The Clone Wars: Season 4 -- speculation/discussion/spoilers

[DigiFluid]

I quite liked tonight's episode actually; definitely not what I was expecting.

4.05 "Mercy Mission"

Spoiler:

First off, the visuals were beautiful once again. That initial shot of the corvettes and landing ship going past the camera and into the sunrise of the planet was just breathtaking. And the art design for the planet itself was very nice as well. The strange structures of the locals were quite unique and the VFX in the caves were just...wow. The 'fireflies', the glowing flowers, the fog, all of it just amazing

The clones--cool. Lots of Phase II armour, which is awesomesauce in my eyes. Plus it's nice to see Wolffe again. He's been a bit background for the run of the series, so it's nice to see him take centre stage here.


The thing about this episode that I liked most though was the kind of duality of the clones and what they represent.

One one hand, it was absolutely fantastic to see them doing a mission like this on their own. It shows them being more than just fodder, more than just a handful of individuals that we've gotten to know over the three seasons up till now; these guys are professionals. They don't need Jedi generals, they don't need officers, they can be given a basic set of orders and they'll do it efficiently and effectively themselves. This kind of reminds me of the Republic Commando novels.

On the other, I find something a little chilling about the whole mission. This is an aid drop and it's not being done by a church group, or a charity group, or Amnesty Galactic. This is a world of primitives being aided by armed soldiers in full battle kit. And on top of that, it appears that amongst this primitive and peaceful group of aliens, the Republic has erected a tracking/transmission outpost. There's something unsettling and chilling about all of that.

My only 'complaint' is about the strange underground tree creatures and the riddle-speaking firefly lady. I feel like something very cerebral went right over my head during the underground sequence.

[mandogater]

I quite liked tonight's episode actually; definitely not what I was expecting.

4.05 "Mercy Mission"

Spoiler:

First off, the visuals were beautiful once again. That initial shot of the corvettes and landing ship going past the camera and into the sunrise of the planet was just breathtaking. And the art design for the planet itself was very nice as well. The strange structures of the locals were quite unique and the VFX in the caves were just...wow. The 'fireflies', the glowing flowers, the fog, all of it just amazing

The clones--cool. Lots of Phase II armour, which is awesomesauce in my eyes. Plus it's nice to see Wolffe again. He's been a bit background for the run of the series, so it's nice to see him take centre stage here.


The thing about this episode that I liked most though was the kind of duality of the clones and what they represent.

One one hand, it was absolutely fantastic to see them doing a mission like this on their own. It shows them being more than just fodder, more than just a handful of individuals that we've gotten to know over the three seasons up till now; these guys are professionals. They don't need Jedi generals, they don't need officers, they can be given a basic set of orders and they'll do it efficiently and effectively themselves. This kind of reminds me of the Republic Commando novels.

On the other, I find something a little chilling about the whole mission. This is an aid drop and it's not being done by a church group, or a charity group, or Amnesty Galactic. This is a world of primitives being aided by armed soldiers in full battle kit. And on top of that, it appears that amongst this primitive and peaceful group of aliens, the Republic has erected a tracking/transmission outpost. There's something unsettling and chilling about all of that.

My only 'complaint' is about the strange underground tree creatures and the riddle-speaking firefly lady. I feel like something very cerebral went right over my head during the underground sequence.

Spoiler:

I have to agree with you about the visuals and it was really great to see Wolfe and the rest of the Wolfepack on their own. The more the clones get developed, the more I like the show.

The Republic has erected a tracking/transmission outpost there. Did I totally miss something on a beverage run?

You're right. I also thought there could be more to the underground sequence then meets the eye. But wasn't it a little bit funny to see 3PO and R2 save the day and get absolutely no recognition for it?

[mr_kennedy]

Get a load of this one

[dosed150]

I quite liked tonight's episode actually; definitely not what I was expecting.

