Clone Wars Season 5 Review: Ahsoka on the Run Arc

WARNING!: contains spoilers for the Clone Wars Sabotage/"Ahsoka on the Run" episode arc. 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. :)

Sorry if I just dive right into the nitty gritty (like I've ever done any differently :p ). I really don't like Ahsoka anymore. I thought she was ok in the beginning because she was learning and could understand why her behavior wasn't spot on, but now I just see how much she didn't change. :L She's still sassy and overly defensive of her beliefs. She should know better by now than to shoot off her mouth. Heck, even Anakin knows better than to back talk other people all the time!! Maybe she wouldn't be in such a bad situation if she held her tongue when Tarkin told them about moving Letta. And a prisoner transfer is the stupidest reason to get upset over. :p I mean, seriously, the Jedi Temple was just attacked! Don't you think the GAR might be doing them a favor by letting them figure out the rest of the case or help figure it out/fix their security system while they hold onto a potentially lethal person/run them through the military justice system. And by no means was their case over.

The Jedi should know better than to believe that the blast was figured out/executed by Letta alone. Even if her husband somehow stole the nanobots (which shouldn't the Jedi be able to trace through their records?) how was Letta able to figure out how to detonate them. There should be controllers or syringes with the nanobots as clues for these things. If they looked, maybe they'd find them, hmmm!? To me, the Jedi were just so worried about making sure it wasn't one of their own that when they found somebody who was a good enough suspect, they really overlooked a TON of clues that could have lead to the discovery of deeper cohorts/executors of the bombing. They are really stupid.

I think it's really sad how the clones were way, WAY better detectives than the Jedi. I mean, compare their objectives/operation to discover Slick and, ultimately, Ventress as the intel-leakers on Christophsis! It not only took them literally less than a day to solve that and execute justice, but also to actually accept the fact that it was possible for one of their brothers to betray them. Are the Jedi really that short-sighted that they can't accept the fact that it is very possible for a Jedi to have done the bombing. It was also really dumb of them to send two Jedi to investigate when clearly they were primed to try to prove that their members didn't do it. They should have sent in a mixed investigation team. If they put Commander Cody with a level headed Jedi like Kit Fisto or something they could have reaped infinitely better results/more evidence. But instead they elected the two jumpiest, passionate Jedi ever!! *facepalm*

Ok and that whole thing with Letta's death....that was just ridiculous. I thought that Ahsoka should have stopped running and realized something was up when she came across those injured clones. She should have talked to them and tried to help them, thus making her not as guilty looking. They know who was strangling them and usually someone who tries to strangle them one moment won't try to save them the next. Duh. :( Because she kept running she looked more and more guilty and I don't know why she didn't just lie low until the trial. She has friends with the clones, like Rex, and I bet if he knew about the trial, he would testify to her innocence. Ahsoka is just way too impatient and in the "I'm right and no one else is" mindset.

Though I did get the feeling of the events of Episode III and the Original Trilogy getting closer, I'm also going to have to disagree with Mr. Filoni on the aspect of Ahsoka being chased by clones 'feeling right'. I never really connected the clones to stormtroopers. In reality, I'm pretty sure that stormtroopers are almost completely different from clones as the clones were aging rapidly and very bitter/disappointed about the Empire (and being killed off because they were too good to be kept alive). I have given this a lot of thought and have come to the conclusion that a people raised with the prospect that they are going to help right the galaxy, that they absolutely have to succeed  could only feel disappointment when their hopes of becoming civilians, merging into society and life outside of war, becoming seen as human. Just bitterness. And I reflect that in my books.

I digress. :P I guess after seeing the last episode my views really didn't change on Ahsoka. She still doesn't see the motives behind her removal that I think anyone with half a brain could see that the whole thing was orchestrated to uproot the beliefs of some of the Jedi. And Barriss being the mastermind??!! I didn't believe that for one second, even when she fought Anakin. That's too much of a character change and it kinda disturbs me that they found it necessary and right to make her the 'bad guy'. I really dislike how this show makes one person the sole villain. I've always liked how in the first few seasons we saw the extension of Sidious' power through his manipulation of multiple beings for one criminal act. The whole thing with Slick being a traitor is a good example of this because it began with him and then spread to Ventress and beyond. That's how it is in real life, though I know sometimes we'd like to think there was just one person. :L

All in all, not really pleased with this episode arc. And the fact that Disney cancelled Clone Wars made me more sympathetic to it, but not much. I think the best thing of it was Ventress voicing my thoughts and proving to be the 'grey-zone' character she is (neither 'bad' nor 'good'), as well as that final song with Ahsoka leaving the temple. I don't remember it exactly but I think the music at that part was what made it. ;)

I could go on about the cancellation but I think I'll leave that for my Tron: Uprising review. ;D Sorry I haven't posted anything in so long on here, I've been busy with school and all sorts of other stuff, but it's good to get back to you all and hopefully I'll be able to do a few more posts this week/weekend. :D Rock on guys!

