Lit Which Clone Wars multimedia project did you personally prefer?

The original was great partly because of the real-time aspect. Three years in-universe and out. We saw the progression through the novels and comics, with things like the Phase II armour introduced into the Honoghr storyline in Republic, and Anakin developing his ROTS look and getting his scar. Obviously Shatterpoint and the like are highs (and I don't think The Clone Wars ever quite reached that level of quality), but I appreciated the progression most of all. The CGI series sorta takes place in some amorphous lump of time between AOTC and ROTS; Anakin already has his ROTS look in the first month of the war.

Just great, but I suppose in a you-had-to-be-there way.

 

TCW was quite enjoyable. It's probably the reason I'm such a big fan of SW in general. But it never felt like it was trying to amount to anything. It wasn't trying like 02-05. Most episodes are just stories out of context. There's not much of a central narrative. It never felt like it was trying to bridge the gap between AOTC and ROTS.

 

I have two answers. Answer one is the first wave CW stuff we got back in day. I had collected some of the figures that came out to commemorate the DVD release. My youngest son was way young back then and he was enamored with the OG Clone Wars cartoon. So much so, that he hunted down my MIB figures and absconded them and would play with them in secret when ever I was at work. He was hooked and we have had great fun together ever since sharing SW.

Taking the proud dad part out of it, I liked the second wave for the depth of story and new people we met and certain story lines that were introduced or more background information that was introduced. By this time my son and I had a détente and he had his own collection so figures I picked up for the new clone wars movie were safe

 

Concerning a lot of the CIS villains, I really don't understand what it was about Grievous' storyline that needed changing from the multimedia project.

 

I honestly like it better... I remember in 2004, McCallum was saying he hoped the backstory for Grievous would show how twisted he was, how he gave up his body for power.

 

Disney has nothing to do with the Clone Wars. It was Lucas who decided the original Clone Wars material wasn’t good enough and replaced it all with the Filoni cartoon which overall was a pretty lame move. They could have at least made an effort to save some of the previous work.

 

disney has supplanted lucas as the subject of our ire

 

Yes. The original Clone Wars multimedia project is VASTLY superior to the Filonian model.

 

First one, much more compelling stories for the Jedi, and the villains are much better handled. Dooku is very evil in Legends, sure, but I felt humanity in him. I feel like Dooku in TCW is too much of a mustache-twirling villain. Don't even get me started on Grievous...
However, I will concede that Anakin is probably better in TCW. I find it so weird in Legends that he was only knighted like six months before ROTS. Then in ROTS, he thinks he deserves to be a master.

 

Filoni makes cartoons. I think it's unfair to expect from him anything deeply insightful when his strengths are entirely in the visual and direction department.

 

No. He also takes a heavy hand in the writing of the scripts and all the story moves are at his direction

 

None of them. You never get a feel that there's a war going on with strategy, diplomacy and so forth, it looks just like a random series of adventures involving one-man armies, be they Jedi or Acolytes of Dooku. Look, the Separatists have conquered / are just about to conquer such and such vital resource. Let's go in and save the day! Part of this is explained away by the cartoons (both old and new) being Republic propaganda, but this then raises the question of why is not there a source from a wannabe-impartial viewpoint of a future historian (a la Asimov's original Foundation trilogy)

The only exception I can think of is the Operation Durge's Lance -> Recapture of Duro -> Battle of Balmorra -> Outer Rim Sieges / Labyrinth of Evil progression from the original multimedia project, which gives us at least a sense of how the war was poised to end (and this is in turn contradicted by the ROTS novelization which states that the Republic was losing the war).

Besides that, nothing. We don't get an answer to arguably important questions. Like what would it take for one side to win the war, and how much effort do they devote to it. What are their official military strategies? What are their official plans towards the political organization of the post-war galaxy? How does Palpatine's secretly prepare (because you don't do that without some necessary bureaucratic preparation) for the eventual Republic-to-Empire transition? Or how do relations between the two states work in what has been so far presented as a single-nation galaxy, with probably no concept of international relations? And so on.