4.05 "Mercy Mission"

Spoiler:

First off, the visuals were beautiful once again. That initial shot of the corvettes and landing ship going past the camera and into the sunrise of the planet was just breathtaking. And the art design for the planet itself was very nice as well. The strange structures of the locals were quite unique and the VFX in the caves were just...wow. The 'fireflies', the glowing flowers, the fog, all of it just amazing

The clones--cool. Lots of Phase II armour, which is awesomesauce in my eyes. Plus it's nice to see Wolffe again. He's been a bit background for the run of the series, so it's nice to see him take centre stage here.


The thing about this episode that I liked most though was the kind of duality of the clones and what they represent.

One one hand, it was absolutely fantastic to see them doing a mission like this on their own. It shows them being more than just fodder, more than just a handful of individuals that we've gotten to know over the three seasons up till now; these guys are professionals. They don't need Jedi generals, they don't need officers, they can be given a basic set of orders and they'll do it efficiently and effectively themselves. This kind of reminds me of the Republic Commando novels.

On the other, I find something a little chilling about the whole mission. This is an aid drop and it's not being done by a church group, or a charity group, or Amnesty Galactic. This is a world of primitives being aided by armed soldiers in full battle kit. And on top of that, it appears that amongst this primitive and peaceful group of aliens, the Republic has erected a tracking/transmission outpost. There's something unsettling and chilling about all of that.

My only 'complaint' is about the strange underground tree creatures and the riddle-speaking firefly lady. I feel like something very cerebral went right over my head during the underground sequence.

Spoiler:

i'm not if i'd call it chilling, disaster relief is a mission undertaken by most militaries, and wasnt the communications gear there already, they were just repairing it, some of the locals seemed to understand computers so i don't think they were actually that primitive

[Cold Fuzz]

Mercy Mission was definitely not what I was expecting from Clone Wars.

Spoiler:

When I first started watching the episode, I felt very much like Commander Wolffe and his troops to be honest. The Aleena were a little exasperating for me to watch at first, particularly the first 2-3 minutes. From there though, I just said to myself, "Meh, that's just the way these little guys are. Go with the flow."

Later on though, it got very interesting, especially with the underground formations that seem to resemble lightsaber crystal caves I've seen before.

[mr_kennedy]

hopefully weve met the Jar Jar/3-po episode quota for this season

[mandogater]

Mercy Mission was definitely not what I was expecting from Clone Wars.

Spoiler:

When I first started watching the episode, I felt very much like Commander Wolffe and his troops to be honest. The Aleena were a little exasperating for me to watch at first, particularly the first 2-3 minutes. From there though, I just said to myself, "Meh, that's just the way these little guys are. Go with the flow."

Later on though, it got very interesting, especially with the underground formations that seem to resemble lightsaber crystal caves I've seen before.

Your post reminded me of what may go down as my favorite line of the series from early in the episode.

Spoiler:

"Great, another one of those planets." I couldn't help but LOL as soon as he said it.

[DigiFluid]

Your post reminded me of what may go down as my favorite line of the series from early in the episode.

Spoiler:

"Great, another one of those planets." I couldn't help but LOL as soon as he said it.

I think that'll go down as one of my favourite moments of the whole series too Even though it was in the trailer, I still cracked up at hearing it in the episode. It's like the episode's writer was acknowledging what s/he knew what everyone would be thinking about the aliens

[Teddybrown]

Quite a good episode, finally got to see it today.
Nice to see C3PO and R2 saving the day for once, shame they didnt get more recognition though!

[the fifth man]

Bring on the next episode. I can't wait to see what happens with R2 and C-3PO.

[DigiFluid]

Dave Filoni on a certain upcoming character....

Spoilers for "Spring 2012", so probably late in the season:

Spoiler:

Oct 12 2011 08:00 AM ET

1581Share

Darth Maul Lives! And he's coming to 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' this spring -- EXCLUSIVE VIDEO
by Christian Blauvelt
Categories: EW Exclusive, Sci-Fi, Star Wars, TV Characters

Comments 42
Add comment

Darth-Maul-Clone-wars

He’s alive!

