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    #16
    Originally posted by SaberBlade View Post
    I wouldn't count the newsreel when it comes to determining an episode's timeline. I think they are just used for our benefit, like the difference between "Last time on...." and "Previously on....". They are just there for our benefit in understanding the back-story to the events we are going to see.
    Yeah I'm generally of the same mind in thinking of them as the TCW equivalent of "previously on..."

    But the issue is still a bit troublesome because of how they approach it. There's been a few occasions in which an episode's newsreel shows a battle which hasn't yet happened in the flow of episodes. To name a couple, the first episode of the Malevolence arc (102) references the Battle of Bothawui, which doesn't happen until episode 106 (Downfall of a Droid); Rookies (105) references the Battle of Devaron, which doesn't happen until episode 202. There's actually quite a number of them that present this problem.

    I've gone ahead and organized it as a separate list for my own reference, but I'm still very conflicted over which direction we should take as our 'official' list. Though even still, the question remains as to which 'end' of episodes gets moved (ie do the Holocron episodes get moved into the Season 1 timeframe, or do the Rookies episodes get pushed back into the Season 2 timeframe?)

    Originally posted by SaberBlade View Post
    As for the character models, I was thinking the same thing. I wouldn't expect them to shift to episodes set before 'Heroes On Both Sides' unless they are willing to reuse the old models. To use new models for episodes set in the first or second season would just end up screwing things up a bit too much.


    It's nice to know things are going to start settling down soon. I don't mind the show jumping around on occasion, but the way they've been doing it this year has been just mind-boggling. A friend of mine that I got into the show (who isn't really into Star Wars to begin with) has gotten very, very frustrated with it this year.

    So I'm looking forward to the timeline finally properly moving forward. But at the same time I wonder how long it'll be till they start to play with it again--mid-season 4? Season 5?
    "A society grows great when old men plant trees, the shade of which they know they will never sit in. Good people do things for other people. That's it, the end." -- Penelope Wilton in Ricky Gervais's After Life

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      #17
      It had never occurred to me that the newsreel segments could used to determine an episodes canon status within the timeline. I just thought of them as bits and pieces taken from different episodes to show the war, but to also act like a regular show use of scenes to make opening credits of sorts. Different scenes taken from various episodes to make the opening credits.

      It makes me lean towards including the newsreel to determine where an episode may take place in the timeline. For now, I would suggest doing an episode by episode timeline, without the newsreel affecting things, then wait to see if any newsreel ends up conflicting with the timeline. If they are random scenes, eventually it should cause a continuity error.

      I'm hoping they'll stop playing with the timeline soon. I think two complete seasons was long enough for them to get a team together and work out a solid clone war timeline.

      sigpic

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        #18
        Some of you may have noticed over in SF/F that I've been rewatching TCW over the last little while. I've been following the alt/Newsreel order that I posted in the first post of the thread (the list hidden in spoiler tags), and you know....it really flows very very well. It doesn't feel anywhere near as disjointed as it does to watch the series week to week. They've done a really nice job of making things flow and feel like an ongoing story; all the timeline hopping that we've seen this year has really made the story feel more fleshed out and complete.

        Visually there's a nice balance between great consistency and in lovely unique sights. I've been noticing a lot of really nice little touches, like the symbol of the CIS printed on a lot of vehicles and generals' sleeves, the phenomenal amount of clone 'customization' in both their hair and armour, and a lot of other little things like that.

        One of the things that's surprised the crap out of me though is how much more enjoyable certain stories are when viewed in this order and/or watching a series of episodes in a row. The standalone stories don't feel so standalone, and even episodes that I previously regarded as sub-par (like Satine's Mandalorians) are much more enjoyable. In seeing things like this, it's really quite apparent how Satine's entrenched idealism is failing her and how it will eventually result in her fall from power.

        The show is not nearly as 'kid-friendly' as it appears at a glance. I'm now totally convinced that we will see Satine's New Mandalorians fall at some point during the run of the series. And the amount of death happening in the series has really been nothing short of astonishing. I've been floored at the number of people dying both on- and off-screen, in varying degrees of brutality. It's fantastic.

