Cast:
Matt Lanter as Anakin Skywalker
Dee Bradley Baker the Clone Troopers
Tom Kane as The Narrator, Yoda
James Arnold Taylor as Obi-Wan Kenobi
TC Carson as Mace Windu
Tim Curry as Palpatine / Darth Sidious
Corey Burton as Count Dooku
Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn
Mark Hamill as Darth Bane
Jaime King as the Priestesses
Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano
Supervising Director Dave Filoni
Directed by Bosco Ng, Brian Kalin OConnell, Danny Keller, Steward Lee
Synopsis:
In these eagerly anticipated episodes of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” some of the deepest mysteries of the conflict between the light and the dark sides of the Force are revealed. An intrepid clone trooper discovers a shocking secret carried by each and every soldier of the Republic. Anakin Skywalker’s closest relationship is tested to its limits when a well-intentioned senator is manipulated by the masterminds of the war. A wicked enemy from the past uncovers an ancient weapon that could give her unrivaled power. And Master Yoda’s investigation into the disappearance of a Jedi takes him deep inside the Force’s mysteries, where what he discovers could forever change the balance of power in the galaxy.
Mini-Reviews:
“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” may have ended prematurely on Cartoon Network, but the final episodes live on through Netflix. Starting March 7, you can find access to the last of the 13 episodes of the series. We got a sneak peek at the last four episodes ahead of the release, and each of them features something that will please “Star Wars” fans. They also help establish the threads between the prequels and the classic trilogy.
Episode 610 In this episode, Plo Koon discovers the wreckage of Sifo-Dyas’ ship. As you may or may not recall, Sifo-Dyas was the mysterious Jedi who placed the order for the clone army in “Attack of the Clones.” I always assumed that it was Darth Sidious posing as a legitimate Jedi, hence the similar sounding names, but it’s not that simple as we discover here. Yoda starts an investigation into the disappearance of the former Jedi, then Obi-Wan and Anakin continue the investigation on a strange alien planet. The episode starts out a little dull and we get a reappearance by Chancellor Valorum from “The Phantom Menace,” but things pick up when Obi-Wan and Anakin travel to the planet where they meet one of the more unusual aliens from the series. The episode culminates in a rematch between our heroes and Count Dooku. It’s not the best episode in the series, but it begins to fill in some of the blanks left in the prequels.
Episode 611 One of the more interesting episodes in a while, it features Liam Neeson appearing as the disembodied voice of Qui-Gon Jinn to Yoda. The other Jedi think he’s crazy at first and they even go so far as to put him under guard, but Qui-Gon soon directs him to go to Dagobah. Yoda actually travels there with R2-D2, which puts an interesting spin on what we thought was their first encounter in “The Empire Strikes Back.” Why did they fight in the movie when they seem like buddies here? I suppose it was an act for Luke. As the episode continues, Yoda encounters the Dark Side cave for the first time and gets a glimpse of the future. We also learn more about how Yoda and Obi-Wan appear as Force Ghosts and why Qui-Gon does not. (It’s not just that they’re saving money on bringing Liam Neeson back for more movies.)
Episode 612 Continuing Yoda’s Big Adventure, Yoda and R2 travel to a mysterious planet that is strong in the Force. There Yoda meets the Priestesses, who test him before deciding whether or not they will teach him how to retain his identity after death. The Priestesses are voiced by fan favorite Jaime King and the characters and planets have a design that would make Hayao Miyazaki proud. Along the way, Yoda must also face his dark side and we’re introduced to an evil, ghost-like Yoda. He’s like a cross between a Gremlin and Gollum and he’s one of the more visually striking characters in the entire series.
Episode 613 After learning from the Light Side of the Force, the Priestesses direct Yoda to learn from the Dark Side of the Force. He and R2 travel to the Sith planet of Morriban. There, Yoda meets some impressive Sith Ghosts and he encounters Darth Bane, the Sith Lord who started the “Rule of Two” the master and the apprentice, but the thing that will stir up “Star Wars” fans is that Bane is voiced by none other than Mark Hamill himself. This is really his first return to the official world of “Star Wars” (unless you count “Family Guy” and “Robot Chicken”). It’s brief, but it’s cool. The episode then ramps up as Yoda faces off with Darth Sidious in the middle of a Sith spell. It’s interesting to see Palpatine chanting over a cauldron and living up to his full evil potential.
If these episodes are any indication, then “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” is going to go out with a bang. Hopefully “Star Wars Rebels” will pick up some of the lingering plotlines (like the fate of Ahsoka) and fully close the era before “A New Hope.” Oh, and the press notes promise the return of Ahmed Best to the series. Does this mean we’ll get more Jar Jar Binks? Tune in to Netflix to find out!
