Tag Anakin Skywalker

Star Wars: Ahsoka – “Shadow Warrior” Review

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SERIES: Star Wars: Ahsoka
EPISODE: S1: E5 – “Part Five: Shadow Warrior”
STARRING: Rosario Dawson, Hayden Christensen, Ariana Greenblatt, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, David Tennant (Voice)
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Dave Filoni
PREMIERE DATE: September 12, 2023
SYNOPSIS: Ahsoka faces her past.

***New around here? Check out our Star Wars review archive!***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Early in the episode we get some pure fan service: Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker against Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka in a lightsaber duel. Just seeing them on screen together is a huge treat. But this? This was something else. And in the World Between Worlds, no less.

So Jacen has Force powers. Strong Force powers, evidently. That’s interesting. But all I can think about when it comes to that is it means there’s a chance Jacen was killed by Ben Solo at Luke’s Jedi Academy. That’s not necessarily the case. But it might just be the most likely scenario…

So wait, does Hera have Force powers too? Can she hear the lightsabers in this episode the way Jacen can? I’m confused.

This episode was released in select theaters. You’ve got to believe this live-action Clone Wars era sequence was part of the reason why. Again, huge fan service seeing Hayden Christensen play Anakin in his Clone Wars armor, all the clones, etc.

People can talk about Hayden Christensen’s alleged lack of acting ability all they want. But he was really good in those scenes with Ariana Greenblatt as young Ahsoka. He came off suitably wise and Jedi-like. I also didn’t get the uncanny valley effect from the CGI de-aging, as I was worried I might.

In Attack of the Clones, Mace Windu has the line: “We’re keepers of the peace, not soldiers.” In this episode, Anakin has the dialogue to Ahsoka about being trained as a keeper of the peace, but now having to train her as a soldier. That’s a nice Star Wars style echo.

There’s a desire among many fans, particularly those who liked Rogue One and Andor, to see a grittier side of Star Wars. Something more akin to Band of Brothers, perhaps. This Clone Wars era sequence with Anakin and Ahsoka proves that you can do that sort of thing, but not necessarily lose the essence of Star Wars, as in my opinion Rogue One did. It was very well done.

Naturally, it helps that it’s Dave Filoni who’s writing and directing this sequence. Filoni understands that essence of Star Wars like few do, and of course was the showrunner for Clone Wars.

So, strictly speaking, did we need to have all this stuff with Anakin in Ahsoka? No. We didn’t. But it was certainly cool to see. I think Filoni and the higher-ups knew it was something fans were clamoring for. So there might have been some disappointment had we not seen something with Hayden. Especially after his work in Obi-Wan Kenobi. All in all, it made for some nice garnish on top of what has been a pretty pleasurable meal, thus far.

Email Rob at robsiebert0220@gmail.com, or follow us on X and TikTok.

Star Wars: Ahsoka – “Fallen Jedi” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

SERIES: Star Wars: Ahsoka
EPISODE: S1: E4 – “Part Four: Fallen Jedi”
STARRING: Rosario Dawson, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, David Tennant (Voice), Ray Stevenson
WRITER: Dave Filoni
DIRECTOR: Peter Ramsey
PREMIERE DATE: September 5, 2023
SYNOPSIS: Ahsoka and Sabine come face-to-face with their new enemies.

***New around here? Check out our Star Wars review archive!***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Our director for this episode, Peter Ramsey, also directed the Mandalorian season three episode, “The Pirate.” I’d say he outdid himself on this one.

Much as I’d like to say that you don’t need to see, or at least be familiar with Star Wars: Rebels to get the full Ahsoka experience, the sad truth is you really do. Even I, as someone familiar with the general happenings of the series, feel like I’m missing something having not seen the whole thing. On that Master & Apprentice mini-documentary they just put out on Disney+, Kathleen Kennedy essentially said you can come into Ahsoka’s story at any time and not feel lost. That may be true, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get the full intended experience.

For my money, one of the reasons The Mandalorian is such a good show, particularly in the first season, is because is doesn’t require you to any homework coming in. For my money, the more a Star Wars show stands on its own two feet, the better it is in terms of quality.

