I'm diggin' this "Clone Wars" series

[Brikar99]

Now, I hate the "Star Wars" prequels something fierce. But this series... this I'm liking. Maybe it's the shorter run times, the animation style, the fact that I actually care about some of these characters (even some of the clones!), very little Jar Jar...

But this show is pretty fun. The animation is really impressive for a TV production, and it looks pretty dang great on blu-ray! There are problems in that it's still a prequel, so I know how certain characters will end up, and that the whole thing ends with the godawful "Revenge of the Sith" anyhow, but I can usually manage to forget all that and have a good time.

I'm also liking that it's a bit more mature than I was expecting. It's also a bit more mature than the pilot movie that was released in theatres. That they'll actually show characters run through by lightsabers, blown into the vacuum of space, or even shot point-blank in cold blood.

So bravo, "Clone Wars". Bravo.

 

[Kegg]

Yeah, this is a surprisingly watchable show overall and pretty much where I'm currently getting my space opera fix. As eye candy, also, very nice. This is definitely something it's worthwhile watching in HD.

As far as the prequel element goes, the CGI-design of the prequel films seems better suited to cartoons than live-action (they were halfway there already, after all), and we still have no idea what'll happen to Ashoka Tano, who is of course never mentioned in the subsequent films - or, for that matter, do we know for certain the fate of Rex.

There's the probable result that Rex will do the Order 66 thing and Ashoka will die, of course, but I'm curious if they'll shy away from that.

 

[Caliburn24]

My brother and I were watching one of the latest episodes recently, and we both came to the conclusion that it would be marvelous if Asoka went to the darkside and Anakin had to hunt her down at the end of the series.

I just wish they would do a post-ROTJ series like Clone Wars, it could be amazing.

 

[Mr Light]

I love Clone Wars. Of course I also love the Prequels to some degree. But getting new Star Wars every week or so is a wonderful thing.

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

The harder things to reconcile are

The costume changes, such as Kenobi in clone armor, when the Jedi are all about the robe look even in war time (except midriff and cleavage baring Aayla Secura).

Plus the non-Sith/Sith wannabe character Assaj Ventress has been a bit of a cop-out to work around that silly rule of two the Sith have.

And the Seperatists suffer heavy losses every other episode (battle droids I can understand, but massive space cruisers?), are incompetently led, never seem to win battles, but the war lasts 3 years or so.

 

[exodus]

^^You need to pay more attention to the opening monolog, they've anounced several wins by the Seperatists army. They've also mentioned worlds we've seen the Republic control, the Seperatists have taken back. Also during the series we've seen the Republic loose several massive cruisers as well. However, Gen. Grevious himself has mentioned a few times in the series that he can't win with just Battle Driods because they are stupid.

Anywhoo...

I'm really enjoying the series as well and I think it helps enhance the prequels.
I'm finding I'm enjoying Gen. Greivous and even Jar Jar more as "cartoon" characters than in the live action films. Their style and quirky personalities fit better within an animated series context.

Cad Bane is freakin' awesome!!!

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

They announce Seperatist wins for the sake of setting up the episode, but they don't show wins.

Cad Bane did win by freeing Ziro the Hutt, though. I'll give them that. And he got the holocron, though Sidious's scheme failed in the end.

 

[Kegg]

They announce Seperatist wins for the sake of setting up the episode, but they don't show wins.

Bingo. The only reason the Separatists took Geonosis again is so the Jedi can take it back again, and so on.

The portrayal of the war is very elastic - we'll see nothing but a series of victories with our heroes and then be told the Separatists have been winning the whole time. Even after whole campaigns like, say, Ryloth - but then, after the whole 'the Trade Federation are still kinda sorta in the Republic' fiasco it's clear the series has something of a difficulty in portraying the war in a coherent manner.

I like the series but I don't are much for its efforts at painting the war with broader strokes or its dabbling in politics as neither, clearly, is its strong suit.

The costume changes, such as Kenobi in clone armor, when the Jedi are all about the robe look even in war time (except midriff and cleavage baring Aayla Secura).

I'm willing to roll with that because honestly not wearing armour never did make a lot of sense (except in the RPG logic that casters wear cloth.)

 

[exodus]

They announce Seperatist wins for the sake of setting up the episode, but they don't show wins.

Bingo. The only reason the Separatists took Geonosis again is so the Jedi can take it back again, and so on.

The portrayal of the war is very elastic - we'll see nothing but a series of victories with our heroes and then be told the Separatists have been winning the whole time. Even after whole campaigns like, say, Ryloth - but then, after the whole 'the Trade Federation are still kinda sorta in the Republic' fiasco it's clear the series has something of a difficulty in portraying the war in a coherent manner.

Fair enough but within the series itself, they mention one Jedi can take of at least 30 Battle Droids by themselves & that Clone Troopers are better soldiers than Droids, so of course they're going to defeat them.

