#ahsoka S1:E4

[anakins-ride-or-die]

AHSOKA EPISODE 4 SPOILERS!!!

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I was simply watching this week’s Ahsoka episode, when what do my eyes see? But my perfect baby boy, ANAKIN FREAKIN’ SKYWALKER, back to finally have that heart-to-heart with his padawan that we are ALL owed

[monikanarnia]

AHSOKA

S1.E4 ∙ Part Four: Fallen Jedi

[mynerdcorneroftheworld]

S1.E4 ∙ Part Four: Fallen Jedi

Hera risks her career to help her friends while Ahsoka and Sabine confront enemies.

[archivyrep]

Madame Nu, the stereotypical archivist of the Jedi Temple in the "Clone Wars" animation [Part 2]

Continued from part 1

Looking at "Lightsaber Lost"

Moving onto a later episode in the series. There is only a small mention of the Jedi Archives and Madame Nu in this episode, as most of it is about Ahsoka trying to get the lightsaber back from a thief, helped by an older Jedi who was sleeping in the archives at the beginning of the episode. Again, like Fini's writing in Holocron Heist, Drew Z. Greenberg, a writer who got a political science degree from UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) and a law degree from Santa Clara University School of Law, confuses archives and libraries yet again. Yikes!

Reprinted from my Wading Through the Cultural Stacks WordPress blog. Originally posted on Aug. 3, 2020.

This leads to a number of questions. For one, the fact that an older user of archives helps Ahsoka is the only one we as viewers see in the archives, does this imply that users of the archives are old people? If so, that's laughable and a silly stereotype to say the least which needs to be debunked.

Looking at "Assassin"

Moving into the third season of the animated show, this episode, like Lightsaber Lost, this episode only briefly mentions the archives with Madame Nu almost seen as a sort of "motherly figure," yet another stereotype. Couldn't the writer of this episode, Katie Lucas, have done better? The 1.85 million people who watched this episode were further done a disservice.

And are Jedi anti-intellectual? Because Ahsoka seems that way. If her sentiment is that widespread among the Jedi, perhaps it explains why the archives is basically deserted every time we see it in the past episodes mentioned in this post and in Attack of the Clones.

Despite these downsides, this episode is interesting, although the parts focusing on archives are an utter mess.

Looking at "The Lost One"

This episode comes three seasons later in Season 6. Madame Nu explains the records that the Jedi Archives has on Sifo-Dyas, the Jedi Master said to have authorized the creation of the clone army, with the Sith trying to cover up their plan to, ultimately, kill the Jedi:

And that's it. She gets no other mention in the episode. Christian Taylor, who wrote this episode, gives her perhaps a better role than the other episodes, but still, she is a bit a stereotype in and of herself.

P.S. I also realized that in Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan revises a record of some sort in the Jedi Archives, although we do not see Madame Nu, as she is presumed dead of course.

© 2022 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Notes

[1] According to Wookiepedia, Madame Nu is mentioned in the following comics: Star Wars: Purge: Seconds to Die (with Vader killing her because she won't give him access to the archives!, although this is part of the expanded universe, with other comics being considered "canon"), A New Dawn (book), Kanan 7: First Blood, Part I: The Corridors of Coruscant, Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 6: The Chosen One, Part VI, Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 7: The Dying Light, Part I, Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 8: The Dying Light, Part II, Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 9: The Dying Light, Part III, Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 10: The Dying Light, Part IV, Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 11: The Rule of Five, Part I, Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 12: The Rule of Five, Part II, and Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 25: Fortress Vader, Part VII.

[2] She also appears in a cut scene from one episode, R2 Come Home, where she "warns Ahsoka of the Temple alert status."

