Ended, the Clone Wars has.
March 6, 2014 9:49 AM Subscribe
On March 7th, 2014, Star Wars: The Clone Wars series comes to a close with the release on Netflix of the Lost Missions, 13 final episodes that represent a shortened season 6. Hyping the release is a nearly three minute long trailer which reveals, among other things, foreshadowing of Order 66, the secret order to eliminate the Jedi programmed into the clone army, and of force ghosts, among trying to help tie the prequel films together.
Bonus: The 22 Movie Peripheral Characters that the Clone Wars shined the spot light on. (spoileriffic!)
Bonus: The 22 Movie Peripheral Characters that the Clone Wars shined the spot light on. (spoileriffic!)
The Clone Wars started off dicey, but as the show went on it got steadily better. The one thing it was from the beginning is beautiful. If you, like me, see much of the prequel trilogy and a waste of Lucasfilm and ILM's unrivaled production design talent, you will be repeatedly wowed by The Clone Wars. And Clone Wars Aanakin>Hayden Christiansen. If you're a Star Wars fan, it's absolutely worth your time.
posted by vibrotronica at 10:07 AM on March 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by vibrotronica at 10:07 AM on March 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
YES YES YES About frickin' time.
Joelhunt, it was produced by people who were intimately familiar with movie canon and obviously cared passionately about the show. They took full advantage of the animated medium in order to produce stories that would not have been possible in a live-action show. The voice actors were excellent -- ESPECIALLY Dee Bradley Baker, who did the voices for every single clone trooper on the show. There were episodes with a dozen clone trooper speaking roles, and he always managed to make them sound like individuals. See this short interview: "Voicing an Army" which contains minor spoilers for an episode or two.
Character development... some were deep. Others, not so much. But above all, the show was consistent about character development. Something that happened to a character in season one might be referenced and expanded upon in season three. They often gave meatier roles to nearly two dozen characters that had made minor or brief appearances in the movies.
Story quality varied. Some were bland and predictable from the get-go. Others were excellent. I haven't shown the series to my son yet because there are a few characters that die and he was just too young to handle that well while the series was airing. But now that he's six, I'm planning on starting from the beginning with him.
posted by zarq at 10:22 AM on March 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
Joelhunt, it was produced by people who were intimately familiar with movie canon and obviously cared passionately about the show. They took full advantage of the animated medium in order to produce stories that would not have been possible in a live-action show. The voice actors were excellent -- ESPECIALLY Dee Bradley Baker, who did the voices for every single clone trooper on the show. There were episodes with a dozen clone trooper speaking roles, and he always managed to make them sound like individuals. See this short interview: "Voicing an Army" which contains minor spoilers for an episode or two.
Character development... some were deep. Others, not so much. But above all, the show was consistent about character development. Something that happened to a character in season one might be referenced and expanded upon in season three. They often gave meatier roles to nearly two dozen characters that had made minor or brief appearances in the movies.
Story quality varied. Some were bland and predictable from the get-go. Others were excellent. I haven't shown the series to my son yet because there are a few characters that die and he was just too young to handle that well while the series was airing. But now that he's six, I'm planning on starting from the beginning with him.
posted by zarq at 10:22 AM on March 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
Here's IMDb's parental guide for the series, which are submitted by users.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:24 AM on March 6, 2014
posted by filthy light thief at 10:24 AM on March 6, 2014
It's fun to watch it mixed in with the movies. I did a modified version of the Machete Order:
Episode IV - A New Hope
Episode V - Empire
Episode I - Phantom Menace
Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Clone Wars
Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
posted by VTX at 10:44 AM on March 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
Episode IV - A New Hope
Episode V - Empire
Episode I - Phantom Menace
Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Clone Wars
Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
posted by VTX at 10:44 AM on March 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
I admit I never saw this before, so my comment is not about this series. It's about the entire name "Clone Wars". After the first three movies were done, what my imagination said was that the "Clone Wars" was a war of shadows, with important people being replaced by ringers (clones) and the Jedi in the thick of it because they were the only ones who could tell who the ringers were.
The reality, once revealed in the next three movies, was really unimpressive. The clones were nothing more than bottle-grown cannon fodder, and they weren't even all that good of cannon fodder. (Well, they were really good at dying, but besides that.) There was a scene in the fifth movie (episode 2) with a robot army on one side (run by the bad guys) and a clone army on the other (run by Yoda), using completely ridiculous tactics, and dying like flies.
It was a complete disappointment, and that was when I lost interest in the canon.
There was no reason why a clone army would be particularly any more of a threat than any other. It's not like tyrants have ever had a hard time coming up with cannon fodder, after all. About the only advantage of the clone army was that it simplified the supply chain, since they all wore the same size clothing (and armor).
Now it might have made a difference if the guy they cloned was a particularly good soldier, and thus all the clones would be too. Maybe they could be stronger and faster than average, and have better coordination, and be more accurate when shooting.