Tron Uprising Music Video

This song is so addicting, even though I don't quite get the vocals (though I'm glad they're not some cheesy lyrics). You can find the full version on iTunes. This happens to be a remix of the main theme with added vocals.

This basically encompasses everything I love about Tron Uprising (commentary on that coming up! :D) except that they leave out my favorite character, Tron (except for that little bit in the beginning)!!! :C Oh well, I love the song and the way it complements the amazing qualities of the show's footage. I mean look at the art and the perspective and the shooting. It's spectacular!! I say this show is better than even Clone Wars (yep, you heard me right!) and I'm a diehard clone fan!! :) And best of all the story is intelligent and thought provoking.  I highly recommend this show to anyone who loves a good story. The only place I was able to find the episodes was off of iTunes but please support the hardworking, talented actors and people making this possible by getting it from iTunes. My favorite episodes so far are Identity, the Scars Arc, No Bounds, and Terminal. But this is mostly because they feature Tron and his stories which I find to be very intriguing. :) Enjoy and please watch in HD! ;D

Cody + Lightsaber references. ;D

Just helping someone who needed a few references that I didn't want to submit to dA. ;D Featuring my phase II Cody (for armor reference/comfort purposes ^_^ ), my random blanket on my bed, a rolled up piece of sticky note (hence the tablet with the L on it ;P ), and my inglorious left hand. :p

Clone Wars Season 5 Review: Maul + Deathwatch Arc

WARNING!: contains spoilers for the Clone Wars Maul and Death Watch arc. 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. :)
I didn't really find anything memorable about this arc save for how in the final episode a whole bunch of people died. :7 It wasn't a surprise to me as I knew these characters weren't in the following movies so they had to disappear somehow.

I was a little disgusted reading some of the comments for this arc finale. A lot of them read something along the lines of the Maul and Savage scene being so sad or crying when Satine dies. Savage and Maul, though brothers, are Sith. I couldn't believe how blinded people are to all the instances when Maul uses Savage!! They don't love each other like brothers! They only have eachother for their own needs! Maul uses Savage as a partner in crime and someone to help with the dirty work, and Savage only wants to learn the ways of the Darkside from Maul. They're like two parasites feeding off of each other. :L I'm sorry if you're a Maul or Savage fan but as you probably have guessed (or know), I really disapprove of Force Users, especially Sith. They're like greedy little kids with powers. :p

As for Satine's death. I actually started laughing. I thought it was ironic how, despite using his powers to save people like Anakin and Ahsoka, Obi-Wan did nothing to save Satine. He could have thrown something at Maul or Savage, restricted Maul's arm from running her through, but he didn't. I thought that was interesting because he would have done that to save Anakin but not a clone trooper. Does that make Kenobi's friendship with her like that of a clone's?? I did like how he didn't give into anger and go on a rampage though, as that definitely is what separates him from Anakin.

Again I was disgusted with Satine and Obi-Wan. Not only did he love Satine but before that, Siri Tachi. Anyone who's read Jedi Apprentice knows this. Also perhaps even that girl from one of the earlier Apprentice books who dies. Doesn't this guy give it a break!? He's worse than Anakin!!! I guess I would have liked it better if they were just friends (seriously, why can't a guy and a girl just be friends first and foremost  Why do they have to be lovers?!)

I didn't really find this arc very interesting. It felt pretty rushed and though the action was ok, I really am looking forward to a more intelligent take on some of that stuff. It was kinda interesting how Maul manipulated the Death Watch into his gaining of power and then took the throne for himself, but everything in between seemed a little botched. Like apparently there are no cameras, enough prison guards, or cells built well enough to resist entry or departure by a simple button or non-shatterproof material. :p

Missing in Action Review

WARNING!: contains spoilers for the Clone Wars episode Missing in Action. 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. :)

I think I can sum this episode up in about one word.......FINALLY!!! XDDD I mean, come on, this is the first clone episode so far in this season and likely to be the last. It was wonderful to see that little bit of Cody (though I would like to see more of him!! :C ) and I loved how this episode was mainly about Gregor. It still felt like it should have been more about him though. Whenever the Frogdude (I don't even really want to know his name) spoke I just wanted to kick him. }:(  Especially when he went from standing in garbage to on top of Gregor's face. 

I really loved all the degrading language about the clones and their purposes, not just because it was sad and made the hero more believable, but because it really supports my stories. I found even Frogdude's "he's a soldier, doing what a soldier does best...." or whatever he was saying, really degrading. It made me mad and kinda, strangely satisfied when Frogdude left him there and didn't attempt save Gregor even when the commando risked his life to save the alien and a droid. Clone Wars has already proven to me that the people of the Star Wars universe constantly treat living, breathing, humans (clones) as inferior to inanimate, machines (droids). I'm not saying Gregor should have left the droids to be destroyed, clones have constantly shown compassion to all lifeforms or intelligent or semi-intelligent beings. It's just that the fact they could have easily swooped down or perhaps even met him outside of town instead of just flying off without him. I kinda fear for Gregor's life in such a desolate town surrounded by such immoral people. I doubt even the guy he waved at would take him in if he knew who he really was and Borkus' anger against him. I really hope they bring closure to his story and not leave us hanging like they did with the Umbara arc. 