That’s right. As unlikely as it may seem, Darth Maul, the glowering Sith warrior who fell to Obi-Wan Kenobi’s blade at the end of Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace actually survived being cut in half and will return to George Lucas’s still unfolding space saga on Cartoon Network’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars (read our recaps here!) in spring 2012.

With his red-and-black tattooed face, Bronson-esque stoicism, Dervish-like mixed martial-arts moves (courtesy of Ray Park), and legendary double-bladed lightsaber—the coolest birthday present for 10-year-old boys in the summer of 1999—Maul was easily the most striking character in The Phantom Menace. (TPM is due to be released in theaters with a 3-D facelift February 10, 2012). And he only had three lines in the movie! Maul was a blunt instrument, a weapon of pure aggression to carry out the bidding of ?ber Sith Lord Darth Sidious (a.k.a the future Emperor Palpatine), when he wasn’t yet ready to emerge from the shadows. Think of Maul like the Star Wars equivalent of Daniel Craig’s Bond. Only, did we mention he had a frickin’ double-bladed lightsaber?

When he was vivisected courtesy of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Maul immediately took his place among pop culture figures who’d also been cut in half: Bishop in Aliens, Quint in Jaws, Tony Goldwyn in Ghost, the Black Dahlia. Needless to say, we never expected to see him again, right?

Wrong! Last January a Clone Wars arc featuring a relative of Maul’s, the duped, sympathetic Nightbrother of Dathomir Savage Opress teased a hazy image of Maul in a crystal ball. Did this mean the former Sith Warrior was still alive? Indeed, and EW’s got an exclusive video first look at Maul’s animated form. Take a walk on the Dark Side and check it out after the break:

“I found it funny in The Phantom Menace when Darth Maul got cut in half,” Clone Wars supervising director Dave Filoni says. “I thought George was definitively saying to the fans, ‘There’s no way this character is coming back. This is not a Boba Fett/Sarlacc Pit situation where, because of fan love, Boba gets out of that thing any number of ways.’ Fast-forward ten-years, and I’m the one to bring Maul back.”

Well, mostly. Filoni acknowledges that the order to resurrect the Sith Lord came from George Lucas himself, who became more interested in his Phantom Menace creation while developing Savage Opress for the last season of The Clone Wars. Awesome as Maul was in the movie, he barely got to do anything before the old chop-chop. When asked if Maul’s return is motivated by the feeling that he was underutilized in The Phantom Menace, Filoni says, “I think in part.”

Filoni's biggest challenge, though, will come from the legions of fans ready to shout “No way!” at the very idea of a Maul return. But addressing the (un)believability of his survival could make for some interesting drama. “First of all, how does he survive getting cut in half?” says Filoni. “Plus, he fell! And also, don’t forget Obi-Wan Kenobi is still around, so I’m sure Maul wouldn’t be very happy with him.”

Fans will note that there is precedent for this kind of resurrection. “The Dark Side of the Force is the path to many abilities some consider to be…unnatural,” Darth Sidious says in Revenge of the Sith. Sidious and his master found a way to use the Force to cheat death—that’s how he was able to keep Vader alive after that little swan dive into a lava field. Couldn’t Maul have picked up on some of that too? Says Filoni, “He’s suffered through a lot to keep himself alive and implemented the training of his master to do so.”

Once you get beyond the plausibility issues, what’s left is actually an amazing storytelling opportunity. The Clone Wars has featured other characters from the movies, but mostly original trilogy stalwarts like Chewbacca, Tarkin, and Ackbar. Those are all characters whose fates have already been decided. “Here, we’re moving forward with Maul,” Filoni says. “He’s more than ten years older than he was in The Phantom Menace. That’s immensely satisfying, because now nobody knows what’s going to happen to him. I know, but nobody else does.”


Source

Video at link with a maddeningly unrevealing teaser.

[SaberBlade]

Dave Filoni on a certain upcoming character....

