The Disappeared Arc

I have to say, this arc has so far been my favorite of the season. It was truly a blast. 

SPOILERS AT YOUR OWN RISK

The End of Dark Horse

As was predicted since the acquisition of Star Wars by Disney, Marvel is now going to be the helm of all comic books Star Wars starting in 2015. Dark Horse will be allowed to end it's current wave of comic books this year, and as stated by Big Shiny Robot, it is currently unclear if Disney will purchase the rights to reprint the comics made by Dark Horse.

Many fans were seemingly upset about the whole thing, despite the fact that it was something almost everyone saw coming (including myself). Personally, it's something that doesn't really affect me as a fan.

For starters, I never grew up reading comic books, and I was never really around them. Part of it has to do with my lack of interest in superheroes, but it also stems from the fact that Dark Horse failed to impress me as far as Star Wars is concerned. Not only because of the crappy storylines that were utterly predictable, boring and a 100% ignorance of the mythology of Star Wars (I'm looking right at you, Dark Empire and Legacy!) but also because the artwork was largely devoid of any resemblance to the characters of the films.

Of course, I'm the first to admit that I haven't seen everything these guys made with Star Wars, so there might be a few gems I'm not really aware of. One of the few things that Dark Horse published and that I have to say they've done a magnificent job with is the adaptation of George Lucas's first rough draft of Star Wars. Mike Mayhew's artwork is absolutely fantastic, and I think that they've really captured the essential origins of Star Wars before it even turned into a film.

However, before Dark Horse steps away from producing comics for Lucasfilm, they will produce a 4 part adaptation of what would have been the final Darth Maul arc of the Clone Wars. The series will be titled Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir and will likely end the arc of the character, once and for all. I still think that the fans should petition to see this adapted to the screen someday. Let's revive the Save the Clone Wars campaign folks!

We can conclude the end of Dark Horse by saying that the future of Star Wars comics remains uncertain (I've heard many complain about Marvel but like I said, I have little knowledge into anything superhero-related). But we can also be optimistic because the stories that will be adapted into comics will likely come from the Lucasfilm Story Group (more on that in a later post), so it's possible that we won't see weak stories developed into comics in the future.

Shadows of the What?

Well friends, something deeply disturbing has emerged from the innermost depths of holy hell. A torturing concept destined to upset and terrorize the very sanity of some of the most well inversed and intelligent Star Wars fans. 

If anybodies fear for what could be the villain of Episode VII has come to an excruciatingly painful realization, it's probably my own. The curious thing is that most Star Wars folks didn't even raise an eyebrow when Rogue Leaders: The Story of Lucas Arts written by Rob Smith and with a foreword by none other than the man himself, GL, was released in November of 2008/ containing in it a page of all the Star Wars cancelled titles for video games included none other than STAR WARS EPISODE VII: SHADOWS OF THE SITH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The folks over at EGM Now.com gave us their theory of the existence behind that very disturbing video game title:

''The book contains logos for 20 Star Wars titles that were in development at the studio, including a tie-in for Episode VII subtitled Shadows of the Sith–I’d guess the original plan was to continue the franchise via games before Disney bought the rights.''

 I'm not buying this. It would be completely moronic to continue the Episodic franchise in a series of video games rather than do them in film. I am 99.99999% certain that George Lucas himself would have never, ever gone this way. Besides, all evidence points out that George Lucas only gave the go-ahead to do Episode VII, after he discussed with Bob Iger the idea of selling his company, meaning it happened AFTER May of 2011. So indeed, this discovery is very strange and in some ways, it could lead to a dark thought.

What surprises me the most is not that this list was published 5 years ago and nobody has been talking about it, but that now that it's been released, nobody close to Lucasfilm is asking for confirmation, of whether or not it is the title of Episode VII.

The only reasonable explanation really is to think that this, along with the other cancelled games from Lucas Arts, were all a bunch of brainstorming ideas for what potentially became The Force Unleashed. And at least, that is what the Darth Maul, Han Solo and Vader games are. So it wouldn't be unreasonable to think that the Episode VII game was some sequel to Shadows of the Empire talking place after Jedi, and some dude in Lucas Arts gave it the pretentious title of ''Episode VII'' before GL smashed the project, or someone smashed it, and they went off with The Force Unleashed. It makes absolutely no sense for Lucas Arts to be working on a video game 4 YEARS before the film was even getting created in story treatments and scripts. As far as I'm aware of, that's not how things work in the film industry.