        I really would not be surprised if the show continues to turn darker and darker as it goes on. It's already quite dark, much moreso than it seems to be if you're only watching isolated episodes. They've done a lovely job of fleshing out the universe and of very subtly making it a brutal and nasty place. As we approach the messy and horrible third year of the war and the darkness of ROTS, it seems only appropriate (and likely) that the show will gravitate in that direction.
        "A society grows great when old men plant trees, the shade of which they know they will never sit in. Good people do things for other people. That's it, the end." -- Penelope Wilton in Ricky Gervais's After Life

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          #19
          Originally posted by DigiFluid View Post
          Visually there's a nice balance between great consistency and in lovely unique sights. I've been noticing a lot of really nice little touches, like the symbol of the CIS printed on a lot of vehicles and generals' sleeves, the phenomenal amount of clone 'customization' in both their hair and armour, and a lot of other little things like that.

          One of the things that's surprised the crap out of me though is how much more enjoyable certain stories are when viewed in this order and/or watching a series of episodes in a row. The standalone stories don't feel so standalone, and even episodes that I previously regarded as sub-par (like Satine's Mandalorians) are much more enjoyable. In seeing things like this, it's really quite apparent how Satine's entrenched idealism is failing her and how it will eventually result in her fall from power.

          The show is not nearly as 'kid-friendly' as it appears at a glance. I'm now totally convinced that we will see Satine's New Mandalorians fall at some point during the run of the series. And the amount of death happening in the series has really been nothing short of astonishing. I've been floored at the number of people dying both on- and off-screen, in varying degrees of brutality. It's fantastic.

          I really would not be surprised if the show continues to turn darker and darker as it goes on. It's already quite dark, much moreso than it seems to be if you're only watching isolated episodes. They've done a lovely job of fleshing out the universe and of very subtly making it a brutal and nasty place. As we approach the messy and horrible third year of the war and the darkness of ROTS, it seems only appropriate (and likely) that the show will gravitate in that direction.
          I have to agree thatthe amount of individualization the clones are showing is a great little touch. It's amazing how different they appear just by changing the hair styles or armor a little bit.

          I really hope your right about Satine and the New Mandalorians falling at some point on the show. I hate them with the white hot passion of a 1,000 supernovas!!!!
          I tell you Teal'c, hockey is the coolest game on Earth!

          Did you not say it is played on ice, O'Neill?

          Comment


            #20
            Originally posted by mandogater View Post
            I have to agree thatthe amount of individualization the clones are showing is a great little touch. It's amazing how different they appear just by changing the hair styles or armor a little bit.

            I really hope your right about Satine and the New Mandalorians falling at some point on the show. I hate them with the white hot passion of a 1,000 supernovas!!!!
            Mhm....I'm really of a few minds on Satine's New Mandalorians.

            On one level, I really really dislike them. And I'm not happy with the blatant antithetical pacifism as compared to what we know Mandalorians are supposed to be like. And as the episodes aired, I really did not like the stories either.

            But in watching them in this Newsreel order I was really surprised to find how much I enjoyed them. Not as Mandalorians mind you, but rather that the storytelling they were doing was actually pretty enjoyable. The New Mandalorians and Satine in particular are being portrayed phenomenally well as idealists in a time that doesn't allow for idealism. Watching them, it seems quite clear to me that her pacifistic beliefs are failing her more and more--she's been betrayed by a governor, a senator, and now her own Prime Minister. It seems increasingly that her time is running out.

            And what I find even more intriguing about that is that in a lot of ways, Satine and the NMs are a kind of microcosm for idealism in the broader SW universe. Peace just isn't possible, and things are only going to get darker and more unpleasant as time goes on. We're slowly but relentlessly marching toward the murder of Dooku, the fall of Anakin, the extermination of the Jedi Order, and the end of the Republic. And no amount of hope or idealism is going to stop it.
            "A society grows great when old men plant trees, the shade of which they know they will never sit in. Good people do things for other people. That's it, the end." -- Penelope Wilton in Ricky Gervais's After Life

            Comment


              #21
              Originally posted by DigiFluid View Post
              Mhm....I'm really of a few minds on Satine's New Mandalorians.

