Star Wars the Clone Wars 24 Week Plan

Week 1 of the 24 Week Plan!

I have mixed emotions about this year. . .

I'm excited because I've been wanting to do them in chronological order for a while,

but I didn't know the exact order. . . haha Now that I do, I'm really happy for this year's plan!

The sad part is that there is no more Clone Wars, and this is, in fact, a final goodbye.

Well, on to this week's(or rather last week's...) episodes:

Cat and Mouse:

• Originally airing on March 26, 2010 as the 16th episode of Season two, this episode actually comes first in chronological order.  The episode shows us a rather fresh Republic fleet fighting the experienced strategist, Admiral Trench, who has blockaded the planet Christophsis.  It is clear here that both sides are fresh into the war.  It is later discovered that, between the time of the battle of Geonosis and now, the Separatists have been aligning many systems to their cause, either willingly or by force.  With, what would seem like, a newly organized Republic military, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan have been sent to this particular planet to put a stop to the Separatist movement.  It is obvious that the war is fresh, with Admiral Yularen showing his lack of knowledge about Skywalker, in addition to new clones and equipment shown in the episode.  Anakin is ordered by Obi-Wan to take an experimental stealth ship down to the planet to aid Senator Bail Organa and the Republic base.  However, after Yularen reveals their enemy's great qualifications, Skywalker chooses a different action and attacks Trench with the ship.  A strategic game of cat-and-mouse ensues as each opponent tries to outsmart the other.
• This episode was written by Brian Larsen and directed by Kyle Dunlevy.
• In Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Captain Needa is certain that no ship as small as the Millennium Falcon could have a cloaking device. He clearly is wrong, but it is not shown throughout the rest of this series whether or not the stealth ship used in this episode was successfully used in the war effort.
• Admiral Trench's name was originally Admiral Taranch and can be seen spelled this way on Yularen's intelligence report.  The name, however, was changed because it was thought to close to tarantula, the obvious origin of his species and name.
• I personally love this episode! It was great to see two experienced military leader battle it out in space with experimental technology and quick thinking.

The Hidden Enemy:

• This episode aired on February 6, 2009 as number 16 of Season 1. It comes in as the second episode in chronology.  After defeating Trench, Anakin and Obi-Wan proceed to set up a trap for the droids on the planet below, but are betrayed by one of their own.  As the Jedi take a look behind enemy lines, Commander Cody and Captain Rex launch an investigation into who may have given up their battle plans to the enemy.  Anakin and Obi-Wan again find a trap waiting for them at the Separatist headquarters.  They battle Ventress and discover another attack being launched on the city while Rex and Cody do some battling of their own.  They manage to catch the traitor, but not before he did some damage to the weapons depot.
• Apparently, though still early in the war, the fight is already having an effect on the clones as Sergeant Slick reveals his reasoning for betraying the Republic as being a favor to his brothers.  He did it "for his freedom" from the Jedi.
• The episode was written by Drew Z. Greenberg and directed by Steward Lee.
• Captain Rex was originally an ARC trooper named Alpha in the Dark Horse Comics' Star Wars: Republic.
• This episode gave us a lot of insight into the minds of the individual clones in the early days of the war as well giving us the context of the theatrical release. It's not, however, one of my personal favorites.

The Clone Wars(Theatrical Release):

• The full length feature hit theaters on August 15, 2008, thus beginning the Clone Wars fandom.  Yoda sends aid to Anakin and Obi-Wan on Christophsis in the form of a new padawan for Skywalker.  The arrogant master and snippy apprentice make an odd pair, but they must work together to shut down the droids' new shield and win Christophsis for the Republic.  With some difficulty, they manage to destroy the generator and clear the way for reinforcements, but the next Separatist plan has already been put into place.  Jabba the Hutt has contacted the Jedi Council in hopes that they can help find his son.  Not yet sure who is behind the kidnapping, Anakin and Ahsoka are sent to investigate on the planet Teth.  They find the huttlet, but the real battle has just begun.  Dooku twists the truth to Jabba and convinces him the Jedi are responsible.  Anakin and Ahsoka have to return Rotta to his father, without incident, before time runs out.
• Writers Henry Gilroy, Steven Melching, and Scott Murphy and director Dave Filoni originally planned this story to be the first three episodes of the series, but instead decided to extend it and launch the series with a movie.
• Samuel Jackson, Christopher Lee, Anthony Daniels, and Matthew Wood again filled their roles from the prequel trilogy in this feature with Daniels and Wood also continuing into the show.
• The Twilight's design was taken from an unused Republic gunship concept for Episode II.
• Who wouldn't love the movie? haha It made for a great start to the series! The story line and conflict could have been a little more substantial to the overall story of the Clone Wars, but it was pretty good, other than that.  The character development of Anakin and Ahsoka was very well done. The music(at the time) was all fresh and well put together, and the animation was great for the time period!

I hope you enjoy this week's edition! Check back every Friday for the next episodes!(Not sure if I'll be adding all this information every time; still deciding...) I hope some of you are doing this with me and will enjoy it! Until next time, MTFBWY!