Now, If my theory proves to be wrong, then I have literally no clue as to what future Star Wars faces in the big screen. And if I follow my gut feeling, it tells me it's nasty. 

Top Star Wars Characters 20-11

These are the secondary most important characters of the Star Wars saga.

here:http://thestarwarsdefender.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-top-100-greatest-star-wars.html 

here: http://thestarwarsdefender.blogspot.com/2013/02/top-100-star-wars-characters-90-81.html

here: http://thestarwarsdefender.blogspot.com/2013/03/top-100-star-wars-characters-80-71.html

here: http://thestarwarsdefender.blogspot.com/2013/03/top-star-wars-characters-70-61.html

here: http://thestarwarsdefender.blogspot.com/2013/05/top-100-star-wars-characters-60-51.html

here: http://thestarwarsdefender.blogspot.com/2013/06/top-100-star-wars-characters-50-41.html

here: http://thestarwarsdefender.blogspot.com/2013/07/top-100-star-wars-characters-40-31.html#more

and here: http://thestarwarsdefender.blogspot.com/2013/07/top-100-star-wars-characters-30-21.html#more 

Possible Villains in Star Wars Rebels

I have to say that ever since the announcement of the new animated series Star Wars: Rebels, my mind has gone wild. Literally. Their is so much potential for this series set between Episodes III and IV. Heck, I am WAY more excited about this series than I am for Episode VII. 

So, lets take a look at possible villains that may appear in Star Wars: Rebels.

The Birth of the Hateboy Nation: Eli Roth

It's difficult to pinpoint exactly when certain historical events happen. For example, It's difficult to say exactly when the French Revolution came to an end. Some Historians say it ended when Napoleon was crowned Emperor of France, while others assert that it didn't end at that point because France had Monarchs  after the end of Napoleon's rule. In a similar fashion, it's difficult to pinpoint the birth of the Hateboy movement. Some will argue that it all started in 1997, when fans went to see the Special Editions, and they were angered by the changes George Lucas made, in particular the whole ''Han Shot First'' stupidity. Others might say that it really wasn't born until the internet united the haters and made them a powerful force. Regardless of when this Weapon of Mass Destruction was born, it's important to note that perhaps the people most influential in dispersing the seeds of this movement, either intentionally or unintentionally, where the critics who reviewed The Phantom Menace. We know that Roger Ebert liked Phantom Menace,  but other critics like Peter Travers from Rolling Stone didn't. But what most people don't know is that one of the earliest reviews of the film came from none other than Eli Roth, director of horror and violent films, since it was published before the film was ever opened to the public. In several ways, Eli Roth is one of the founding fathers of Hateboy Nation. The term Hateboys, however, was coined several years later by the blog A Certain Point of View.net. 

Once notorious hateboy Mike Ryan from the Huffington Post unearthed this review, We can now see more clearly some of the ''genesis'', the reasons why most hateboys didn't like the prequels and why several at the end of the day, don't really like Star Wars. 

Let's see how it starts: 

Few films in history have had greater anticipation than The Phantom Menace. People have been waiting on line for over a month to get tickets. I know I have been waiting since 5th grade, following every rumor in "Starlog" and on the Internet. So here's the kicker: IT SUCKS. I'm sorry, it does. I know it's sacrilege to criticize George Lucas or the Holy Grail of movie trilogies, but after waiting 16 years I can honestly tell you this film is an unbelievable disappointment. People may say that waiting 16 years for anything will be a disappointment, but I waited 16 years to get laid and that really lived up to all my expectations. Okay, I'm lying, I didn't get laid until I was 18, but you get my point.

Really Eli Roth? Really? Comparing the experience of watching a Star Wars film to sexual intercourse is the lowest form of male primate ritual. Any Star Wars fan that truly loves the films knows that the Star Wars experience is one of pure connection with your soul. It's not a love affair, it has absolutely nothing to do with that. Any person who gets married because they think it's a very long love affair will be divorced very soon, because they all end in disappointment. So in truth, it's no wonder Eli Roth makes this comparison: he probably wasn't enamored with Star Wars in the first place. 

Let's start with the first problem of the movie, the title. What does it mean? I have no idea. Having seen the film, I still have no idea. I'm guessing it's a reference to Anakin Skywalker, but your guess is as good as mine.