The bigger picture is, every victory is still a loss because when Order 66 is given every world the Jedi help "free", they're actually helping the Empire cement their control over them. So technically the Jedi aren't winning anything. They pawns, just like Grievous is.

 

[Hermiod]

No matter how many battles the Republic wins, they still incur losses that they can't easily replace while the Separatists just manufacture more and more droids.

Ahsoka seems to be a prime candidate for a turn to the dark side rather than death through Order 66. She's impatient, petulant and disrespectful - which sounds just like another Jedi.

 

[Kegg]

No matter how many battles the Republic wins, they still incur losses that they can't easily replace while the Separatists just manufacture more and more droids.

That depends. Limiting ourselves to the battles actually seen onscreen, we've seen only a handful of Jedi actually die. And your average battle tends not to have more than four of them anyway.

There have been a lot of clone deaths, but they're like the droids: More can just come off the assembly line.

She's impatient, petulant and disrespectful - which sounds just like another Jedi.

She's a plucky young kid. Luke was a tad earnest too and he turned out alright. It'll be interesting to see where they are going with her, and if she doesn't die in Order 66 (or earlier, during the war) whether or not she'll play any role in the live action series.

 

[exodus]

I don't think Asoka will turn.
She supposed to being for the younger audience who is seeing the SW universe thru her eyes.
I think she'll be sent away to the outer reaches of the Outer Rim, making her one of the few Jedi to going into exile. Making her one of the Jedi, Vader is looking for in the OT.

 

[Kibbin]

When this was first announced I was sure that she will be killed by Ventress near the end, Anakin will wig out hunt her down and kill her further pushing him along the path to the dark side.

 

[Hermiod]

That depends. Limiting ourselves to the battles actually seen onscreen, we've seen only a handful of Jedi actually die. And your average battle tends not to have more than four of them anyway.

I wasn't referring to Jedi.

There have been a lot of clone deaths, but they're like the droids: More can just come off the assembly line.

Not according to Attack of the Clones. The Caminoians made it clear that it would take a while to grow more beyond the initial order.

 

[Kegg]

I wasn't referring to Jedi.

Then what? We've seen clones even man starships, though there are still a few non-clone officers like Yularen. Jedi are the one indispensable resource of the Republic.

Not according to Attack of the Clones. The Caminoians made it clear that it would take a while to grow more beyond the initial order.

Your point being? If one was to go to war you'd probably put the Kaminoans on overtime, or farm it out if needed. Even assuming clone replenishing time is lower, droid deaths are generally portrayed as being much higher, so it'd even out.

 

[Hermiod]

Then what? We've seen clones even man starships, though there are still a few non-clone officers like Yularen. Jedi are the one indispensable resource of the Republic.

I was referring to the clones.

Your point being? If one was to go to war you'd probably put the Kaminoans on overtime, or farm it out if needed. Even assuming clone replenishing time is lower, droid deaths are generally portrayed as being much higher, so it'd even out.

My point is that each victory is much more costly for the Republic than the loss is for the Separatists. They have to pick their battles much more carefully.

Remember - the initial order for the original clone army was made several years before the Republic officially took delivery. Yes, they did say that they were starting to think the Republic had forgotten about them but it at least implies that creating new clones takes a lot longer than they can really afford.

 

[Kegg]

Remember - the initial order for the original clone army was made several years before the Republic officially took delivery.

Exactly. A fully grown clone army ready to order and on standby for a while, overdue for pickup.

 

[exodus]

They already said this season that Droids are being created faster than they could grow Clones. It's the main reason why that had to destroy the Droid foundrey on Geonosis.

 

[Kegg]

Point, exodus.

Anyway, the key thing about the thread should be liking the series. Now, while I consider myself a mid-range Star Wars geek (I'm geeky enough to know who Plo Koon and Ki Adi Mundi were already, or to recognize the use an Admiral Thrawn gambit in the first season) I'll admit I didn't know who Luminara Unduli was before this series started.

I must say, she's probably the best supporting Jedi the show has. And I recognize that flies in the face of fan favourites like Mace Windu and the almighty Yoda; but she's serene, confident, well characterised/voice acted, and generally charming.

 

[exodus]

Point, exodus.

Anyway, the key thing about the thread should be liking the series. Now, while I consider myself a mid-range Star Wars geek (I'm geeky enough to know who Plo Koon and Ki Adi Mundi were already, or to recognize the use an Admiral Thrawn gambit in the first season) I'll admit I didn't know who Luminara Unduli was before this series started.

I must say, she's probably the best supporting Jedi the show has. And I recognize that flies in the face of fan favourites like Mace Windu and the almighty Yoda; but she's serene, confident, well characterised/voice acted, and generally charming.

I like her too but I find her very...........detached, more so that I expected Jedi too be. Especially when she was willing to allow her padawan to die being buried alive without making any effort to save her, while knowing she was still alive.

BTW, is anybody frightened by the fact Jar Jar is going to be trained to use a blaster?