One thing I will say about Ahsoka, though: They’re really trying to go balls-to-the-wall. We’ve had multiple lightsaber fights, unique spaceship battles, appearances by characters from other movies and shows, nods to different areas of Star Wars lore, etc. It feels like they’re trying hard to wow us. I can’t fault them for that.

Speaking of which, nice lightsaber fight between Ahsoka and Baylan Skoll. It had a nice intensity to it. Ray Stevenson knew how to swing a lightsaber.

Well, there he is. There’s Hayden Christensen playing Anakin Skywalker, just like we were all pretty sure we’d get. There is a certain satisfaction to hearing him refer to Ahsoka as “Snips,” the nickname he had for her in Clone Wars. That show didn’t need validation, per se. But that nonetheless offers it some.

It’s curious to me that they used CGI de-aging technology on Christensen for Ahsoka, but seemingly didn’t for Obi-Wan Kenobi. I think, given the choice between the two, I’d go with how Anakin looks here as opposed to the scene he did with Ewan McGregor. In the latter, you could definitely tell Christensen was trying to play younger.

Then again, he got a very small dose of Anakin here. It’s entirely possible that once we get to episode 5 (I assume we’re getting more Anakin in that episode), the novelty will wear off and we’ll get that uncanny valley effect…

Email Rob at robsiebert0220@gmail.com, or follow us on X and TikTok.

George Lucas on Star Wars: General Grievous and Darth Vader

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***Think what you will about George Lucas, but in terms of Star Wars, it can all be traced back to him. That’s why I always find it so interesting to listen to him talk about it. His creative process, the reason certain decisions were made, and how these movies became the pop cultural staples they are. This space is dedicated to just that. This is “George Lucas on Star Wars.”***

***New around here? Check out Primary Ignition‘s “George Lucas on Star Wars” archive!***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

General Grievous entrance, Star Wars Revenge of the Sith

The Scene: General Grievous, leader of the Separatist droid army, enters the film.

George Lucas Says (via the Revenge of the Sith commentary track): “With General Grievous, I wanted somebody who was reminiscent … of what Anakin is going to become, which is a half-man, half-robot. In this case, Grievous is sort of 20 percent alien, 80 percent robot. … It echoes what is about to occur with Anakin, as a part machine, part life form.”

I say: George Lucas does love his echoes, doesn’t he? I remember thinking this idea of Grievous sort of foreshadowing what happens to Anakin when he becomes Darth Vader was pretty cool. If nothing else, it shows that Darth Sidious’ forces had become somewhat proficient in creating cyborgs out of critically wounded beings. So, in a way, Grievous also lays the groundwork for Anakin’s transformation later in the film.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

The Essential Clone Wars: “The Lost One”

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***I must confess that, despite being a huge Star Wars geek, I have yet to see the landmark Clone Wars animated show in its entirety. I’m aiming to rectify that to a large extent here, as we look at pivotal episodes of the series in, “The Essential Clone Wars.”

SERIES: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
EPISODE: S6:E10 – “The Lost One”
WITH THE VOICE TALENTS OF: Tom Kane, James Arnold Taylor, Brian George, Matt Lanter, Corey Burton
WRITER: Christian Taylor
DIRECTOR: Brian Kalin O’Connell
PREMIERE DATE: March 7, 2014
SYNOPSIS: The Jedi explore the mystery of Sifo Dyas’ death.

***New around here? Check out our Star Wars review archive!***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Little peek behind the curtain: For the most part, I’ve been using the “Star Wars: The Clone Wars Essential Episodes” playlist on Disney+ to select which Clone Wars episodes I feature. But that has to change now, as mysteriously there are no season six episodes on said list. The three episodes I plan to feature from season six are ones I had previously seen, and frankly, I think are awesome. They dive into one of the big unresolved issues from Attack of the Clones: The mystery of Sifo Dyas.

We open the episode with a vehicle on wheels slowly driving through a sandstorm. The novelty of seeing wheeled vehicles in Star Wars still hasn’t worn off for me. I wonder what the logic is behind them using one here, as opposed to one with hover technology. Does it allow for more stable navigation through the storm?

