WARNING!: contains spoilers for the Clone Wars episode Tipping Points. You may want to see this before reading on. :) Also please remember that this is my opinion and that I really love the Clone Wars and appreciate being able to watch something new with Star Wars for most of the year. :)
Wow, I'm not going to say "I told you so." because you guys probably agreed with me in my last review. This episode wasn't as blatantly lacking in intelligence as its predecessors but I could still pick apart some things in their plan that I wouldn't have done.
Like the part where they broadcast their central figures. Why on earth would you do that?! Sure the people know and love the old king and his allegiance with the rebels would get them motivated, but it could have backfired so easily. The fact that they're basing so much off of what they're hearing these rebels saying. How do the citizens know if the rebels aren't just trying to take over just so they can form a completely radical governmental system?? If I was a citizen I'd be really wary of these 'freedom fighters'. Not only are their tactics kinda haphazard, but they keep making these public announcements that give the enemy the knowledge of what their leaders look like. If they wore masks or helmets they could have avoided this problem and made this number of announcements. I'm also assuming that they have been 'bouncing' their hologram's signal so it's untraceable. Otherwise, if I were that Sep. General, I'd just bomb their random little hideout because that's where all their leaders congregate.
That brings me to my next point: Why did they keep all their leaders in one place? I could understand if it was to keep them from their hologram channels being tapped or if they were so few in number that they needed to keep close, but as this is apparently not the case I could only look at it as an extremely fatal flaw. Like in the part where all three of their 'leaders' ran off to the exact same place on the battlefield. I was like "WHAT!?" one rocket or one shot from a tank's turbolazer and they would have all been killed at once. Oh yeah, except for that one general-guy, 'cuz they didn't like him anymore for some reason and stuck him out in the way front. :P
Which, again, brings me to my next point: You NEVER demote someone like that right before a stinkin' battle. Not only did that general-guy save basically all their butts in the last episode, but that kills morale. Both his and the men he represents. It's like telling clones who trained years for battle that they're not as good as some three day trained rebels. It's like Obi-Wan just on a whim, demoting Commander freaking Cody that he's got someone better to do Cody's job. >:C I have parts in my books where Kenobi does get into a bit of a conflict with Cody (the war's coming to a close and Jedi can't be seen with beings that were bred for war, so he's got to sever his friendship with Cody. ;_; ), and just that public friction snowballs into deeper matters with the rest of the clone troopers. I digress....
Other comments include: Why wasn't Steela's head/body completely broken up from that fall? Why wasn't Ahsoka's arm torn off from that turret blast (I mean, come on! That's a bomber! It's guns are meant to mess with heavy artillery from destroyers and random people on the ground. They were such a pain in Battlefront 2!!)? Why are the tanks still so vulnerable to a few grenades??!! I liked the commando droids being more of their regular selves. And I'm actually kinda excited about the next episode because it has to do with Illum. I hope they have some amazing 'hallucinations' in those caves like the ones from Jedi Apprentice! XD Those were epic. I'm also looking forward to an episode (hopefully!) centered around Cody FOR ONCE!!!! XDDD He needs more screen time so I don't have to write another book to cover all these plot holes their leaving me with. ;D
Showing posts with label clone wars review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label clone wars review. Show all posts
Monday, October 29, 2012
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Clone Wars Episode Review: Front Runners
WARNING!: contains spoilers for the Clone Wars episode Front Runners. You may want to see this before reading on. :) Also please remember that this is my opinion and that I really love the Clone Wars and appreciate being able to watch something new with Star Wars for most of the year. :)
Ok, so if you've been following my various rampages on twitter, you probably know that so far season 5 hasn't really impressed me. The plots are just 'ok', the characters aren't really developing that much, there's a lack of intelligence in their moves, and ( most importantly) THERE ARE NO CLONES!!! >:C (for me clone centered episodes = all these things these episodes so far have been lacking.) The worst thing that has bugged me about these last few episodes about Onderon rebels has mainly been the intelligence aspect of it.
In this episode the main action is centered around blowing up a power plant. Ok, it'll take down the droids eventually, but what about everyone else?? My first thought was a hospital. If people get hurt, which they will, how the heck are they going to perform even the simplest/sanitary operation without power? How are these people--who appear to live surrounded by dry desert and forest--supposed to preserve their food stuffs?! How are they supposed to get water?!
What makes this plan work even less is the fact that if there are any fuel-powered generators, the droids will get a hold of them and even more people might get injured or die. Sorry, but if I were those people I wouldn't be cheering the rebels on if they forced me to live in derelict conditions or in constant peril. Ok, so that's the sacrifice I have to make to get the droids out, well guess what, if it means possibly killing people who don't really want to be involved is that really the means you want to get them out?
