Full Series The Clone Wars: Episode 310: Heroes On Both Sides Discussion Thread

PLEASE DO NOT DISCUSS SPOILERS FOR EPISODES 311 OR LATER IN THIS THREAD.

Use the General Discussion (Spoilers Allowed) thread for any discussion beyond Episode 310!!!

<img src="http://www.starwars.com/img/theclonewars/guide/epguide310.jpg">

"Fear is a great motivator."

Synopsis: When the Senate begins debate on a bill that would eliminate government oversight of the Banking Clan's activities, Padmé and Ahsoka travel in secret to the capital of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, in an attempt to forge a peace agreement with the Separatists.

Director: Kyle Dunlevy
Writer: Daniel Arkin

Key Characters: Padmé Amidala, Ahsoka Tano, Mina Bonteri, Lux Bonteri, Senator Lott Dod, Senator Gume Saam, Nix Card, General Grievous, Chancellor Palpatine
Key Locales: Coruscant, Raxus


The Official Episode Guide can be found HERE.

 

Hard to believe the Senate is so stupid they would have no oversight of the Banking Clan.

I guess this is yet another example of how the "Separatists" we saw in AOTC really weren't Separatists at all, or maybe some of each clan were and some weren't. How's that again?

 

A New Look For the Clone Wars Heroes

<img src="http://www.starwars.com/theclonewars/newcharacterlooks/ahsoka_sm.jpg">

As the Clone Wars continue to engulf the galaxy -- and Star Wars: The Clone Wars continues to chronicle these adventures -- characters change and evolve. The Clone Wars bridges the gap between Episodes II and III, and beginning with this week's episode, "Heroes on Both Sides," new character models begin to suggest this passage of time. These new looks also represent technical improvements and refinements in the animation of the series, which continues to grow more visually complex and dynamic with each new episode.

"Over the course of the series so far, our characters have been affected by the conflict, so the changes we are seeing are a reflection of what they've gone through and how they've changed," says Supervising Director Dave Filoni." We're getting closer to the events of Episode III, and the look of the series is moving toward that look and those designs. We don't have a live-action point of comparison for Ahsoka, but her development is definitely as pronounced as anyone's. When the war began, she was just a kid; she was strong and capable, but she had a lot to learn -- and she's been through a lot. She's been changed by the things she's seen and done, and now we're seeing that reflected in her look. She's older, more mature. In this episode, we see a significant step for her emotional development, in addition to her aesthetic development. Coming face to face with the enemy is going to be an eye-opening experience for her."

Here's a first look at the new character models. Ahsoka Tano is older, taller, and now carries two lightsabers. For Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, gone are the superfluous bits of armor (though the ever-handy vambraces with wrist-mounted comlinks remain). These two Jedi heroes now more closely resemble their Episode III incarnations.

<img src="http://www.starwars.com/theclonewars/newcharacterlooks/cwnewlook_sm.jpg">

To see these character models in action, check out This Video Here

Also, look carefully in the weeks to come for visual refinements on Chancellor Palpatine, Count Dooku, and several new looks for Asajj Ventress. "Our production keeps getting better; as we move forward, we're able to incorporate new techniques and improved animation," says Filoni. "As a weekly series, we've been pushing ourselves to do things that haven't been done in TV animation, and it's always a struggle just to get it done at all. But we are learning tricks that help to streamline the process, and we continue to build our asset library. We're at a place where we can explore and develop new and improved character assets for some of our primary players. In addition to the look change, these new models are so much more expressive."

 

True

And it looks like Obi-Wan is wearing his Padawan robe. It's probably the lighting. Anakin's robes could be a little more darker, and brown/black, not red/blue.

How about that Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka show?

 

lol @ Inception music

Looks really good otherwise. Love Ani's new look. Obi-Wan looks great but why the Open-Circle fleet logo on Obi-Wan's wrist?

Ahsoka has a shoto! Yay!

 

Looking sharp! Nice transition into Jedi tunics!

 

Anakin's robes look okay, although I'd rather they fix his hair.

Not sure about Kenobi's vambraces with the Jedi robe look though. He also looks...thinner.

I don't really care about Ahsoka with the shoto one way or the other, although I don't know how you would have both in a reverse grip. But I don't know anything about fencing, so....

I guess the idea that Ahsoka would eventually be taught by Anakin to not use her reverse grip was abandoned?

Edit: Okay, Ahsoka's kilt-diamond-thingie looks ridiculous. And possibly inappropriate.

 

She should have the long saber in front of her, and the shoto behind her, or both in front. Double reverse grip is suicide.

I guess they really scrapped that idea of Anakin telling her to not use that reverse grip. That's sad, too. I was never a fan of her using the Shien reverse grip.

And, yeah, Garth. Ahsoka has too many peep holes now. Why revealing diamond holes...

 

There was implied sarcasm there. For me, anyway.