But the evidence was that they were not. If anything they seemed sub-par.
Or they could have had a group-mind. But they didn't.
So why bother?
Well, because Lucas had tossed in the phrase "clone wars" in the first movie, and he had to do something with it in the prequel. That's the only reason for it.
Bah.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 10:53 AM on March 6, 2014 [11 favorites]
The reality, once revealed in the next three movies, was really unimpressive. The clones were nothing more than bottle-grown cannon fodder, and they weren't even all that good of cannon fodder. (Well, they were really good at dying, but besides that.) There was a scene in the fifth movie (episode 2) with a robot army on one side (run by the bad guys) and a clone army on the other (run by Yoda), using completely ridiculous tactics, and dying like flies.
It was a complete disappointment, and that was when I lost interest in the canon.
There was no reason why a clone army would be particularly any more of a threat than any other. It's not like tyrants have ever had a hard time coming up with cannon fodder, after all. About the only advantage of the clone army was that it simplified the supply chain, since they all wore the same size clothing (and armor).
Now it might have made a difference if the guy they cloned was a particularly good soldier, and thus all the clones would be too. Maybe they could be stronger and faster than average, and have better coordination, and be more accurate when shooting.
But the evidence was that they were not. If anything they seemed sub-par.
Or they could have had a group-mind. But they didn't.
So why bother?
Well, because Lucas had tossed in the phrase "clone wars" in the first movie, and he had to do something with it in the prequel. That's the only reason for it.
Bah.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 10:53 AM on March 6, 2014 [11 favorites]
Father of a five year old who's sensitive to violence. While he's yet to see the movies, that doesn't stop pre-school classmates from telling him who Luke's father is (I subsequently told the offending kid that all sleds should always be named Rosebud).
Clone Wars is a really nice way to get kids introduced to the universe, and I think it's a pretty good show in its own right. The characterizations are basically the same as in the movies, but tweaked for children. It's definitely one of the few kids series that can be reasonably watched with their adults.
Do note that while the series is infinitely better than most kids shows, people do die - and even when people don't die the subject matter can get kind of heavy.
posted by NoRelationToLea at 10:53 AM on March 6, 2014
Clone Wars is a really nice way to get kids introduced to the universe, and I think it's a pretty good show in its own right. The characterizations are basically the same as in the movies, but tweaked for children. It's definitely one of the few kids series that can be reasonably watched with their adults.
Do note that while the series is infinitely better than most kids shows, people do die - and even when people don't die the subject matter can get kind of heavy.
posted by NoRelationToLea at 10:53 AM on March 6, 2014
Here's IMDb's parental guide for the series, which are submitted by users.
"A married couple shares occassional brief (yet passionate) kisses."
Yeah...many a young person has been turned down the wrong road in life by brief, passionate, animated kisses.
posted by ChrisTN at 10:57 AM on March 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
"A married couple shares occassional brief (yet passionate) kisses."
Yeah...many a young person has been turned down the wrong road in life by brief, passionate, animated kisses.
posted by ChrisTN at 10:57 AM on March 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
Just curious and a total derail, but why the hell did it take until 2011 for somebody to come up with the idea of cloning sith/jedi?
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 11:03 AM on March 6, 2014
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 11:03 AM on March 6, 2014
The reality, once revealed in the next three movies, was really unimpressive. The clones were nothing more than bottle-grown cannon fodder, and they weren't even all that good of cannon fodder. (Well, they were really good at dying, but besides that.) There was a scene in the fifth movie (episode 2) with a robot army on one side (run by the bad guys) and a clone army on the other (run by Yoda), using completely ridiculous tactics, and dying like flies.
Actually, Clone Wars does a really interesting thing with this. They tell several stories from the perspectives of the clones; explain how they differentiate among themselves with nicknames; have a story about a clone who was defective, and about one who deserted. The writers really dug into some of what the reality of what being a clone is and isn't like, and honestly, I found that more interesting than most of the Jedi stuff. Though Clone Wars Anakin and the other Jedis actually make a lot of effort to treat the clones with dignity and not as disposable beings.
In fact, when watching the last of the prequels, I mentally substituted Clone Wars clones for the ones in the movie, which made Order 66 actually feel devastating.
In short, once again People Who Are Not Lucas do a better job with the SW universe than he does.
My kid has watched all of these and is hyped for the new ones.
posted by emjaybee at 11:07 AM on March 6, 2014 [4 favorites]
Actually, Clone Wars does a really interesting thing with this. They tell several stories from the perspectives of the clones; explain how they differentiate among themselves with nicknames; have a story about a clone who was defective, and about one who deserted. The writers really dug into some of what the reality of what being a clone is and isn't like, and honestly, I found that more interesting than most of the Jedi stuff. Though Clone Wars Anakin and the other Jedis actually make a lot of effort to treat the clones with dignity and not as disposable beings.
In fact, when watching the last of the prequels, I mentally substituted Clone Wars clones for the ones in the movie, which made Order 66 actually feel devastating.