And just the way the rebels conducted themselves. Jumping out of alleyways or firing off of rooftops, it reminded me more of terrorist tactics than that of a more justice driven group! If Cody or I were to choose, we would keep our rendezvous/strikes to the night. We'd dress in all black, with black plating and nightvision goggles. We'd use our hands or silencer guns to take out the droids a few at a time. Forget about destroying hundreds of droids! When you're trying to keep hidden right under the nose of the guy who wants you dead, you better work on a smaller, more stealthy operation. One with "less noise" as Cody would say. If I was the the king I'd be like, "Well, since forensics [since that's the first thing you always do when trying to figure out your enemy!] show that half the rounds came from rooftop, might as well mount cameras all over my palace walls, place electrodes onto the rooftops, and put some snipers all over the city roofs." I don't know, maybe the king guy isn't so smart. War is just an arms race. They tear the head off of a regular battle droid, you send in only supes (super battle droids). They use the hivemind of the droids to plot an attack, you keep the routes and stations changing. They stage an all out attack on your powerplant, you steal everyone's generator, and make an example of the four random people jumping up and down in front of a burning tank. Duh. The fact that this king guy does absolutely nothing, makes me believe that he is as worthless and stupid as they come. :p If the rebels did kill him, nothing would change.
At least Dooku was smart enough to say, "You need to man up and think, dude! I'm not gonna send you droids so they can get taken out because you're not doing your part!". That's like half the problem! Sure the droids apparently can't think for themselves, but that's why the Separatists have always been very good at employing these crafty leaders! i.e. Grevious, Admiral Trench (though he isn't half as brilliant as Grevious), my OC Thestius Braken, Durge, Asajj Ventress.....
That all was just commentary up there. ^ Wishful thinking, I guess. I realize that they can't possibly pack all that reasoning into such a short amount of episodes. Maybe that's why it takes me so much thought, effort, and time thinking about my books. I want them to be reasonable. I want the characters to act like real, intelligent (or mostly intelligent beings). I want my characters to prove their prowess through their actions and plans, not through just hap-hazard planning like this.
What really burned me, what I really did not like about this episode, was when Anakin remarked that the "501st had competition" from the rebels. >80 .............. WHAT?! The 501st, that had trained since practically birth, been on hundreds of campaigns, killed a rogue Jedi, and did like a thousand epic things because they're clones and Skywalker says that?! How could you say that to a man who's saved your life!?! Ok seriously?! A bunch of rebels that only trained for literally three days is somehow better than an ENTIRE legion of CLONES!?! Is Anakin on crack?!!!! And since the 501st is pretty much the posterboys of the GAR what does that make underdog-212th? Wimpy??!! My mouth literally hung open a minute after he said that because I realized how much that comment must have hurt. If any of the other legions got wind of that, they would hurt even worse. :( I know Anakin was probably joking and Rex was quick/witty enough to just go along with it, but seriously, that Jedi needs to watch his mouth. Those rebels are over confident enough as it is! I'm just waiting for one of them to just get pummeled by a supe or something, and since they took out the power whoever it is is gonna die or get some serious infection because the antibacterial juice (basically penicillin) has turned to crap since it hasn't been refrigerated. xP They need to pull a 212th and get more humble or they're going to mess up big time.
I totally agree with Steela being the leader, and love how Rex was the first one to see that. She's the most level headed, the most skilled, and probably the one who's going to make up for what the group lacks. I pretty much hate Lux right now. I don't care that Ahsoka likes him save that it might hurt Rex. :c If she were smarter she might have realized these things but I think her character has lost a lot of intelligence after the Citadel arc. :L Maybe in this next one she'll realize what's more important. Like I said before of Lux, I really have no idea why they like each other or what is really that special about him.
The last thing I like about this arc is that it gets me into the deep-writing mood!! XD I've already written at least three pivotal scenes in my earlier Clone Wars books because of the motivation these episodes put me in. Absolutely love it. I can't think of anything I'd rather do: Writing a war novel about clones drinking peppermint tea while listening to the soundtrack from The Pacific or TSFH music........Absolute bliss. X)
Ok, so if you've been following my various rampages on twitter, you probably know that so far season 5 hasn't really impressed me. The plots are just 'ok', the characters aren't really developing that much, there's a lack of intelligence in their moves, and ( most importantly) THERE ARE NO CLONES!!! >:C (for me clone centered episodes = all these things these episodes so far have been lacking.) The worst thing that has bugged me about these last few episodes about Onderon rebels has mainly been the intelligence aspect of it.