Spoilers for "Spring 2012", so probably late in the season:

Spoiler:

Oct 12 2011 08:00 AM ET

1581Share

Darth Maul Lives! And he's coming to 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' this spring -- EXCLUSIVE VIDEO
by Christian Blauvelt
Categories: EW Exclusive, Sci-Fi, Star Wars, TV Characters

Comments 42
Add comment

Darth-Maul-Clone-wars

He’s alive!

That’s right. As unlikely as it may seem, Darth Maul, the glowering Sith warrior who fell to Obi-Wan Kenobi’s blade at the end of Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace actually survived being cut in half and will return to George Lucas’s still unfolding space saga on Cartoon Network’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars (read our recaps here!) in spring 2012.

With his red-and-black tattooed face, Bronson-esque stoicism, Dervish-like mixed martial-arts moves (courtesy of Ray Park), and legendary double-bladed lightsaber—the coolest birthday present for 10-year-old boys in the summer of 1999—Maul was easily the most striking character in The Phantom Menace. (TPM is due to be released in theaters with a 3-D facelift February 10, 2012). And he only had three lines in the movie! Maul was a blunt instrument, a weapon of pure aggression to carry out the bidding of ?ber Sith Lord Darth Sidious (a.k.a the future Emperor Palpatine), when he wasn’t yet ready to emerge from the shadows. Think of Maul like the Star Wars equivalent of Daniel Craig’s Bond. Only, did we mention he had a frickin’ double-bladed lightsaber?

When he was vivisected courtesy of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Maul immediately took his place among pop culture figures who’d also been cut in half: Bishop in Aliens, Quint in Jaws, Tony Goldwyn in Ghost, the Black Dahlia. Needless to say, we never expected to see him again, right?

Wrong! Last January a Clone Wars arc featuring a relative of Maul’s, the duped, sympathetic Nightbrother of Dathomir Savage Opress teased a hazy image of Maul in a crystal ball. Did this mean the former Sith Warrior was still alive? Indeed, and EW’s got an exclusive video first look at Maul’s animated form. Take a walk on the Dark Side and check it out after the break:

“I found it funny in The Phantom Menace when Darth Maul got cut in half,” Clone Wars supervising director Dave Filoni says. “I thought George was definitively saying to the fans, ‘There’s no way this character is coming back. This is not a Boba Fett/Sarlacc Pit situation where, because of fan love, Boba gets out of that thing any number of ways.’ Fast-forward ten-years, and I’m the one to bring Maul back.”

Well, mostly. Filoni acknowledges that the order to resurrect the Sith Lord came from George Lucas himself, who became more interested in his Phantom Menace creation while developing Savage Opress for the last season of The Clone Wars. Awesome as Maul was in the movie, he barely got to do anything before the old chop-chop. When asked if Maul’s return is motivated by the feeling that he was underutilized in The Phantom Menace, Filoni says, “I think in part.”

Filoni's biggest challenge, though, will come from the legions of fans ready to shout “No way!” at the very idea of a Maul return. But addressing the (un)believability of his survival could make for some interesting drama. “First of all, how does he survive getting cut in half?” says Filoni. “Plus, he fell! And also, don’t forget Obi-Wan Kenobi is still around, so I’m sure Maul wouldn’t be very happy with him.”

Fans will note that there is precedent for this kind of resurrection. “The Dark Side of the Force is the path to many abilities some consider to be…unnatural,” Darth Sidious says in Revenge of the Sith. Sidious and his master found a way to use the Force to cheat death—that’s how he was able to keep Vader alive after that little swan dive into a lava field. Couldn’t Maul have picked up on some of that too? Says Filoni, “He’s suffered through a lot to keep himself alive and implemented the training of his master to do so.”

