#especially episodes that I love like the Umbara arc

[servethelight]

Shit I’ve noticed during my clone wars rewatch and my interpretation (very Obi-Wan focused because he’s my favorite character lmao):

(Includes spoilers obviously)

+ I love this show to bits, but it has horrible issues with consistency. Every other episode there is a new weapon or something introduced and we’ll never see it again. This is very prevalent in especially the first seasons.

+ Obi-Wan is such a fucking enabler. Like he tells Anakin his plans are stupid at least twice during the Malevolence episodes, but then joins him on all of those. It’s literally like: “Anakin this plan is reckless and won’t work, anyways what’s my part in your plan?”

+ Rex running into that metal pipe. I forgot about that and laughed for 20 minutes straight.

+ Anakin pulls a “Are ya winning son?” on Obi-Wan about Ahsoka.

+ I once saw a post that it isn’t confirmed that Obi-Wan and Cody are friends, but you have Obi-Wan literally marveling on how competent the commander is and Cody always going the extra mile to save his general’s ass. To me that’s pretty much a friendship.

+ The Jedi are in general very gentle, but quite touchy. They might not go for hugs, but there is always someone touching someone’s shoulder or waist. And they’re just so fucking kind. I don’t think I ever noticed that as a kid, but they’re so respectful about life and culture and always helping someone. I just love them so much.

+ And I love the understanding and kindness the clones have. They’re soldiers and programmed to kill, but they’re also good people in most cases. I just wanna hug most of them.

+ My mother told me I cried as a child during the episodes with the Zillo beast. Well, I didn’t cry again, but I’m still so fucking mad at Palpatine for putting that poor creature in that position. If he just had listened to Mace Windu (more of the characters should actually, just saying) that poor animal wouldn’t have killed people and found its end like that.

+ Mortis is quite hated by the fandom but for me it’s a defining showcase of Obi-Wan’s, Anakin’s and Ahsoka’s relationship. I’ve seen people in the fandom saying that Anakin would’ve turned out differently if Obi-Wan would’ve told him he’s proud and took care of his feelings. This episodes literally show that he does exactly that and Anakin still doesn’t give a shit.

+ Anakin tells the son in his dream, that he’ll never come to the dark side willingly. Only to walk over to the literal manifestation of the dark side like 10 minutes later to save Ashoka. I came to the conclusion that the only way to tempt him was by promising to save his loved ones. I still think it was a really awful and greedy thing to become Vader for that, but I must admit it’s a noble character trait to put others first.

+ Kit Fisto doesn’t have nipples. Therefore I’ve concluded he’s isn’t a mammal and hatched from an egg like Nemo the clownfish. (And no, that isn’t a animation thing, Rex does have nipples when his shirt is off).

+ The discussion with my gf about Kit Fisto nipples and Star Wars biology also touched the topic of “how does Maul use the bathroom”. My conclusion is: he has a stoma, because the lower abdomen, where that would be, is always covered.

+ Hardcase mentions he is hyperactive. I now see him as my favorite ADHD clone, because having ADHD myself I can fucking relate.

+ I forgot Waxer died on Umbara and bawled my eyes out. Waxer is one my favorite clones and when he cried while dying I just couldn’t take it.

+ My friend spent the entire Umbara arc just simping for the clones (mostly Jesse), while I was suffering. So maybe they look hot or something for people attracted to men in this episodes.

+ In the episode after the Umbara the duo usually consisting of Waxer and Boil is sent out, but this time it’s just Boil and I was about to bawl again.

+ For being called “the negotiator” Obi-Wan gets his ass beat quite a lot after his “negotiations” (aggressive flirting).

+ While I’ll never forgive Obi-Wan for doing that Raako Hardeen shit, I nearly pissed myself when the Ziro the Hutt’s ex gf is flirting with not one but two women there. Like I didn’t expect her to be the fucking gay rep in clone wars.

+ I’m seriously never forgiving Obi-Wan for that. I can’t get over Ahsoka’s tear filled eyes while she’s holding his corpse. Also she doesn’t seem angry like Anakin just massively sad and disappointed after it is revealed that he’s still alive. Personally I believe she’s starting to doubt the order here.

+ Point three on hating on my favorite character for that shit, I feel like Anakin becomes quieter and less playful after that disaster.

+ Maul is me. He’s obsessed with Obi-Wan and mentions that he has massive problems what is going on inside his head. As a mentally ill person, that makes me feel really seen lmao.

+ The underwater episodes and the ones with Ventress on that train were just the most beautiful worlds I’ve ever seen. Like the planets in general are so beautifully designed in clone wars, I’m so in love.

+ Motherfucking “I said fuck the council and became a child soldier for a rebellion at 13” Obi-Wan Kenobi seems very reluctant on doing it again. There are two entire arcs of him disagreeing on helping rebels. First I didn’t understand, because like dude you literally did this before, but since he talks about his worries about bringing the separatists in or worsen the situation, I think the poor man is just a little bit traumatized.