In this episode the main action is centered around blowing up a power plant. Ok, it'll take down the droids eventually, but what about everyone else?? My first thought was a hospital. If people get hurt, which they will, how the heck are they going to perform even the simplest/sanitary operation without power? How are these people--who appear to live surrounded by dry desert and forest--supposed to preserve their food stuffs?! How are they supposed to get water?!
What makes this plan work even less is the fact that if there are any fuel-powered generators, the droids will get a hold of them and even more people might get injured or die. Sorry, but if I were those people I wouldn't be cheering the rebels on if they forced me to live in derelict conditions or in constant peril. Ok, so that's the sacrifice I have to make to get the droids out, well guess what, if it means possibly killing people who don't really want to be involved is that really the means you want to get them out?
And just the way the rebels conducted themselves. Jumping out of alleyways or firing off of rooftops, it reminded me more of terrorist tactics than that of a more justice driven group! If Cody or I were to choose, we would keep our rendezvous/strikes to the night. We'd dress in all black, with black plating and nightvision goggles. We'd use our hands or silencer guns to take out the droids a few at a time. Forget about destroying hundreds of droids! When you're trying to keep hidden right under the nose of the guy who wants you dead, you better work on a smaller, more stealthy operation. One with "less noise" as Cody would say. If I was the the king I'd be like, "Well, since forensics [since that's the first thing you always do when trying to figure out your enemy!] show that half the rounds came from rooftop, might as well mount cameras all over my palace walls, place electrodes onto the rooftops, and put some snipers all over the city roofs." I don't know, maybe the king guy isn't so smart. War is just an arms race. They tear the head off of a regular battle droid, you send in only supes (super battle droids). They use the hivemind of the droids to plot an attack, you keep the routes and stations changing. They stage an all out attack on your powerplant, you steal everyone's generator, and make an example of the four random people jumping up and down in front of a burning tank. Duh. The fact that this king guy does absolutely nothing, makes me believe that he is as worthless and stupid as they come. :p If the rebels did kill him, nothing would change.
At least Dooku was smart enough to say, "You need to man up and think, dude! I'm not gonna send you droids so they can get taken out because you're not doing your part!". That's like half the problem! Sure the droids apparently can't think for themselves, but that's why the Separatists have always been very good at employing these crafty leaders! i.e. Grevious, Admiral Trench (though he isn't half as brilliant as Grevious), my OC Thestius Braken, Durge, Asajj Ventress.....
That all was just commentary up there. ^ Wishful thinking, I guess. I realize that they can't possibly pack all that reasoning into such a short amount of episodes. Maybe that's why it takes me so much thought, effort, and time thinking about my books. I want them to be reasonable. I want the characters to act like real, intelligent (or mostly intelligent beings). I want my characters to prove their prowess through their actions and plans, not through just hap-hazard planning like this.
What really burned me, what I really did not like about this episode, was when Anakin remarked that the "501st had competition" from the rebels. >80 .............. WHAT?! The 501st, that had trained since practically birth, been on hundreds of campaigns, killed a rogue Jedi, and did like a thousand epic things because they're clones and Skywalker says that?! How could you say that to a man who's saved your life!?! Ok seriously?! A bunch of rebels that only trained for literally three days is somehow better than an ENTIRE legion of CLONES!?! Is Anakin on crack?!!!! And since the 501st is pretty much the posterboys of the GAR what does that make underdog-212th? Wimpy??!! My mouth literally hung open a minute after he said that because I realized how much that comment must have hurt. If any of the other legions got wind of that, they would hurt even worse. :( I know Anakin was probably joking and Rex was quick/witty enough to just go along with it, but seriously, that Jedi needs to watch his mouth. Those rebels are over confident enough as it is! I'm just waiting for one of them to just get pummeled by a supe or something, and since they took out the power whoever it is is gonna die or get some serious infection because the antibacterial juice (basically penicillin) has turned to crap since it hasn't been refrigerated. xP They need to pull a 212th and get more humble or they're going to mess up big time.
I totally agree with Steela being the leader, and love how Rex was the first one to see that. She's the most level headed, the most skilled, and probably the one who's going to make up for what the group lacks. I pretty much hate Lux right now. I don't care that Ahsoka likes him save that it might hurt Rex. :c If she were smarter she might have realized these things but I think her character has lost a lot of intelligence after the Citadel arc. :L Maybe in this next one she'll realize what's more important. Like I said before of Lux, I really have no idea why they like each other or what is really that special about him.