In short, once again People Who Are Not Lucas do a better job with the SW universe than he does.
My kid has watched all of these and is hyped for the new ones.
posted by emjaybee at 11:07 AM on March 6, 2014 [4 favorites]
Just curious and a total derail, but why the hell did it take until 2011 for somebody to come up with the idea of cloning sith/jedi?
Timothy Zahn hit on it in the Thrawn trilogy, way back in the 90s, technically.
posted by Atreides at 11:08 AM on March 6, 2014 [6 favorites]
Timothy Zahn hit on it in the Thrawn trilogy, way back in the 90s, technically.
posted by Atreides at 11:08 AM on March 6, 2014 [6 favorites]
Now it might have made a difference if the guy they cloned was a particularly good soldier, and thus all the clones would be too. Maybe they could be stronger and faster than average, and have better coordination, and be more accurate when shooting.
Allegedly, Jango Fett was a superior soldier. The fact he got wasted with no problem by Mace Windu kind of said otherwise.
There was a scene in the fifth movie (episode 2) with a robot army on one side (run by the bad guys) and a clone army on the other (run by Yoda), using completely ridiculous tactics, and dying like flies.
Yeah, all the battle scenes were pretty horrid. Lucas can't do ground battles except for Hoth, and really, he turned that into an aerial battle. In the tv show, they do introduce actually tactics and consideration to strategy.
posted by Atreides at 11:11 AM on March 6, 2014
Allegedly, Jango Fett was a superior soldier. The fact he got wasted with no problem by Mace Windu kind of said otherwise.
There was a scene in the fifth movie (episode 2) with a robot army on one side (run by the bad guys) and a clone army on the other (run by Yoda), using completely ridiculous tactics, and dying like flies.
Yeah, all the battle scenes were pretty horrid. Lucas can't do ground battles except for Hoth, and really, he turned that into an aerial battle. In the tv show, they do introduce actually tactics and consideration to strategy.
posted by Atreides at 11:11 AM on March 6, 2014
Oh, I wish I could show this to my 5 year old. He's crazy about the Yoda Chronicles and Star Wars Lego in general, and I bet he'd love most of this.
But... his previous favourite cartoon was old Mona the Vampire reruns, and he loved all the spookiness. Then there was an episode where Mona's cat briefly got lost, and it took us forever to calm him down from that tragedy. So getting emotionally attached to Clone Troopers who die might be a stretch.
Heck, my 10 year old is probably still too young for Raiders.
So, yeah. Couple more years I think.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 11:20 AM on March 6, 2014
But... his previous favourite cartoon was old Mona the Vampire reruns, and he loved all the spookiness. Then there was an episode where Mona's cat briefly got lost, and it took us forever to calm him down from that tragedy. So getting emotionally attached to Clone Troopers who die might be a stretch.
Heck, my 10 year old is probably still too young for Raiders.
So, yeah. Couple more years I think.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 11:20 AM on March 6, 2014
After the first three movies were done, what my imagination said was that the "Clone Wars" was a war of shadows, with important people being replaced by ringers (clones) and the Jedi in the thick of it because they were the only ones who could tell who the ringers were.
I always thought it was a war against cloning, like the Butlerian jihad.
and I thought the butlerian jihad should have been the Butt Jihad - like against Butts.
posted by shothotbot at 11:20 AM on March 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
I always thought it was a war against cloning, like the Butlerian jihad.
and I thought the butlerian jihad should have been the Butt Jihad - like against Butts.
posted by shothotbot at 11:20 AM on March 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
The fact he got wasted with no problem by Mace Windu kind of said otherwise.
Though the movies didn't really show it, wasn't Mace supposed to be the baddest motherfuckin' light saber around (and thus willingly played by Samuel motherfuckin' Jackson).
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 11:34 AM on March 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
Though the movies didn't really show it, wasn't Mace supposed to be the baddest motherfuckin' light saber around (and thus willingly played by Samuel motherfuckin' Jackson).
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 11:34 AM on March 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
My understanding is that Mace Windu is possibly a better fighter than even Yoda, though Yoda is more in tune with the force. I'm no expert though.
posted by Twain Device at 11:37 AM on March 6, 2014
posted by Twain Device at 11:37 AM on March 6, 2014
Warning, Wookiepedia link don't click it unless you have a LOT of free time:
"ace Windu was a formidable warrior and generally considered one of the greatest swordsmen ever produced by the Jedi Order."
posted by VTX at 11:59 AM on March 6, 2014
"ace Windu was a formidable warrior and generally considered one of the greatest swordsmen ever produced by the Jedi Order."
posted by VTX at 11:59 AM on March 6, 2014
emjaybee: "Though Clone Wars Anakin and the other Jedis actually make a lot of effort to treat the clones with dignity and not as disposable beings. "
In addition there were a couple of episodes late in the show's run with a specific Jedi commander who treats the clones as cannon fodder. So you get both sides of the coin.
