The Clone Wars TV Series

[kup]

This isn't a review because I don't want to spoil it for anybody. Its just my personal comments:

I have seen the first two episodes and I am VERY impressed.

These two episodes were much, much better than the disappointing Prequel trilogy combined and the irony is that its more mature too. It is more within the tone of the original trilogy than the cartoony one of the prequels. This series so far feels more like an evolution of the original trilogy rather than a regression.

These episodes are also very bold for a kid's cartoons, reminds me of 90s style of cartoon story telling. There is actually real injury, danger and death in this with no attempt at making it overly safe. It is still appropriate for children however but it doesn't underestimate nor is condescending to the audience like most modern cartoons are. It tells a story without making it overly happy and 'safe' *cough*Animated *cough*. It is a war and people do die tragically or needlessly.

The writing is also much more intelligent and the Separatists are shown not like super villain cutouts (like the prequel trilogy) but smarter and truly menacing. They are trying to win the minds and loyalty of the neutralists so by blatantly acting evil, they would get no where and these episodes show us a much more sophisticated villain.

The characters and tone are also much more in line with the original trilogy rather than the prequels. There is no random snappy one liners and Yoda actually behaves like the Jedi Master we knew even if they have retained his 'fighting capabilities' from Ep II but it is much more respectful and mythical than the hyperactive bouncy ball of the prequels. This Yoda is certainly the one we met in Empire Strikes Back.

The characters also have superior actors behind them which is a contrast of the prequels and Anakin is actually likable and believable as a possible Darth Vader rather than that idiot what's his face from the prequels who can't act for crap.

I am hyped up about this series now, these episodes have won me over as a fan and I hope it continues displaying this high grade level of story telling and maturity. Who knows, this could end up being everything that the Prequel Trilogy was not.

I never saw the theatrical release of the pilot for this series so I cannot comment on that but If you have not seen these new televised episodes I recommend you do. You won't be disappointed. The first and second episodes have much better quality story telling and character portrayals than the prequel trilogy combined so even if you were dissatisfied with the last few movies like I did, watch this new series, the first two episodes will not disappoint.

Wow, I can't believe that I am once again hyped about Star Wars. I honestly did not see that coming ;)

[i_amtrunks]

And IMO, the animation style looks far better when on the smaller tv screen, compared to a cinema screen.

The writing is stronger in these shorter bursts, the film really felt to me like a 3 part opener that was smooshed together, very much like the Transformers Animated opening.

[Paulbot]

So is this a new TV series in the style of the Clone Wars movie?

Was there another TV Clone Wars cartoon with a more "Animated" animated style, or are these the same thing?

[i_amtrunks]

So is this a new TV series in the style of the Clone Wars movie?

Damn straight. 22 minute episodes with there being two released last week. It's a direct follow on to the movie, same characters, same VA, the whole kit and caboodle.

[Firecracker]

I enjoyed the first episode more than the second. I think I can bear the drippings of sentamentality as long as they keep up the awesome space battles. They were excellent, ableit short.

[kup]

So is this a new TV series in the style of the Clone Wars movie?

Was there another TV Clone Wars cartoon with a more "Animated" animated style, or are these the same thing?

It is indeed a new series. The Clone Wars movie was actually its pilot episode but Lucas wanted a theatrical release.

Although I have not seen the theatrical release I have read that it isn't as good as these new two episodes even though the animation style and voice actors are the same.

These two new episodes are great.

[Lint]

Looking forward to this now, thanks for your non-spoiler impressions on the first couple of eps Kup!

[Gutsman Heavy]

Watched ep 1, its pretty good, but god I hate the droids voices and piss-weak comedy. Galvatron knows what I'm on about!

[kup]

Watched ep 1, its pretty good, but god I hate the droids voices and piss-weak comedy. Galvatron knows what I'm on about!

yeah I had an issue with that too but the rest of the plot and mood of the story makes up for that. To me it was minor unlike the prequels in which the droids just added to the overall disappointment.

In the second episode you may be able to appreciate more the deadly nature of the droids.

[Saintly]

they have added so much more life to the droids and clones!

[Tiby]

when is it on and which channel?

[kup]

Another great episode indeed!