This proofs he probably never understood the film in the first place. George Lucas managed to fool him into thinking that Palpatine and Sidious are two different persons, hence the title of the film.

At this point I realized that Han Solo and Chewbacca wouldn't be appearing any time soon, and I got a bit worried. It wasn't the fact that half the film was computer generated and it was starting to look more like A Bug's Life than Star Wars, it was the embarrassing dialogue that Lucas wrote.

The whole argument against Lucas with the ''bad dialogue'' makes you think that they never paid attention to the dialogue of the previous films. It's not meant to be Shakespeare, it's meant to sound big and epic and so forth. How could Han Solo show up if he was just a baby? Weren't we supposed to see a different story? Simply because Chewie doesn't show up, it doesn't mean its a bad film. After all, the Star Wars universe is pretty big. Apparently Eli Roth didn't bother to notice that the film was shot in Tunisia and in Italy, for Tatooine and Naboo, nor did he realize that Coruscant had to be CGI because their was no other way around it. So anyway, that argument is completely invalid. 

Imagine the worst aspects of Jedi--the Ewoks--exploited in mass form and forced upon you throughout the entire film. I was cringing every second Jar Jar was on screen.

And yet Eli Roth said that he loved the Ewoks recently, in the Return of Return of the Jedi video. Is he just making up excuses simply because the prequel hatred bandwagon is based out of emotion and not facts? 

In Phantom Menace, when a ship crashes during a race, an ESPN-type announcer says "I don't care what planet you're from, that's gotta hurt!" Is that supposed to be funny? Whereas the previous films were based heavily on Greek mythology, this film is based on popular culture.

Again, Eli Roth ignores the fact that Episode I is the most influenced by Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress, as he ignores that Anakin's early stages of his hero journey is very similar to Luke's. So much for Joseph Campbell, whose influence is as much, if not more, visible in this film than in A New Hope. What about the virgin birth? What about Darth Maul, who clearly resembles Satan? And what about Qui-Gon? Did nobody notice how similar he is to Obi-Wan in Episode IV? I could go on.

And finally, Eli Roth's prediction of the future comes true, to a certain extent at least: 

I was so angry after the film I wanted to punch someone in the face. I was tempted to go to Hollywood Boulevard, outside Mann's Chinese Theatre, and scream to the crowd who have been sleeping outside since March: "It sucks. Go home. Go back to your non-existent lives! It sucks!" I have a feeling that there will be riots in the streets when this film comes out. Star Wars fans will be so shocked and appalled that they will harass George Lucas into seclusion, and he'll get so pissed off he'll just say "fuck it" and chuck the whole thing. Or he could play it smart and stick to writing the story and leave the dialogue to people who actually know what they're doing.

What is true is that for the years that followed, a small but annoying group of ''fans'' have been doing everything in their power to discredit George Lucas and his films. The funny thing is that the guy who prophecied everything is apparently no longer a hateboy anymore. At the same time that this got unearthed, Mike Ryan contacted Eli Roth, and he has some things to say that distinguish him from the guy who wrote this review in 99. 

I wrote that review very much in the style of my all time favorite movie review, which Steve Martin wrote in his book "Cruel Shoes" as a 'rejected New Yorker submission' reviewing "Alien," where he admits to falling asleep in the film and not remembering anyone's names. I knew Jordan Hoffman from NYU and had written a screenplay for him when he was working for Andrew Lauren (son of Ralph, who was producing at the time), and so Jordan asked me to write that and credited me as "Hollywood screenwriter," despite the fact I had never done anything in the business. I didn't really worry about making enemies because I was dead certain nobody I mention in the review would ever read it. Oops. Now I know the people at Skywalker and they're so nice and invite me to all kinds of Star Wars events, but I'm guessing that now that you've unearthed this treasure I won't be on their Christmas list, despite my enduring love for Star Wars.  

Now I look back at that review and all I can say is, I'm so happy I have a life now. Having received similar scathing reviews (and worse ones), I read it and laugh and realize that the only crime against cinema was getting that upset at a movie that was never intended for me. I've met so many young people who love the "new" Star Wars films, because that's who they were made for. Thinking that George Lucas made "The Phantom Menace" for me is symptomatic of my entire generation who grew up with Star Wars, because as kids in the 70's and 80's, those films were made for us. We just assumed that would continue in the 90's (and secretly hope it does with J.J. Abrams at the helm of the new ones). So while I won't be ordering the Phantom Menace special edition Blu-ray anytime soon, I don't take the film as a personal assault against my childhood. At least not in front of girls.

