Dantooine Free Press

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...