posted by zarq at 12:00 PM on March 6, 2014
In addition there were a couple of episodes late in the show's run with a specific Jedi commander who treats the clones as cannon fodder. So you get both sides of the coin.
posted by zarq at 12:00 PM on March 6, 2014
The Clone Wars is a strange thing. The initial release of the theatrical film did the series no favors, aside from making enough at the box office to fund the series for a good long while. As an extension of the prequel trilogy, the quality is all over the place. The strength of Dave Feloni and team was to really play to the forgotten corners. The best episodes deal with the Clones, the actual guts mythology of the mythos, and force wyrdness. It's a very handsome production, that gets more artful as it goes along. For those watching for the first time, stick with it, enjoy the quirks, and agency the production team brings to characters you may not be expecting.
posted by chainlinkspiral at 12:06 PM on March 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by chainlinkspiral at 12:06 PM on March 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
Warning, Wookiepedia link don't click it unless you have a LOT of free time:
Just to make sure the link to Wookiepedia is sufficiently Meta-Meta, see foot note #38 for the page on midi-chlorians.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 12:12 PM on March 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
Just to make sure the link to Wookiepedia is sufficiently Meta-Meta, see foot note #38 for the page on midi-chlorians.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 12:12 PM on March 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
"... why the hell did it take until 2011 for somebody to come up with the idea of cloning sith/jedi?"
Growing up in the 70s, my friends and I always assumed that's what The Clone War was: the Jedi fighting an army of their own doppelgänger. Frankly, I like our idea better than Lucas'.
posted by lekvar at 12:13 PM on March 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
Growing up in the 70s, my friends and I always assumed that's what The Clone War was: the Jedi fighting an army of their own doppelgänger. Frankly, I like our idea better than Lucas'.
posted by lekvar at 12:13 PM on March 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
Can someone tell me if this show is any good? Mitigating factors: 37 yr old male, loved original trilogy, disliked but did not LOATHE prequel trilogy, no real interest in Expanded Universe novels, has 5 yr old son who loves Star Wars Lego games and cartoons.
From what I've seen it's great adventure sci-fi, usually tightly directed and scripted. So miles better than live action Star Wars after Empire Strikes Back.
posted by juiceCake at 12:17 PM on March 6, 2014
From what I've seen it's great adventure sci-fi, usually tightly directed and scripted. So miles better than live action Star Wars after Empire Strikes Back.
posted by juiceCake at 12:17 PM on March 6, 2014
Warning, Wookiepedia link don't click it unless you have a LOT of free time:
Yeah, I don't even care that much about Star Wars, yet it became a sort of mental exercise to think of a question and see if there was an answer. Questions like:
1) Was there a Jedi commander during the Clone Wars that DIDN'T use clone troopers?
Yes, Rahm Kota refused to have clones in his ranks, and instead led a militia composed of volunteers.
2) So, were there Clone Troopers that decided not to execute Order 66?
Yes, but only a handful. The ones that didn't were mostly Clone Commandos and ARC Troopers, basically clones that were already grown/raised to have independent thoughts and will.
3) So, were there Clone Troopers that ended up serving in the Rebellion during the Original Trilogy?
Yes, one example is Able. A clone trooper stranded on a deserted planet, so Order 66 never got to him. He was discovered by Storm Troopers (and fired upon), so joined the Rebels.
posted by FJT at 12:30 PM on March 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
Yeah, I don't even care that much about Star Wars, yet it became a sort of mental exercise to think of a question and see if there was an answer. Questions like:
1) Was there a Jedi commander during the Clone Wars that DIDN'T use clone troopers?
Yes, Rahm Kota refused to have clones in his ranks, and instead led a militia composed of volunteers.
2) So, were there Clone Troopers that decided not to execute Order 66?
Yes, but only a handful. The ones that didn't were mostly Clone Commandos and ARC Troopers, basically clones that were already grown/raised to have independent thoughts and will.
3) So, were there Clone Troopers that ended up serving in the Rebellion during the Original Trilogy?
Yes, one example is Able. A clone trooper stranded on a deserted planet, so Order 66 never got to him. He was discovered by Storm Troopers (and fired upon), so joined the Rebels.
posted by FJT at 12:30 PM on March 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
I always thought it was a war against cloning, like the Butlerian jihad.
Ah, you see I always thought the Butlerian Jihad was either ferocious feminist theory or a notorious massacre conducted by some particularly pissed off manservants.
posted by Grangousier at 12:37 PM on March 6, 2014
Ah, you see I always thought the Butlerian Jihad was either ferocious feminist theory or a notorious massacre conducted by some particularly pissed off manservants.
posted by Grangousier at 12:37 PM on March 6, 2014
Just to make sure the link to Wookiepedia is sufficiently Meta-Meta, see foot note #38 for the page on midi-chlorians.