This is certainly old school Star Wars in style and feel of the story telling as well as character portrayal. Unlike Animated and most other modern cartoons, it does not talk down to children. Some of the humor is childish but it doesn't overwhelm the main plot and feel of the episode. Its story telling is actually more mature than the prequel movies themselves.

Take this from a Lucas Basher since the prequels and a Transformers fan: I am loving Clone Wars and its superior to Animated in every way.


when is it on and which channel?

Its out in US cartoon network on Fridays at 9pm.

Don't ask how we are watching it but you should have an idea :p

[GoktimusPrime]

I just watched "Shadow of the Malevolence." I think it's similar to the feel of the Clone Wars movie where they're putting more exposition and individuality into the clones themselves, rather than just making them nameless drones that you don't care about. Like the movie, the episode makes you care for the clones - although I think the movie did a better job (I have a soft spot for Captain Rex who's now my acquisitions mascot :)), but this episode does a good job in making the audience emotionally invest in individual clones like Matchstick.

To me the story blends in with the prequel movies. In Episode II we see the clones being treated as nameless and faceless hordes but by Episode III we saw individuality instilled into the clones, such as adopting individual callsigns like Oddball, Gree, Cody, Bacara, Bly etc. In Episode III we also saw the clones being more caring toward each other -- in Episode II, the beginning of the Clone Wars, clones were completely expendable and nobody cared if a clone fell in battle. But by Episode III there is one scene where you see a clone fall, and another clone runs up to check his life signs and quickly calls for a medic.

So to me, the Clone Wars movie and the TV series all tie in well with the overall Star Wars saga continuity - I don't see them as being separate or one being necessarily better than the other.

The voice actor for the clones doesn't seem to be holding up his attempt at an Australian accent so well here. Ditto the voice actor for the Kaminoan. They seem to struggle more with their received pronunciation - particularly on the /ɑː/ vowel which they pronounce with a more American-sounding /æ/. I find the actor for Obi-Wan has trouble with that too, although it doesn't seem too bad here, but then again, Obi-Wan doesn't have too many lines in this episode.

This episode seems to rely quite a bit on the theatrical movie... I wonder how people know who the hell Ahsoka is and how she developed a bond with Anakin without having seen the movie. I don't think seeing the movie is utterly essential, but I do think that this ep makes more sense if you've seen it.

The movie is far more action-packed and rolls along at a consistently faster pace... but this episode works well too even at its slower pace.

[kup]

I just watched "Shadow of the Malevolence." I think it's similar to the feel of the Clone Wars movie where they're putting more exposition and individuality into the clones themselves, rather than just making them nameless drones that you don't care about. Like the movie, the episode makes you care for the clones - although I think the movie did a better job (I have a soft spot for Captain Rex who's now my acquisitions mascot :)), but this episode does a good job in making the audience emotionally invest in individual clones like Matchstick.

To me the story blends in with the prequel movies. In Episode II we see the clones being treated as nameless and faceless hordes but by Episode III we saw individuality instilled into the clones, such as adopting individual callsigns like Oddball, Gree, Cody, Bacara, Bly etc. In Episode III we also saw the clones being more caring toward each other -- in Episode II, the beginning of the Clone Wars, clones were completely expendable and nobody cared if a clone fell in battle. But by Episode III there is one scene where you see a clone fall, and another clone runs up to check his life signs and quickly calls for a medic.

So to me, the Clone Wars movie and the TV series all tie in well with the overall Star Wars saga continuity - I don't see them as being separate or one being necessarily better than the other.

The voice actor for the clones doesn't seem to be holding up his attempt at an Australian accent so well here. Ditto the voice actor for the Kaminoan. They seem to struggle more with their received pronunciation - particularly on the /ɑː/ vowel which they pronounce with a more American-sounding /æ/. I find the actor for Obi-Wan has trouble with that too, although it doesn't seem too bad here, but then again, Obi-Wan doesn't have too many lines in this episode.

This episode seems to rely quite a bit on the theatrical movie... I wonder how people know who the hell Ahsoka is and how she developed a bond with Anakin without having seen the movie. I don't think seeing the movie is utterly essential, but I do think that this ep makes more sense if you've seen it.

The movie is far more action-packed and rolls along at a consistently faster pace... but this episode works well too even at its slower pace.