P.S.S. There are a number of other mentions of archives and libraries, like in "The Hidden Enemy" when Anakin and Obi-Wan fight Asajj Ventress in a library of some kind, "Cargo of Doom" (S2, e2) when Anakin speaks of returning the stolen holocron to the "library" (should actually be the Jedi Archives). There's also fights over records in "Senate Spy" (S2, e4), "Children of the Force" (S2, e3), "Downfall of a Droid" (S1, e6), and "Duel of the Droids" (S1, e7).

[krakenantlers]

KA Watches TCW - S1:E1-E4

I’m finally sitting down to try and watch the entirety of Clone Wars. (Internet osmosis, Wookiepedia, fanfiction, and fandom meta have brought me this far.) It’ll likely be slow going due to the length of the content and Real Life, but here are some observations so far:

- I wasn’t expecting much from the early episodes, but they sure got me by focusing on clone troopers and Jedi other than Anakin (I don’t much care for him).

- Yoda is a delight. They managed to blend his Sage/Teacher, Badass Jedi, and Absolute Troll (affectionate) aspects really well. 

- Even though the animation is a little rough by today’s standards, I appreciate how much they display and rely on body language, facial expressions, and even micro-expressions. (I have to remind myself to actually watch the background characters since they aren’t just window dressing sometimes.)

- Plo Koon is perfect, as I already knew. He is Best Dad. (I really wish he had been Ahsoka’s Jedi Master, and that’s what fanfiction is for!)

- If I was Wolffe, I would never go without my vacuum-safe armor ever again.

- I am frustrated that D-Plus doesn’t allow screenshots. In S1:E4 “Destroy Malevolence” Obi-Wan (very quickly, like a blink and you’ll miss it moment) tosses a smarmy grin and a little jaunty salute to Grievous. I managed to pause it perfectly and I am unable to immortalize the moment. :I

- One of the many reasons I’ve been putting off watching TCW was because I have SO MANY strong Feelings concerning the Jedi and the Clones. It’s a Tragedy and my heart is delicate.

EDIT: The Saga Continues...

[lightoflothalsmoons]

So anyway, I ranked every Clone Wars storyline

I finished rewatching TCW (for about the 9th time lol) recently and decided I'd try to rank every "storyline" as I went. I mostly did this by arcs, but there were a few arcs that I decided to split up because the episodes either seemed minimally related, or differed vastly in enjoyment level for me. This is based on nothing besides my own personal opinion. I'm not doing commentary because I'm far too lazy for that, but I did split this up into tiers. (And please excuse some of these arc names; this is just how I refer to them in my head.) Enjoy!

Not for me, sorry

60. Water Wars (S4 E1-3)

Ehhhhh.....

59. "Nomad Droids" (S4 E6)

58. "Blue Shadow Virus" (S1 E17)

57. Droid Spy (S1 E6-7)

A Good Time

56. "Senate Spy" (S2 E4)

55. "Cloak of Darkness" (S1 E9)

54. "Sphere of Influence" (S3 E4)

53. "Grievous Intrigue" (S2 E9)

52. "Hostage Crisis" (S1 E22)

51. "Heroes on both Sides" (S3 E10)

50. "A Friend in Need" (S4 E14)

49. "Cat and Mouse" (S2 E16)

48. "Evil Plans" (S3 E8)

47. "Trespass" (S1 E15)

46. "Mercy Mission" (S4 E5)

45. Aayla and the Lemurs vs Kim Jong Un (S1 E13-14)

44. Malevolence (S1 E2-4)

43. "Lair of Grievous" (S1 E10)

42. "Shadow Warrior" (S4 E4)

41. Banking Clan (S6 E5-7)

40. Toydaria (S3 E3 + S1 E1)

39. "Bombad Jedi" (S1 E8)

38. Satine (S2 E12-14)

37. The Zillo Beast (S2 E18-19)

The Really Good Stuff

36. "Assassin" (S3 E7)

35. Zygerria (S4 E11-13)

34. Korkie and Co (S3 E5-6)

33. Senate Murders (S3 E11 + S2 E15)

32. Cad Bane Steals Children (S2 E1-3)

31. "The Hidden Enemy" (S1 E16)