I read this and asked myself "Didn't I make a post about this show a million years ago? I wonder..." only to click through and see, yep, it's my post. So for me alone, that experience was Meta-Meta-Meta. I am so important right now.
Anyway, I hated the movie when I saw it in theaters, and as a result totally ignored the show when it started. But after a few years of hearing that it was actually pretty good, I watched the first two episodes in the official viewing order, and really enjoyed what I saw. It was hardly perfect, and not totally bereft of stupidity, but the same could be said for any of the movies in the original trilogy. What I saw definitely felt very much like Star Wars.
Coincidentally, this was just days before it was announced it'd be coming to Netflix, about a month ago. Given the choice of continuing to download the episodes illegally, or waiting a few weeks and enjoying the show in pristine HD and free of intrusive Cartoon Network bugs, the latter obviously won out. (Of course, that the next "episode" in the viewing order is the movie made the waiting MUCH easier.)
Anyway, looking forward to catching up on this. I LIKE STAR WARS.
posted by incomple at 12:49 PM on March 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
I read this and asked myself "Didn't I make a post about this show a million years ago? I wonder..."
Perhaps you felt the presence of the previous post because your cells contain Meta-chlorians?
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 1:15 PM on March 6, 2014 [6 favorites]
Perhaps you felt the presence of the previous post because your cells contain Meta-chlorians?
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 1:15 PM on March 6, 2014 [6 favorites]
Naturally, io9 kicks this out AFTER I throw up the post....
posted by Atreides at 1:26 PM on March 6, 2014 [6 favorites]
When watching Clone Wars over these last several years, I frequently felt that the show was working to undo the damage done by the prequel films. Anakin goes from a whiny wunderkind to a capable military leader who frequently needs to sidestep the strictures of the Jedi Order to accomplish his worthy goals. A sense of mysticism is returned to the Force (although granted, that whole Force planet of Mortis arc was pretty bonkers). Depth is added to the character of the young Obi Wan Kenobi, and he is cast not just as a noble brother figure but also a knight in the classic mold—complete with a courtly romance. Count Dooku becomes a more tragic figure, an aspiring reformer who thought he could control the terms of his Faustian bargain. The decision to resurrect Darth Maul was a risky move, but it gave the series a chance to explore a powerful villain who was tossed away in the first episode of the prequels. It gave individuality to the clones, and showed that for all their conditioning, they could desire something other than war.Why Ahsoka Tano is the Best Thing to Happen to Star Wars in 20 Years.
Most importantly, though, Clone Wars takes the morality of Star Wars beyond Light and Dark, examining the complexities of war and the ways that even noble institutions can fail. And Ahsoka's arc has been a key part of that, one that adds weight to the fall of the Jedi in Revenge of the Sith and suggests that their fall was not inevitable.
posted by Atreides at 1:26 PM on March 6, 2014 [6 favorites]
what my imagination said was that the "Clone Wars" was a war of shadows, with important people being replaced by ringers (clones) and the Jedi in the thick of it because they were the only ones who could tell who the ringers were.
Ooh, I like that one.
Mine was that they cloned the Jedi themselves, so it was like dopplegangers, there was a good and evil version of every Jedi, and that's why they were almost all gone now, because both armies were so evenly matched.
posted by RobotHero at 3:16 PM on March 6, 2014
Ooh, I like that one.
Mine was that they cloned the Jedi themselves, so it was like dopplegangers, there was a good and evil version of every Jedi, and that's why they were almost all gone now, because both armies were so evenly matched.
posted by RobotHero at 3:16 PM on March 6, 2014
Just curious and a total derail, but why the hell did it take until 2011 for somebody to come up with the idea of cloning sith/jedi?
Timothy Zahn hit on it in the Thrawn trilogy, way back in the 90s, technically.
There's no way it'll actually happen, but using the Thrawn trilogy as the basis the upcoming new Star Wars films would make my world complete.
posted by AdamCSnider at 5:12 PM on March 6, 2014 [3 favorites]
Timothy Zahn hit on it in the Thrawn trilogy, way back in the 90s, technically.
There's no way it'll actually happen, but using the Thrawn trilogy as the basis the upcoming new Star Wars films would make my world complete.
posted by AdamCSnider at 5:12 PM on March 6, 2014 [3 favorites]
Been binge watching these lately. Wish I'd known about the "correct order" posted above. Would have saved me some "huh, I though that happened earlier" moments while watching some season 2 and 3 episodes. But I seem to be past the biggest jumble, so it's smooth sailing from now. However, the middle of season 3 does hit a bit of a lull with the whole "trade negotiations and deregulating banks" storyline popping up over a few episodes.
posted by snwod at 5:48 PM on March 6, 2014
posted by snwod at 5:48 PM on March 6, 2014
I am forever grateful that I was just young enough when the first prequel came out that the suck went completely over my head. I was absolutely enthralled. I had a padawan braid. I built my own lightsaber. I got beat up for it, and I feel almost like the last of a dying breed because of it.