The last thing I like about this arc is that it gets me into the deep-writing mood!! XD I've already written at least three pivotal scenes in my earlier Clone Wars books because of the motivation these episodes put me in. Absolutely love it. I can't think of anything I'd rather do: Writing a war novel about clones drinking peppermint tea while listening to the soundtrack from The Pacific or TSFH music........Absolute bliss. X)
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Favorite CLONE WARS episodes (so far)
~Rookies: It can be summed up in one word: sacrifice. (and I said I would write about why clones are interesting, here it is!) Jedi have been taught their whole lives that death is nothing and that to sacrifice oneself is honorable, therefore I would say it is easy for them to die and get over it. Now compare that to a clone trooper. Nobody ever told them that "Oh, you're going to go into the Force the same as any Jedi so sacrificing yourself it really honorable." or " You're a great person!". They had no reassurance, no confidence in what happened when the inevitable happened, nothing. That's why their deaths meant more, because they gave their lives from their hearts, not from anything else. Dying is one of those things I used to be terrified of, now I've told myself what I think is in store in the afterlife and have gotten over it. I can't even fathom what fear they must feel at the point when they realize it is their life that must be given. But then again, the courage and their good hearts is what inspires them to give to the last full measure.
~Darkness on Umbara, The General, Plan of Dissent, &Carnage of Krell: Love, love, love the Jedi/clone conflict in these ones. I'm a firm believer that this wasn't the only example of Jedi mistreating their men. Think of Quinlan Vos, though he was essentially a 'rogue' Jedi, his actions toward Bly ultimately got that commander on the wrong side of the Jedi. And he practically physically beat Faie when the clone was trying to reason with him. It's Jedi like these that are at fault when considering the outcomes of Order 66. And what's even more troubling is the varying degrees of misuse done by good Jedi like Obi-Wan or Mace Windu, even Yoda! I think the only Jedi you can see exempt from this would either be Anakin or Kit Fisto. Skywalker's will to save Rex is awesome. I think the Jedi just have a hard time coping with the outcomes of fighting alongside unForce sensative clones and realizing that this attachment isn't bad, that they should embrace it as a simple act of kindness and concern toward's a group of individuals who could easily die in the next minute. Their failure to acknowledge that was what turned the clones off towards them. (MEGA SPOILER ALERT!!) Also I'd have to say I bawled my eyes out when Waxer died in "Carnage..". Who couldn't after seeing how sweet he was and what an important roll he played when he comforted Numa on Ryloth.
~The Hidden Enemy: I like this one because it was the first one that directly confronted the issue of the Jedi's 'use' of the clones. You can also see the conflict beginning between Cody and Obi-Wan which I love because Kenobi doesn't realize what's going through his commander's head. He also doesn't realize that it's not just Slick that is sick with the way he sees his brothers treated. You can totally see it in Cody's face at the end-- he's not stupid. I just love how he fights it though. He doesn't want to believe that his own Generals are beginning to forsake them a little bit. I think it completely justifies why they went through with Order 66. Even though Cody more or less saved Obi-Wan's life by making it seem like he had died only so he could get away. In my books (literally) Obi-Wan (like the rest of us) goes on thinking that Cody did it on purpose and without consideration to their friendship, up until the end when he meets the clone again. Kinda sad but I love it. Shows us that you don't have to be a bad guy to do stuff wrong.
~Cloak of Darkness: Because it has Gree kicking butt in it! :) Gree would have to be my second favorite clone commander because as a person, he's really interesting. I mean, how many clones are culture buffs?! He 's like the anthropologist of the GAR. And I think that's awesome!! Kinda makes you wonder what some of these guys could have been after the war if there had been a happy ending. :'( In compassion he was almost equal to Cody.The good guys lost a great man when they killed Gree. He's going to have a special place in my books.
~The Deserter: I just love the line where Rex says "Because I'm part of the most pivotal moments in the history of the Republic. And if we fail, then our children, and their children will be forced to live under an evil I can't well imagine."
I think this is a great representation of not only the rich gravity of the Clone Wars but Rex 'growing up'. At first I really disliked him because he kept calling the younger clones 'shinies' and seemed like he was showing off all the time. Now that I've seen this one and Darkness on Umbara, I think we really get to see him becoming more 'Cody-like'. The reason why I used that is because Cody always seemed to be the elder clone, he always was quiet and humble when it came to Rex's escapades. I think he was standing back and letting the captain find out for himself what it really meant to be a clone and even human for that matter. Cody of course (in my books) began as a lowly private and saw the worst you could see. He knew how precious life was. It was in that way that Commander Cody comes across as a deeper, wiser clone. (I can't wait to see him on Season 3!) When Rex left that house, he had 'grown up' in a way.