+ After the events of Onderon I’m pretty sure Ashoka is already filled with doubts about the order, the republic and the war. I also feel like she’s feeling massively led down by Obi-Wan again, which broke my heart because I love their relationship.

+ I just realized he fails Ahsoka a third time, when she is captured by Hondo and Obi-Wan is supposed to help her. Instead he gets attacked by Grievous and is forced to postpone the helping them until they help themselves. I mean it’s not his fault but in Ahsoka’s place that wouldn’t feel good to me.

+ This particular fight with Grievous ignited my love for Obi-Wan again. Before he attacks Grievous he helps an injured clone and when he goes into the fight, Grievous directly kills a clone. Instead of his usual witty remarks, he just goes: “you’re gonna regret that” and jumps Grievous. He just loves his clones as much as I do.

+ One of the most beautiful shots in the entire series for me is in the episode before the droids find Gregor. This WAC droid looks into the desert and it reflects in his eye. Because of the cracks in the desert ground it looks almost like a retina. Beautiful metaphor of combining something artificial and metallic with an organic and almost human part. This was such a fucking raw shot for me, it took my breath away.

+ Tarkin is an asshole, but he’s climbed the asshole latter so hard after he has been mean to Plo Koon.

+ Shotout to Obi-Wan for convincing the order to let Anakin go after Ahsoka. Additionally the whole time he acts in her support only to be shut down by the council. I didn’t remember him doing that so I was surprised.

+ Fives tells the plot with the inhibitor chips to a cab driver. Do you think the cap driver ever thinks back after the war and is like: “Fuuuuuuck”?

+ I kid you not, the clone bar has gender neutral bathrooms (and no, it’s not bc the clones are all male, in the bar are also women). The bathroom are just decided by humans, hutts and a third species I cannot quite recognize.

+ I forgot Teckla gets shot, NOOOOOOO

+ I always say clone wars anakin is better, but Jesus stop acting like a jealous bitch. Padmè deserves an award for putting up with his bullshit. Obi-Wan too. He even tries to give him reassurance by telling him that feelings are not forbidden and Anakin just bitches at him.

+ Obi-Wan casually passing on babysitting duty for Jar Jar fucking killed me (and yes, taking care of Jar Jar is babysitting duty).

+ Never in a million years I would have thought to see Jar Jar admitting to fucking this queen, but here we have him saying he was making love to her last night. Imma set myself on fire and I believe Windu will join me.

+ You could also call the clone wars the exposition wars. Every episode has their one minute exposition in the beginning, but I feel like a lot of the dialogue is used for exposition.

+ Obi-Wan doesn’t learn shit. That man got drugged by Hondo, but yet still accepts drinks from the Pykes. MY BROTHER IN CHRIST PLEASE DONT

+ I AN GOING TO SCREAM. You have been informed that the Clones have a behavior influencing chip in their brains and then you find out Dooku was behind the creation of the clones and no one connects the fucking dots. I love the Jedi, but goddamn are you all dense.

+ Do you think Hunter thought Rex was screwing his general? Because their conversation sounded kinda suggestive and then they trail off to do something secret.

+ Ahsoka going “my older brother thought me”after kicking a guy where it hurts most. I now imagine Anakin going to Ahsoka as soon she got to be his padawan: “Listen up Snips, if you ever facing a creepy guy, you kick them right there”

+ When the sisters make their escape I don’t get why they don’t let Ahsoka fly. She’s clearly the more capable pilot.

+ Controversial opinion: I have a strong dislike for Bo Katan. She’s a fucking terrorist who doesn’t betray the deathwatch when they murder an entire innocent village, no but when there’s Maul trying to take their authority. Says a lot about her character if you ask me.

+ I mcfucking cried when the clones painted their helmets according to Ahsoka’s face markings and my flatmates gf came in and asked me if everything’s alright. I am fucking embarrassing I have seen this scene three times already but I still bawl like a baby.

+ Also my dear Obi-Wan can you quit being an ass? A “hello Ahsoka, nice to see you” wouldn’t have killed you.

+ Through the whole show most of the characters seemed to appear increasingly tired towards the end. Especially Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, but other characters aswell. The only one who seems to stay energized is Anakin. He becomes more serious but I feel like he’s the only one at the end that is still going into battles with full energy. It almost felt like he’s especially thriving in a war scenario which is incredibly sad.

+ The beauty of that last scene with Vader is truly unparalleled. I don’t ever think a tv show can recreate that.

+ I still love this show to bits and I cried 5 times total during that rewatch, shit this was nice.