30. The Citadel (S3 E18-20)

29. Colonel Meebur and His Droid Friends (S5 E10-13)

Favorites Start Here

28. "Mystery of the Thousand Moons" (S1 E18)

27. "Hunt for Ziro" (S3 E9)

26. "The Disappeared" (S6 E8-9)

25. Dooku Captured (S1 E11-12)

24. Ryloth (S1 E19-21)

23. The Bad Batch (S7 E1-4)

22. "Lightsaber Lost" (S2 E11)

21. The Clone Wars Movie

20. "The Lost Ones" (S6 E10)

19. "Bounty Hunters" (S2 E17)

18. Lizard Rifle Association (S3 E21-22)

17. Martez Sisters (S7 E5-8)

16. Younglings (S5 E6-9)

Excellence Achieved

15. Geonosis (S2 E5-8)

14. "The Deserter" (S2 E10)

13. Delta Squad/ARC Troopers (S3 E1 + S1 E5 + S3 E2)

12. Ahsoka Leaves (S5 E17-20)

Elite Territory

11. Deception (S4 E15-18)

10. Young Boba Fett (S2 E20-22)

9. Onderon (S5 E2-5)

8. Nightsisters (S3 E12-14)

7. Ventress's Journey/Maul's Return (S4 E19-22)

The Supreme Rulers of all Clone Wars Perfection

6. Fives (S6 E1-4)

5. Umbara (S4 E7-10)

4. Siege of Mandalore/Order 66 (S7 E9-12)

3. Maul's Mandalore Machinations (S5 E1 + S5 E14-16)

2. Yoda's Journey (S6 E11-13)

1. Mortis (S3 E15-17)

[legobiwan]

TCW Rewatch: Destroy Malevolence (S1, E4) 

I love that Obi-wan is presented here as the highest authority on military matters, even outranking Plo Koon, who is likely above him in the Council hierarchy. Obi-wan is a good military leader. 

Wait, Padmé got her intelligence from someone in the Banking Clan? BAD IDEA. 

Dooku and Palpy know about Anakin and Padmé’s relationship, enough to set up a situation in which she would be taken hostage. Of course, they could have chosen any Senate member for similar results, but you know Paly just wants to stoke those fires of rage in Anakin, wow Sidious is really the worst but you have to admire his long-term planning skills that is some a+ manipulation.

I love how Padmé is all “don’t sacrifice the war effort for me” and of course, Anakin won’t let that happen. And then three seasons later their roles will reverse when Anakin is taken captive by Dooku and is exchanged for Grievous and Padmé basically makes the same call Anakin does here. We all like to pretend Padmé is the grounded one, but she really is in many ways as reckless as Anakin. 

Obi-wan could have easily overridden Anakin’s order to stop firing on the Malevolence, but he doesn’t. And when Anakin runs off to his own ship, Plo just sighs that Anakin is craving adventure and excitement, which we all know he does but that isn’t the reason for his haste in this instance. I don’t know how much Plo has figured out about the Padmé situation at this point, but Obi-wan knows and tries very, very hard to pretend he doesn’t know.

That is not the face of a man who is unaware of the unspoken dynamics between Anakin and Padmé. This is the embodiment of the “Doubt” meme. Poor Obi-wan. 

“That’s your plan? Just fly there, land, hope they don’t spot us, and just walk in the door?”

FIRST OF ALL, KENOBI, don’t pretend like you don’t pull this kind of antic all the time and SECONDLY, that is exactly the strategy you employed a few seasons later, to...well, less successful effect. 

And now I’m sad. (oh gods, that rewatch is going to hurt.)

Poor Obi-wan is such a third-wheel after Padmé gets rescued, it’s kind of hilarious.

