A Long Time Ago, During the Clone Wars: "Clone Cadets," "Supply Lines" & "Ambush"

 Star Wars The Clone Wars

We are diving even deeper into the Clone Wars and things may be a little different, if you've read any of my other television recaps. I usually stick to two episodes per post. It's manageable for me and people reading, but that is going to be different with these. "The Clone Wars" has a lot of multipart episodes and a lot of them are three episode mini arcs. I really want those to be part of one post so some of these posts will be two episodes, some like this one will be three, heck, even four. Who knows? Here we go.

"Clone Cadets," Season Three, Episode 1

"Brothers in arms are brothers for life."

Narrator: "Clone troopers unite! As war rages across the galaxy, the Republic's clone army strives for victory against the evil forces of Separatists. Bravery, valor, unity - the lifeblood of victory on the battlefield and in space. It all begins on the planet Kamino, where Jedi General Shaak Ti oversees the training of clones with the help of contracted bounty hunters. Bred to be perfect soldiers, those cadets must first be subjected to intense physical and mental training before heading off to war..."

The new Clone squad, Domino, has issues. They can't work as a team, they keep failing their training exercises. It doesn't feel like there is anything Shaak Ti and the bounty hunters, Bric and El-lees, and they are all conflicted on continuing or letting the squad wash out.

Bravo? Domino? Who knows?

These episodes that veer away from Obi-Wan, Anakin and Ahsoka and focus on "smaller" characters and other parts of the war that we get to see because of this show are some of my favorites. I also love that it gives a spotlight to one of my favorite Jedi on the outskirts, Shaak Ti. When Dark Horse Comics had the Star Wars license, she was spotlighted a few times and I was always really into it. Shaak Ti is a Togrutan, just like Ahsoka Tano. She is calm and quiet and wise. She kind of gives me Storm vibes and I'm here for it.

I'm a big fan of Kamino. It's one of my favorite planets that Star Wars has introduced. I'm sure I mentioned it when I talked about "Attack of the Clones" but the weather, the Kaminoans, all of it. It's fun to get more backstory about Kamino and what's going on there while the war is raging. The thread of them running out of cloning material from Jango Fett due to his death is intriguing and I am curious if they will pick back up on it. 

The idea of washing out and seeing that there are clones that are "defective" and don't make it out onto the field works really well to humanize the troops, which is always a good thing. 99 is clearly a character that is being used to garner sympathy. It is really transparent but it works really well. 

The bounty hunter concept works extremely well and it's nice to see the Jedi cozying up to and using seedier seeming people to train their army, though Bric and El-lees seem like they are not your typical bounty hunters, both of them working in their own way to get the troops particularly Domino through.

It's not a shock when Domino squad pulls it together and passes the trial, but the show has done such a good job, you cheer them on, even though it's pretty obvious.

Grade: B+

"Supply Lines," Season Three, Episode 3

"Where there's a will, there's a way."

Narrator: "A world under siege! The Separatists have launched a massive offensive against the planet Ryloth. A blockade of deadly battleships has cut off any support for the dwindling Republic defenses. Though they have fought valiantly with the help of Twi'lek freedom fighter, Cham Syndulla, hope is fading for Jedi Master Di and his men, as the droid army closes in..."

The Republic is desperate to get through the blockade to Ryloth to deliver supplies. They reach out to Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan to take supply ships to the neutral planet of Toydaria and appeal to the king to allow the Republic a staging area. Things look like they could be going the Republic's way until Lot Dodd of the Trade Federation shows up. After that it's up to Organa and Representative Jar Jar Binks to get the supply ships off Toydaria under the Trade Federations nose.

Diplomatic relations.

This episode tells one different story from two very distinct viewpoints. There is the diplomatic work of Organa and Jar Jar Binks mixed with the on the ground struggle of General Di, his clone commander and Cham Syndulla. At first, I didn't love that they were cutting back and forth. Initially, I thought that it was an easy way to insert some action into an episode that could feel overly talky with the diplomatic side. I'm happy to admit that in this instance, I was wrong. The fighting on Ryloth helps to inject real stakes into what Binks and Organa are trying to accomplish on Toydaria. These people are in real danger. It's not abstract. In fact, it maybe does too good of a job because when the comedic elements, provided by Jar Jar, pop in, they feel almost inappropriate.

I love how the episode attacks the idea of neutrality in war. I think sometimes the notion of neutrality in wartime can be seen as wishy washy but that's not the case here. The Toydarians are sensitive to the plight of Ryloth and want to help but they also have their own people to think about. So when the smarmy Trade Federation shows up, it makes sense that they would back off from their offer of aid to the Republic. But King Katuunko of Toydaria is willing to do the right thing as long as the Trade Federation doesn't find out.

The final act of the episode is kind of wrenching with Di and his commander losing their lives in order to help the Twi'lek people survive until aid can arrive. You don't usually see this. Normally, the good guys pull through, but this is very realistic and creates real stakes and real consequences. Also, they do their best to make Jar Jar seem less annoying and more competent and it works... slightly.

Grade: A-

"Ambush," Season One, Episode 1

 "Great leaders inspire greatness in others."

Narrator: "A galaxy divided by war! Peaceful worlds must choose sides or face the threat of invasion. Republic and Separatist armies vie for the allegiance of neutral planets. Desperate to build a Republic supply base on the system of Toydaria, Jedi Master Yoda travels to secret negotiations on a remote neutral moon..."

After the events of Ryloth, King Katuunko is willing to meet with the Jedi in secret to talk about putting a base on Toydaria. Count Dooku catches wind and sends Ventress to intercept and convince Katuunko that the Separatist and their droid armies can protect Toydaria better than the Jedi. After an ambush and a rough landing on the moon, Yoda and his clone trooper escort are challenged by Ventress. If Yoda can evade her best soldiers and get to them, then the Separatists will concede. Yoda accepts.

Wise he is.

This was the first actual episode of "The Clone Wars." It aired on Cartoon Network after the movie was released in theaters. I can see why this was the first episode. It focuses on Yoda, a popular character that got a lot of traction in the prequels. He's cute. Has a funny voice. Kids love that shit. Watching it chronologically, it works probably better than it did just in airdate order. We get immediate follow up to King Katuunko's offer to meet with the Republic to talk about building a base. It makes sense that the Council would send Yoda. He's arguably the most competent of the Jedi and has the diplomatic skills needed to convince the king to help the Republic. 

The rest of the episode is basically a showcase for Yoda. He is firing on all cylinders from the beginning when he has the clones launch all the escape pods to get to the planet's surface to his trek across the moon. Yoda in action definitely works a lot better in an animated series than it did in "Attack of the Clones." His acrobatic prowess looks really cool in the context of this series rather than how cheesy it kind of looked in Episode 2. This episode is pretty action oriented but there are some nice quiet moments like the somewhat introspective moment Yoda has with the clones in the cave. I also really enjoyed when Yoda shows up and thwarts Ventress and gives her a figurative spanking with the Force.

Aside from those things, this episode is kind of meh. The "humor" with the droid soldiers falls pretty flat and feels juvenile. I was getting movie flashbacks and I wasn't into it. The conflict is flat because you know from the jump that Yoda isn't in any real danger. Even if you somehow don't know that Yoda survives into the original trilogy, he is just too competent for you to believe that this is going to go any way than how the episode ends.

Grade: B-

Next up, we have one of those pesky three parters I was talking about as the Jedi go up against the Malevolence. 

What did you all think of these? Did you watch the show when it first premiered? What were your thoughts? Did you think it would go the distance? Let me know in the comments.