Dantooine Free Press

Did you ever hate a TV show so much, that you had to keep watching it, so you could have a complete and accurate list of all the reasons you hated it. But by the third episode, you finally admit to yourself, "Darn it, I like this show."  Yeah.  For me, that was "Harley Quinn." This cartoon is over the top graphically violent.  So much so, that even it's characters get sick upon seeing the blood and guts.  Profanities everywhere.  And it's so irreverent with its subject matter.  I mean, this cartoon is in your face with everything your parents taught you was bad. And it's wonderful. Basically, it's the story of a psychopathic, young, attractive, former psychiatrist coming to terms with the fact that allowed herself to get involved in a destructive co-dependent, violent relationship with the king of violent, narcissistic psychopaths.  And along the way, realizing that her romantic partner never really loved her, but loved his violent, psychologic...

The cartoon series, "Star Wars: Resistance" tries to tell us how we got here, with respect to the state of the galaxy before the first of the Disney films, "The Force Awakens."  It is a children's cartoon, and certainly not as action-packed as "The Clone Wars."  The first season attempts to fill in some of the gaps left by "The Force Awakens," and give its audience a better understanding of the origins of the New Republic, the First Order, and the Resistance The cartoon follows the adventures of Kazuda Xiona, a young Hosnian pilot, sympathetic to the Resistance's cause, who happens to run into Poe Dameron in one of his missions.  Poe is impressed with Kaz's skills, and recruits him to act as a spy for the Resistance.  One problem is that Kaz's father is a Senator of the New Republic, which currently has its capital on Hosnia Prime. Kaz, deciding to be his own man, accepts the mission of trying to blend in on the Colosu...

It is an ambitious endeavor.  Season seven of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" takes place simultaneously with the prequel film, "Revenge of the Sith."  It is an attempt to address the plot holes and generally bad writing of the film, and tie it to other entries to the Star Wars genre. For example, this season tries to explain better the descent of Anakin Skywalker to the dark side of the Force, and connect that to the universe we see in the movies "Solo" and "Rogue One," the cartoon "Rebels," as well as the Disney+ series "The Mandalorian." One of the keys to the success of this endeavor, is the appearance of Darth Maul. Darth Maul serves as a prime illustration of one of George Lucas' most egregious sins, the under-utilization of a compelling villain.  Reaching back to the time just before "The Phantom Menace" was released, the hype leading up to the film, which was the first Star Wars film in the sixteen years ...

If I could sum up my feelings for the second season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars in one word, it would be: frustration.  You see, the writers and producers just couldn't decide what they want this cartoon series to be.  Was it supposed to be a kids' cartoon, with silly story lines and goofy characters?  Or was it supposed to be a mature cartoon, aimed at adult and teenage fans with more sophisticated plot lines and dangerous characters for the Jedi to face.  It is this inconsistency that drove me crazy. The season started on a impressive note.  Having introduced the nefarious bounty hunter Cad Bane in the season one finale, he returned for a story arc to kick off the second season.  He continued to be a formidable challenge to the Jedi Order.  Calculating and cold-blooded, he presents a real challenge to the show's heroes. Likewise, season two introduces us to the mythical planet of Mandalore.  Ever since the introduction of Boba Fett i...

When I heard that Disney+ had released the seventh season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, curiosity overcame me.  I remember trying to watch the series when it was first released in 2008.  But my memories of the cartoon series was that is was horrible.  I couldn't make it through the first season, so I stopped watching.  When Star Wars Rebels came out, I found the series far more engaging.  At times, however, Rebels made reference to characters and plot lines established in The Close Wars.  I would go back and watch the relevant episodes of The Clone Wars, and discovered that there were actually a few that were pretty good, such as the Mandalore and Darth Maul plot lines.  I decided to go back and re-watch the first six seasons before jumping into Disney's newest season.  With respect to the first season, I found my memories confirmed.  While there are a few well-executed episodes, for the most part season one is horrible. That is the ...

Because Disney+ released the seventh season of the Clone Wars, I decided to go back and watch the first six seasons before jumping into the newest one.  By episode nine, however, I found myself asking many questions raised by seemingly plot holes in the series.  Chief among these questions, what exactly is Anakin Skywalker's rank in the Jedi Order, and why is it that Ahsoka Tano was familiar with Asajj Ventress when the dark side villain made her first appearance in the series.  A quick web search showed that this was actually not Ventress' first appearance in the Star Wars universe, nor was this series the first to address the Clone Wars.  Rather, there had been a prior series addressing the Clone Wars that aired between 2003 and 2005 on the Cartoon Network, directed by Genndy Tartakovsky.  A quick look at internet images from the series sparked a vague recollection.  But, I did not remember the specifics.  So off I went on a quest to...