              On one level, I really really dislike them. And I'm not happy with the blatant antithetical pacifism as compared to what we know Mandalorians are supposed to be like. And as the episodes aired, I really did not like the stories either.

              But in watching them in this Newsreel order I was really surprised to find how much I enjoyed them. Not as Mandalorians mind you, but rather that the storytelling they were doing was actually pretty enjoyable. The New Mandalorians and Satine in particular are being portrayed phenomenally well as idealists in a time that doesn't allow for idealism. Watching them, it seems quite clear to me that her pacifistic beliefs are failing her more and more--she's been betrayed by a governor, a senator, and now her own Prime Minister. It seems increasingly that her time is running out.

              And what I find even more intriguing about that is that in a lot of ways, Satine and the NMs are a kind of microcosm for idealism in the broader SW universe. Peace just isn't possible, and things are only going to get darker and more unpleasant as time goes on. We're slowly but relentlessly marching toward the murder of Dooku, the fall of Anakin, the extermination of the Jedi Order, and the end of the Republic. And no amount of hope or idealism is going to stop it.
              I see where you're coming from. I just have a hard time not seeing Satine and her bunch as anything but a betrayal of what Mandalorians are supposed to be. Maybe, if I look at them as just a ploy device to show the death of idealism in the Star Wars Universe I could tolerate them?
              I tell you Teal'c, hockey is the coolest game on Earth!

              Did you not say it is played on ice, O'Neill?

              Comment


                #22
                Upon further reflection, I've decided to scrap the non-Newsreel order. The more I think about it, the more I realize that they're irrefutable on-screen evidence of episodes playing out in orders contrary to airing order.
                "A society grows great when old men plant trees, the shade of which they know they will never sit in. Good people do things for other people. That's it, the end." -- Penelope Wilton in Ricky Gervais's After Life

                Comment


                  #23
                  And now for something completely different....

                  New alternative in spoiler tags in first post, including all comics and books that can be made to fit into the timeline currently. There are some missing, but that's because the Wookieepedia goons haven't figured out how to integrate them yet.


                  Originally posted by DigiFluid View Post
                  Wookieepedia's current complete chronology, including most comics and books:
                  Spoiler:
                  22 years Before the Battle of Yavin
                  Episode II: Attack of the Clones
                  Book: Republic Commando: Hard Contact
                  Comic: Republic 49: Sacrifice
                  Clone Wars: Chapters I-III
                  Comic: Republic 50: The Defense of Kamino
                  Comic: Republic 51-52: The New Face of War
                  Comic: Jedi: Mace Windu
                  Comic: Republic 53: Blast Radius
                  Clone Wars: Chapters IV-XXI
                  Comic: Jedi: Shaak Ti
                  Comic: Republic 54: Double Blind
                  Comic: Jedi: Aayla Secura
                  Book: Legacy of the Jedi (partial)
                  Comic: Jedi: Count Dooku
                  Book: The Cestus Deception
                  Book: Republic Commando: True Colors


                  21 years Before the Battle of Yavin
                  The Clone Wars 2.16 "Cat and Mouse"
                  Webcomic: Shadowed
                  The Clone Wars 1.16 "The Hidden Enemy"
                  The Clone Wars (film)

                  The Clone Wars 3.03 "Supply Lines"
                  Webcomic: Prelude
                  The Clone Wars 1.01 "Ambush"
                  Webcomic: Covetous
                  The Clone Wars 1.19 "Storm Over Ryloth"
                  Webcomic: Curfew
                  The Clone Wars 1.20 "Innocents of Ryloth"
                  Webcomic: The Ballad of Cham Syndulla
                  The Clone Wars 1.21 "Liberty on Ryloth"

                  Webcomic: The Fall of Falleen
                  The Clone Wars 1.06 "Downfall of a Droid"
                  Webcomic: Discount
                  The Clone Wars 1.07 "Duel of the Droids"

                  Book: Wild Space
                  Book: No Prisoners
                  Webcomic: Volume 1: Shipyards of Doom

