Full Series The Clone Wars: Episode 114: Defenders of Peace Discussion Thread (Spoilers Allowed)

PLEASE DO NOT DISCUSS SPOILERS FOR EPISODES 115 OR LATER IN THIS THREAD.

Use the General Discussion (Spoilers Allowed) thread for any discussion beyond Episode 114

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"When surrounded by war, one must eventually choose a side."

Synopsis: While the Jedi combat a new Separatist weapon, the pacifist Lurmen must decide whether they will lay down to the oppressive Separatists or fight with Anakin, Ahsoka and Jedi General Aayla Secura.

Director: Steward Lee
Writer: Bill Canterbury
Key Characters: Anakin, Ahsoka, Aayla Secura, Rex, Tee Watt Kaa, General Lok Durd
Key Locales: Maridun

Watch the Video Preview to this episode HERE!
Explore the Official Episode Guide HERE
Check out the webcomic prelude to the episode HERE!

 

The Lurmen Must Choose a Side in The Clone Wars

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Stranded on a distant planet, the Jedi must convince its pacifist inhabitants to bend their beliefs and fight for peace in "Defenders of Peace," an all-new episode of the hit animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, premiering at 9 p.m. ET/PT Friday, January 23, on Cartoon Network.

While the Jedi combat a new Separatist weapon, the pacifist Lurmen must decide whether they will lay down to the invading forces or take up arms with Anakin, Ahsoka and Jedi General Aayla Secura to protect their belief system.

Director Steward Lee and story editor Henry Gilroy embraced the episode's departure from the more explosive aspects of the war. Focusing on the Lurmen and their beliefs provided a unique opportunity to step away from the central conflict to explore issues facing innocents who are all-too-often caught in the crossfire.

"It's about making choices," Lee says. "The Lurmen chose this pacifist way of life, and the Jedi chose to defend them whether they want it or not. The Jedi must show the younger generation of Lurmen that you have to defend what you love."

"I've always been intrigued by pacifists during wartime -- people who will do anything they can to avoid fighting, yet are inexorably drawn into a battle against their will and without choice," says Gilroy, who cites Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai as inspiration for the episode. "It's about choosing sides or choosing death. You have the Jedi willing to sacrifice their lives to defend innocents who don't really want to defend themselves or to be defended. I think that's an interesting premise."


And reposting my comments from the general official thread:

Here we go, these quotes lead me to believe we're going to get some kind of POV of "these poor, misguided pacifists". They will take up arms with the Jedi to "protect their belief system"? You have to "defend what you love?"

You mean they're selling out to stay alive.

And what happened to "if you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine".

I'm okay with the Seven Samurai scenario, but let's not mock or twist what pacifists believe.

 

Looks good, looking forward to seeing the conclusion from last week.

Now let's see how quickly this thread gets derailed with heated, semi-relevant arguing.

I think the second part of your message is pretty close to baiting, but I'm going to leave it here so people can see that putting these types of comments in just isn't going to help anything. G_M.

 

Interesting that this episode isn't written by Katie Lucas.

 

Well, to be fair, if we discuss the themes presented in this episode, and some of us disapprove of what was presented, it would be completely relevant to engage in some lively debate. It's almost inevitable, based on the description and title.

I do agree that appealing to the inherent Kurosawa-iness of Lucas fans with the Seven Samurai reference helps ease the inflammation.

 

Sorry Garth, that wasn't my intention. Just seems that many of the recent threads on TCW get derailed, which is probably frustrating for many. But I see your point that my pointing that out isn't really helping anything.

 

Bingo!

That's exactly what I was thinking when I read the summary. I see what message they're getting at -- it's a great thing to fight for what you believe in. But is physical violence always the answer? Can't you find a more clever or peaceful alternative, like how that little lemur dude took down the turkeypanther? It's like what that old dude said, "Fighting for something doesn't necessarily mean you have to destroy everything in your path." Granted, when faced with the threat of a completely unprovoked nuclear invasion (like the next episode indicates), the lemurs will definitely need to fight. But how often does unprovoked nuclear invasion take place in the real world? This is a really stretched message the producers are trying to send here.

But maybe I should hold my tongue until after I see the episode...

 

We all should. But I would like to add that we need to remember the themes of The Phantom Menace. What happens to the noble democratic intentions of the peaceful Queen of Naboo? She wants peaceful negotiations, organized by the power of the legislative body. She does not want to lead them to war.

So her plan goes like this: negotiate, negotiate, negotiate, negotiate, negotiate, negotiate, negotiate, fight back! Does that make her a "sell out?" Or is it realism?

It seems to be a consistent theme that eventually the system breaks down, and you must defend yourself. Defense and protection are definitely Jedi virtues.

Lets also remember the fate of the peaceful Alderaan.