This episode goes on awhile before we get any lightsaber fights, shooting, or any other Star Wars action staples. That’s fine for adult viewers, obviously. But it makes me wonder what younger kids thought of this episode. Did it hold their attention? Was the expansion on a character only briefly mentioned during Attack of the Clones enough to keep them interested?

How much time passes between this episode and Revenge of the Sith? A matter of months? Because Anakin has that line to Dooku: “My powers have doubled since we last met, Count.” Casual viewers would naturally think he’s referring to a couple of years earlier during the events of Attack of the Clones. But those of us who’ve watched The Clone Wars know Anakin and Dooku crossed swords a few different times over the course of this big galactic conflict. I mean, obviously Anakin is boasting. But it’s kind of a weird boast.

“My powers have doubled since we last met. Remember? It was just a few months ago…”

By the end of this episode, the Jedi Council learns that Count Dooku is responsible for the creation of the Clone army. Understandably, they’re of the mindset that if this got out, it would seriously undermine public confidence in the Jedi and the war effort. Again, as we saw with the story that led to Ahsoka’s departure from the Jedi Order, we’ve got this theme of people losing faith in the Jedi, and the Jedi’s fear of such a thing. I like that idea. The notion that the galaxy is becoming more skeptical about the Jedi lends credence to the idea that Palpatine could frame them as the villains in Revenge of the Sith.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

The Essential Clone Wars: “The Wrong Jedi”

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***I must confess that, despite being a huge Star Wars geek, I have yet to see the landmark Clone Wars animated show in its entirety. I’m aiming to rectify that to a large extent here, as we look at pivotal episodes of the series in, “The Essential Clone Wars.”

Ahsoka, Anakin, Star Wars the Clone Wars, The Wrong JediSERIES: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
EPISODE: S5:E20 – “The Wrong Jedi”
WITH THE VOICE TALENTS OF: Ashley Eckstein, Matt Lanter, Meredith Salenger, Nika Futterman, Stephen Stanton
WRITER: Charles Murray
DIRECTOR: Dave Filoni
PREMIERE DATE: March 2, 2013
SYNOPSIS: Ahsoka is put on trial for her alleged crimes.

***New around here? Check out our Star Wars review archive!***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This episode represents an ending of sorts for The Clone Wars. A few different endings, actually.

“The Wrong Jedi” was the final Clone Wars episode to premiere on Cartoon Network, which had been the show’s home since its inception.

The episode aired on March 2, 2013. Mere days later, Lucasfilm announced the end of the series, in conjunction with Disney’s purchase of the Star Wars brand. This, as Dave Filoni and everybody on the Clone Wars crew was apparently already working on a 22-episode sixth season. It wasn’t until later that fans learned they’d be getting an abbreviated season six. So for awhile, this episode served as the series finale for The Clone Wars.

As we’ll see, it’s also the ending of Ahsoka Tano’s apprenticeship under Anakin Skywalker. Obviously, her fate and whereabouts during the events of Revenge of the Sith had been the source of various questions since the series started.

Ahsoka, Star Wars the Clone Wars, The Wrong Jedi

All in all, if this episode had indeed been the series finale, it would have worked for me. It’s obviously got a lot of drama, features a great many of the show’s expansive list of characters, and ties up enough loose ends with Ahsoka while also leaving her around for future projects.

This wasn’t the end. But it very well could have been.

From a writing standpoint, it might have made sense to have Anakin turn his back on Ahsoka in the wake of all the evidence mounted against her. But the fact that he didn’t speaks to his loyalty as a character, as well as the bond he and Ahsoka shared. It makes what happens at the end of this episode all the more sad.

The great Tim Curry voices Palpatine in this episode. He took the baton from the also great Ian Abercrombie, who passed way in January 2012. It’s easy to hear Curry’s iconic voice in his portrayal of the character.

Anakin discovers that Bariss Offee has framed Ahsoka for the murder of Letta Turmond. Bariss taking such drastic action against the Jedi Order is the weakest part of the episode, in my opinion. It’s a pretty steep turn for her to make, and I’m not sure I fully buy it.

Also, when she wields Asajj Ventress’ red lightsabers, she says, “I think they suit me.” So does that mean she’s gone to the dark side?