So at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter what Eli Roth thinks with regard to Episode I, due to the fact that he obviously isn't a hateboy anymore. He realizes that their are plenty of folks who love these films, and that George always intended the film to be for kids. So Eli, I want to say personally that  your view on Episode I is forgiven and thank you for not being a hateboy. I wish Simon Pegg and the rest of the crowd, could learn Eli Roth's lesson, someday. 

BREAKING NEWS: Star Wars Rebels, new animated show announced for 2014

I was literally jumping up and down when I heard this announcement. Dave Filoni will now be executive producer on the new series, STAR WARS REBELS!!! SET BETWEEN EPISODE III AND IV!!! DARK TIMES!!!! DARTH VADER HUNTS DOWN JEDI!!!! DARTH MAUL GOES OFF AND FIGHTS OBI-WAN ON TATOOINE!!!

Ok, that last thing was pure conjecture, but if Maul's fate isn't sealed by the time the bonus content is released, at least their is the possibility of settling major Clone Wars characters into this era. Aah...the dream of several folks has come true. 

On another note, I do have a few questions: will George Lucas be involved like he was in the Clone Wars, or is he only interested in Episode VII? Will this show manage to attract the attention of the hateboys? All of these and more, I hope are answered soon enough, and others, we will know by fan reaction. 

Watch Pablo and my boy Dave speak here: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bdfFos3PYQ

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is an excellent film. Perhaps the best of the prequel trilogy. No really, it is. No apologies to the hateboys.

George Lucas decided to start writing the new Star Wars trilogy on November 1, 1994. The screenplay was adapted from a 15-page outline written in 1976. Ultimately he was aiming for a story set in the same universe as Episodes IV, V and VI, but he obviously needed to tell it from a different point of view. The same thing that inspired him to make the previous films helped make this one. 

We are introduced to the source of evil that manages to manipulate the events of the entire saga. Although explained in greater detail in Star Wars: Darth Plagueis, We learn that Palpatine secretly the evil Sith Lord Darth Sidious is instigating an evil, very evil plan that has been in the making for a millenia: To crown himself as ruler of the galaxy, and destroy democracy and the Jedi Order from within. This film makes it much more clear that the ''Wars'' in the ''Star Wars'' title is far more than simply droids vs Gungans, droids vs clone troopers and stormtroopers vs rebels: The real fight is between the cosmic forces of the dark side and light side of the force, more specifically, the most powerful users of each, the Jedi and the Sith.

The Jedi are at their height, but at the same time, they have little understanding of who or what is behind the Trade Federations motivation to invade Naboo. After a short, but intense confrontation between Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul, Qui-Gon comes to the unequivocal conclusion that the mysterious tattooed zabrak warrior is indeed a Sith Lord. The Jedi Council at that moment, realizes that this trade blockade, is much more serious than they had first thought. Ultimately, they know it's a Sith who was behind everything, they just don't know which Sith.

That's when we turn to Palpatine. He has only one goal in the entire film: to go from being Senator of Naboo to Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. Queen Amidala, as said by Sidious himself is ''young and naive'' and will do what it takes to save her people. Sadly, saving her people ended up making possible a scenario beyond the worst fears of any of the heroes.

Despite the mysterious dark forces that are conspiring against our heroes, hence the title ''The Phantom Menace'', the galaxy still has hope of being saved, by none other than the hands of a 9-year old slave  named Anakin Skywalker, whom lives with his mother in the backwater and hostile desert world of Tatooine.

Qui-Gon is the Jedi who realizes not only that the Sith are behind the entire blockade, but that this boy is the prophecied ''Chosen One''- an ancient Jedi prophecy that spoke of a being that would bring balance to the Force and destroy the Sith. The rest of the Jedi Council is nevertheless skeptical of Qui-Gon's claims, fearing instead the clouded future that is in store, and not realizing that they could have stopped this menace if their minds had been on the ''here and now''. It does bring to question what would have happened had Qui-Gon not died at the hands of Darth Maul. Would he have stopped young Anakin from becoming the fearsome Darth Vader? Would he have seen that Palpatine was a soul of irreparable evil that really didn't have the best interest of the people? The only thing that we know for sure is that Qui-Gon knew the outcome of the entire thing before it had even begun.