Of course they are within the same continuity of Episode II and the Clone Wars movie which is actually the Pilot of this series. However unlike the prequel trilogy, these series have the Star Wars 'charm' that I enjoyed and once made me a fan.

The characters, plot and 'feel' of these TV series is much higher than the prequels when it comes to quality story telling, characters and dialogue.

In other words, an excellent execution of great ideas.

The problem with the prequels is that it was a bad execution of good ideas. The series seems to have turned this around with its own story telling and positive character tuning which do not impact continuity but gives off an old school feel of Star Wars with the new characters and plot.

[GoktimusPrime]

You should like the Clone Wars movie then if you liked this series - they written in a similar vein. The movie very much a swash-buckling adventure, which is what the original Episode IV was like. Ziro the Hutt is incredibly annoying though... he's about half as annoying as Jar Jar Binks - by that I mean that as a character I find him just as annoying as Jar Jar in Episode I, but unlike Jar Jar Ziro does contribute (quite significantly) to the story... his only saving grace. I'd kick Ziro in janglies... but erm... I'm not sure if Hutts have janglies. (>_>)

Maybe they're like Ballchinians... :p http://www.disclose.tv/files/photos/84117275be999ffT.jpg

[i_amtrunks]

So far so good, but at the moment I prefer the Animated clone wars series from a few years ago.

[Gutsman Heavy]

Finally got around to watching Ep 2, it has PLO! freaking sweet, there better be a fig of him released!

[kup]

So far so good, but at the moment I prefer the Animated clone wars series from a few years ago.

That was good too but it was somewhat limited in its style of story telling. It felt like an sponsored fan video with some cool scenes (Republic Commandos) but not much more but overall very good for a series of shorts.

[Burn]

I was of the whole "oh yeah, here we go, Lucas needs another excuse to whore out more toys" so I never bothered going to see the movie in theatres and I didn't expect much of the tv series.

But i've been proven wrong.

The animation is good, more so when you compare it to something like, oh ... Transformers Animated!

Story line is shaping up quite nicely. There are actually little "prequel" comics available on the SW website before each episode, might have to start checking them out.

I like the individualisation of the Clones, i'm actually starting to warm up to the comedy routines of the droids.

The one thing that irked me about this week's episode is the amount of fire on the Malevolence. Given that it's a droid ship I seriously doubt there'd be enough oxygen to sustain such a large fire. Sure, there may be SOME oxygenated areas for any fleshbags that are along for the ride but that much? Trivial I know, but it's really the only fault I can find with this series so far. :p

[The_Damned]

ep 3 is out fyi

[GoktimusPrime]

So far so good, but at the moment I prefer the Animated clone wars series from a few years ago.
I think the Tatarkovsky series was aimed at an older audience whereas the Clone Wars movie was specifically targetted at a younger audience, and I think it succeeds at that and isn't quite as juvenile as say Transformers Animated (except for the characterisation of Ziro the Hutt, he's just downright annoying).

I like how this series does focus more on the individualisation of the Clones which the Tatarkovsky series never really did.

I do like how the voice actor for the clones in this series makes an attempt at received pronunciation approximating an Australian accent - although honestly the New Zealand accent is actually closer to a South African accent (both NZ and S.African spoken English having a strong Dutch influence whereas Australian English has more of a Cockney influence). But the Australian accent is closer to a NZ accent than an American one, so I much prefer it over the Yankee-sounding clones in the Tatarkovsky series.


The one thing that irked me about this week's episode is the amount of fire on the Malevolence. Given that it's a droid ship I seriously doubt there'd be enough oxygen to sustain such a large fire. Sure, there may be SOME oxygenated areas for any fleshbags that are along for the ride but that much? Trivial I know, but it's really the only fault I can find with this series so far.
Is that in episode 2? I've only seen Episode 1.