The ensuing fight between Anakin and Bariss takes them in front of a class of Jedi younglings. I’m sure that was meant to be poignant, and symbolic of the Order falling apart. But in truth, I couldn’t help but think about how many of those kids (if any) Anakin murders during the events of Revenge of the Sith. Yeesh…

At the end of “The Wrong Jedi,” Ahsoka opts to leave the Jedi Order, despite being cleared of all charges. Again, from a writing standpoint this episode does a good job of making Ahsoka sympathetic. Her departure from the Order feels justified, as the Jedi left her hanging out to dry when she needed them most. Heck, I’d have left too…

One thing I might have changed: We never find out what the verdict is going to be as far as Ahsoka’s innocence or guilt is concerned before Anakin bursts in and clears her name. I might have had them pronounce her guilty. Thus the Jedi would be about to let her forfeit her life for nothing. All the more reason for her to leave the order.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

The Essential Clone Wars: “To Catch a Jedi”

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***I must confess that, despite being a huge Star Wars geek, I have yet to see the landmark Clone Wars animated show in its entirety. I’m aiming to rectify that to a large extent here, as we look at pivotal episodes of the series in, “The Essential Clone Wars.”

SERIES: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
EPISODE: S5:E19 – “To Catch a Jedi”
WITH THE VOICE TALENTS OF: Ashley Eckstein, Nika Futterman, Matt Lanter, Dee Bradley Baker, Tom Kane
WRITER: Charles Murray
DIRECTOR: Kyle Dunlevy
PREMIERE DATE: February 23, 2013
SYNOPSIS: A fugitive Ahsoka is pursued through the depths of Coruscant.

***New around here? Check out our Star Wars review archive!***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Apparently this episode, “To Catch a Jedi,” is named for Alfred Hitchcock’s 1955 film, To Catch a Thief. Apparently I need to brush up on my Hitchcock, as I couldn’t help but think of the show To Catch a Predator. I can’t have been the only one…

No? Just me? Got it.

Yoda’s initial call is to send Anakin after Ahsoka. But it’s Mace Windu who actually says the sensible thing: That Anakin is too emotionally compromised to be involved in the pursuit. Ultimately, after a little encouragement from Obi-Wan, they do send him after her. But from a writing standpoint, it might have made more sense to have the council hold Anakin back, and then have him defy them by searching anyway.

Question: Where do photos of Jedi come from? The Republic has a photo of Ahsoka (shown above) that they use to announce her fugitive status to Coruscant. Did she pose for that photo, perhaps for records purposes? Or was that supposed to be a candid shot of some kind? You’ve got to assume the Jedi keep records, which would naturally include photos. But if that’s a posed photo, why is she scowling like that?

I ask all this because we saw a similar posed photo of Obi-Wan Kenobi during his self-titled Disney+ series.

I appreciated that they had both Ahsoka and her mystery Jedi assailant using hand-to-hand combat (Teras Kasi perhaps?). It reminds the viewer that the Jedi are capable of much more physically than just swinging lightsabers.

It was nice that they went back to Asajj Ventress for this episode. It would, after all, wind up being the penultimate episode aired on Cartoon Network. The show wasn’t near its true ending, but an ending of sorts was approaching…

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

The Essential Clone Wars: “The Jedi Who Knew Too Much”

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

***I must confess that, despite being a huge Star Wars geek, I have yet to see the landmark Clone Wars animated show in its entirety. I’m aiming to rectify that to a large extent here, as we look at pivotal episodes of the series in, “The Essential Clone Wars.”

SERIES: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
EPISODE: S5:E18 – “The Jedi Who Knew Too Much”
WITH THE VOICE TALENTS OF: Ashley Eckstein, Matt Lanter, Stephen Stanton, Dee Bradley Baker, Meredith Salenger
WRITER: Charles Murray
DIRECTOR: Danny Keller
PREMIERE DATE: February 16, 2013
SYNOPSIS: Ahsoka is accused of murdering a military prisoner.

