Man this was great. Not really surprising, as it went back to some of the strongest material from both TCW and Rebels. And we finally get to see Hera's mom! Also, I love Chop. My favorite droid, hands down.
So, something interesting I've noticed. They don't have the clones take their helmets off much anymore. Since we left Kamino, we've hardly seen them without their kit on. The obvious exceptions are the Batch themselves, Crosshair and Rex. Which makes sense, because they are our core cast. But now we have Howzer. This guy is something of a throwback. He's still wearing his individualized armor, still seemingly thinking for himself and even questioning (though ultimately following) orders when he doesn't like the smell of them. And we see him with his helmet off a bunch. In fact, he takes it off every chance he gets.
It's no accident. He's the most Clone Trooper clone we've seen all series other than Rex. The others are transitioning into Stormtroopers. Faceless cogs in the machine. I loved the deliberate dichotomy. If anything, it makes the tragedy of the clones even more poignant. Not all of them were completely subsumed by Order 66, it would seem. Which leaves room for someone like Rex to stand up and try to save them from the Empire. And even though we can guess that they almost certainly fail, given what we've seen later, I'm really rooting for it. The clones don't deserve this. To see their legacy destroyed, their deeds and bravery twisted. To become symbols of the very oppression they fought against.
On that note, it was interesting how positively menacing the descent of the gunships coming to arrest Gobi and Hera was. After years of associating the gunship with heroism and salvation, now it has almost overnight become ominous, something to fear. Some of this stuff is wonderfully subtle, but the world building is top notch. We, like Cham, want to see the clones as a force for something positive because we've spent so long thinking of them in that way. But now that image has become a weapon to blind people to the truth, and to ease the Empire's conquest. It's horrifying. Really effective stuff.
So, something interesting I've noticed. They don't have the clones take their helmets off much anymore. Since we left Kamino, we've hardly seen them without their kit on. The obvious exceptions are the Batch themselves, Crosshair and Rex. Which makes sense, because they are our core cast. But now we have Howzer. This guy is something of a throwback. He's still wearing his individualized armor, still seemingly thinking for himself and even questioning (though ultimately following) orders when he doesn't like the smell of them. And we see him with his helmet off a bunch. In fact, he takes it off every chance he gets.
It's no accident. He's the most Clone Trooper clone we've seen all series other than Rex. The others are transitioning into Stormtroopers. Faceless cogs in the machine. I loved the deliberate dichotomy. If anything, it makes the tragedy of the clones even more poignant. Not all of them were completely subsumed by Order 66, it would seem. Which leaves room for someone like Rex to stand up and try to save them from the Empire. And even though we can guess that they almost certainly fail, given what we've seen later, I'm really rooting for it. The clones don't deserve this. To see their legacy destroyed, their deeds and bravery twisted. To become symbols of the very oppression they fought against.
On that note, it was interesting how positively menacing the descent of the gunships coming to arrest Gobi and Hera was. After years of associating the gunship with heroism and salvation, now it has almost overnight become ominous, something to fear. Some of this stuff is wonderfully subtle, but the world building is top notch. We, like Cham, want to see the clones as a force for something positive because we've spent so long thinking of them in that way. But now that image has become a weapon to blind people to the truth, and to ease the Empire's conquest. It's horrifying. Really effective stuff.
