that framing, and after Supply Lines this episode has a lot more context in tterms of the wider war. They work really well together making for a fun storyline.

 

In all, I give Cadets-Lines-Ambush a good 7. Clone Wars does get even better, but these for me were about where the show starts to hit its stride. We get introduced to some of our main clone cast, visit some diverse theaters of war, and some awesome Yoda lines.

And ... I actually ... liked ... Jar Jar. He was legitimately funny here. His art skills lend credence to the Darth Jar Jar theory, just saying.

Couldn’t help but notice:

Pre-TLJ instance of “chrome dome” in the first test in Clone Cadets. Also, Cut-up and Droid-bait keep switching between having pseudo-Irish accents. That’s not something that would affect my rating. But it was a bit weird at times. Here is also where I first really start enjoying the “painted puppets” art style.


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I don't think Jar Jar is that bad of a character. I think a lot of people hate the character because they feel like Lucas is looking down on them through the character's humor. I don't think this is the case per se. He does chewy the scene way too much. That's probably Lucas' fault since he didn't give Best the best direction. So I can see he might be grating for others. Phantom Menace is the celebration of innocence and youth in a way as someone have said before. It is about youthful optimism clashing with the cynicism of institutions. Innocence and nativity are two core themes of the film. Naboo looks like Eden-esque world and it is lead by Naboo by a child queen. Padme's
nativity leads her to clash with the Senate. She believed in them but they refused to help her and her people because of their serving ways while for Anakin's
nativity clashes with the Jedi. They don't want him. The Jedi aren't what Anakin envisioned them to be just like the Senate isn't what Padme envisioned them to be. The two things that come to save the day aren't the power of institutions but actually two ''pathetic figures'', a ''slave boy'' and a ''village idiot''. Anakin by getting the parts for Padme's ships and Jar Jar getting the people of Naboo and Gugans to build an alliance. Padme's innocence and nativity spurs a sense of duty in her to go and save her people. Jar Jar's childish and naive antics inflicts a lot of losses on the droid army. Anakin's naively and unwillingly destroys the CPU for all of the droids in Naboo which allows them to win. It's not the weathered and old Jedi that defeats the Sith, it's the naive and brash Jedi student that defeats the Sith. Of course, under this celebration of innocence lurks a dark undercurrent. It's being used a powerplay by the Sith to bring them into the power. Just like the devil used the innocence of mankind in Eden to bring mankind down, Palpatine uses innocence to bring himself into power. I really wish this film wasn't the nadir of Star Wars films. Because it's quite the ultimately a heartwarming film that has a lot of insights about life.

 

About to start Rookies.

 

The music sounds right out of Gran Turismo.

 

I need a reminder: what's on today? Rookies and the two "Artoo is missing!" eps? And tomorrow is the Gunray trilogy?
Last weekend, I was a week behind, so I caught up, then kept going. Ended up watching the first 56 episodes. How time flies, when watching TCW!

 

5/10

The clone stories are unfortunately my least favorite of the series.

 

Man, in retrospect, that was a surprisingly high death toll of our Domino Squadron fellows for a single episode.


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Rookies: Great action, good storyboarding, decent animation. Good development of (what remains of) Domino Squadron, good tension, good stakes, deaths for Hevy, Droidbait, and Cutup. Occasionally silly, because the droids operate on pretty simplistic logic ("They must have been pulverized. Not going to verify or scan the area or anything, though.") and a few silly lines ("Roger roger," evidently a cumpulsory thing for droids to say?). I give it 7/10.

 

Since I'm here, I'll preemptively go into the droid episodes as well …

Downfall of a Droid
Pros:

• The episode is well-paced
• Some fun action, assassin droid sequence was memorable
• The scene with the walkers on the asteroid was awesome

Cons:

• I think Yularen/Announcer must have been sick or something; he sounds a bit low-key and off his game
• "Snookums"
• "Rexer"
• Reusing the droid door greeter scene from RotJ for no discernible reason, including the laugh at the end; it didn't seem to add anything beyond a callout to something we've seen before
• Fart jokes
• That weird early 2000s spy film soundtrack
• The animation is pretty rough, almost doesn't look fully rendered in places
• "You hurt his feelings!"
  "But what about Artoo?"
  *cue The Force theme* ... Did that line really warrant a The Force theme motif? I mean, I guess Artoo also went missing when Luke looks off into the twin sunsets, but he didn't learn that till Threepio told him later that night, right?

In all, this had a lot more good in it than the Clone Wars film, but it was still a bit of a clunker for me.
4/10

Duel of the Droids
Pros/Cons:
I don't have a lot to say about this one. I just kind of wasn't into it. But I did note:

• Yularen/Announcer still sounds sick
  
• Grievous tells Artoo, "We're all droids here!" I know it's just a line, but like … you had an Aqualish dude at the computer, a Trandoshan scavenger, and General Grievous, who is a Kaleesh cyborg. It was just kind of funny to me.

In all, I give it ...
5/10

 

9/10
I loved Rookies.


No Poll for the 2 droid episodes? I rate these episodes 7/10.

I would have given them a 6 because of the porn music ; but Ron Perlman voicing Gha' Nachkt raises it to a 7 for me.