Star Wars - the Clone Wars series

[Temis the Vorta]

So I finally watched the first two episodes.

Pro's:
1. Anakin's portrayal is much better than in the movies.

2. The new girl character (Anoushka) comes off as a genuine kid but not annoying.

3. The animation (of non-humanoid elements) was better than I expected; I especially liked the "coral" planet in the first episode. And the space battle scenes are convincing.

4. Good re-use of John Williams' themes. I noticed especially the "Yoda" theme from ESB which I think was ignored in the prequels?

5. Although I still don't much care for the idea of all the Republic foot soldiers being clones, they've made a good attempt at differentiating them and depicting the problem of them thinking of themselves as disposable.

6. The writers/producers have managed to return some of the humor and humanity to Star Wars that the prequels completely lost.

Con's:
1. Don't care for the way people are animated. Even Yoda looks wrong. Anakin and Anoushka have the same blocky facial structure, which seems to be imposed by the style of animation. Dooku and Ventress just look completely bizarre.

2. I know this is supposed to be about the Clone Wars era, but are all the stories just going to be about, err, the Clone Wars? Because the actual depiction of the war, and what the Jedi Council is planning, and them ragging on Anakin and Anoushka for being 'rogue cops' is already starting to bore me. I fast-forwarded the extended scenes with Yoda kicking butt. I get it, I get it. Yoda kicks butt. Five minutes are all that you need to establish that fact. Beyond that, it becomes a repetitive bore.

3. DS9 managed to do a series that was largely war-based and I loved it so I don't know what the problem is. Maybe the villains are too one-note for my tastes. I don't think the problem is that I know the ending of the story already - that didn't stop me from enjoying Band of Brothers for instance.

4. Those damn clones. It just seems like that one throwaway line about "clone wars" from ANH is being taken far too literally - there must have been a hundred other ways to justify the name without imposing such a limitation on the characters. Having a wider range of foot-soldier types, from planets all over the Republic, would have been more interesting, and might actually be enough to keep me watching. The wars could have been started by a pair of clones working for the Separatists or something. The clones don't even have to be important to the story.

4a. This may have been covered in the prequels and I just forgot it, but why does the Republic need clones to fight its battles? Can't it get member planets to send soldiers who would volunteer to fight to defend their way of life? What kind of Republic is this, anyway?

So should I keep watching or just pack it in? Obviously this is going to continue to be about war, complete with extended fight scenes that are already boring me, and the villains aren't going to suddenly evolve into Weyoun and Dukat...are there some future plot twists that might make it worth slogging through?

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

One thing I got bored of was the little trite bit of "wisdom" at the start of each episode. Such as; "Fear is a disease; hope is its only cure."

Also, you might want to look ahead and safely skip the episode with Jar Jar (inevitable, wasn't it?)

It's patchy and to be sure I've not been able to sit down and either watch or download the whole thing. But it's not too bad really. There's a nice bit of space combat in the next few episodes for you and from what I recall they don't push the whole Clones-are-people-too shtick too hard any more.

As an online comic I just can't find (rather amusingly) pointed out, the animated General Grevious is a pretty dangerous fellow, more befitting of his movie counterpart. So good at it he introduced my daughter to the idea of killing things and so I had to start watching the episodes in advance.

I didn't think though that the little bit between Yoda and his clone escort in the first episode was all that bad though and Ventris was surprisingly hot for an balding murderous animated character

 

[DarKush]

I've found the series enjoyable enough so far, but its not necessarily must see TV. One of criticisms of the first season was the overuse of Grevious and Ventress. As lame as I think Grevious is, he was supposed to be a badass, Jedi killer and overall butcher but to have him get defeated and run away like a coward on almost every episode he was in, undermined him. Same with Ventress's street cred. I'm glad they started correcting that in the season finale, though Cad Bane doesn't do much for me. I would've preferred Durge (from the animated shorts and the Republic comics).

I would've really have loved to see the Yuuzhan Vong War done up in this style rather than the Clone Wars, because I think it had been pretty well covered by the movies and the multimedia projects.