                  Webcomic: Shakedown
                  The Clone Wars 1.02 "Rising Malevolence"
                  Webcomic: Procedure
                  The Clone Wars 1.03 "Shadow of Malevolence"
                  Webcomic: Agenda
                  The Clone Wars 1.04 "Destroy Malevolence"

                  The Clone Wars 3.01 "Clone Cadets"
                  The Clone Wars 1.05 "Rookies"
                  The Clone Wars 3.02 "ARC Troopers"

                  Webcomic: Volume 2: Crash Course
                  Webcomic: Volume 3: The Wind Raiders of Taloraan
                  Webcomic: Volume 4: The Colossus of Destiny
                  Webcomic: Volume 5: The Deadly Hands of Shon-Ju
                  Comic: Slaves of the Republic
                  Comic: In Service of the Republic
                  Comic: Hero of the Confederacy

                  Webcomic: Departure
                  The Clone Wars 1.08 "Bombad Jedi"
                  Webcomic: Transfer
                  The Clone Wars 1.09 "Cloak of Darkness"
                  Webcomic: The Dreams of General Grievous
                  The Clone Wars 1.10 "Lair of Grievous"

                  Webcomic: Bait
                  The Clone Wars 1.11 "Dooku Captured"
                  Webcomic: Switch
                  The Clone Wars 1.12 "The Gungan General"

                  Webcomic: Headgames
                  The Clone Wars 1.13 "Jedi Crash"
                  Webcomic: Neighbors
                  The Clone Wars 1.14 "Defenders of Peace"

                  Book: Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth
                  Book: Clone Wars Gambit: Siege

                  Webcomic: Cold Snap
                  The Clone Wars 1.15 "Trespass"

                  Webcomic: The Valley
                  The Clone Wars 1.17 "Blue Shadow Virus"
                  The Clone Wars 1.18 "Mystery of a Thousand Moons"

                  The Clone Wars 2.01 "Holocron Heist"
                  Webcomic: Act on Instinct (partial)
                  The Clone Wars 2.02 "Cargo of Doom"
                  Webcomic: Act on Instinct (partial)
                  The Clone Wars 2.03 "Children of the Force"
                  Webcomic: The Valsedian Operation

                  The Clone Wars 2.04 "Senate Spy"
                  The Clone Wars 2.05 "Landing at Point Rain"
                  The Clone Wars 2.06 "Weapons Factory"
                  The Clone Wars 2.07 "Legacy of Terror"
                  The Clone Wars 2.08 "Brain Invaders"

                  The Clone Wars 2.09 "Grevious Intrigue"
                  The Clone Wars 2.10 "The Deserter"

                  The Clone Wars 2.11 "Lightsaber Lost"

                  The Clone Wars 2.12 "The Mandalore Plot"
                  The Clone Wars 2.13 "Voyage of Temptation"
                  The Clone Wars 2.14 "Duchess of Mandalore"

                  The Clone Wars 3.04 "Sphere of Influence"
                  The Clone Wars 2.17 "Bounty Hunters"

                  The Clone Wars 3.05 "Corruption"
                  The Clone Wars 3.06 "The Academy"

                  The Clone Wars 2.18 "The Zillo Beast"
                  The Clone Wars 2.19 "The Zillo Beast Strikes Back"



                  20 years Before the Battle of Yavin
                  The Clone Wars 2.20 "Death Trap"
                  The Clone Wars 2.21 "R2 Come Home"
                  The Clone Wars 2.22 "Lethal Trackdown"
                  The Clone Wars 3.07 "Assassin"

                  The Clone Wars 3.08 "Evil Plans"
                  The Clone Wars 1.22 "Hostage Crisis"
                  Webcomic: Hunting the Hunters
                  The Clone Wars 3.09 "Hunt for Ziro"

                  The Clone Wars 3.10 "Heroes on Both Sides"
                  The Clone Wars 3.11 "Pursuit of Peace"
                  The Clone Wars 2.15 "Senate Murders"