~ Innocents of Ryloth: Not only was that a great representation of what compassion clones are really capable of but also the Jedi's ignorance to what they actually feel. (I'm sorry if I'm hating on the Jedi a little too much but this is just what I see them doing) True Obi-Wan was just trying to help too, but the part where he literally snatches the Twi'lek kid away from the people who actually found/saved her always makes me mad. It's like Kenobi is thinking: Why is she hanging around them? They don't even speak her language. The natives are supposed to converse with only the Jedi. Only we can understand their needs. That's just what it felt like to me. I make sure to cover this in many of my 'battle' books where I explore the natives' reactions to both the Jedi and the clones. Just a clue: It's very different! The clones seem to have a more casual yet more 'deep' (ideologically: as in what they talk about) relationship than the Jedi, which are served respectively but not as closely as the clones. The reason being, clone troopers can't sense a person's intentions or morals like a Jedi can and therefore can only come to a conclusion by talking to the person and using their amazing attention to detail to decide whether the person is bad or good. In this way, they are actually making more contact with the native inhabitants of the planets. Which is something I'm sorry we don't see more of in the Clone Wars show because it's the Jedi who are always the spokesperson and negotiators, not the clones. Another failure of them to engage the total assets of the clones.
On a more positive note, I love how the clones don't exactly know what to do to comfort her. It's clearly very awkward for them and you can see that when they go to her house. I think the episode did a great job illustrating this awkwardness. I also love how it shows human compassion and how much a part of a person it really is. Even though the troopers couldn't precisely identify what they felt or what to do, simple gestures like a pat on the head, a hug, or calm speaking are clear examples of what humans do to comfort people. If you watch the episode now you will probably see that Waxer did more acts of kindness to Numa than Obi-Wan. The Jedi picked her up but he didn't really talk to her like the clones did. Think of what would have happened if the troopers had never found her. The mission would have probably failed, save for Cody's intelligence would have most likely been their sole savoir.
I think this is a great representation of not only the rich gravity of the Clone Wars but Rex 'growing up'. At first I really disliked him because he kept calling the younger clones 'shinies' and seemed like he was showing off all the time. Now that I've seen this one and Darkness on Umbara, I think we really get to see him becoming more 'Cody-like'. The reason why I used that is because Cody always seemed to be the elder clone, he always was quiet and humble when it came to Rex's escapades. I think he was standing back and letting the captain find out for himself what it really meant to be a clone and even human for that matter. Cody of course (in my books) began as a lowly private and saw the worst you could see. He knew how precious life was. It was in that way that Commander Cody comes across as a deeper, wiser clone. (I can't wait to see him on Season 3!) When Rex left that house, he had 'grown up' in a way.
~ Innocents of Ryloth: Not only was that a great representation of what compassion clones are really capable of but also the Jedi's ignorance to what they actually feel. (I'm sorry if I'm hating on the Jedi a little too much but this is just what I see them doing) True Obi-Wan was just trying to help too, but the part where he literally snatches the Twi'lek kid away from the people who actually found/saved her always makes me mad. It's like Kenobi is thinking: Why is she hanging around them? They don't even speak her language. The natives are supposed to converse with only the Jedi. Only we can understand their needs. That's just what it felt like to me. I make sure to cover this in many of my 'battle' books where I explore the natives' reactions to both the Jedi and the clones. Just a clue: It's very different! The clones seem to have a more casual yet more 'deep' (ideologically: as in what they talk about) relationship than the Jedi, which are served respectively but not as closely as the clones. The reason being, clone troopers can't sense a person's intentions or morals like a Jedi can and therefore can only come to a conclusion by talking to the person and using their amazing attention to detail to decide whether the person is bad or good. In this way, they are actually making more contact with the native inhabitants of the planets. Which is something I'm sorry we don't see more of in the Clone Wars show because it's the Jedi who are always the spokesperson and negotiators, not the clones. Another failure of them to engage the total assets of the clones.
On a more positive note, I love how the clones don't exactly know what to do to comfort her. It's clearly very awkward for them and you can see that when they go to her house. I think the episode did a great job illustrating this awkwardness. I also love how it shows human compassion and how much a part of a person it really is. Even though the troopers couldn't precisely identify what they felt or what to do, simple gestures like a pat on the head, a hug, or calm speaking are clear examples of what humans do to comfort people. If you watch the episode now you will probably see that Waxer did more acts of kindness to Numa than Obi-Wan. The Jedi picked her up but he didn't really talk to her like the clones did. Think of what would have happened if the troopers had never found her. The mission would have probably failed, save for Cody's intelligence would have most likely been their sole savoir.
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