 

Drat and double drat! Another Banking Clan episode without the illustrious San Hill.

Epic!

 

I know.

 

Maybe he decided "Ah forget it, the Council's gonna be on my ass either way, might as well try something different"

The statement on Ahsoka is that while she's learning proper standard Form V, she'll fall back on her reverse grip in a pinch. She also has fairly prominent hunter-like instincts (being a Togruta and all), and I can imagine her falling back on the more familiar methods she knows when she's now learning something completely new and different to her.

Y'know...it's kinda like how we often fall back on our knowledge of the EU or the movies in an attempt to understand, relate or connect to something new and strange.

 

However, in a pinch? You mean for good. Very rarely do we see her holding her saber the correct way.

I wouldn't expect to see her using her Togruta instincts in TCW, not in the series that is. She's too Human like.

And, ugh......
[image=http://www.starwars.com/img/theclonewars/guide/epguide310.jpg]

 

"We have to go into another layer of the Force vision."

Good. I was laying it on pretty thick.

 

Like the new looks all around. Unfortunately, I'm going out of town for a convention this weekend so I won't be able to see this episode until I get back home Monday afternoon. I hope all the details of the episode haven't been debated to death by then.

I'm really looking forward to this episode because what I'm hoping is that we get shown the Separatists as something more complex than "oh they're just bad guys, that's all we need to know." Fingers crossed. If that's not what this turns out to be, well...either way I'll reserve judgment as I always do until I actually see it.

 

Well, I didn't mean prominent like she'd be some sort of amazon wild child, but rather that there are certain ticks and ways of thinking that differ from those of humans.
A human padawan might be able to suppress the urge to switch to something more familiar, but Togrutas always struck me as having that sort of higher sense of instinct and acting on it. Ahsoka's very human, yes, being raised among the Jedi, but the Togruta in her might subtly point her in the direction of falling back on the familiar when faced with a new challenge and change.

At any rate, this is to discuss the episode. I'm looking forward to see what they do with Padme's mentor.

And I feel sorry for those techies/cleaning crew in the preview.

 

They most likely will.

darthcaedus1138- haha.

Yes, I agree with you, koonfan. But I wouldn't expect the writers to actually know what a Togruta is or how they act, or why to properly write Ahsoka as that. I've always liked Traviss' Ahsoka in her two TCW novels. There, she's basically what she should be, an alien Jedi Padawan, and not some over-the-top annoying bratty Human-like Padawan.

To be honest, they should have waited until toward the end of the season to show this. I still think it's too early for this transition.

 

Ah yes, Inception.

I'm going to explain away Season 3 by claiming we're stuck in Dave Filoni's limbo dream

WHERE'S THE KICK???!?!!?!??!?

Remember at this level, seconds will seem like minutes, minutes like hours, hours like days....

 

Pah. I found Inception to be terribly overrated. Great, but overrated. Maybe that's why I'm so crazy and contrary.

Though I will agree that with the timeline being what it is, Inception is as apt a description as one could find.

The fortune cookie makes me think that Padme's mentor will be coerced or something, but I'll wait and see. In any case, once more, they're damned if they do and damned if they don't.

1.Padme's mentor believes in what she's doing: Oh, she's sanctioning terrorist actions so she's another evil Separatist hiding behind a well intentioned facade. How predictable.
Me: Well, yeah, but that adds strength to her convictions and makes it more complex.

2.Padme's mentor is being coerced somehow: Oh, of course, the only GOOD Separatist they have has to be threatened if she's doing something bad.
Me: Well, yeah, but that shows that even among the Separatists, there are those with high moral character.

3.Padme's mentor is not involved in the attacks in any conceivable way: Well, what the heck was the point of THAT, then?
Me: ...To develop characters and show that good separatists exist?

 

So, is Raxus going to be Raxus Prime? Or just another Raxus?

 

It's just Raxus. I hope, and I'm pretty sure, it's not related to Prime in anyway. Raxus is the name of the star in the Raxus Prime system.

 

Damn, Ahsoka looks so awesome. Anakin looks great, much more like RotS.

Agreed about Obi-Wan looking skinnier.

 

"When the Senate begins debate on a bill that would eliminate government oversight of the Banking Clan's activities,"
Government oversight? Gah, I feel like I'm hearing something on the political news channel: Galaxy-SPAN or G-SPAN or something. I'm liking that Lott Dodd will be back. How about Clovus?
Lott Dodd = James Hong? Yes? No?
[image=http://www.starwars.com/databank/character/lottdod/img/eu_sm.jpg][image=http://www.jameshong.com/Copy%20of%20hong02l.JPG]

 

Anakin needs work and so does Obi-Wan. But, at the same time, I'm glad it's not a huge jump. If they completely resembled Ewan McGregor and Hayden in ROTS, then they jumped too far in the timeline. I think for now they look fine, but, still, I think they could have at least waited until season three was near complete to show the new models.