[spacemagicandlaserswords]

The Clone Wars 4.09 ‘Plan of Dissent’ Reaction Take 2

I think out of all of the episodes from the Umbara arc, this is my favourite. If it’s possible to have a favourite with everything that happens. There’s so much of the clones themselves in this episode. So much of their interactions and personalities and characteristics and lives.

Hello to Fives' very nice thighs and crotch. There’s just something about a clone lying on their back, legs splayed, knee bent, as they do mechanical work on the underneath of a ship. Insert your own references to the 2 nickels meme here. Also inserting the gif of Tech doing the exact same thing because I can.

There are definitely moments where Fives voice gets husky and it is very nice. I am not complaining at all.

Obi-Wan is looking rather boxy there

Krell completely changes when he’s talking to someone with equal or more power than him. Slimy bastard.

I know they mean arms as in weapons but every time they say ‘arm’ all can picture is crates full of actual arms.

That tiny head shake from Rex. He is so done.

Ugh that look up from Rex. Ugh.

Ahahahaha it definitely looks like Fives is about to burst into an earnest and deeply emotional ballad in the music video as part of his 90s boy band. So, the important questions are: Who are the rest of the members of this clone boy band? And what is their name? These things, I must know them.

Look at Rex’s big beautiful brown eyes there

Paused the episode only to realise Jesse has an exclamation mark on the front of his chest plate.

Tup waving his space screwdriver grabby thingy around to make his point. I think it’s a calliper? It looks similar to the one Tech has on his belt or in one of his 2000 pockets. Just noticed Tup has the same hairline as Tech too.

“I do think his desire for victory has blinded him to the fact that there are lives at stake. I’ve never seen a General with these kind of casualties.” – I love this moment from Jesse. Especially because he doesn’t go after Dogma, he just calmly but firmly points out what isn’t right about this situation. The adorable nose scrunch is also out in full force.

“I don’t have a better plan.” Rex, you always have a better plan

Fives: Why don’t we just do the same thing we did before!

Lmao Fives’ little chaos face as he explains his plan

Gif by @nickleister from this glorious post

REX THIGH

That ‘do it’ from Rex was very Palpatine of him

“Yeah, he wasn’t really flying. More like avoiding crashing.” Tup going for the jugular there

Omg that was not subtle at all. “What’s going on?” “Eh, nothing.” *awkward*

Oh, Rex and Fives are fighting. That line from Fives about them all being not just another number really hit home too.

I know this is supposed to be a serious moment and all that but omg Fives is built like an absolute unit. Boy is thicc.

Well this is going well. Fives, why are you standing underneath the fighter that Hardcase is barely able to control?

Fives: Hardcase, what are you doing?! Hardcase: If I knew, I wouldn’t be doing it! CACKLING

Who's the random clone helping out Fives and Hardcase? They’ve got different paint but I can’t tell who they are.

“Great, this can’t get much worse” Well now you’ve gone and jinxed it

Oh, so that’s where that shot of Fives standing there comes from. Who knew the absolute chaos that was going on behind as Fives stands there looking all gorgeous.

Fives: “Nothing’s out of control down here.” Hardcase: *actively destroying everything*

Omg the absolutely over the top agonised full eye and body roll that Fives gives while he draws out a long “Uh” to try and come up with a cover story for what they’re doing. 

That has got to be a homage or reference to Han Solo doing basically the same thing in A New Hope.

“That’s gonna leave a mark.” Hardcase, you just melted the door!

“No harm done.” Says Hardcase, standing amongst the ruin he has just created

Absolutely losing it at Hardcase’s cover story for what they were getting up to. To be fair to him, he actually sold it fairly well and it was a decently believable cover story to come up with on the spot. Fives, on the other hand, cannot lie to save himself. Rex is not falling for his bullshit one bit.

Aaaaaaaaaah Hardcase’s little wiggly sneaky fingers. You utterly adorable dork. He looks so pleased with his idea at the end too. It’s the best idea guys!

Hardcase is in. He wants chaos.

Anakin telling Fives that the trick to taking out a control ship is to hit the main reactor from the inside? Well that’s totally not going to come back and bite him in his shiny black asthmatic arse in approximately 20 cycles or so. 

Jesse and Hardcase’s doubtful scrunched up faces as the listen to Fives’ “plan” are utterly adorable

"I can’t help you, when you get caught." — That exchange between Fives and Rex definitely sounds like Rex has put up Fives’ crazy bullshit before. And you can tell how much Rex cares and knows this is the right thing to do yet he’s stuck and he can’t do anything to help them or protect them when the shit hits the fan.

If those fighters are supposed to be locked down, then why are they conveniently sitting outside?