The beauty of Phantom Menace lies on the fact that it deals with an incredibly evil plot from the side of the villain, yet it tells a relatively straightforward and fun adventure. That is perhaps one of Lucas's greatest gifts: despite the fact that Star Wars deals with complex and dark themes, it ultimately is a story that is engulfed with a hopeful and positive message. Few other franchises manage to have that chemistry and in fact, most tend to slip towards the side of darkness too far in.

The story introduces us to great villains, Sidious and Maul, a wise and powerful mentor, Qui-Gon, a arrogant yet far more mature for his age Obi-Wan Kenobi, a beautiful and strong willed Queen Amidala, a young and nice Anakin and the stooge that is Jar Jar Binks. I do have to admit however, that Obi-Wan became my favorite Star Wars character when I first watched this film in 1999, primarily at that point because he defeated Darth Maul. Nowadays, my reasoning is more complex.

Ultimately, we all knew that Phantom Menace was going to be huge from the day it got announced, even if today a portion of Star Wars ''fans'' (hateboys), apparently have nothing better to do and continue to bash a film they should have moved on from a long time ago.

For the fans who actually liked this film, and to the new generation that was introduced to Star Wars by this film (including myself), Phantom Menace stands as proof that Star Wars is a multi-generational film saga, something that can't be said for other franchises.

Finest Moments of the Film:

1. The beginning of the film: When Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon talk about the Living Force, and Nute Gunray, petrified, talks to Sidious about the Jedi who have come as ambassadors. The action that follows sets the film to a great start.

2. The introduction to the underwater city of Otoh Gunga. Truly one of those Star Wars moments when you ''experience the wonder''.

3. The Podrace. One of the most memorable moments of the saga.

4. Anakin's farewell to his mother Shmi. It stands out as one of the saddest moments of the film, and also one of the most tragic in retrospect, if we know what happens later.

5. The Duel with Darth Maul, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. Probably the best lightsaber fight of all six films.

Rating: 10/10

Star Wars, the Road to Hell and Heaven

Friends, this past couple of weeks have been largely insane in terms of the amount of things I have to do in order to graduate (the reason why I haven't written since God-knows when), and the shockwaves that have hit the Star Wars community. They have been in a mix: some have been good others have been bad, and others ugly. Let's take a look folks at what has happened, now that I have the first day off since...well spring break.

For starters, Rumors went on and off about layoffs in Lucasfilm Animaton, Lucas Arts, and about how much ''bonus content'' of the Clone Wars might get released. The pessimistic Star Wars fans basically painted Disney like an evil corporation alla Koch Brothers, Exxon Mobil type of guys, whom we're going to destroy Star Wars and everything left in Lucasfilm. While they have been partially right about it for a couple of things, the ''I Told You So'' type of attitude doesn't really help, and it only fervents the anger of some folks. 

Disney did fire some folks at Lucasfilm Animation, how many we do not know, and well Lucas Arts is now for licensing only. Still that DOES NOT mean that Detours, the remaining Bonus Content of The Clone Wars and the videogame 1313 won't see the light of day. On the contrary, the possibility still remains for all of them to be released in some way, shape or form. 

On another note, Dave Filoni is going to helm the upcoming animated series coming from Lucasfilm Animation, so that should leave fans hopeful. Let's not forget that way back in Celebration VI, Dave Filoni said that he was being prepared in order to continue the creative part of Star Wars once George passes further into retirement. We will have to wait and see if the fate of Darth Maul, and that of other characters is sealed with the remaining bonus content. 

Let's also remember the good things that have come out of Star Wars recently... The original Star Wars story treatment from 1973 will be turned into a comic book, Return of the Jedi will celebrate 30 years on May 25, ''Kenobi'' the novel about Obi-Wan during the dark times recently got a blurb, and JJ Abrams plans on having John Williams score Episode 7!! Exciting friends. 

So, dear readers, please even if you are going through hell, do not loose hope on Star Wars. Because great things are coming right next door. 

And, another thing...a late May the 4th Be With You, and also Happy Revenge of the 5th. ;)

The Death of the Main Villains Part 1

One of the often most criticized parts of Phantom Menace, and that of Episodes I-III in general, has to do with the appearance of the villains, in particular the Sith. The hateboys often times will go on record to say that they liked the fact that Darth Vader was a recurring villain in Episodes IV-VI, and that Darth Maul should have been the recurring villain of Episodes I-III. Here is why that was and is not a good idea. 

