"No Letters Home" Clone Wars Tech Review

[DSG2k]

Figured I'd pass along a link to my work on NoLettersHome.Info, a TCW technology review site. I'm working on getting it moved to a more wiki-like structure so others can assist with it, but in the meantime feel free to peruse the previous work done.

Per Lucas, TCW producer Dave Filoni, and many others involved, the TCW material is part of the same universe as the films (as opposed to the EU, which is separate and parallel), and thus TCW is our best look into the technology of the universe of the films. After all, with the very first season of 22 episodes, at 22 minutes of story each that first season already gives us 8 hours of Star Wars . . . more than an entire trilogy.

So do enjoy.

[Sionnach Glic]

When you say The Clone Wars, does that include the anime-esque cartoon that was aired a few years ago? If so, good luck trying to rationalise that.

[DSG2k]

Absolutely not. This is strictly the CGI show with some supporting notes about the films.

[Aaron]

Some of these episodes sound pretty cool, is the show a waste of time or will I be pleasantly surprised?

[kostmayer]

The pilot film wasn't up to much, but some of the episodes are top quality.

[Aaron]

Yeah my son has the film, Anikan's a real douche in that.

[McAvoy]

Yeah but still much better than the whiny Anakin in the live action films...

The movie was pretty bad though.

[Tyyr]

Best I can tell they mashed the first three or four episodes into one "movie" and threw it out to theaters.

I'm a huge fan of the cartoon. It's far and away better than either the prequel movies. The quality of the animation has steadily improved over the run as well to the point where the latest episodes are pretty damn amazing looking for a weekly animated cartoon. Lightsaber Lost being one that stands out big time in the "Wow" department.

That said it has its moments of WTF? Like... well pretty much any of the combat tactics either side uses, but on the whole its pretty damn entertaining.

[DSG2k]

The movie was indeed a mashup of the first few episodes. But in answer to the earlier question, I'd say it definitely isn't a waste of time. Even the producers are noting that this is rather more than a kid's show and isn't being made as one . . . at times it has scenes more adult than some of the prequel scenes. And since about the middle of the first season, Lucas has been *extremely* hands-on. Before he was just giving guidance, but since then many of the story outlines have been of his design.

The series has excelled with its mini-arcs, such as the Malevolence and Ryloth trilogies of season 1 (three episodes each, giving over an hour of story time for a particular isolated plot to develop). At the same time, you have stories like "Ambush" (the first regular episode) which, though familiar in plot to anyone who's seen an east-meets-west sensei film, nonetheless remains an exceptional piece of Star Wars storytelling.

The only thing that is both good and odd is that Anakin is completely unlike his post-TPM characterization in the live-action films. There he whined about Obi-Wan, whined about the Council, acted like a stupid kid around Palpatine, and only seemed to have any nobility whatsoever while in battle. Here, however, he is precisely the Anakin we would've expected him to be initially . . . powerful, good-natured, occasionally overbold, and though he might sometimes forget himself he's generally mindful of Obi-Wan's teachings.

Basically, it's a vast improvement, but when I watched RotS recently after having been watching TCW exclusively, it was very jarring.

It is possible at some point that they will start to move Anakin's character toward darker whinier things, though, as such character changes are already occurring. Admiral Yularen, for instance, was first shown as a very good man in service of the Republic (a sort of mix of PIcard and RDM's Adama), but has since been shown as becoming impatient with Jedi leadership and techniques, and stuffy and by-the-book official in other ways.

In short, it's a pretty good show.

[Aaron]

Hmm, perhaps Lucas sought to fix Anikan's character that we saw in the movies.

I've heard about some of the darker bits, executing wounded enemy troops and such.

[Tyyr]

It's really good stuff and it just keeps getting better.

I think I expounded upon the problem with Anakin in the Clone Wars movie thread. He just doesn't fit. He's not the whiny little bitch of Ep. II or the emo asshole of Ep. III. He's Anakin the way he should have been which means in the context of the prequels he's way out of place.

[DSG2k]

There have been some disconcerting scenes . . . clones picked up by Super Battle Droids and shot point blank in the chest, then tossed aside clearly dead . . . Wounded clones shot on the ground (with a POV scene of the droid guns in the face) . . . flamethrowers used against Geonosians who the clones then 'put out of their misery' . . . lightsabers sticking out of chests . . .

. . . suffice it to say, it's not a classic kid's show where nobody dies and everybody bails out with parachutes. The only thing they haven't done much of is let the commando droids (armed with swords) really go hacking, or let clone parts go flying due to nearby explosions. But everything else, they've pretty much done.

But I rather approve of that. War is ugly business.

[Aaron]

Droids with swords? WTH?

[Tyyr]

Ninja droids.

Special ops models of your basic Mk Is. Only the squad leaders carry the swords.

[Captain Seafort]

I second Kendall. Is this meant to be Star Wars or oBSG?