Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Season 1 Review A look back at the highs and lows of the first year of the animated series.
The computer animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars occurs in-between Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith of the live-action feature films, following the Jedi and Clone Troopers fighting in the war against the Separatists, throughout the galaxy. As in the prequel films, our main character is Anakin Skywalker, but the show also branches out beyond stories about Anakin or Obi-Wan Kenobi. Some episodes focus much more (or entirely) on other Jedi briefly glimpsed in the prequels, while others put the Clone Troopers center stage, giving us their perspective on life in the trenches.
The series got off to a rocky start – first with The Clone Wars movie, which should never have been put in theaters in the first place (it was originally intended to be the first few episodes of the series, and it felt like it), and then with the first couple of episodes. Right from the start, it was clear that the show had some very strong elements which were mirrored by some very weak elements – the latter most notably via the use of humor in the show. Comic relief and moments of levity are fine and welcome, but the comedy here was mostly provided by the Battle Droids, and it was incredibly frustrating and off-putting.
Wacky, silly, bumbling and the source of many bad jokes and eye-rolling slapstick, the Battle Droids were buffoons from the first episode, "Ambush." The biggest argument to be made in their defense is simple – this show is for kids, right? But what is notable about The Clone Wars is it actually contains some very edgy and dark material; much more than expected when the show began. As a result, the Battle Droid antics stood out like a sore thumb. Kids will love Star Wars no matter what, and it was quickly apparent that the Battle Droids were far more clownish in nature than they'd need to be for kids to still be entertained by the series.
However, the fifth episode of the series, "Rookies," proved to be a turning point for the show. Centering on a small squad of Clone Troopers attempting to protect their outpost, "Rookies" introduced the Commando Battle Droids – who were much more deadly, skilled and less prone to saying dumb things (or much of anything) than their robotic brethren. Telling a taut and involving story of Clone Troopers working to survive in a dangerous situation, "Rookies" was serious, dark and exciting and proved the show could deliver some truly cool and engaging stories, without the need to shove in out of place slapstick.
The show was still somewhat inconsistent throughout the season – there were a lot of truly solid episodes to follow, like "Duel of the Droids", which provided R2-D2 (a great example of a mostly humorous character who doesn't annoy adult fans) with the spotlight. But there were also more missteps, including a couple of episodes involving the infamous Jar Jar Binks – who ultimately proved to be just the drag you'd expect him to be; more so when a new voice actor took over the role from Ahmed Best, and made the character more annoying, if you can believe that.
Overall though, Season 1 of The Clone Wars was quite entertaining, and it was clear that a lot of improvements were being made along the way. By the end of the season, the Battle Droids seemed to have been toned down somewhat – still often used for comic relief, but not to the degree they were early on, where they were so incompetent that it was impossible to accept them as genuine threats.
Besides "Rookies," standout episodes included "Cloak of Darkness," which found the Jedi Luminara teaming with Anakin's padawan, Ahsoka Tano, to stop Count Dooku's apprentice Asajj Ventress from freeing a Separatist prisoner. This episode showed that Ahsoka (sometimes a polarizing character among fans) could be used in a strong way, as she displayed some interesting traits as we ponder her fate – a notable question since Ahsoka is nowhere to be seen in Revenge of the Sith. That episode, among others, also helped elevate the threat the Separatists could exert, since early installments found them losing so much it was hard to not think of this as a very one-sided war.
Another Season 1 highlight, "Trespass" found Anakin and Obi-Wan attempting to secure peace between the natives of an ice planet and a senator hell bent on attacking what he saw as a primitive menace. One of the most impressively animated episodes of the series so far, this installment was lovely to look at, while containing some especially intense action sequences, which like many, proved that this show doesn't hold back when it comes to the losses that can occur in battle.
The season was also very successful when it came to building up the portrayal of the Clone Troopers as genuine characters – shown here as soldiers in the midst of war, who have developed their own personalities and characteristics, despite sharing the same face. Not only did we have a couple of regular characters like Captain Rex and Commander Cody to display these traits, but also episodes like "Hidden Enemy" and "Innocents of Ryloth, which allowed us to meet other Clones and see how different they could be from one another.
The more sympathetic portrayal of the Clone Troopers is a fascinating aspect of the series. We all know that Order 66 is coming, and that these guys will turn on the Jedi. But by daring to show them as more fully rounded characters, some of whom are very close with the Jedi, it puts the Clones in a new light and makes their eventual actions all the more tragic. Many fans bemoaned spending any more time in the prequel era when this series began, but The Clone Wars has definitely proved that there is still worthwhile material to explore during this time in Star Wars history.
Yes, this is a show still going through some growing pains. The season finale, "Hostage Crisis", certainly was a reminder of that – it introduced a very cool and effective new villain, the deadly and dangerous Cad Bane, while simultaneously bringing back an incredibly bizarre and annoying character from The Clone Wars film, Ziro the Hutt – who was, sadly, even more annoying than before. Still, overall, The Clone Wars has to be seen as a success – it has a ton of great action and adventure, is increasingly great to look at, and has had some surprisingly effective character moments. It's flawed to be sure, but it has proven it can really deliver when it's firing on all cylinders. Hopefully Season 2 will continue to build on the show's strengths and downplay the Battle Droid/Ziro the Hutt/Jar Jar aspects.
VIBE-ON!
Posted By: Devon Marshall
Tuesday, March 31st 2009 at 3:40PM
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