For starters, the idea of having Maul run away from a Padawan, just after he killed his own master, completely destroys the legitimacy of Episode I, and his own character. Maul's ''death'' brings closure to the film itself, and allows to elevate the character of Obi-Wan. A great part of the reason why I love Obi-Wan Kenobi, and why he has been my favorite Star Wars character ever  since I was a 5-year old boy who watched Phantom Menace in theaters, has to do with the fact that yes, he ''killed'' the supporting villain of the story. We obviously know that Jedi are only supposed to kill in self defense, and that is exactly what Obi-Wan did, which brings to show you how much he personifies the Jedi Code itself.

Going back to Maul, even if you find a way to keep him alive while not destroying Episode I, you still have to face the fact that it's going to be difficult for this guy to be running around from the Jedi for a decade until the Clone Wars start. He would have been more of Obi-Wan's foil than he ever was of Anakin, since well, Anakin only knew Qui-Gon for like a few days, while Qui-Gon had been Obi-Wan's father figure. Bringing Obi-Wan towards the dark side simply isn't how the story goes, nor is it in the nature of his character. And besides, a duel between Yoda and Maul simply won't work: Yoda would kick Maul's ass in five minutes similar to how Sidious kicked his ass in the Clone Wars. Having Maul die at the hands of Yoda would force Sidious to get some kind of apprentice to run the Separatists for him, and that villain would have had only minor screen time in Revenge of the Sith. So in the end, it was a wise choice to have Maul ''die'' in Episode I, and have Count Dooku be the villain later on. 

In Part 2 of this series, I will discuss about Maul's return in the Clone Wars, and how his return is different from that of other Star Wars characters. I will see if I can also talk about why Count Dooku is a great Star Wars villain. 

The future of Star Wars: Are we headed for doom?

Is Star Wars heading for a nasty place???

Folks, as Mace Windu once said, our worst fears have been realized. The Clone Wars as a television show, has been cancelled.

It was a ride I never thought I would see, way back in 2008 when this all started. And after 5 great years in which the show kept getting better and better, it's sad this all bogged down to this. After the emotional ending of Season 5, I had been so moved that for some  reason, I wasn't shocked when I saw the news that The Clone Wars was ending. For some reason, I kind off saw that coming.

Ultimately, the only logical explanation as to why this happened, bogs down to the fact that Papa George is no longer running the company he once made. The Disney executives figured out that they didn't want a distraction to be in place when Episode VII gets released, so they decided to cancel the show. Not only that, but also Detours is getting moved into a future release, proving that the whole ''Disney hates the prequels'' is pure nonesense.

At the same time, all of this gives reason for pessimism, despite how optimistic the crew of the CW might sound, on the future of the franchise. Even though we are going to get a couple of more arcs (like the Anakin, Clovis, and Padme one) released in some way, shape or form, it does bring to question: Will the arcs be able to conclude the fates of Ahsoka, Rex, Darth Maul, Ventress and Bo-Katan? Even though the show managed to break through the 100 episode goal, I feel as if it could have accomplished so much more. All of things brings down to the fact, that as I mentioned earlier, the future of Star Wars is uncertain and not looking very good under the wing of a corporate animal.

I really hope that at the same time I am writing this piece, that George Lucas is simultaneously in Skywalker Ranch sitting with Lawrence Kasdan, Michael Arndt, Simon Kilberg and JJ Abrams, telling them that they can't go ahead and screw up the next trilogy of Star Wars. I hope he is telling them that they need to keep the prophecy of the Chosen One and NOT include a Sith as a villain, that in his view, peace has existed in the galaxy since the Battle of Endor, and so on. Or else folks, if this next installment does not adhere to the vision of the man himself, and is instead thumb nosed by Disney executives just like how the Clone Wars was, I might as well file my divorce of the Star Wars fandom. At least, the things that Disney ends up releasing.

It breaks my heart that what has become an integral part of the greatest film franchise of all time, is now not ending the way it should have. At an end note, I do wish to clarify that I am looking forward to the next arcs that will be in some form released, which will hopefully wrap up The Clone Wars somewhat nicely.