 

[SeerSGB]

As an online comic I just can't find (rather amusingly) pointed out, the animated General Grevious is a pretty dangerous fellow, more befitting of his movie counterpart. So good at it he introduced my daughter to the idea of killing things and so I had to start watching the episodes in advance.

Here ya' go: VG Cats #155

VG Cats, panel clipping:

 

[Hunter X]

I'd suggest sticking it out until episode five, which is probably the best showcase of what the series can do. The series is an anthology of stories from the war, so it doesn't follow all that much continuity aside from the mini-arcs. This also makes the quality pretty hit and miss, or at least, inconsistent in how kid vs. adult friendly it is. Episodes that focus on Jar Jar or Asoka feel like they skew younger to me. Episodes that focus on the clones or random Jedi skew older and tend to be more violent, probably because they can actually put non-movie characters--who aren't teenage girls--in believable danger.

 

[Chris3123]

2. The new girl character (Anoushka)

It's Ahsoka, actually. How did you get "Anoushka"?

 

[Worf2DS9]

I still haven't seen the feature-length Clone Wars movie that precedes the series, and initially I was a little leary of the video-gamey look to the characters, but I did watch the series and surprisingly I really ended up liking it. By the season finale, I was quite looking forward to Season 2. I'm also really impressed with the CG space effects (outerspace, ships, planets), which look to be almost on par with what was seen in the prequels.

 

[Cutter John]

Only seen the 'pilot' move and a handful of episodes. But I've liked what I've seen. Holding out for the season 1 dvd set though.

 

[firehawk12]

Ashoka really is the best thing that has come out of the series, only because we have no ideal if she'll be chopped into little pieces by Anakin later on.

That said, the series is mostly enjoyable if you place yourself in the mind set of a 12 year old boy. It's stuff going boom in HD. On that level, it's actually pretty good. Even the Jar Jar episodes were tolerable.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

"Clone Wars" actually features some *very* strong and well-crafted writing, particularly in the realm of "realism" for the Clones themselves. If you happen to be a SW fan, the episodes also do a very good job of capturing the "OT" spirit -- much better than the PT ever did. I'd even go so far to say that the CW series is a better "prequel" to the OT than Eps. 1-3 (even if ROTS is my favorite SW film).

The "wisdom" at the beginning of each episode might seem a bit pretentious at first ... however, it does demonstrate the fact that each installment of the series has a purpose and a message beyond simply trying to portray the Clone Wars on screen. It's this deeper subtext that makes the series worth watching. Again, if you're a SW fan, it's worth your while to watch the show -- provided you're willing to accept some stylistic conceits (such as the "wooden" visual portrayal of the humanoid characters). And even if you're not a big SW fan, there's enough to each episode to make them worth watching.

Indeed, one of the best "successes" of the series was in how well they "humanized" the clones. You can see that at work in "Ambush" (the first episode of the series). From there, the show takes a very honest and sincere approach to the devastation of war -- including the rather graphic deaths of various clones.

Put simply, Clone Wars is a very well-written show ... well-worth the investment of time, particularly if you're a SW fan.

 

[nx1701g]

Ashoka really is the best thing that has come out of the series, only because we have no ideal if she'll be chopped into little pieces by Anakin later on.

I agree, but I like the character of Ahsoka. She's something different in my opinion.

Like many I also like how the Clones are shown to be different and not all uniform - we even have clones who defect to the Confederacy!

 

[Admiral_Young]

Ahsoka was the main reason I decided to finally watch the movie and she didn't disappoint. Plus it doesn't hurt that Ashley Eckstein is a hottie too. I'm curious as to Ahsoka's ultimate fate as well at the end of the series if will we even get to see what happens to her or not. Anakin's portrayal in the series is what I thought it should have been in Episode II. I enjoyed most of the first season and am looking forward to the second season.

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

I've enjoyed the series, but it gets repetative sometimes, because...

