Star Wars Retrospective #6
Qui-Gon: “Do you believe you are the chosen one?”
Anakin: “How… can I know?”
Qui-Gon: “I can tell you what I believe. I believe you will bring balance to the Force. That you will face your demons and save the universe.”
3×05. “Corruption” – The second episode I have zero memory of (following “Trespass”). Which is strange since this forms a 2-parter with the next episode and I remembered that one. Mandalore is another one of those settings that just looks cool. I look forward to its eventual return in The Mandalorian.
3×06. “The Academy” – Again on the topic of things I forgot about from my last viewing, I didn’t remember Almec being secretly villainous, albeit the twist reveal that he was evil wasn’t too surprising. It’s an odd plot point how Ahsoka gets assigned to teach students on a foreign planet, but again, I’m a sucker for Mandalore episodes in general.
3×07. “Assassin” – Another suspenseful espionage episode. Not much to say for this one, but it’s pretty good. Between the tense moments, there’s some tender moments and good character development for Padmé and Ahsoka. And the delightfully hammy Ziro makes his return after a long absence.
3×02. “ARC Troopers” – Speaking of returning after long absences, Ventress finally shows up again. A bit strange how we haven’t seen her since early Season 1 (since “Cloak of Darkness”); it feels like we should’ve seen more of her since then. Still, this episode is a rockin‘ good time. Kamino once again is a beautiful setting, and a fantastic battle all around.
3×04. “Sphere of Influence” – This episode is another nice demonstration of the show spotlighting and fleshing out characters who were otherwise fairly minor. Ahsoka and Chuchi sneaking about on the Trade Federation ship and dealing with more sleazy Neimoidians is good fun too. Although I forgot Greedo was involved in the plot here; his appearance felt pretty random.
3×08. “Evil Plans” – This goes along with “Bombad Jedi” as one of the lower-regarded episodes that I actually think is pretty good. If nothing else, this one has an advantage over some others simply for having Cad Bane in it. I remembered most of this from seeing it years ago, but I totally forgot about the scenes where R2 is getting pampered at that trippy droid spa. What a weird moment! I also like the Jedi fortune cookie in this episode: A failure in planning is a plan for failure. Haha, indeed.
1×22. “Hostage Crisis” – Probably my favourite Cad Bane episode. He’s so wicked and ruthless, yet I just can’t help but love watching him in action. He might well be my favourite villain in TCW. This also ended up being Aurra Sing’s last appearance. Even despite her mention in Solo, it still feels like the rest of her character arc was gutted due to the series’ cancellation. Here’s hoping The Bad Batch can give them both a better send-off.
3×09. “Hunt for Ziro” – Haha, now this is a weird episode. Perhaps an unpopular opinion, but I always really liked Ziro, since all the way back to his debut in the pilot film even. I wish we’d had him for more episodes. The fight with Cad Bane at the end is quality stuff. Some of the dialogue is hilarious:
Sy: “I don’t care what you’ve done or why they wanna hurt you. I only care about us being together forever.”
Ziro: “You… you really mean that?”
Sy: “From the bottom of my fluid sac.”
Mama the Hutt: “I got trouble for you too, Mister Fancypants.”
Obi-Wan: “I never did enjoy hanging out with you.”
*Quinlan grins in response*
3×10. “Heroes on Both Sides” – I like that this paints the Separatists in a new light. Up to now, we’ve only ever seen them as a robotic, militarist faction with corrupt, war-hungry leaders. This episode does a nice job at humanizing them (or at least a few of them), and suggests they aren’t that different from the Republic after all. The scenes with Mina and Lux are charming.
3×11. “Pursuit of Peace” – Speaking of which, I can’t help but feel a bit disappointed that Mina only appears once and then dies offscreen; I liked her character. Padmé has it rough here, but it ends on an uplifting note as she gives her speech and is met with great applause. Even if the next episode will show that it was all for naught once the clone production bill goes through, but it still delivers a good lesson in having perseverance and hope during difficult times.
2×15. “Senate Murders” – I’ve always been a fan of murder mysteries, so this was a lot of fun. I can see why the political episodes get a bad rap, especially when you have overly sleazy characters like Mee Deechi, Halle Burtoni, and Tan Divo, but I enjoy all the political bickering somehow. It also offers up a nice change of pace from the war-heavy episodes.
3×12. “Nightsisters” & 3×13. “Monster” – That said, after a politics-heavy first half of the season, now we veer into completely different territory. Definitely one of the trippier and more twisted story arcs. I actually felt bad for Ventress. And despite the fact that she’s still pretty evil, I was kinda rooting for her to come out on top, if perhaps only for the fact that Dooku is even more evil. Savage Opress and the Nightsisters are among the best TCW villains. Good stuff all around.
3×14. “Witches of the Mist” – What a rush; lots of exciting duels in this one! Also, that ending. What a tease, haha (and even moreso since it won’t be followed up on until the end of Season 4). I didn’t get into TCW until years after it had aired, so alas, the twist that Maul was back had already been spoiled for me by the time I saw the episode. But it’s fun to imagine how much of a shocker that must’ve been back in the day.
3×15. “Overlords”, 3×16. “Altar of Mortis”, 3×17. “Ghosts of Mortis” – And now we launch into an even more trippy story arc. I’ve seen some polarized comments for this one, although I think it’s fantastic. One of the highlights of the entire series. I’m a big fan of the storylines that go all-in with the surreal, high fantasy elements. Especially since the films themselves tend to stick with a more balanced blend of fantasy and sci-fi; the pure fantasy stories are a unique experience you only get in the TV shows.
I was delighted to see Qui-Gon again. The scene with Anakin and Shmi is also memorable, both heartwarming and heartbreaking, even if it turns out to simply be the Son in disguise. Shmi is an underrated character; I would’ve liked to have seen her more often. One of the most epic arcs too; I love the sheer scale of it.
3×18. “The Citadel”, 3×19. “Counterattack”, 3×20. “Citadel Rescue” – Ah, yes, here is where we meet Tarkin. One of the most love-to-hate characters in Star Wars, although he’s especially detestable in TCW. In fact, there was a small part of me dreading this arc just for him alone, haha, even though this is a tense and exciting set of episodes otherwise. It’s always fun to watch characters break into a secure facility. Another nice rewatch bonus when you know ahead of time what ultimately becomes of Echo. It’s kinda baffling how Anakin so easily sides with Tarkin’s twisted views, yet it once again hints at Anakin’s own slowly emerging dark side.
3×21. “Padawan Lost” & 3×22. “Wookiee Hunt” – The best season finale up to this point (and they only get better still from here). I only wish it had been longer; the premise of Jedi younglings getting trapped on a primitive island and being hunted down really feels like it could’ve been a TV series all of its own. This arc, the Mortis arc, and “ARC Troopers” are probably my favourites of this season. Chewbacca’s first appearance is another one of those Star Wars moments that just feels magical. In contrast to the Citadel arc, Anakin’s genuine grief over Ahsoka’s disappearance, and his joy at seeing her return, are among his most endearing moments.