 

The Republic Commando books kind of go into the grand scheme of things, esp. in the last two books.
Basically, by the middle of the war the Republic is quite spread out only capturing insignificant planets. The CIS capitals are relatively safe, pumping out armies. The Seppies decide to take advantage of this and amass a lot of their warships to attack the scarcely defended Coruscant. Meanwhile the Republic has secretly been developing a "second wave" of clones and warships must faster than the Kamino facilities. The CIS goes with their gambit and attacks Coruscant. They initially do well only to be counterattacked by the second wave. The CIS fleet is gutted and retreats with heavy casualties. Now the Republic suddenly has much greater numbers thanks to the reinforcements. With everything in place they begin pushing outwards into the CIS' prized Outer Rim.

But I agree most stories are just "here's a battle out of context". They give us several dozens of out-of-context battles that ultimately amount to no narrative for the war.

 

The first CW project is my personal favorite.

 

The first major push had it's moments, for sure. I loved the cartoon portrayal of Durge and General Grievous (there's no way THAT was making it on screen, I think), and the high octane action. Right now I'm reading through the Legends novel chronologically, and I'm finishing up Dark Rendezvous. I never read the Republic comics, so I can't comment on those, but these books rely heavily on those novels, which is awesome. I have no idea what happened on Jabiim or Honoghr, but I keep feeling like I need to track down those comics and find out - a major plus. These novels are doing wonders TCW never did: giving Dooku actual characterization (I actually enjoyed his time on page when I'm usually bored when he's on screen). Shatterpoint made me appreciate Mace, even if I still generally hate him, but Stover is a master.

That being said, TCW was worth losing that original push for. I'm sorry, but for all of the moments I loved from the original, I'll take TCW. The characters arcs were more fulfilling (for me, Anakin/Obi-Wan/Satine wasn't a more interesting way to deal with Anakin's marriage than Halcyon). It was far easier for me to connect with TCW characters, and honestly, I've forgotten most of the Clone Wars novel characters up until this point. It's not that the novels were bad, but out of Jedi Trial and Cestus Deception, I can't really say much stuck except Obi-Wan's snail lawyer. TCW is something I still want to revisit, but I don't generally put on the original series when I have nothing to do. It's fun action, but TCW asks hard questions, or gives us entertaining escapades when it doesn't.

I dunno. Maybe because I didn't grow up in that era, it's easier for me to accept what I did grow up in.

 

Yeah, exactly, thanks for reminding me. I loved that "second clone army" plot of the later RC books. Too bad it wasn't picked up by other sources (it probably has to do with the timing of the releases, i.e. around the beginning of TCW).

 

The second clone army presumably was mostly a tie into the Thrawn trilogy recounting of the Clone Wars.

 

It's no contest for me. Shatterpoint, DR, LoE, The Republic comics remain some of my favorite Star Wars works period.

TCW was a solid show but it never reached those kinds of highs for me. Also wasn't a huge fan of turning every CIS character into a one demensional incompetent cardboard cutout of thier former selves. When you are making a cartoon about the clone wars and your most fleshed out and menacing villians are Robo Maul and his Madalorian criminal syndicate, you did something wrong somewhere.

As far as lows, as bad as Jedi Trial is, Commander Froggers 4 episode droid brigade arc was so much worse.

 

In the end, despite our own personal feelings, it's what's most financially successful that matters to the owners. And I think the Clone Wars film and CGI series was more successful?

Dave Filoni: I challenge you, one animator to another. And only the strongest shall rule the Clone Wars.

Genndy Tartakovsky: So be it. Give him his weapon. (charges Filoni like Samurai Jack)

(vicious duel ensues. Genndy is beaten. His Clone Wars DVD's are reduced to ebay relics. They are not even given a digital or blu-ray release).

Genndy (on his knees and beaten): Like you said, only the strongest shall rule.

(Filoni finishes the deed)

Filoni: I claim my rightful place as leader of animated Star Wars.

(fans line up to kneel before Filoni)

 

I love the 2008 one, but then again the 2007 One did have both Battlefront games...hard choice

 

Ahsoka and Rex are not in the first Clone Wars project, it is therefore inferior to me.

 

Ahsoka and Rex are not in the first Clone Wars project, it is therefore superior to me.

 

how do you feel about Alpha-17

 

Alpha was originally going to be Rex, but they changed it because then to many main characters would start with A.