Anyway, the Separatist ships would still be primarily designed for organic crew rather than just droids. Remember that there are plenty of human and non-human (alien) peoples fighting on the side of the Separatists (e.g.: Neimoidians (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Neimoidian), Skakoans (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Skakoan), humans (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Alto_Stratus) etc.). In Episode I we saw Trade Federation vessels being crewed by a combination of droids and Neimoidians. In Episode III we saw non-droid characters such as Grievous, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Chancellor Palpatine moving about the Invisible Hand without the assistance of any additional breathing apparatus (meaning that they were breathing the air in the ship). The ship also had artificial gravity, which is arguably something that is more important for organics than for droids (droids like Artoo can happily move about on a metallic surface in a vacuum, as seen in Episode I). Even if Battle Droids don't have electromagnets in their feet like Astromech droids do, I doubt they would need Earth-like gravity (as the Clone Wars movie demonstrated Battle Droids are dense, meaning that they would be quite heavy - having lighter gravity would actually allow them to be more energy-efficient).

Being a cyborg, General Grievous also requires oxygen to survive. Both Grievous and cybernetic Darth Vader are capable of surviving in a vacuum for a limited period of time but they both still need to breathe (Grievous' coughing and Vader's "khoo-haa" are manifestations of their artificial respiratory systems; Vader's is more advanced hence the relatively smoother breathing).

[Bartrim]

ep 3 is out fyi

Okay then I expect to be brought up to speed with this and heroes this afternoon or no toys for you. :p

[kup]

Another good episode tonight. It had a few more annoying moments than the previous episodes since it was very droid centric but it did not dominate the fight sequences nor the main story so I can see passed it.

If this level of quality is maintained, it will quickly become my favorite 21st Century cartoon series.

Seriously. Why Animated couldn't have been like this? They are aiming at the same target audience so there is no excuses now.

[Burn]

My biggest gripe with this week's episode, too much of a Anakin/Padme lovefest. Next episode however looks to be centred on Clones and definitely shows some promise.

And for those who need a laugh ...

http://roflrazzi.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/darth-vader-lord-vader-demands-an-explanation.jpg

[kup]

The last episode was the closest one in vibe to the Prequel trilogy (Jumping around all hyperactive with droid comedy moments) However it did not deter away from the main story and Anakin is not the bitchy emo he is in the movies so I don't mind it.

[kup]

Another excellent episode! I am also surprised at the amount of deaths in it something that cartoons of the past decade have been very careful to avoid. There was a lot of excellent clone characterisation in this one.

This series is awesome and is single handedly reigniting my Star Wars enthusiasm after it was trashed by the prequels.

[Firecracker]

Friggin Commando Droids kept shootin the 'Sarge'... that's harsh. :eek:

[Burn]

This was a damn good episode this week.

Clone characterisation, Commando Droids (they were new to me), and not much Anakin.

Hard to believe Lucas is writing this and i'm enjoying it so much.

[kup]

This was a damn good episode this week.

Clone characterisation, Commando Droids (they were new to me), and not much Anakin.

Hard to believe Lucas is writing this and i'm enjoying it so much.

He is not writing it just producing it which means he just seats back and relaxes and let's others work on it.

If Lucas was actually writing this do you think that it would be this good based on his track record as of late?

[i_amtrunks]

Might fine episode. I'm a little surprised it was aired since it was a rather dark and morbid episode, much more so than a TMNT episode that got cut a few years ago (Insane in the Membrane which only aired in Aus and the UK, no other market).

Helps my theory that the less Anakin it has, the better the episode. Hopefully after a season or so Lucas will give the okay for less Anakin based episodes (also means he can sell more toys) and we can get episodes of this calibre on a constant basis.

And Hevy now owns the top quote from the series, with a slew "Roger Roger" based ones coming in behind it.

[Burn]

He is not writing it just producing it which means he just seats back and relaxes and let's others work on it.

If Lucas was actually writing this do you think that it would be this good based on his track record as of late?

I didn't think Lucas was writing it, that's why I hit up IMDB who have him listed as a writer. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0458290/fullcredits#writers)

But if you can point me in the direction of the REAL writers it'd be much appreciated. Wouldn't mind seeing what else they've worked on.

[kup]

Here is a list of episode and writers from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Star_Wars:_The_Clone_Wars_episodes

[Burn]

So Lucas is being falsly creditted. No suprise there.

I am not looking forward to Episode 8 ...

[kup]

So Lucas is being falsly creditted. No suprise there.

I am not looking forward to Episode 8 ...

Maybe they'll do something like IDW's Wheelie. They will try to make an appallingly bad character look good....Unless Lucas actually wrote that one..