Another thing that kinda took me aback was mention of the Battle of Sarrish. Sorry to kinda spoil it, but as you've probably guessed from my fixation with documenting all of Cody's past, the Battle of Sarrish is one of my books. Though I was unable to find and read the graphic novel this battle gains its story and name from, I did as much research as I could into Cody's profile and that of the planet to find out the stats, geography, people, and even some pages from the graphic novel to bring the story as close as possible to that of the previous installments. Though I greatly elaborate on the 'getting there' and what goes on before the actual battle, I will do a direct scenes from that of graphic novel in order to pay homage to the writers who came up with the idea. :) This episode kinda throws a small wrench in the epicness of my story, though. :L From what we know from Gregor's description, I can no longer create a happy ending and complete victory for Cody or my characters. :( 

There are probably a few ways I could go along with this new knowledge to make it fit my books. The one that seems the most reasonable to both my goals and the consistency of Star Wars (yes, I try very, very hard not to step on people's toes or go against what is said or done in any show, movie, game, or book. ) would be to bring a plot twist in at the end showing the Separatists re-invading Sarrish, thus killing all those men and leading to Gregor's crash. I think it would be a little foolish, on my part to ignore such a good character, especially a fellow 212th clone. I am even considering having him as the perhaps the fifth captain of the 212th (such a strange thought to me, going on for so long with the four captains I've had!) until he goes missing. Therefore I could save the usual characters (those under the other four captains) from such a devastating attack. Like Obi-Wan could order Gregor and his regiment to stay behind at their base and when the majority of the 212th leaves, Gregor and his men could be attacked and wiped out. Then the Council and Chancellor could loose interest in Sarrish because of the numbers of Seps and other battles. I would kinda hate bringing that start of the bitterness between the Jedi and clone troopers that becomes a prominent underlying conflict in my books so early when I want them to at least have some happiness and contentment before what comes later. Also, sorry I've expelled so much of my thoughts of my book here. I couldn't help it though. ;) 

The writers/directors seem too eager to get back to the boring old Jedi-lead (or droid :P ) episodes. It seems like every single clone-centered episode has brought originality, color, and true plotlines back to this series. I sometimes wish they would make an entire, adjacent series just about the clones. Then again, that's something my books cover so if they are ever made into animation (a dream come true!! XD ), we would probably be taken for quite the ride! :D

Villains and Stuff

So yeah, since (once more) it seems like it's been forever since I posted anything on here, I've decided to do another writing tip thingy. :P

To start with, if you know me (which is ok if you don't.....because you probably don't ;) ) you probably know that I am an extremely picky reader. I put down books within the first couple chapters if the main characters aren't doing the things I want them to. I have no idea what makes me such a stickler for books but I suspect writing has something to do with it. Not only do I like books with believable characters (which are pretty hard to find nowadays :( ) but also with plots and storylines that are interesting THE WHOLE TIME and not just part of the time.

One of these important pieces to building a plot worthy of my insane scrutiny is making the problem believable or interesting and likable enough to not be logical but still enjoyable. Often the manifesto of the problem in the story is the villain. Be that evil corrupted robot or xenophobic extremist, this individual (or individuals) I've found are the best written when they are written as what I call "good-bad guys".

"Good-bad guys" are literally villains that aren't completely evil. For example: wicked robot was maltreated by owners thus turning him cruel to others or xenophobic guy witnessed was so brilliantly intelligent but didn't have anything he could find to use his mind for other than creating bio-weapons against aliens. The truth is, is that this directly reflects real life. As you may know, the 'just world bias' ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just-world_hypothesis ) says it all. The real-life 'bad-guys' aren't like pure evil. They were probably once average people or were driven to the extents they were by their own personal flaws or weaknesses. And in order to make the villains in your stories believable and intriguing, it is often a wise move to make them fit more of a realistic corruption into villainy.

Some great examples I could think of for "good-bad guys" would be people like Mr. Freeze from Batman, Asajj Ventress, or Javert from Les Miserables. I think what makes these villains so awesome was that they got you to question the protagonist's' decisions with dealing with them. They make you wonder what you would do if you were in their shoes. Another thing, these two "good-bad guys" are prime examples of where the hero had to stay their hand and allow these people to live on. I think that's really important, especially in a world where there is so much killing. I place certain higher value on the characters that let the "good-bad guys" live, not only because they've found out what happened to make them villains, but also just because they understand that life is better.

Next time you read a book, look for a "good-bad guy". If they are well-crafted they will make you kinda pity them. They also make the perils of the story so much better! :D

Sandviches!!

Since I have finally completed all my final exams and feel as free as a bird (I have a HUMONGOUS list of everything I want to get done this break....including finishing one of my books!! XD ) I just decided to post a fun little video like this. ;D  For some reason I get this song, if you could even call it that, stuck in my head. XD Gotta love Heavy! And now there are subtitles too so we can all sing along (if that's even possible!)!!!! :D {Please note that this animation was not done by me.}