Now that I'm older I'm a little embarrassed about all this, though I can't disown that passionate fourteen year old girl. No, what I'm embarrassed about is that I was so enamoured with something that became so bad.
But you know? I kind of feel like this cartoon repays that enthusiasm.
posted by dogheart at 5:51 PM on March 6, 2014 [3 favorites]
Now that I'm older I'm a little embarrassed about all this, though I can't disown that passionate fourteen year old girl. No, what I'm embarrassed about is that I was so enamoured with something that became so bad.
But you know? I kind of feel like this cartoon repays that enthusiasm.
posted by dogheart at 5:51 PM on March 6, 2014 [3 favorites]
The Thrawn trilogy would be so awesome as a cartoon! You could tell it all in a season of half hour episodes! I'm just torturing myself thinking about it but I've been listening to the audio book versions by Marc Thompson (which are wonderfully done) so I can't help myself.
posted by JARED!!! at 6:06 PM on March 6, 2014
posted by JARED!!! at 6:06 PM on March 6, 2014
Okay, so I have to admit that despite being huge Star Wars nerds both my wife and I completely gave up on this after seeing the film in theaters. It didn't help that we were both so in love with, and so saddened by the end of, the first (entirely different) 2D style animated series.
Now that it's all coming to Netflix tomorrow, and it will be easy to watch in OAR at a nice resolution with no silly crap on the screen...my big question to more experienced fans is should we watch it the first time in the episode order, or the chronological order?
If the latter, is there a guide anywhere explaining where the new "lost" episodes all fit in? I don't see anything marked "S6" on any of the various web pages I'm finding.
posted by trackofalljades at 9:37 PM on March 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
Now that it's all coming to Netflix tomorrow, and it will be easy to watch in OAR at a nice resolution with no silly crap on the screen...my big question to more experienced fans is should we watch it the first time in the episode order, or the chronological order?
If the latter, is there a guide anywhere explaining where the new "lost" episodes all fit in? I don't see anything marked "S6" on any of the various web pages I'm finding.
posted by trackofalljades at 9:37 PM on March 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
There's no way it'll actually happen, but using the Thrawn trilogy as the basis the upcoming new Star Wars films would make my world complete.
posted by AdamCSnider at 5:12 PM on March 6 [2 favorites +] [!]
Following the terribleness of 1-3, that was my new hope too.
posted by Hello, I'm David McGahan at 1:03 AM on March 7, 2014
posted by AdamCSnider at 5:12 PM on March 6 [2 favorites +] [!]
Following the terribleness of 1-3, that was my new hope too.
posted by Hello, I'm David McGahan at 1:03 AM on March 7, 2014
It was honestly the moment I realized that George Lucas had gone insane and no one was actually willing to stop him.
Executive Assistant [aside]: The fuck is wrong with you?!?
Lucas: What did you say?
Executive Assistant: Sorry sir, I said the force is strong with you, sir.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 6:31 AM on March 7, 2014
Executive Assistant [aside]: The fuck is wrong with you?!?
Lucas: What did you say?
Executive Assistant: Sorry sir, I said the force is strong with you, sir.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 6:31 AM on March 7, 2014
my big question to more experienced fans is should we watch it the first time in the episode order, or the chronological order?
I found the movie pretty wanting, but went on to watch the rest of the show as it aired or was at least arranged on disc. So as an experienced fan of the show, having seen all but the stuff that just came out today, I can at least tell you that satisfaction is not bound by chronology!
posted by Atreides at 7:01 AM on March 7, 2014
I found the movie pretty wanting, but went on to watch the rest of the show as it aired or was at least arranged on disc. So as an experienced fan of the show, having seen all but the stuff that just came out today, I can at least tell you that satisfaction is not bound by chronology!
posted by Atreides at 7:01 AM on March 7, 2014
Clone Wars: one of those wartime shows that went on longer than the war it depicted.
posted by mgrichmond at 8:58 AM on March 7, 2014
posted by mgrichmond at 8:58 AM on March 7, 2014
I've seen some episodes of the series, and they certainly get better than the 2008 mashed together movie.
I'm not sold on the idea that they have to explain force ghosts. That's the reasoning that led to midi-chlorians. I think most people just accepted, the force is the force, explaining it with midi-chlorians didn't really help anything.
And I would kind of be fine with dropping the Clone Wars as a setting. Every once in a while, there's rumours that they'll do a TV show set between the prequels and the sequels. I can see the appeal of that, the rebels will be proper underdogs and won't ever have wave after wave of clones at their disposal.
One reason I was annoyed by the end of Revenge of the Sith was they showed Yoda traveling directly to Dagobah. I could have got into a show of him walking from town to town like Cain in Kung Fu, meeting people, having adventures.
