Clone Wars -- "Orders" (Ep. 6.4)

-- The popular belief isn't always the correct one.

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[Well, actually, considering that we're into season six, now, probably no one new is going to sign up, BUT! Hop over to The Armchair Squid for his take on the current episode.]

What's worse than looking for a needle in a haystack? Looking for a needle in a needlestack,
I mean, sure, the clones have adopted identifying markings and such, but being tasked with finding one specific clone among, at least, thousands... Well, that's a job I wouldn't want to have.

But it is the job of the security forces on Coruscant after Fives take flight after a frame up to make it look like he was trying to assassinate Chancellor Palpatine. And, of course, we know it's a set up, and that's part of what makes this episode so difficult to watch. We know who Palpatine is, and we know how those around him are playing into his hands, and we want to yell at Shaak Ti, "No! Don't do it! Don't leave Fives alone with him!" But she doesn't listen to us.

To say this episode ends tragically is an understatement, because we now know just how close the Jedi came to finding out about Order 66, how close one clone came to changing everything...

For me, that makes Revenge of the Sith even more sad.

Aside from all of that, it seems pretty clear to me as of this episode that Count Dooku had no idea that Darth Sidious and Palpatine were one and the same. Interesting...


"Have you seen this clone?"

Clone Wars -- "Fugitive" (Ep. 6.3)

-- When in doubt, go to the source.

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[Well, actually, considering that we're into season six, now, probably no one new is going to sign up, BUT! Hop over to The Armchair Squid for his take on the current episode.]

What is life?
And is it yours?
I mean, that's one of the fundamental questions, right? And it's a question becoming more and more difficult to grapple with, especially as we become more and more able to produce life on our own terms. This question they deal with in the Clone Wars about whether the clones are independent beings or just property isn't really hypothetical anymore. We could clone people at this stage. To a certain extent, we can even make them to order. Are they property?

And, for that matter, aren't my kids just products? It's not like they made themselves. Or raised themselves.

So where do we draw the line?

It seems not even the Jedi have an answer to this one. One the one hand, there's Yoda, who seems to see each individual clone as an individual, independent being; but, on the other hand, you have some Jedi who see the clones as no better than droids, just biological machines.

It's hard to tell precisely where Shaak Ti falls on the scale, but she seems to lean more toward the "we own you" side of things.

All of these are the conflicts driving Fives to go rogue in order to figure out what killed his brother, Tup. Because, sometimes... actually, frequently, especially in this day and age of corporate law and Trumpism, doing the Right thing means going against the establishment. And not because there's any kind of conspiracy, but because of things like implicit bias. That's really what Fives is up against, the bias in the system against clones because they aren't full people. Probably, they only count as 3/5 of a person.


"I am not a piece of hardware! I'm a living being!"

Clone Wars -- "Conspiracy" (Ep. 6.2)

-- The wise benefit from a second opinion.

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[Well, actually, considering that we're into season six, now, probably no one new is going to sign up, BUT! Hop over to The Armchair Squid for his take on the current episode.]

The Jedi have sent Tup to Kamino to find out what caused him to assassinate Jedi Master Tiplar. This is somewhat like Brer Fox throwing Brer Rabbit into the briar patch. Not that it's exactly the Kaminoans fault. Apparently, they really just don't "get" the Jedi and don't understand that "Lord" Tyrranus is a Sith and not part of the Jedi Order. And it doesn't really seem to bother them that they are taking secret orders from one "Jedi" that they must not let any of the other Jedi know about.

Or maybe they just don't care because why question the money?

At any rate, it puts the Kaminoans at cross purposes with the Jedi and, specifically, Fives.

Fives, of course, doesn't much care for anyone else's agenda if it puts Tup, his best friend, in danger, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to save Tup's life, a life the Kaminoans plan to end to cover up the fact that clones have inhibitor chips in their heads put there at the behest of the Sith.

Again, this is a great arc and one of the most significant ones in the series. You should do yourself a favor and watch it.

Also, the droid character AZ-3 is a good addition for the episode. Its relationship with Fives is interesting to watch.

One other interesting note: There are empty seats on the Jedi Council. I'm not sure if they've shown that before, but there are at least two seats empty during a consultation in this episode.


"I always wanted to have human feelings. But I do not. Goodbye."

Clone Wars -- "Carnage of Krell" (Ep. 4.10)

-- Our actions define our legacy.

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We've come to the end of the Krell arc but not the end of the story as it pertains to Krell...

And I don't really know what to say about it that won't give all of this one away.
Fives continues to be one of my favorite clones.
I also like Rex a lot.
Krell is still an asshole...?

Wait, wait, I've got it!
(Yes, Krell is still an asshole.)

How many clones does it take to get to the center of a Jedi? A one, a two, a...
Oh, no, wait, that doesn't really work, does it? Tootsie pops don't generally fight back. Or wield double-bladed lightsabers.

Did I give too much away? I hope not.
This is a really solid story arc that highlights some of the differences in the individual clones. The plight of Dogma, one of the recurring clones in the series (his name should tell you everything you need to know about him), is both sad and hopeful. And a metaphor. A metaphor which is politically appropriate if you painted Krell a slight orange color and put a wispy wig on his head. Dogma's world is destroyed when his eyes are opened and he sees the truth.

I might, now, be giving too much away.