***New around here? Check out our Star Wars review archive!***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

“The Jedi Who Knew Too Much” is essentially part two of a four-parter that began with “Sabotage.” But this episode is where things really kick into high gear, and the end begins for Ahsoka. I can only assume they had this “framed for murder” story, or something akin to it, in mind when the series began. As Ahsoka obviously doesn’t appear in Revenge of the Sith, common sense would dictate you not create this character without knowing how to ultimately get rid of her.

I can appreciate that there’s a public backlash against the Jedi as the war becomes less popular. There’s obviously precedent for that in the real world, most recently with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But it does beg the question: Is it just the Jedi who are seeing a backlash? If so, why? Why not the chancellor? Why not the Senate? They’re every bit as involved in the war.

Admiral Tarkin (or Grand Moff Tarkin, as we knew him in A New Hope) appears in this episode, voiced by Stephen Stanton. I had mistakenly thought Stanton provided the voice for Tarkin in Rogue One. He didn’t. But he certainly could have. His Tarkin voice is spot on.

Anakin and the clones chase Ashoka outside a building that’s apparently called the “Repubic Center for Military Operations.” Its exterior includes big statues of clone troopers, and what appears to be a big memorial for troops lost during the Clone Wars.

All I could think of as I saw this building was that the Republic must have a lot of money to burn if they can create a facility that elaborate and ordained in the midst of a war. Either that, or Palpatine really wanted to push the clone trooper imagery and propaganda as he built up his Galactic Empire.

The entire prolonged chase sequence involving Ahsoka, Anakin, and the clones is really effective. Very suspenseful, and you believe that either side can ultimately win out.  Kevin Kiner’s score works perfectly too. It all feels like the culmination of five seasons. Like this is what we’ve been building to.

At first glance, Ahsoka’s motivation for running is a little bit questionable. Common sense and logic dictate that only a guilty person would flee that way. However, it does speak to her youth, inexperience, and even a certain impetuousness that might come with being Anakin Skywalker’s apprentice. So it works.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

The Essential Clone Wars: “Sabotage”

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

***I must confess that, despite being a huge Star Wars geek, I have yet to see the landmark Clone Wars animated show in its entirety. I’m aiming to rectify that to a large extent here, as we look at pivotal episodes of the series in, “The Essential Clone Wars.”

SERIES: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
EPISODE: S5:E17 – “Sabotage”
WITH THE VOICE TALENTS OF: Ashley Eckstein, Matt Lanter, Dee Bradley Baker, Kari Wahlgren, Tom Kane
WRITER: Charles Murray
DIRECTOR: Brian Kalin O’Connell
PREMIERE DATE: February 9, 2013
SYNOPSIS: Anakin and Ahsoka investigate a bombing at the Jedi Temple.

***New around here? Check out our Star Wars review archive!***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This episode, while nice in terms of being ominous and mysterious, doesn’t work for me for one major reason: If it’s suspected that a Jedi was involved in the temple bombing, there’s no way the Jedi themselves would be allowed to investigate it. The Senate, assuming they aren’t all complete morons, wouldn’t allow it. A third, truly unbiased party would be brought in determine whether or not the Jedi were involved. Often times, that’s what big companies will do when incidents occur, and it’s not clear who the blame lays with.

I understand that it’s a TV show, and Anakin and Ahsoka are the heroes. But how about this: Instead of involving a CSI droid, or whatever Russo-ISC is supposed to be, create a detective character for the Star Wars universe. Something in the vein of a classic private eye. Then, make Anakin and Ahsoka his liaisons with the Jedi Order. That way they can still be in the episode, but you don’t necessarily have that huge conflict of interest present.

Although let’s be honest, from an in-universe perspective, having Anakin involved in the investigation at all is a pretty dumb decision. The Jedi Council knows that Anakin can be rash and emotional, for no other reason than Obi-Wan, Anakin’s old master, is part of the group. Actually, if you had to involve a Jedi in this whole scenario, Obi-Wan wouldn’t be a bad choice. He’s level-headed, and has proven himself trustworthy enough that he was invited to the council. Hell, he conducted the investigation into Padme’s assassination in Attack of the Clones. So he’s even got a history of detective work under his belt!

Clearly, we were lacking some Jedi wisdom in this episode.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.