If there's a character where I would like to see their backstory, it would be Princess Leia. She's princess by day, rebel by night. She recognizes Tarkin's foul stench, and should have known she'd find him holding Vader's leash, so she's had disputes with both of them before. She's very clearly been having lots of adventures before the beginning of Star Wars. I like to imagine she had a mask to keep her true identity a secret, and was unmasked only shortly before Epsidoe 4.
posted by RobotHero at 9:44 AM on March 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
I'm not sold on the idea that they have to explain force ghosts. That's the reasoning that led to midi-chlorians. I think most people just accepted, the force is the force, explaining it with midi-chlorians didn't really help anything.
And I would kind of be fine with dropping the Clone Wars as a setting. Every once in a while, there's rumours that they'll do a TV show set between the prequels and the sequels. I can see the appeal of that, the rebels will be proper underdogs and won't ever have wave after wave of clones at their disposal.
One reason I was annoyed by the end of Revenge of the Sith was they showed Yoda traveling directly to Dagobah. I could have got into a show of him walking from town to town like Cain in Kung Fu, meeting people, having adventures.
If there's a character where I would like to see their backstory, it would be Princess Leia. She's princess by day, rebel by night. She recognizes Tarkin's foul stench, and should have known she'd find him holding Vader's leash, so she's had disputes with both of them before. She's very clearly been having lots of adventures before the beginning of Star Wars. I like to imagine she had a mask to keep her true identity a secret, and was unmasked only shortly before Epsidoe 4.
posted by RobotHero at 9:44 AM on March 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
I could have got into a show of him walking from town to town like Cain in Kung Fu, meeting people, having adventures.
-Wanders from town to town having adventures and helping people in need - Check
-On the run from authorities - Check
-Has incredible powers - Check
-Always tries to suppress anger/"dark side" - Check
-Green - Check
Have I got the show for you then!
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 10:23 AM on March 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
-Wanders from town to town having adventures and helping people in need - Check
-On the run from authorities - Check
-Has incredible powers - Check
-Always tries to suppress anger/"dark side" - Check
-Green - Check
Have I got the show for you then!
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 10:23 AM on March 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
Every once in a while, there's rumours that they'll do a TV show set between the prequels and the sequels. I can see the appeal of that, the rebels will be proper underdogs and won't ever have wave after wave of clones at their disposal.
This isn't a rumor (anymore). Star Wars: Rebels will be airing this fall.
posted by Atreides at 11:33 AM on March 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
This isn't a rumor (anymore). Star Wars: Rebels will be airing this fall.
posted by Atreides at 11:33 AM on March 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
EW interview with Dave Filoni on the Lost Missions.
posted by Atreides at 1:07 PM on March 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Atreides at 1:07 PM on March 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
LA Times article also with Dave Filoni. (Completely teases about the fate of Ahsoka...which is no news.)
posted by Atreides at 1:10 PM on March 7, 2014
posted by Atreides at 1:10 PM on March 7, 2014
I love this show so much, and I will watch these as soon as possible, and I will be disappointed about the lack of Ahsoka, won't I?
posted by Mezentian at 1:05 AM on March 8, 2014
posted by Mezentian at 1:05 AM on March 8, 2014
I'm willing to give it another go, but my experience with Clone Wars was marred by going to a screening of the premiere movie in 2008 (basically the first four episodes mashed together) and being horrified by a teenybopper sidekick who referred to the Future Darth Vader as "Skyguy" and the side villain being a 1950's flaboyantly gay stereotype Hutt with the voice of someone trying to mock Truman Capote.
It gets better. The movie was an abomination, but you'll be pleased to know Stinky The Hutt never again returns to the screens, and by S5 it's possibly darker than Empire ever was. And the teenybopper sidekick is, as linked above, one of my favourite characters in the series.
I think she's also the only one who starts to twig to the fact that the war is wrong, the use of the clones is wrong, and that the Jedi are actually kind of dumb.
posted by Mezentian at 2:56 AM on March 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
It gets better. The movie was an abomination, but you'll be pleased to know Stinky The Hutt never again returns to the screens, and by S5 it's possibly darker than Empire ever was. And the teenybopper sidekick is, as linked above, one of my favourite characters in the series.
I think she's also the only one who starts to twig to the fact that the war is wrong, the use of the clones is wrong, and that the Jedi are actually kind of dumb.
posted by Mezentian at 2:56 AM on March 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
In case anyone cares, I'll pop back in and answer my own question. Since I originally asked, Leland Chee has tweeted that the official "chronological" way to watch the series is with the sixth season episodes in their numbered order, at the very end.
posted by trackofalljades at 1:59 PM on March 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by trackofalljades at 1:59 PM on March 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
For all my excitement, I haven't had a chance yet to start watching them. Once I do, I'll give my opinion of how things wrap up (or don't). I do share Filoni's disappointment that he couldn't finish it with a cliff hanger that lead directly into Revenge of the Sith's opening. That woulda been cool.
posted by Atreides at 2:27 PM on March 10, 2014
posted by Atreides at 2:27 PM on March 10, 2014
For all my excitement, I haven't had a chance yet to start watching them.