                  Book: MedStar I: Battle Surgeons
                  Book: MedStar II: Jedi Healer
                  Book: Order 66: A Republic Commando Novel (partial)
                  Book: Jedi Trial
                  Book: Yoda: Dark Rendezvous

                  Clone Wars: Chapter XXII

                  Comic: Republic 74-77: The Siege of Saleucami
                  Comic: Obsession


                  19 years Before the Battle of Yavin
                  Clone Wars: Chapters XXIII-XXV
                  Book: Labyrinth of Evil
                  Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
                  Book: Order 66: A Republic Commando Novel (partial)
                  "A society grows great when old men plant trees, the shade of which they know they will never sit in. Good people do things for other people. That's it, the end." -- Penelope Wilton in Ricky Gervais's After Life

                  Comment


                    #24
                    Originally posted by DigiFluid View Post
                    And now for something completely different....

                    New alternative in spoiler tags in first post, including all comics and books that can be made to fit into the timeline currently. There are some missing, but that's because the Wookieepedia goons haven't figured out how to integrate them yet.
                    I got a headache just looking at that.
                    I tell you Teal'c, hockey is the coolest game on Earth!

                    Did you not say it is played on ice, O'Neill?

                    Comment


                      #25
                      The formatting looks nicer in the first post of the thread
                      "A society grows great when old men plant trees, the shade of which they know they will never sit in. Good people do things for other people. That's it, the end." -- Penelope Wilton in Ricky Gervais's After Life

                      Comment


                        #26
                        I'm finding it a joy that all the episodes since the second half of Season 3 (APPEAR!) to have been proceeding chronologically! About damned time!
                        "A society grows great when old men plant trees, the shade of which they know they will never sit in. Good people do things for other people. That's it, the end." -- Penelope Wilton in Ricky Gervais's After Life

                        Comment


                          #27
                          Thank the Maker!!!
                          I tell you Teal'c, hockey is the coolest game on Earth!

                          Did you not say it is played on ice, O'Neill?

                          Comment


                            #28
                            Fresh update and bumpage in case anyone feels like re-watching before Season 4 starts
                            "A society grows great when old men plant trees, the shade of which they know they will never sit in. Good people do things for other people. That's it, the end." -- Penelope Wilton in Ricky Gervais's After Life

                            Comment


                              #29
                              Originally posted by Teddybrown View Post
                              Is it better to watch them in air order, or the order you posted in the timeline thread?
                              That's a bit of a judgement call to be honest. The show kind of grows up as it runs--the animation gets better each year, the writing a bit darker with each successive year. Personally I find that the chronology works a little better mostly because it puts some of the better episodes near the beginning so that some of the poorer stuff from near the beginning (production-wise) doesn't seem so bad.

                              It's also nice because there are a lot of episodes (particularly in Season 3) that are either prequels or sequels to episodes from previous seasons. It makes it flow a bit better to see them in order. For instance, there's a great episode from Season 1 ("Rookies") that gets a pair of book-end episodes come Season 3. 3.01 "Clone Cadets" features the troopers from "Rookies" in their original training on Kamino before being deployed, while 3.02 "ARC Troopers" sees them recalled to defend Kamino after the events of "Rookies".
                              "A society grows great when old men plant trees, the shade of which they know they will never sit in. Good people do things for other people. That's it, the end." -- Penelope Wilton in Ricky Gervais's After Life

                              Comment


                                #30
                                Originally posted by DigiFluid View Post
                                It's also nice because there are a lot of episodes (particularly in Season 3) that are either prequels or sequels to episodes from previous seasons. It makes it flow a bit better to see them in order. For instance, there's a great episode from Season 1 ("Rookies") that gets a pair of book-end episodes come Season 3. 3.01 "Clone Cadets" features the troopers from "Rookies" in their original training on Kamino before being deployed, while 3.02 "ARC Troopers" sees them recalled to defend Kamino after the events of "Rookies".
                                I think those episodes are also a good reason why to watch it in original order. It's hard to explain, but I don't really think productions done out of order on purpose (movies, games, tv shows) have the same influence when watched in order. I guess when it comes to Star Wars, Domino Squad's debut leaves a lasting impact when you view the other episodes.

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