1. The Republic always wins in the end. (They do in the end anyway, but still...)

2. Seperatist leaders are numbingly incompetent and/or chicken-shat cowardly.

3. Lightsaber battles usually end with someone fleeing.

4. Battles are usually one sided. WE got them by surprise...boom...ships blow up or retreat.

5. Anytime there's a small force and there's plain white clones...they are the red shirts. How the hell they win the war with those guys is a mystery. 85% of them die in any given crash, crashes where Jar Jar survives.

6. Good guys often manage to avoid killing anything organic, especially the Jedi (who do value life, but they are at war). KILLER BEASTS...don't worry...Obi-Wan will corral them off. The Seperatist army is 99.999999999% robots, too.

Also, Assaj Ventress is a cop out character...even Grievous is, too. There's only two Sith...but here's some evil lightsaber users who technically aren't Sith but ally with Sith because...Jedi just fighting dumb droids lacks drama.

 

[Nick Ryder]

I actually kind of enjoy the series and yeah it does sort of get a bit repetitive, but then again you are essentially talking about a series of 6 movies and then you're making a weekly animated series. I do have high hopes for Season 2 though, considering they now have had a full year to work out the kinks, get feedback, and generally figure out where the fuck they're going. Since in some ways, the whole series could go right into E3 in a matter of a few episodes really, so you need to "pad" it, I also like the fact that they are now starting to use EU characters and other "background" characters as stars. Like Aayla Secura and Kit Fisto and such. So that actually does help a bit, since its not just watching Obi-Wan and Anakin every week. Makes it feel like they weren't the two most important jedi in the galaxy.

And hey Mace is still pretty badass too, but not as uber badass he was in the micro series. If all Jedi could take down hordes of droids, why even need the clones? Just point and boom all gone. So it makes the war seem more real. I do hope they keep the clones in their "Phase 1" armor for a while, I kind of see the Phase 1 armor as the heroic clone armor, and the Phase 2 stuff as one step from Stormtroopers and evil.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

4a. This may have been covered in the prequels and I just forgot it, but why does the Republic need clones to fight its battles? Can't it get member planets to send soldiers who would volunteer to fight to defend their way of life? What kind of Republic is this, anyway?

Simple answer is that, after so long at peace, no one really knows how to fight or even considers fighting. They'll only prevent the separatists from leaving if clones can fight for them.

If they had a standing army, they could have resisted being taken over by the Emperor. It's not until the rebellion gets formed that they realize that they have to protect themselves rather than just wallow in their own self-confidence.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

One thing I got bored of was the little trite bit of "wisdom" at the start of each episode. Such as; "Fear is a disease; hope is its only cure."

Yeah I can see how that could get teeth-grating real fast.

I just don't buy the Star Wars villains, they seem too shallow and don't have lives of their own beyond their role in moving the plot forward. Grievous just gnashes his teeth and shakes his fist, big deal. Blowing up stuff and killing people doesn't make you an interesting villain. Ventress seems like a fanboy fantasy invention. Dooku is pretty generic and his dopey name doesn't help things. The jig is up with Palpatine, although I do enjoy how obtrustively kindly his behavior is - to avoid any whiff of suspicion.

Yknow what's missing? A strong sense of WHY these people are evil. The Dark Side is seductive, easier, more fun, I get that, but only on an intellectual level. For this to work as a motive, the audience needs to feel it on a gut level. We need to think "yeah, I'd work for the Dark Side, too." That's the plotline that Lucas needs to give us - the prequels didn't, I doubt Clone Wars does. He hasn't sold these characters to me, yet.

Simple answer is that, after so long at peace, no one really knows how to fight or even considers fighting. They'll only prevent the separatists from leaving if clones can fight for them.

If they had a standing army, they could have resisted being taken over by the Emperor. It's not until the rebellion gets formed that they realize that they have to protect themselves rather than just wallow in their own self-confidence.

Wow, well my respect for the Republic just went in the toilet. They pretty much deserved what they got, then. (And this is just one more reason why I'd rather see something on the post-ROTJ revived Republic, which I could have some respect for.)