I've just finished watching the first, four episode arc (written by Katie "why does she do this so good?" Lucas), and my god, so not a kids show.
Dead clones (in spaaaace!) and the ending of Episode 4.... This is some serious Voltron Lion Force levels of fucking kids up.
I'm confused though, is Leland Chee suggesting we watch in the Netflix order (which I would assume was obvious) or, no, is there another?
Right, I'm off to watch something uplifting like The Walking Dead.
posted by Mezentian at 6:45 AM on March 11, 2014
I've just finished watching the first, four episode arc (written by Katie "why does she do this so good?" Lucas), and my god, so not a kids show.
Dead clones (in spaaaace!) and the ending of Episode 4.... This is some serious Voltron Lion Force levels of fucking kids up.
I'm confused though, is Leland Chee suggesting we watch in the Netflix order (which I would assume was obvious) or, no, is there another?
Right, I'm off to watch something uplifting like The Walking Dead.
posted by Mezentian at 6:45 AM on March 11, 2014
I never kept up with this show consistently, and now I'm in the middle of season 3 and totally hooked. Weird thinking about what comes after and how Anakin and the clones are all chummy with everyone here but just start murdering everyone after the series. Also super weird that Anakin is actually likable in this.
posted by jason_steakums at 10:17 AM on March 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by jason_steakums at 10:17 AM on March 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
I have three remaining episodes left. That sucks. I've really enjoyed the episodes in Season Six except for the bizarre Jar Jar Binks / Mace Windu episode, which had a big salute to Temple of Doom. It wasn't terrible, but for the fact that it brought back a Dathomir witch element and...I have found them and their storylines among the worse aspects of the Clone Wars show. Meh. The Order 66 episodes were great and also extremely dark.
posted by Atreides at 7:59 AM on March 16, 2014
posted by Atreides at 7:59 AM on March 16, 2014
I've gotten through most of season 4 today, and this seems like the season where things go from "really good" to "fantastic", especially the Umbara arc and the one where Obi-Wan goes undercover as a bounty hunter. I haven't liked Star Wars this much in like a decade, hopefully Rebels is just as good so I can keep getting my fix.
posted by jason_steakums at 7:30 PM on March 16, 2014
posted by jason_steakums at 7:30 PM on March 16, 2014
Savage Opress would be a painfully dumb name if this wasn't the Star Wars Expanded Universe, where you're just happy it doesn't have two or more apostrophes in it for no reason.
posted by jason_steakums at 8:42 PM on March 16, 2014
posted by jason_steakums at 8:42 PM on March 16, 2014
Wrapped up the season last night. It wasn't bad getting some Yoda on and was pretty neat seeing a lot of foreshadowing of the events of ROTS. It did also veer into the more "mystic" element of the Force, but at the same time, re-established the stupid midichlorian existence and purpose in the Star Wars galaxy. (In short, they're channel which allows access to the Living Force (not to be confused with the Cosmic Force) and....still silly).
The season obviously ended on an expected premise "There's more to come..." but, it's not bad given the fact that we do have ROTS as kind of the conclusion of the Clone Wars. It did make me want to watch ROTS...but, it's kind of sad, as I now would watch with an even more diminished expectation after the Clone Wars. "Time for the quality to drop!" type of thing.
Savage Opress would be a painfully dumb name if this wasn't the Star Wars Expanded Universe, where you're just happy it doesn't have two or more apostrophes in it for no reason.
I was listening to Fighting in the War Room and Matt Patches made a great comment when questioned as to what was the name of the Scandinavian detective character, that it was something you would expect to read/see in the Star Wars expanded universe. When the answer was said, he wasn't really that far off.
posted by Atreides at 7:07 AM on March 17, 2014
The season obviously ended on an expected premise "There's more to come..." but, it's not bad given the fact that we do have ROTS as kind of the conclusion of the Clone Wars. It did make me want to watch ROTS...but, it's kind of sad, as I now would watch with an even more diminished expectation after the Clone Wars. "Time for the quality to drop!" type of thing.
Savage Opress would be a painfully dumb name if this wasn't the Star Wars Expanded Universe, where you're just happy it doesn't have two or more apostrophes in it for no reason.
I was listening to Fighting in the War Room and Matt Patches made a great comment when questioned as to what was the name of the Scandinavian detective character, that it was something you would expect to read/see in the Star Wars expanded universe. When the answer was said, he wasn't really that far off.
posted by Atreides at 7:07 AM on March 17, 2014
Here's the "Official" viewing order from Star Wars.com. (Sixth season is just watched through from start to end)
posted by Atreides at 3:58 PM on March 18, 2014
posted by Atreides at 3:58 PM on March 18, 2014
« Older von Karajan in diapers | Have you heard The Whistler? Old time radio... Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by joelhunt at 9:59 AM on March 6, 2014 [4 favorites]