On the other hand, I also wish to take this time to thank George, Dave Filoni, Joel Aron, Killian Plunkett, Ashley Eckstein, Matt Lanter, James Arnold Taylor, Catherine Taber, Sam Witwer, the late Ian Abercrombie, Stephen Stanton, Jon Fravreau, Jaime King, and everyone else involved in all of these seasons, bringing us great episodes of Star Wars goodness. 

May the Force be With You.

The Lawless Review

Man, that was some episode. I'm going to have to restate my previous comment from ''Shades of Reason'' because THIS episode was the one closest to Revenge of the Sith in tone and emotion in the entire show.

Darth Maul had quite the plan to enact his ultimate revenge on Obi-Wan. The sad part was that ultimately his plan worked, and he killed Satine right in front of him. I was on the verge of tears when I saw Satine tell Obi-Wan how she had always loved him and the look on his face clearly showed how he felt. I really feel Obi-Wan's pain now and I really hate Darth Maul at this point. Especially due to the fact that Maul has killed both Kenobi's Lover and his Master.

The incredible thing was that Obi-Wan showed no signs of hatred to Maul, and tried to understand why he had become the bad person he was. It clearly highlights how similar Luke Skywalker is to Obi-Wan when he faces a similar situation in Return of the Jedi and faces Palpatine,  contrary to Anakin, who can't control his emotions and acts much more severely when Padme dies.

Once Maul realized that he was feeling the presence of his Master, his look of fear was clearly highlighted. Not only was Sidious shown to be incredibly powerful in the Force, we saw that no matter how sadistic Maul is, Sidious is the incarnation of the devil. I was left wondering if Mother Talzin's magic was just some kind of an illusion after Savage died and he reverted to his original state. That leaves us with the million dollar question: What will Sidious use Maul for now? Help him hunt down Talzin? Have him duel Darth Tyranus/Count Dooku to see who is the most worthy apprentice? I guess we will have to tune in Season 6 to find out.

It also brings to question: what will happen to Bo-Katan after the Republic goes to Mandalore to reorganize the planet? We found out somewhat shockingly that Bo-Katan and Satine were sisters, which I hope their relationship is further addressed in future episodes.

The only thing that I didn't really like was that it was made a bit too obvious in the episode that Sidious and Palpatine are the same persona. I guess some kids who haven't seen Episode III and think that Palpatine is still a good guy might have changed their mind. Otherwise, it was a fantastic episode, one in which made me have more respect for Obi-Wan, my favorite Star Wars character.

Shades of Reason Review

The plan is now sprung into action. Black Sun, the Pykes and Savage attack the ports of Mandalore in  a plot to make Death Watch look as the heroes of Mandalore, and poor Duchess Satine be seen as a weak one. And it worked. Brilliantly. 

Ultimately I guess that one of the reasons George wanted to set this episode up in the first place, was to use the conquest of Mandalore by Death Watch as a foreshadowing element to what will take place in Revenge of the Sith. Pre Vizsla is seen by the people as some type of hero, similar to how Palpatine was seen as a hero after he had supposedly been ''scared and deformed'' by the Jedi. At the end of the day, however, Vizsla's rule comes to an end, thanks in part for his foolish pride, and for not killing Maul when he had the chance. 

Savage acted less like an idiot, as he had in the previous episode, and did more impressive things this time. Maul on the other hand, did the predictable thing: He realizes that he can't rule Mandalore, in great part because he looks too much like the devil, and is going to scare everyone else, so he needed someone to act as his puppet ruler, in this case, the corrupt Prime Minister Almec. And now that Darth Maul is the current Mandalorian, his character has risen to an even more ''cool'' state. 

The fight between Pre Vizsla and Maul proved to be one of the best we have seen so far, and despite the fact that Vizsla is a great warrior and sword fighter, he simply is no match for a Sith Lord. He died somewhat honorably to be honest, and what let to his downfall was his pride. Bo-Katan comes to her senses and realizes that she doesn't want to be ruled by a monster like Maul, and decides to rebel against the Maul Mandalorians. I don't know why, but I have a feeling that Bo-Katan is becoming too much like Ventress, in the sense that they are both female characters how are changing for better. 

Duchess Satine's wish to have Mandalore free of corruption and war ultimately led to the fall of her own government. As much as I like the character, she simply should have foreshadowed the takeover of Death Watch, and should have armed herself when she had time. However, I don't want to be too bad with the Duchess, and we do have to recognize that she was smart in not underestimating Maul's power, unlike Bo-Katan. 