 

Hey, I'm not trying to restart another argument like in Episode 13's thread. I'm just saying there are "alternatives to fighting," like some crazy desert hippie once said. Since this is Star Wars, I expect everyone to find violent solutions to end their problems usually. It's Star WARS. But for those few who find clever alternatives to defeating their enemies, more power to them! It breaks up the monotony.

 

Well if those pacifist monkeys want to survive they will have to fight. Wanting to survive and live is natural. They dont want to die so they will fight.

Many times War is necessary for survival.



Kill or be killed.

 

Strange that Katie would write part one but not part two......?

 

I agree completely, hence the Naboo being inspired by the Dalai Lama. Let's also remember Luke's "civil disobedience" against the Emperor.

EDIT: Also important is the foreshadowing of the father monkey saying "when you put your arms down, I'll believe that you Jedi are truly peacekeepers." I find it hard to believe that this speech will not have some echo in the next episode.

 

What the blazes is up with that look on Aayla's face?

 

I'm hoping they'll present the question of whether or not to fight with slightly more nuance than the summary sounds like it will have, but we'll see.

 

I like seeing them tackle some of the weightier philosophical questions that arise out of SW.

I also wouldn't mind tackling Aayla myself!

 

Although I also agree, it should be pointed out that in both cases, the party with the (genuinely) noble intentions would have been overrun and destroyed had it not been for someone stepping in and saying "right, enough <slap>".

Case in point, Alderaan. No-one stepped in, 1-0 to the guy with the stick.

I'm not saying it's right, but when you're up against the greed/fear of the CIS or the greed/anger of the Empire, you either have to run or fight - because sitting with your fingers in your ears going "lalalala can't hear you" is a sure path to martyrdom. Which is fine if you're an individual or small group, but it gets a little messier when you're dealing with the population of a planet.

Anyway, we're now well into this week's debate

I'm looking forward to this episode. Didn't entirely get this week's webcomic, but I'm not too far up on the culture of the Amanain. By lauching the shuttle and stranding themselves, the Lurmen seem to have thrown a stick for a very stupid dog and hidden when the dog brought it back... then the dog got bored of being puzzled and just went off elsewhere? Maybe I'm missing something, wouldn't be the first time

 

Good webcomic. From what I understood the Lurmen used the escape pod/shuttle to run away to some other part of the planet not inhabited by the Amanin. Sounds good to me. They would much rather flee than fight, and I loved the old guy's line about which is easier to abandon, a 30-year old ship or a millenia-old philosophy. I hope the episode manages to retain some consistency with this strong pacifist mindset, and don't just have the Lurmen suddenly cracking and saying "Oh, what the heck! Ok guys, get yer spears!!"

 

Yeah, the webcomic was good. I too hope that if the Lurmen take up arms, it does not come across as a very sudden and jarring change of character, like 'Why don't ye get it??? We don' wanna fight! (minutes later) THIS!!! BE!!! MAAAARIDUUUUUUN!!! (rolls into Super Battle Droid)'.

I wouldn't mind a reasonable build up (the Jedi make credible arguments, prove their good intentions, and/or go to great lengths to protect the Lurmen) and/or an obviously very reluctant resistance. Maybe build up by having the Lurmen debating amongst themselves or maybe even expressing doubt at the battle. Feeling guilty about the Jedi fighting to defend them would work too. Or, they could go both ways, some willing to fight, others traditionally running.

 

It will be interesting too see the jedi protecting those how do not want too be protected.

I hope the Lurmen wont fight.

 

Something about this theme kind of reminds me of the philosophical conflict in the movie "Witness"... when the violence of the outside world visits the peaceful confines of that Amish community because Harrison Ford's character is hiding there.

 

Getcha, yeah I'd misunderstood I thought they sent the pod out as a decoy. Still doesn't stike me as a fantastic plan, as landing in a new part of the planet leaves them open to a repeat scenario from any other local inhabitants. Unless of course, they do the basic recon they should have done in the first place

 

*shrug* I have seen plenty of shows that push a pacifistic philosophy hamfisted down the viewer's throat, why not one the other way around, just in case.

Though, "fighting for what your belief system" when that belief system is pacifism strikes me as amusingly ironic.

Also, the whole philosophical discussion is rendered kind of moot when you consider that the enemy consists of robots, and hive minded robots at that Even if you consider them alive, they can easily be rebuilt if can find or replace the parts in question.

Now all that said, somehow I doubt that the episode will turn out like it sounds like. If anything, I think the tone of last episode was that the Lemur dudes were right.

 

We should ask them what their writing process is like.

On most TV shows, they all break the story in the writers room and then a writer types it up and gets the credit.

On Disney shows they all write the script together and one writer gets assigned credit for WGA purposes.

On shows like Law & Order the writers are given assignments and they go complete a script on their own and turn it in when it is time to shoot it.

I assumed with TCW Lucas, Gilroy and Filoni break a story down and hand it off to a writer to turn into a script... but I could be wrong. I think it would serve them better to have a writers room, but that may not be in the budget.