Star Wars The Clone Wars
We get a study in contrasts in regards to Jedi philosophy in these three episodes. We also get a good old fashioned beast rampage through a metropolitan area. So... win-win?
"Bounty Hunters," Season Three, Episode 17
"Courage makes heroes, but trust builds friendship."
Narrator: "The death toll rises. As the battles intensify and threaten a growing number of Republic worlds, planets are left to survive on their own while the Jedi struggle to fight a war on many fronts. A series of medical stations have been established as a lifeline for those in need. But the facilities are easy prey for Separatist attacks. After losing contact with the medical station orbiting Felucia, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano are sent to investigate..."
After crashing on Felucia and dispatching the droid soldiers, the Jedi come upon a village. The village is being threatened by pirates led by their old friend, Hondo Ohnaka, who are trying to extort them for a portion of their harvest of nysillin. The village has already enlisted four bounty hunters to help them and the Jedi enter into an uneasy alliance with them to protect the village from Hondo and his pirates.
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| Fire. |
"Bounty Hunters" is a episode that pays tribute to legendary Japanese filmmaker, Akira Kurosawa. This episode borrows heavily from one of his most well known films "Seven Samurai." Kurosawa was heavily influenced by Western films and used those themes in his own work but made them his own. "Seven Samurai" tells a similar story to this episode on a basic level. Bandits are threatening a Japanese village and seven samurai help them fight and protect what is theirs. Again, this is really oversimplified and if you are unfamiliar with Kurosawa's work and this film in particular, I'd highly recommend watching it and his other films. You won't be disappointed.
This episode is interesting. At its base level, it's an episode we've seen a few times before. The Jedi have to defend a peaceful village from interlopers, usually Separatist forces, but this time we get pirates. They end up convincing the locals to fight and the day is saved. The twist here, aside from the pirates being the antagonists, is that the Jedi team up with the wayward bounty hunters who have already agreed to assist the villagers, neatly tying into the general theme of season 2.
One thing that really bugs me about this episode is a comment Obi-Wan makes. That if more worlds rose up against the Separatists the war would've been over a long time ago. This feels like an odd sentiment coming from the Jedi. Shouldn't they respect that some people don't want to fight? That not everyone should be pulled into conflict when they don't want to be part of it? Shouldn't the Jedi, of all people, respect that? Is this just showing that the ongoing conflict has changed the Jedi? I think that's fair, but this feels extra odd coming from Obi-Wan. Of course, Anakin and the others train up the villagers and they start murdering pirates like they were born to do it and everyone is cool that these peaceful villagers have been turned into murderers. Huzzah.
All in all, this episode is decent. The Kurosawa homage works. It's always a treat to have Hondo back on the show. Plus, we get a different perspective on bounty hunters and it seems like Obi-Wan was spitting some game at Sugi.
Grade: B
"The Zillo Beast," Season Three, Episode 18
"Choose what is right, not what is easy."
Narrator: "Desperate times call for desperate measures! In one of the longest and fiercest battles of the war, Separatist forces are on the verge of claiming the planet, Malastare. If the Republic loses this planet, it will cost them vital fuel resources necessary for maintaining their armies. In a final effort to turn the tide of this battle, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine has authorized the use of the Republic's newest weapon, the Electro-Proton Bomb. Now at the Imperial palace of Doge Urus, the leader of the Dugs, the Jedi count down the minutes until the detonation of their doomsday device..."
After the Electron-Proton Bomb does it's thing, it creates a sinkhole that a number of Clone troopers tumble into. Mace Windu heads down to retrieve them and they locate the Zillo Beast, a nigh indestructible creature that is believed to be the last of its kind. The Dugs want the Jedi to help them kill it before they will sign the treaty. Mace is not about that since the Zillo Beast is the last of its kind and is just reacting to what is happening to it. Palpatine suggests capturing the Beast so they can study it's hide in order to enhance the Clone armor. Everybody wins, right?