Okay, so Grievous overhears all the communications and goes to trap Obi-wan. Can we talk about the fact he brings a small army of droids with him - MagnaDroids, droidekas, regular battle droids - FOR ONE JEDI? And not only this, Obi-wan, when confronted with this sizeable firepower, just snarks it up and cracks jokes while being a badass. Remember, this is our first time in the cartoon seeing Obi-wan in action, so it is setting the stage for his characterization in the TCW universe. Anakin is introduced via his flying skills and contrary, sometimes brash strategies, Ahsoka is shown as being young but the moral compass, and Obi-wan is our sassy-pants warrior and I just love him so much.

I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS MAN DOES THE JAUNTY SALUTE TWICE IN ONE EPISODE!

Unbelievable.

Grievous hanging up on Dooku mid-HoloSkype call will forever be the funniest thing, Grievous you COWARD.

This episode, for me, was actually weaker than the first two in terms of dialogue and plot (there are some cringeworthy moments), but makes up for it with Kenobi-badassery. Also, this shot from their escape from the Malevolence cracks me up

[monikanarnia]

AHSOKA

S1.E4 ∙ Part Four: Fallen Jedi

[monikanarnia]

AHSOKA

S1.E4 ∙ Part Four: Fallen Jedi

[monikanarnia]

AHSOKA

S1.E4 ∙ Part Four: Fallen Jedi

[monikanarnia]

AHSOKA

S1.E4 ∙ Part Four: Fallen Jedi

[krakenantlers]

KA Watches TCW - S1:E5-E10

Link to > S1:E1-E4

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E5 “Rookies”

Didn’t realize this episode was so early in the series! Also didn’t realize that the handprint was eel blood, so there’s that. 😬

Rex calling their helmets "sunbonnets"!! This is the first and only time I have heard that used in this fandom and I love it. I need more of it 👒

Cody's "heck" while everyone else is dropping "hell" willy-nilly. So polite. So civilized ;)

"Rex, old boy." Cody. Cody. You are such an old man. I love you.

-- Ahsoka calls him this too in the next episode. Did she pick it up from Cody or does Rex just have "Old Boy" vibes?

Both canon and fanon use “clankers” consistently, which I prefer, but I like the use of "tinnies" as well.

***

E6 “Downfall of a Droid” & E7 “Duel of the Droids”

Oh boy, I just can't comprehend how much shit Anakin gets away with and just…no consequences. Zero. Zilch. Nada. (Like, I understand /why/ in both the context of the story and the content of the media, but it piss me off.)

Isn’t it entirely possible to only partially wipe a droid’s memory without it affecting their personality? I know that Hera regularly did it for Chopper. 

-- I know this is a plot device, but boy howdy does it frustrate me that Anakin put the entire war and so many lives at risk because he didn’t want to wipe certain files from his droid’s memory.

-- I also understand that the Hera & Chopper fix may have been a retcon or in-universe tech advancement.))

***

E9 “Cloak of Darkness”

Trooper 1: “You keep watch here, 327.” [Droid responds] Trooper 1: “Okay, okay, 327T.” Trooper 2: “You know droids never like to be called by their nicknames.”

I’m having some Feelings about that little exchange. Do the clones acknowledge and try to respect this preference since they have the flipped problem (they prefer their chosen nicknames over their numbers)?

Ahsoka is learning all her Master’s bad habits. >.<

Ahsoka goes through so many descriptors for Asajj. So many.

No research done, but I’m gonna headcanon that Captain Argyus is a relative of Alexsandr Kallus’. No reason other than hair/eye coloration and accent/voice.

-- Then I had to check the VAs and did you know that Argyus was voiced by James Marsters?? (Spike from Buffy)

***

E10 “Lair of Grievous

Kit “Charming” Fisto ;)

Some little things:

-- Kit’s little flinch when Nahdar uses the force to spin Nute Gunray’s chair. :(

-- The clone trooper’s reaction when Nahdar said, “The clones got in the way.” :(( *sad clone noises*