Full Series Grade Episode 6.10: The Lost One

Best episode of the arc, though it's a shame that it wasn't at all indicative of what was to come. 7/10

 

A most fascinating episode filled to the brim with mystery, intrigue, and action. The Lost One provided plenty of what makes TCW great. It greatly connected to a mystery in AotC that went largely ignored in RotS and only touched upon in a small number of EU works, most notably those of James Luceno, aka Labyrinth of Evil and Darth Plagueis. Indeed, this episode gave me plenty of Luceno vibes, actually, what with the Jedi beginning to unravel an old mystery that wasn't dissimilar to their attempts to discover the location and identity of the second Sith, the Dark Lord Darth Sidious, in LoE.

The episode starts off with the discovery by Plo Koon and the Wolf Pack of a ruined starfighter on a sandy moon of the planet Oba Diah. There, Plo Koon finds the lightsaber of the long-dead Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas, the man responsible for the creation of the clone army. This kicks off an investigation by the Jedi Council into the death of Sifo-Dyas more than ten years prior. Jocasta Nu provided the information that Sifo-Dyas, who was considered too extreme and dismissed from the Jedi Council prior to TPM with his visions of impending war, had died on Felucia while trying to negotiate with warring tribes on the planet. Interestingly enough, the OS' episode guide reveals that these tribesmen were to resemble those in The Force Unleashed, but that plot was ultimately cut for time, and instead Obi-Wan and Anakin's investigation on Felucia takes place entirely offscreen while the focus is on Yoda's attempt to glean more information about Sifo-Dyas' demise from the Supreme Chancellor, whose Office had sealed the records on the deceased Jedi Master's mission. Yoda fails to obtain anything useful from Palpatine outside of the fact that his predecessor, Finis Valorum, might have knowledge of Sifo-Dyas' mission since it took place before Palpatine took office. It was neat getting to see Valorum in TCW for the first time, even though it contradicted the EU that showed he was assassinated early in the war, though those events could potentially be pushed back, or ignored altogether due to the 'Legends' label. From speaking to Valorum, who resides in an estate atop a Coruscant skyscraper while attended by Senate Guards (like a perk of all American ex-Presidents getting Secret Service agents working for them), Yoda learns that another man accompanied Sifo-Dyas to Felucia, Valorum's personal aide Silman. Valorum had sent Sifo-Dyas on a secret assignment to negotiate with the criminal Pyke Syndicate due to his underworld experience, unbeknownst to the Jedi. This troubling information showed how little the Jedi Council actually knew about things surrounding even one of their own Masters, emphasizing the cloud of darkness that obfuscated the Jedi's senses in the years prior to the Clone Wars. I am reminded of the Plagueis novel where Plagueis and Sidious note that the Jedi had grown increasingly complacent and unable to act decisively against the growing power of the dark side, enabling the Sith to slowly put their Grand Plan into motion, setting the pieces of the chessboard in place.

Putting what little they knew together, the Council decided that the Pykes would have information regarding Sifo-Dyas' demise, since his lightsaber and crashed shuttle was discovered near Oba Diah, the Pyke homeworld. Thus began the coolest part of the episode. But first, on the Sith front, Darth Sidious was quite displeased that the Jedi were onto his trail regarding the mystery of Sifo-Dyas, which could eventually lead them to discovering that the Sith were ultimately behind the whole clone army scheme, and perhaps even Order 66. He let Dooku know his displeasure with a Force-choke from light-years away. Truly a scene revealing the extent of Sidious' considerable mastery of the dark side of the Force.


"Lord Tyranus. You know the price of failure."

So Anakin and Obi-Wan go to the Pyke homeworld, a place truly filled with scum and villainy. I liked the grimy, eerie green and obsidian visuals of the planet. The spice-traders sure know how to enjoy themselves though, with leader Lom Pyke smoking a powerful spice drug (boy is he smoked) whilst being attended by various Twi'lek and Togruta slaves:


Substance abuse in a cartoon?

Anakin and Obi-Wan soon discover from Lom that Silman had actually survived, and the Pykes kept him imprisoned for more than a decade as insurance against their client, a man named Tyranus, who had ordered Sifo-Dyas' death. Thus, the Pykes shot the Jedi down above the moon of Oba Diah, but upon recovering Sifo-Dyas' body as evidence, they found Silman. In exchange for Silman's freedom, Lom asks the Jedi to "forget" the Pykes' involvement in the Jedi Master's death. Here things get stranger, as Silman is clearly demented following years of malnourishment and imprisonment, and the two Jedi are unable to glean anything useful from him regarding Sifo-Dyas and the Pykes. Really, all the evidence the Jedi keep discovering seem haphazard and contradictory. However, even as they speak, Count Dooku―or rather, Darth Tyranus―himself arrives on Oba Diah, a man on a mission out to personally eliminate loose ends. Sidious had clearly motivated his ever-loyal apprentice to take care of business...ruthlessly and efficiently. He could trust no other, not even General Grievous, to do this but himself. And indeed, Dooku sneaks in and Force-chokes Silman to death right in front of the two Jedi, who were apparently too astonished to react and save the poor man's life.