As far as tone and emotion is concerned, this episode has been by far the closest we have been to Episode III. It's only a sign that this war and this show, are coming to a close. 

Eminence Review

Play time is over, friends. The shroud of the dark side has fallen.

Seriously, though, besides the fact that I just quoted Yoda, this episode came down to be one of the darkest in the Clone Wars. The allegiance between Darth Maul and Pre Vizsla comes down to be one of mistrust and betrayal, since their only common goal is to exact vengeance on the Jedi, in particular Obi-Wan. Vizsla doesn't understand exactly what Maul's plans are. And why should he? He only cares about taking back Mandalore, and a Sith would be useful in order to get him rid of the Jedi who could prevent his wish from coming true, in particular Obi-Wan. On the other hand, Maul is a Sith- a villain who is always unhappy and only wants to get more and more stuff because he can never be satiated. He wants to not only kill Kenobi, but also create an army of the criminal underworld and take control of Mandalore in order to have himself control of the Neutral Council of Systems, in order to have a third party that can rival the Republic and the Separatists, and compete with his old Master in the game of galactic domination. Brilliant plan, isn't it?

One thing that does come to mind is, how and why did Death Watch find Maul's escape pod and decide to open it to see what was in their? The only logical explanation(s) are the following: 1, it was pure coincidence., or 2 the much more logical one, this was a setup by Mother Talzin. How she managed to trace the Death Watch into Darth Maul is anyone's guess, but it would make sense given the interest Talzin has with the Sith Lord.

Another thing I'd like to point out is that Savage acts too much like a moron. I mean, seriously. At least Darth Maul can control his anger and not beat up and destroy the droids that are repairing you in the first place!!!

Jabba was also kind of laughing when he was forced to join with Maul (like he always does). Bo-Katan is pretty skeptical about the Sith, and the fight between Embo and Savage was freakin awesome. I wonder how many times the Black Sun will be forced to replace its own members. It was also interesting to see the new concept of the Pykes.

Duchess Satine is in for an unpleasant surprise.

The Clone Wars First Half of the Season Review

Moving  away from all this Episode 7 speculation, I think it's time to talk about how the First Half of Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 5 went. We have been comprised so far of two 4 part arcs, the Onderon arc and the Young Jedi one. Onderon proved to be an exciting arc, one in which we got to see the predecessors to the Rebel Alliance. The irony in all of this, is that it was Anakin's idea to organize the Rebels and train them in order to fight back the Separatists. Some saw this as showing Anakin's continuous descent towards the dark side, but I disagree: I think that it showed a great part about how Anakin managed to setup the path to his eventual redemption. One thing that did leave me confused was the fact that Ahsoka's relationship with Lux wasn't really taken forward from what we had seen in A Friend In Need. However, Steela's death might have been done on purpose in order for Lux and Ahsoka's relationship to actually flourish.

The Young Jedi arc opened up to see the interesting aspect about hoe the Jedi built their own lightsaber.  The addition of Huyang and the pirate Hondo made everything more interesting. Seeing Hondo drunk was all the more hilarious, and seeing General Grievous shine in this arc was even better. The Grievous vs. Ahsoka was a pretty intense, yet even match when considering the fact of how her fight was with Grievous way back in Season 1. 

I got to see at that point how the Season opener, Revival tied in to the destruction of Hondo's base. The return of Darth Maul and Savage Opress was what the audience was expecting from the get-go, and that episode proved to be one of the brilliants of the show.

Then came the Droids episodes which...many fans complain about. To be honest, the fans that don't want Star Wars to be a kid's show annoy the crap out of me, do to the fact that they forget that large parts of the Star Wars movies are told from the droids point of view. Seriously, will the stop complaining and enjoy the show? 

Secret Weapons proved to be a good episode, but it was really A Sunny Day in the Void, that struck me. Colonel Gascon's moment of despair and existencial questioning was one of the most philosophical of the show, without any Jedi involved in it, and the scene where the flock of birds come running and Wack ends up riding one of them was compelling, particularly when the bird did a kind of friendly gesture to Wack. What's funny of this is the fact that Wack is a droid, and it gives a theme of Animals and Robots, that I think has never been touched upon before. It was a scene that showed the innocent side of Star Wars some fans wish wouldn't exist. 

It was a very good first half, to say the least. I'm looking forward to seeing Gregor and Darth Maul return in the other half!!!