[Paulbot]

For those of us who want to watch it on tv, it starts airiing on Channel 10 later this month (http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2008/11/airdate-the-clone-wars.html).

[Burn]

ARGH!

I was comfortable, I was settled, I was really getting into this week's episode, then it ended!

DAMN YOU 20 MIN EPISODES!!!!!

[kup]

I thought this was the weakest of all the episodes so far. It was okay overall but some things dragged it down such as the awful 'battle' technomusic and the stupidity of the gold droid which was over played.

[Burn]

I actually liked the music.

As for R3, I could see a side story there about "young" droids needing to get a bit of experience, but that's kind of moot really when all droids are suppose to have regular memory wipes anyway. Unless you're R2D2 who's apparently the one droid who never has a memory wipe in over 100 years.

[Bartrim]

I am really enjoying this however I would like to see more of Anakin. But it has to be done right. They need have him slowly slipping to the dark side. I think the potential for character development is huge. Maybe they will go further down that road later on in a story arc involving his padawan? I mean I think it's safe to assume the future isn't too bright for her.

[Golden Phoenix]

I am really enjoying this however I would like to see more of Anakin. But it has to be done right. They need have him slowly slipping to the dark side. I think the potential for character development is huge. Maybe they will go further down that road later on in a story arc involving his padawan? I mean I think it's safe to assume the future isn't too bright for her.

I would actually like to se more of Obi-wan. All we have usually seen of him is just through a hologram, or on the bridge. I'd like to see more of the dynamic between him, Anakin and Ahsoka

[Tommy K]

now i have looked at none of the posts before this one becausei want to ask this question

is this really a good season? does it have any refrences to the other movies?

[kup]

So far its very good and it is based on the prequel stories but with much less ham, proper narrative and 'tuned up' characters to make them more believable and less annoying (Anakin).

[Beast_Wars_Superior]

I never saw the theatrical release of the pilot for this series so I cannot comment on that but If you have not seen these new televised episodes I recommend you do. You won't be disappointed. The first and second episodes have much better quality story telling and character portrayals than the prequel trilogy combined so even if you were dissatisfied with the last few movies like I did, watch this new series, the first two episodes will not disappoint.

Wow, I can't believe that I am once again hyped about Star Wars. I honestly did not see that coming ;)

I did see the theatrical release, and I don't understand why everyone hated it so much. I mean, when Episode 1 (or was it 2?) came out, people whinged about the lack of space battles. All of a sudden, Clone Wars comes out, 90 minutes of epic battles, and everyone hates it!

Admittedly, the Clone Wars movie did seem more kid-oriented than any of the prequels. Based on what you've said, the full TV series sounds way better. I was going to watch it anyway out of curiosity, but after reading your impressions I'm really looking forward to it!

[Beast_Wars_Superior]

I have to say, I watched the TV series on Ten and I like it. Some annoying bits, but generally it was very good, with tons of potential. And I agree, the guy who plays Anakin is way better than Hayden Christensen. It's good to see Anakin as a strong leader for once, as opposed to a whiny little boy.

I was thinking about how great it would be later on if there was an episode where Anakin got shore leave and went home to Coruscant and they had an episode about his relationship with Padme. I know, the love story in Ep II was garbage, but I get the feeling the writers and directors of this show can do it better. Maybe after seeing Anakin being this awesome Jedi Knight and strong leader, we get this episode where once again he shows his vulnerable side (ie. a vulnerable side NOT written and directed by George Lucas :D ), which we all know is what turns him to the Dark Side. Too adult perhaps? :p

Also, some nice foreshadowing of what's to come. 'One step ahead, Count Dooku always seems to be'. Hmm, I wonder why that is... :p

Also, this show allowed me to demonstrate some of my Star Wars nerdishness. My brother was like:

"This show is bullcrap! If the robots are all controlled from a central Command on the ship, why would they be disobeying orders?"

After thinking about it, I came back with something like this:

"Look, in the Episode 1 incredible cross-sections, or maybe it was Episode 2, but anyway, I'm pretty sure they said that as well as the regular droids, they built special 'Commander' droids, who had better AI and were capable of independant thought, so because one was yellow and one was green, the green one was thinking independantly..."

EDIT: I just read throguh the whole thread, and instead of making a triple post...


