A Long Time Ago During the Clone Wars: "Padawan Lost" & "Wookie Hunt"

 Star Wars The Clone Wars

We are wrapping up season 3 of "The Clone Wars" and one thing I noticed as we made it through the majority of this season is that it wasn't afraid of bringing in some familiar faces. We saw Shmi and Qui-Gon, famously earlier in the season. And we have one more famous face to look forward to in these last two episodes. Let's get into it.

"Padawan Lost," Season Three, Episode 21

"Without humility, courage is a dangerous game."

Narrator: "Turmoil in the Outer Rim! Located near a major hyperspace lane, the planet Felucia is caught in an unending battle between Republic and Separatist forces. Clone tank divisions make a valiant push deep into Separatist-controlled territory, led by Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan, Ahsoka Tano. General Grievous, learning of the impending Jedi attack, has dispatched reinforcements to one of his droid outposts, hoping to secure his grip on the system..."

While they are fighting the good fight on Felucia, Ahsoka is ambushed and kidnapped by a Trandoshan. It seems the Trandoshans are going to have her hunted alive in a sort of most dangerous game coming-of-age situation. While in the forests, Ahsoka meets up with three Jedi younglings who were also kidnapped by the Trandoshans and presumed dead. Can Ahsoka and the younglings find a way to escape the planet without the help of their Jedi Masters?

Oh younglings...

First off, I'm super excited that they went back to the planet Felucia. Felucia is gorgeous and it we don't see a lot of these fluorescent colors on "The Clone Wars." It's almost like the entire planet is being lit up by giant fireflies and I'm here for it. We don't spend a lot of time on Felucia thought, since Ahsoka is pretty quickly hit with an electro-net and whisked away. I will say, I'm not a huge fan of Ahsoka getting ambushed and kidnapped with her not realizing that anything is going on. I know she's just a Padawan, but she's pretty skilled at this point. She wouldn't have felt anything in the Force at all? OK, sure.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. One of the things that I love about "The Clone Wars" is that it doesn't fuck around and it very rarely pulls its punches. These are dangerous situations the characters usually find themselves in and we are always reminded of the stakes. Ahsoka ends up with the other younglings, but the people captured with her aren't so lucky. Ahsoka is left to watch helplessly as they are brutally murdered by the Trandoshans. 

That's not the only loss in the episode. Part of this exercise is so that the Trandoshan Garnac's son, Dar, can become a man. Dar engages Ahsoka and even without her lightsaber she's able to defeat him and he ends up impaling himself on a giant thorn. This causes Garnac to lash out and fatally wound Ahsoka's new companion, Kalifa. It's just tragedy after tragedy this episode.

I love when the show sort of questions if the Jedi way, or at least all aspects of it, are great. When Anakin learns that Ahsoka is missing, he of course wants to stay in the Outer Rim and try to save her. Plo Koon reminds him of the problems with attachment so Anakin reluctantly leaves. You can't help but wonder, is this ideology the right one? You have these Masters train these Padawans. Their lives are in the Master's hands, but they shouldn't form attachments? Is that possible? Is it healthy is it right? But then in the same episode, you have Ahsoka stopping Kalifa from killing out of hatred. I enjoy that the show looks at things from both sides and doesn't present it as black and white.

Grade: B+

"Wookie Hunt," Season Three, Episode 22

"A great student is what the teacher hopes to be."

Narrator: "Jedi abducted! Ahsoka Tano is missing in action. Captured and released into a hostile jungle, she fights to stay alive with the help of a small band of Jedi younglings. As Anakin Skywalker scours the galaxy, desperate to find his lost apprentice, Trandoshan sport hunters trap their youngling prey. WIth the death of their leader Kalifa, and separated from her friends, we find Ahsoka on the run as the hunters close in around her..."

Ahsoka and the remaining younglings rally and attack the Trandoshan patrol ship. In the ensuing conflict the ship is crashed and one of the prisoners on it escapes. It is the wookie Chewbacca! Chewbacca uses wreckage from the downed ships to build a transmitter. They use a Trandoshan they take hostage to get onto the main ship to broadcast. Can they hold out long enough for reinforcements to arrive. 

Wookies!

I feel like we have to address the big news here... Chewbacca appears in "The Clone Wars!" Is it blatant fan service? Of course it is. Do I really care? Absolutely not. I've seen this episode a couple of times but it's still kind of a thrill to see Chewbacca step out of the shadows in his trademark bandolier. There isn't a ton of explanation for where he came from, butI don't necessarily think that you need to have much. It's been established that the Trandoshans are kidnapping random beings across the Outer Rim for this, so why not a Wookie named Chewbacca.

There honestly isn't a ton to this episode. I love that Ahsoka speaks Wookie, because of course she does. Chewbacca is integral to the plot to get everyone rescued, so they make his presence make sense in the episode. He throws down when they attack, showing that you really don't want to fuck with a Wookie, which is pretty cool. I really enjoyed the random cutaways of the planets wildlife between scenes. It's a neat little transition and a lot of fun.

The rest of the episode is one of "The Clone Wars" signature action setpieces. It's really great and thrilling as they usually are, but it doesn't add a ton of depth to the episode as a whole. There is a nice moment where Anakin and Ahsoka reunite after everyone is rescued. I would have liked to see a bit more of the fallout with the younglings and the Jedi. What does it mean for all of them that they were basically abandoned for so long? It feels like there is a lot there that they kind of left unexplored. The episode ends with a focus on Master Yoda and a look. Maybe Master Yoda doesn't think attachment is the worst thing in the world?

Grade: B

Next up, we have a four episode battle royale for Mon Calamari. 

What did you all think of these episodes? A fitting capper for season three? Were you happy to see Chewbacca? Let me know in the comments.