Hello and welcome back to another exciting The Clone Wars review! This review is a little late I know, but it is a busy time of the year for all. And seeing that The Clone Wars is now on break (unlike some of us), the late posting shouldn’t impact too much. Okay, with the announcements out of the way, let’s talk about the episode! This week we’ll be discussing the second installment in the “slave” arc with Slaves of the Republic! In this episode, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and Rex travel to Zygerria in order to find the missing colonists, who have been taken into slavery.
Slaves of the Republic felt greatly refreshing after the dark events on Umbara. It felt like a classic Jedi adventure that we didn’t see much of in the movies. What I mean by that nothing galaxy shattering went on, like winning a major battle, or destroying an evil empire, this was an adventure that placed the Jedi in the roles they were supposed to be, keepers of the peace, and upholders of justice. Fighting for those who cannot stand up for themselves. Also, we get to see some very cool battle scenes, such as Anakin and Obi-Wan fighting off a dozen Zygerrian guards (who have lightning whips) in a giant arena. One thing that I thought was strange about this episode was that the roles of Obi-Wan and Anakin seemed to be swapped. Now we have Anakin as the diplomat, and Obi-Wan as the one who does the tough work. I thought this was good, it gave us the opportunity to see Anakin’s inner character more when he’s talking with the Queen, rather than if he had been in battle. Also, Anakin’s smooth talking skills? This shows growth in Anakin since The Attack of the Clones.
I’d like to discuss the Queen as a villain, and how Anakin reacts to her. I think it’s interesting how this is set up. We have Anakin, whose past has given him a hatred for slavers, yet here he is making conversation with the Queen of a slave empire. Like I said before about the roles of Obi-Wan and Anakin being swapped, it’s also strange from a character perspective as well. You would think that Obi-Wan would’ve gone to be diplomatic with the Queen, seeing as Anakin’s past would’ve gotten in the way of successfully infiltrating here inner circle, especially since Anakin has trouble keeping his emotions in check. But on the other hand, the Queen isn’t what she seems either. She is definitely not your conventional villain, at least not on the surface. She has not shown a great deal of hostility toward Anakin himself, but certainly Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. You could almost say that at times she’s kind to Anakin, and legitimately interested in getting to know the Jedi. Even promising to let his friends go if he volunteered to stay. Could it be actual feelings on the part of our villain, or convincing manipulation? I think this is what intrigues me the most about this arc, and certainly the highlight of the episode.
All in all, this was another good episode! There was action, the great design of Zygerria, and character development, lots and lots of character development going on. It left off at an awesome cliff hanger and I can’t wait to see how our characters will get out of the situation! Alright, there are no more episodes for a few weeks, so until then, let us know what you thought of this episode, thanks for reading, and may the Force be with you…always!
–Ryan
Author: admin
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