(I have a soft spot for Captain Rex who's now my acquisitions mascot :))

I'm just gonna come out and say it- Commander Rex was my favourite part of the whole movie. :p


The voice actor for the clones doesn't seem to be holding up his attempt at an Australian accent so well here.

Uh, the guy who played the clones in the films was a New Zealander, so I think that's more the accent they're going for. ;)


Maybe they're like Ballchinians...

Oh geez, don't get me started on how terrible THAT movie is! The first Men In Black is one of my fave films of all time, but the second was just godawful from top to bottom.


Finally got around to watching Ep 2, it has PLO!

I'll be honest, I didn't know who Plo Koon was until I saw that episode. Where did you first hear of him? I'll bet it was a book or comic, right?

Also, why the hell is everyone in this thread ripping on TF Animated? I love Animated! It's my second favourite TF show after Beast Wars, and at one point I thought it was gonna hit the number 1 spot!

Oh, and one more thing- when is Commander Cody gonna get some screen time? :p

[Beast_Wars_Superior]

Sorry for the triple post, but I had to inform everyone that Ten has dragged this show after two weeks. Oh well, looks like it's downloading again for me...

[kup]

Sorry for the triple post, but I had to inform everyone that Ten has dragged this show after two weeks. Oh well, looks like it's downloading again for me...

Its not reliable to watch anything on Australian Television unless its CSI:Whatever or some dumb reality show.

[kup]

This was an excellent episode and I am happy to see things coming back to form after that god awful Jar Jar episode. It is also good to see the series as a whole once again pushing boundaries when it comes to story telling as its more concerned about telling a good story rather than conforming with 'let's keep it nice and safe by adding bad excessive toilet humor instead of violence so that the soccer moms don't bug us' like many modern cartoons are plagued with.

Certainly this series is more concerned about telling a quality story without talking down or underestimating the intelligence of its audience like many contemporary cartoons do. This series makes me feel that once again things are moving forward rather than backwards when it comes to children's entertainment.

Certainly one of best if not THE best American cartoon series this decade even though that is not difficult as most cartoon series since 2000 have been horrible and I can only count this decade's worthwhile cartoon series with 3 fingers. However Clone Wars does stand up on its own right as its mostly excellently written.

Several more observations bellow.

SPOILERS :




As mentioned before, this episode is once again pushing boundaries in children's entertainment. In this episode we saw a decapitation of a clone trooper, several non 'sugar coated' deaths and even an uncensored and upfront stabbing through the heart. No blood but the violence was there. However this was not just mindless violence as that would have been bad too, it all had a purpose in the story and it actually helped to create the sense of vulnerability among the 'good guys' and to highlight the danger of the situation.

Despite this episode having a fairly simple but well written plot, the characterisation was excellent particularly among the Jedi and the Sith. The pace of the episode was such that sometimes it felt as if the good guys would win and at other times it felt as if the bad guys were getting the upper hand which made it all more exciting.

We need more people like these writers in the industry, I hope Clone Wars sets a precedence and we begin to see more and more cartoon series that do not talk down to children or are overly 'sugar coated' so that it doesn't offend anyone or excessively trying to be 'politically correct'. It is also good to see a cartoon concerned about telling a good story rather than following the all to common modern approach of sticking to episode 'formulas', excessive toilet humor or stereotypical children's writing. Its like we are back in the 1990s and children's entertainment is once again progressing unlike many of its contemporaries which leave a lot to be desired.

The episode was not without flaws however although they are very minor and more in the technical department than the writing. The main flaw that I saw was noticeably poorer animation quality in the begining sequences but I am guessing that they were trying to balance their budget a bit as the animation improves as the story progresses and the fight scenes are outstanding.

Another flaw that I saw and this is very minor however, is that the way that the Imperial Guard was drawn already gave him the aura of a betrayer. I suspected him as such at the start but to be fair to the writers, they did an excellent job handleling him as midway through the episode, I begun to doubt my initial perception of the character as he was advicing Ahsoka even though later on the episode my initial instinct was confirmed. This helped in giving the episode that bit of a roller coaster feel which I applaud.

I am loving this series and if it continues being this good, I may actually develop an appreciation for this 'era' of Star Wars as I am a big time critic of the prequels and a Lucas Basher.