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| Toothless?! No!!!! |
This episode gives us another look at the Jedi philosophy. The Jedi are fine training villagers who want to be peaceful to be killers, but don't you dare threaten the life of rampaging beast. That poor thing doesn't deserve to die. It's a living thing that is just following its nature and it would be against the Jedi code to help it die. OK, I'm being pretty sarcastic here and I get it. It is part of the Jedi code and it shouldn't die simply for being woken up. It's just an odd juxtaposition to be faced with after the last episode on Felucia.
I have to say, I kind of hate the design of the Zillo Beast. It kind of looks like a cross between Toothless from "How to Train Your Dragon" and the Xenomorph from the "Alien" franchise. It is just really unimaginative and awkward looking, which I guess makes sense because it is basically this giant MacGuffin.
This episode is basically one long action scene with some brief morality plays interspersed. Of course these Dugs are going to use the treaty as leverage to try and get the Jedi to help them kill the Zillo Beast. One question, why would Mace put Anakin in charge of the treaty signing? Anakin isn't known for his diplomacy skills and he has a dicey relationship with Dugs. Remember Sebulba? Palpatine is extra shifty this episode and it's kind of surprising that Windu doesn't figure it out. He clearly has to know that something is up when they suggest capturing the Beast and transporting it to Coruscant? That can't seem like a great idea. The show continues to lean have into the war analogies, the Electron-Proton bomb has to be an analogue for the atomic bomb, right?
Grade: B-
"The Zillo Beast Strikes Back," Season Three, Episode 19
"The most dangerous beast is the beast within."
Narrator: "A calculated risk! Following a costly victory on the planet Malastare, Chancellor Palpatine orders Jedi Knights Mace Windu and Anakin Skywalker to transport a fearsome Zillo beast, captured during the battle, badk to Coruscant. After seeing that not even a lightsaber could harm the beast, Chancellor Palpatine hopes to unlock the secret of its invulnerability to create new armor for the Republic's Clone troopers. Tensions run high as the most dangerous life form in the galaxy touches down on the Republic's most populous planet."
Once the beast is on Coruscant, Palpatine orders Doctor Boll to do whatever it takes to discover the beast's secrets even kill it. She's unsure about this since the Zillo beast shows awareness and intelligence. Palpatine is unmoved. The Jedi enlist Padmé to get Anakin to talk to Palpatine with her to try to advocate for the creature. Palpatine believes it is his moral imperative to do what he can for the people and Anakin is convinced. During torture time, the beast escapes and begins a rampage through Coruscant. Can the Jedi help it or is it too late?
"The Zillo Beast Strikes Back" plays out how you would expect it, too. I think we all knew when Palpatine suggested they bring the beast back to Coruscant that there would be torture involved and that the beast would escape and tear through the ecumenopolis.
This is the first episode where you really get to see Palpatine be evil. He's slimy and snakelike and he's not even trying to hide it. He's cold. He doesn't care about the beast. Almost everyone who encounters him is kind of taken aback by it except Anakin. Obi-Wan enlists Padmé to try to get him to sway Palpatine, but Annie just wants to suck Palpatine's old man balls and Padmé isn't happy about it.
The big problem with this episode is that the main conflict is basically a giant retread of the previous episode. What are the moral implications of killing the Zillo beast. It's just on Coruscant. It is fun to see the Zillo beast tear through Coruscant "Lost World" style since we don't spend much time on the planet, but it wears thin after a while. Of course, the Zillo beast ends up getting killed by the fuel that the Dug's produce and then Anakin gets on his high horse with Palpatine. Eye roll. And Palpatine tells Boll to get to work on cloning the beast. Cool. I'm sure that will work out fine.
Grade C+
Next up, Padmé becomes a spy in the senate to entrap a colleague and intel lead the Jedi to a massive droid factory on Geonosis.
What do you all think? Did you feel bad for the Zillo beast? Am I thinking too much about the whole forcing villagers into war thing? Let m know in the comments.
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