Once you get beyond the plausibility issues, what’s left is actually an amazing storytelling opportunity. The Clone Wars has featured other characters from the movies, but mostly original trilogy stalwarts like Chewbacca, Tarkin, and Ackbar. Those are all characters whose fates have already been decided. “Here, we’re moving forward with Maul,” Filoni says. “He’s more than ten years older than he was in The Phantom Menace. That’s immensely satisfying, because now nobody knows what’s going to happen to him. I know, but nobody else does.”


Source

Video at link with a maddeningly unrevealing teaser.

Spoiler:

It was about to happen sooner or later. It was implied in the series and I believe that he returns in one of the EU comics. It's going to be interesting to see how he survived, but it may be a bit strange for those unfamiliar with the EU to know that the dark side allows such things to happen

[DigiFluid]

Spoiler:

but it may be a bit strange for those unfamiliar with the EU to know that the dark side allows such things to happen

Spoiler:

Hopefully the line in RotS that was quoted in that article is mysterious and vague enough that people don't whine too hard.

[SaberBlade]

Spoiler:

Hopefully the line in RotS that was quoted in that article is mysterious and vague enough that people don't whine too hard.

Spoiler:

I'm not really sure the line in RotS will work in this instance. That seemed to suggest a talent, some force ability that allowed Plageius to do that. Personally I'm more fond the idea that it will be similar to Anakin's rage at Obi-Wan spanking him hard at the end of RotS.

I've always liked the idea that the Sith's uncontrollable rage allows them to do stuff like stay alive. I think it's what kept Anakin alive, perhaps Maul, worked on Darth Scion and I think it worked the same with Darth Nihilus too. I believe it's infinitely more badass for a Sith to go postal and be able to survive almost anything.

[DigiFluid]

Spoiler:

Yep, Darth Sion is a great example. A man who by all rights should be dead, held together only by his anger and hatred. This is what I kind of expect of Maul's return too.

Hope people accept it as readily as I will

[the fifth man]

Wow, that is interesting to have confirmation on him. If they do this right, it could turn out great.

[morbosfist]

Spoiler:

Going the Darth Sion route would be dangerous. Sion was a supreme badass because he could not die, and I don't think Obi-Wan has the chops to talk him into dying like the Exile did. It would be awesome, but out of their league, methinks. KOTOR 2 had villains that were hard to top and don't transition well as equal foes.

More likely, he'll be a cyborg and probably somewhat sustained by the Force.

[DigiFluid]

Well that was kind of a fun piss-take of several classics

[SaberBlade]

Spoiler:

Going the Darth Sion route would be dangerous. Sion was a supreme badass because he could not die, and I don't think Obi-Wan has the chops to talk him into dying like the Exile did. It would be awesome, but out of their league, methinks. KOTOR 2 had villains that were hard to top and don't transition well as equal foes.

More likely, he'll be a cyborg and probably somewhat sustained by the Force.

Spoiler:

I'm expecting him to be a cyborg too, hopefully with his top and bottom somehow reattached (although I wouldn't be surprised if there was some mechanical waist). My idea is Maul survived through pure will power/rage like Scion, and perhaps even like Anakin at the end of III, rather than Digi's initial impression that they could do it through Darth Plagueis style force powers.

Using Plagieus style force powers does have a valid claim and would help support Palpatine's claims in the third movie, but those powers died with Plagueis. Palpatine had no clue and Anakin and a bit of dialogue (that I remember) was something like together they (Palpatine and Anakin) could rediscover the secret. He basically punked Anakin into turning and could have just sat there telling the dumbass that rotating a planet on it's axis will cause time to reverse allowing him to save Padme.

As for tonights episiode, I liked the 47 styles of self defence and R2's reaction, flying through space together was good, but the rest seemed like a few episodes (clearly ripped off) put together so there no real story but parts clearly missing (like the Jedi rescue at the end) which just took away from it. Clearly filler episodes, I'm hoping the next arc will live up to expectations.

[mandogater]

Well that was kind of a fun piss-take of several classics

That it was.

Spoiler:

You had to love Plo Koon sticking Wolfe with the droids at the end. Especially given how much Wolfe liked having them around in the previous episode.