Okay, look, I'm going to quit talking about the episode. You should just go watch the arc, mostly so that you can see this episode. There will be repercussions (I just can't remember when those happen or what they are (which is good! because I'm looking forward to it, now)).
So, now, instead of listening to me, watch this, then go watch the Krell arc.

Clone Wars -- "Plan of Dissent" (Ep. 4.9)

-- The wise man leads; the strong man follows.

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Can the clones continue to unquestioningly follow orders from General Krell? Okay, well, it was never unquestioningly, but can they continue to follow orders when they know those orders will almost certainly lead to their deaths. Lead to their deaths without accomplishing anything. As of this episode, the answer appears to be "no," at least for some of them.

The conflict around General Krell and whether to obey his orders immediately and without thought or not continues to drive a wedge into Anakin's regiment. Which may not matter considering Krell seems to be doing his best to maker sure that Anakin has no regiment to return to.

There are the soldiers like Dogma (great symbolic name) who just want to do as they're told no matter what the consequences. Don't question, just obey.

There are soldiers like Fives who want to know the reasons and want to believe they can trust their commanders to do what's right by them. Fives, where Krell is concerned, is on the side of disobedience.

Which leaves the ones stuck in the middle. Those like Hardcase (and maybe only Hardcase) who don't believe in Krell but also don't mind following his orders if it means more fighting.
And those like Rex...

Rex believes in his mind that Fives is correct and that Krell is throwing them away carelessly, but he, in his heart, believes in the system and can't bring himself to go against it. He has decided that if Krell is doing what he's doing then there must be a reason, some reason ha can't understand, so he will follow the orders even if it's the death of him.

This is a great arc so far. Lots of great philosophical issues evenly meshed with a lot of great action. It's even an arc you can watch without needing a lot of backstory, so it's a good place to step into the series.

"Hardcase! What are you doing?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't be doing it."

Clone Wars -- "The General" (Ep. 4.8)

-- The path of ignorance is guided by fear.

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They've done a good job with making Umbara a creepy place. I may have said some of this last time, but it's full of strange, glowing lights; strange, glowing creatures; and strange, glowing death machines that look like strange, glowing creatures. It's fortuitous that these episodes have fallen during the month of October. The only other episodes I can think of that would work so well this month would have been the zombie Geonosian episodes.

General Krell continues to be completely casual about the deaths of his troopers. He doesn't care to explore options because he doesn't have a problem with throwing clones against a wall until the manage to break it down. The lives don't matter because, to Krell, they're not lives. This is brought to light early on when one of the clones, Fives, points out that the general's outstanding record of victories comes along with the highest, by far, casualty count of any other Jedi. This is contrasted to Anakin leading from the front, because Krell leads from the rear. From camp, actually, without, so far, getting involved in any of the combat, something I find odd from a Jedi who is supposed to be such a fearsome combatant.

[Actually, I don't find it odd, because I know what happens from my previous watching of the series; however, I would find it odd if I didn't know. I'm sure my first response to Krell was "what an asshole." Well, now, I already know why.]

The episode is full of some great fight sequences, and you might want to say that they're gratuitous, but they're really not. They serve two purposes:
1. To show Krell's complete disregard for the lives of his clones as he continues to tell them "frontal assault!" no matter how bad things get.
2. To show the divide within the clone ranks themselves as they dissent about whether Krell's orders should be followed.

This is a good story arc and much needed for the redemption of season four.

Also, the opening quote (seen up under the picture) is very appropriate for our own current election season.

Angels Unbound: Jhudiel (a-to-z) and Clone Wars -- "ARC Troopers" (Ep. 3.2)

Jhudiel

Jhudiel is an Archangel and in charge of rewarding those who toil, especially those who toil for spiritual labors. He holds a crown in one hand as the reward for those who faithfully fulfill their work. However, in his other hand, he holds a three-thonged whip so that he can "exhort" those who flag in their efforts to greater diligence. He is of the flaming Sacred Heart, and it can be seen burning within him at all times. It is the mercy of the Father which never goes out.

Clone Wars

-- Fighting a war tests a soldier's skills, defending his home tests a soldier's heart.

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As the previous episode directly precedes the first season episode, "Rookies," this episode comes directly after it. It makes for a good followup to "Clone Cadets" by wrapping up the dangling plot thread of 99. So, yeah, 99 gets to learn the fate of Hevy, and we get to learn the fate of 99.

The episode revolves around an attack on the planet Kamino, the clones' de facto homeworld, by General Grievous and Asajj Ventress. Of course, with those two involved, nothing is as it seems. Also, of course, Anakin, being the charging in type, completely misses it and goes for the feint. That tends to be his role. But it gives Obi-Wan a chance to work out what's really going on.

So, while the larger plot deals with the Jedi:

We have Obi-Wan facing off against Grievous. That's always a good thing and helps build toward the climax of their eventual confrontation in Revenge of the Sith.
We also have Anakin going toe-to-toe with Ventress. Also, always good. In a lot of ways, they're like Harry and Draco... you know, if Harry was eventually going to become a Sith.

The real story focuses on the clones and what it's like for them to be defending their home rather than fighting on some other world. We get a full spectrum view: young cadets cutoff from the rest of their group, fresh troopers (Fives and Echo) just returned for reassignment, seasoned veterans (Cody and Rex) who have been away for a while, and the outcast who didn't cut it as a clone trooper (99). Kamino is home, though, to all of them, and they all come together to defend her.


"Only you could be worried about the ships I already shot down."