Order 66 Arc Review

Man, this one was pretty intense. And I have to say, I don't think I have hated Palpatine more than I do now.

SPOILERS AT YOUR OWN RISK

When I saw Revenge of the Sith for the first time, I remember that their was something particularly strange that happened with the Clones once Palpatine declared Order 66. Specifically in the scene in which a Clone Pilot guns down Plo Koon and kills him, you can clearly see some strange change in the Clones face after the Order is implemented. 

Once The Clone Wars came around, a lot of things we came to know about the Clones was challenged, in particular when the Jedi decided to spark their individualism and when some even where rebellious and went off to question their service in the war. It was clear that the series needed to bring an explanation as to how and why Order 66 came to be, because what we now knew about the Clones didn't fit with our pre-conceived notions that they followed orders without question. 

Thankfully, this arc managed to wrap up things very nicely, left me satisfied with the answers and then some more. We managed to see the Revenge of the Sith concept of the ringed space station that encircled the planet of  Ringo Vinda finally come to life. Clone Commander Doom (below) was a very cool-looking clone despite his limited screen time and the appearance of the Medical station where Darth Vader gets built was a great nod to the films. Also of interest is the spacesuit Anakin wore in the first episode, Unknown. It truly felt like something that had come out of the 30's and 40's space opera serials George Lucas grew up with, reminiscent of both Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. 

Clone Commander Doom

Perhaps the best storytelling device this arc used was to conclude the fate of Domino Squad once and for all, seeing tragically how Fives tried to uncover the mystery of the tumor which led him directly to speak with the Chancellor himself. In the unseen moment of the final episode, we are led to believe that Palpatine reveals the truth behind the tumor-as Fives suspects, it's all a conspiracy, much larger than anyone could imagine, targeting to kill the Jedi. Shocked by this, Fives attempts to murder the Chancellor, only to be exposed and chased around Coruscant. 

Coupled with the injection made by the Kaminoan Nala Se, Fives lost some control over his senses, and that  made him react rather oddly with Anakin and Rex. Obviously, upon telling them the truth, they don't believe him, and why would they? Obi-Wan found it absurd when Dooku told him the truth a few years earlier. All of this leads into Fives tragic death in Rex's arms, one of the saddest and most poignant moments in the entire series. Both Fives and Tup deliver a similar monologue in which they talk about the dreams the Clones have, basically saying that they subconciously are aware of Order 66.

Shaak Ti had a more prominent role in this arc while Dooku's role was more peripheral. The biggest surprise perhaps, which also came with the trailer, was the fact that the Kaminoans where Co-conspirators with the Sith. Also it comes as a surprise that Sifo-Dyas knew about Order 66, something that I hope is expanded upon in the Sifo-Dyas/Yoda arc.

Sidious laughed epically and disturbingly at the end of the arc, like he did in the Clovis arc. I have to say that Tim Curry voiced him better in this arc than in the Ahsoka one, but his voice is still somewhat more grave than the two Ian's. 

And the new droid, AZI-3, was one of the most hilarious additions to the comical characters of Star Wars. 

Needless to say, I can't wait to see what's next.