That said, the series is mostly enjoyable if you place yourself in the mind set of a 12 year old boy. It's stuff going boom in HD. On that level, it's actually pretty good. Even the Jar Jar episodes were tolerable.

Well that's not at all what I look for in a TV series. What I could go for is some evolution in the relationship between Ashoka and Anakin, to give us a sense that 1) she's in danger from him or 2) that she could go all Dark Side because of him. But just a bunch of hack & slash is mind-numbingly boring to me.

If you happen to be a SW fan, the episodes also do a very good job of capturing the "OT" spirit -- much better than the PT ever did.

Yeah that's one of the things I liked. That stiltedness seemed to be gone. Now all they need is to work a hell of a lot on the villains and give us some character development so there's a story worth following in between the hack & slash. But to me, hack & slash cannot carry the story on its own.

2. Seperatist leaders are numbingly incompetent and/or chicken-shat cowardly.

Oooh cardinal sin there. I really despise writing that sets up the villains as contemptable in a cheap effort to make the heroes look better. How about making things tougher on the heroes - pit them against competent, brave opponents who are very tough to beat and would rather die than surrender?

 

[Greylock Crescent]

I just don't buy the Star Wars villains, they seem too shallow and don't have lives of their own beyond their role in moving the plot forward. Grievous just gnashes his teeth and shakes his fist, big deal. Blowing up stuff and killing people doesn't make you an interesting villain. Ventress seems like a fanboy fantasy invention. Dooku is pretty generic and his dopey name doesn't help things. The jig is up with Palpatine, although I do enjoy how obtrustively kindly his behavior is - to avoid any whiff of suspicion.

Yknow what's missing? A strong sense of WHY these people are evil. The Dark Side is seductive, easier, more fun, I get that, but only on an intellectual level. For this to work as a motive, the audience needs to feel it on a gut level. We need to think "yeah, I'd work for the Dark Side, too." That's the plotline that Lucas needs to give us - the prequels didn't, I doubt Clone Wars does. He hasn't sold these characters to me, yet.

That's a very valid criticism. While I enjoy the show immensely (and think that it features strong characterizations), you've pointed to an important area of improvement for the writing. What's interesting is that Season 2 is supposed to focus much more on the Bounty Hunters in the galaxy -- so hopefully through them we'll get villains that are more compelling and well-developed.

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

Simple answer is that, after so long at peace, no one really knows how to fight or even considers fighting. They'll only prevent the separatists from leaving if clones can fight for them.

There are planetary security forces, like Naboo's, but not equipped or numerous to fight an interstellar war...or even really resist an invasion.

If they had a standing army, they could have resisted being taken over by the Emperor.

And as we all know, that's part of Palpatine's plan...via the clone wars, he destroys the only powers capable of major military resistance...the corporate armies of the Trade Federations, Banking Clan, etc. Of course, if they had their systems incrypted...Anakin would've killed the leaders and not been able to shut down the droid armies at all.

That would've been funny.
"Did you shut down the droid armies?"
"Uh...no."
"You got the deactivation code from Gunray before your killed him, right."
"Uh....no."

 

[Mr Light]

I really enjoy Clone Wars the series but it IS light-weight fare and is mostly just robots and flesh-robots blasting away at each other or lightsaber duels that can never end decisively since none of the characters die until ROTS.

 

[C.E. Evans]

IIRC, the producer of The Clone Wars said in an interview somewhere that the stories would vary in tone. Some episodes would skew towards kids in which this series would be their first exposure to Star Wars, while other episodes would skew towards those who were kids when Star Wars first came out. What might be interesting to one audience might be boring to another.

Personally, I love the series and I think it accomplishes what the live-action movies didn't have time to do--show that Anakin was indeed a hero and a great Jedi in his own right during the Clone Wars. During the course of the prequel trilogy, the main focus was on Anakin's transition to Vader, so much of his more nobler (if not more likeable) aspects weren't seen on the big screen, IMO...