And then we get yet another duel between Dooku and Anakin, this time with Obi-Wan tag-teaming, like in AotC and later, RotS. But it was a fun duel to watch, with good music from the Nal Hutta battle between Maul/Death Watch and the Hutt's bounty hunters in Eminence. Dooku literally takes both Jedi on with a hand behind his back, and keeps his focus even as Lom and his forces enter the fray, revealing him to be Tyranus before the Jedi. You gotta admire the man's impeccable Makashi footwork and style. Dooku further reveals with what looks like regret on his face, that Sifo-Dyas was the only one who understood, and was willing to help him, hinting perhaps at the friendship the two shared before Dooku left the Order.


The old Sith schooling two of the Order's greatest duelists, and showing off some nifty acrobatics.

And even as the Pykes open fire, causing it to be dozens of guys against one, Dooku is unfazed, using a Force-leap to avoid Obi-Wan and Anakin's dual-Force push, and then taking the opportunity to impale a downed Lom.


Tyranus gleefully guts the Pyke leader, and the light literally go out from Lom's eyes.

And then he escapes aboard a freighter, summoning his solar sailor, and avoiding a pursuing Anakin. Just simply the most badass Count Dooku we've gotten all series long, and it shows Anakin still has a ways to go before he can truly vanquish Dooku.

The episode's ending is quite thought-provoking, now that the Jedi Council knows that Count Dooku, and by extension the Sith, were responsible for the creation of the clone army. This is greatly disturbing news to the Jedi, but Yoda insists the clones were good men, and couldn't think they'd betray the Jedi. Mace Windu also notes the sobering truth that revealing this information to the Chancellor and the public at large would cause widespread panic and mistrust in the populace. Furthermore, even revealing this to non-Council Jedi could stir dissension and mistrust in the ranks of the Jedi and their clone forces, perhaps getting more incidents of Pong Krells and Barriss Offees. Yoda concludes they must keep this information to themselves, and attempt to end the war as quickly as possible. Play the Sith's game, they must. And hope that they can find and eliminate both of them before the Sith's endgame is triggered...

Such is the tragedy of the Clone Wars in that even though the Jedi were proactive in trying to discover the nature of the Sith agenda, they were ultimately outplayed and outmaneuvered by Sidious, and could not prevent Order 66 from happening, even though the clues were there from both this episode and the Fives arc. Alas, that was ultimately a flaw of retroactively fitting events that we know are preordained in RotS, so it makes the Jedi look rather foolish. But in the end, what choice do they really have? They are already in too deep, caught in the Sith's web of deception, and this late in the war Yoda has a point. They must end it as quickly as possible, while doing all in their power to find and destroy both Sith Lords.

A very enjoyable episode, weighed down only by the revelations possibly clashing too strongly with how the Jedi behaved in RotS, but ultimately that I am okay with. I gave this episode a 9/10, rounded up. Wow, this was a much longer review than I had anticipated. Perhaps not surprising as this is easily one of my favorite arcs in the show!

 

Another great reference GIF for anytime TCW is referred to as just a kid's show.

 

I give this episode a 10/10. Probably my favorite episode of the Lost Missions.

Best Moment: Sidious chokes Dooku from across the galaxy, showing exactly why he's the Master.

The duel between Anakin, Obi-Wan and Dooku was superb, and the way the Count threw the Pykes around redeemed himself in my mind. Enough to forget the atrocity that was Dooku Captured. Dooku was in prime form here, handling Anakin, Obi-Wan and dozens of Pyke soldiers all at once.

My favorite Dooku scene in this episode is when the Count first arrives on Oba Diah, and the two Pyke sentries declare that he is no longer welcome, and Dooku throws them off the platform without a word. I seriously loved that scene, and I would be really thankful if anyone could tell me where I could find a GIF for that. Because that is Dooku's crowning moment of awesome for the series.

 

The attention to detail astounds me sometimes, you can even see the smoke coming from the hole Dooku's burning into Lom's abdomen.

Great episode though, loved seeing Chancellor Valorum again, I'm sure he'll die in some mysterious shuttle crash shortly after the founding of the Galactic Empire. Dooku was at his best here, seeing him come deal with things on his own and with such skill was a redemption from some of his earlier treatment during the series, also that snide comment he made. The Pykes made a great addition to the other criminal elements featured on the show and throughout the Expanded Universe, the spice must flow. The ending to the episode was excellent and really reinforced that the Jedi had already lost the war and all they could do was to end the war quickly and hope to avoid whatever trap awaited them, especially after discovering that Dooku had commissioned their army for them.

9.3/10, rounded.

 

Cartoon Network's censors would've had a field day with that scene had the show not been cancelled.

 

Couldn't find any online so I made one myself:


And here's a bonus GIF, since I felt this scene could also qualify in reaffirming Dooku's absolute badassery in this episode:


Yeah, I can beat you all with one hand behind my back!

 

A pretty episode, but it just really did not make sense.

 

Circular Logic Thank you so much for that awesome GIF. That's as awesome as Ahsoka and Savage's multiple decapitation strikes. Plus the quality on yours is just superb.