I found this scene of Dogma and Tup in the barracks really uncomfortable. I’ve been trying to reserve judgement on Dogma and not be so harsh on him because I know what happens in the end and he seems like a fan favourite. But it really felt like he was bullying Tup into snitching on Fives, Jesse and Hardcase. I don’t know what Dogma and Tup’s connection to each other is. They seem fairly close so I’m going with close or best friends, if not batch mates. I know Dogma thinks he’s doing the right thing (I know, please don’t come at me) but it felt really uncomfortable watching him bully his best friend/batch mate and vod into doing what he wanted. I think I’m reacting to this so much because I relate to Tup so much. The constant anxious worry. Being bullied and peer pressured into doing things you don’t want to do (hello school trauma). Out of everything that has happened, and a lot of truly awful things happen in this arc, it felt like this was the worst thing Dogma did. Even if he didn’t mean it, that doesn’t excuse it. 

Paused the episode at the start of the next scene and Rex is standing there in the dark looking down at his datapad and fuck me is he a tall glass of water.

The look on Rex’s face when he sees Fives, Jesse and Hardcase fly off in the fighters! I mentioned this in my first reaction post but man, is that a multi-layered expression. Deep long suffering at putting up with their bullshit. Admiration and respect that the crazy bastards went and did it. Worry and concern about what they’re about to do and how they’re all going to deal with the fall out. And probably a bit of satisfaction and amusement that it’s going to piss off Krell.

“I’m just doing it for fun!” Hardcase knows what he’s about

Well that’s a shit fight

Is that a blimp?

Fives, telling Hardcase not to get an itchy trigger finger is like telling you not to be a chaotic little shit. Utterly pointless

Omg the supply ship is even sphere shaped, just with a giant rectangle in the middle. It’s just a B-grade Death Star.

“I’m sure the report will make your strategy more effective.” Rex you sly bastard

So I know everyone says clones can’t lie to save themselves but Rex was pretty damn believable right there, covering for Fives, Jesse and Hardcase. It didn’t feel like a cover story that was made up on the spot either, so Rex had to have come up with it already. He knew they were going to go off on their own hair brained mission, and, even though he was disagreeing with Fives, he still came up with a way to cover for them and protect them as best he could. So he’s bloody smart and cares deeply too. Ugh, I love him so much.

Rex running interference for Fives, Jesse and Hardcase

“Regarding, what?” CACKLING

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” asdf;lkj why are you so badass. Though it does feel sad that all of this has started to pit the clones against each other. And doesn’t that come back in an even worse way later on.

Oh look, it’s a trench run to a reactor! I wonder where we’ve seen this before!

That tactical droid didn’t consider Fives in his equations

Oh man as soon as Hardcase’s fighter got hit, that was the moment you knew he wasn’t coming back. 

That gesture Fives made to stop his fighter made him look like he was using the Force

Nooooo Hardcase what are you doing

“This is for the 501st. Don’t wait for me.” *sobs*

Hardcase calls Fives sir. Again, I am baffled as to what the rank system is here, though I’m assuming ARC Troopers are at least above standard clone troopers in some way?

“If I know Hardcase, we better leave.” That speaks to a lot of experience with Hardcase making things going boom

“Live to fight another day.” Dammit now I can’t see the screen through the tears. Hardcase had a little happy smile on his face too.

Guys, you only blew up half of it! Though I should imagine the rest of it went up too.

That smirk from Rex. He knew.

Very interesting that Tup’s here with Rex. I wonder if Rex took him aside after intercepting him and Dogma or if Tup came to Rex.

It’s a tiny moment but Fives jumps out of the fighter and there’s a shot of his feet and legs landing on the ground and his kama is swooshing around his legs looking all badass

Rex’s look of concern when he sees only Fives and Jesse. He knew.

Oh Hardcase

It’s an equally blink and you’ll miss it moment but this is where that gif of Rex glaring over his shoulder comes from. I think this is going to be like the “On your knees” moment for me. Definitely hot in isolation but now knowing that Fives and Jesse just told Rex and Tup that Hardcase died, it’s going to take me a while to separate what’s happening in the moment from the hot glare.

Rex trying to take the blame for Fives and Jesse and then Fives refusing to accept this and making sure Rex and Jesse don’t get hurt and the agonised way Rex says “Fives!” and Jesse’s worried expression the whole time and just aaaaaaaaaaah *pained noises*

“Oh, do you?” I hate Krell even more. Piss off you overblown bullfrog

Being executed for disobeying orders seems way too steep. I could understand being reprimanded but shooting someone because they didn’t do what they were told? At least Krell gets what’s coming from him in the end.

[antianakin]

Hi! I hope you're having a great day or night :)

Theres a question I've been wanting to ask for a few days now so I might aswell ask you now.

What's your thoughts on the Clone Wars (2003) 2D Micro-Series and the Clone Wars Multimedia Project?

I heard some Star-Wars Fans say that they prefer the Multi-Media Project and Clone Wars 2003 over the 2008 Clone Wars and think that it fits better in the Prequel Trilogy Continuity than Clone Wars 2008, so I'm curious on what's your take?

So I only ever watched like half of the 2003 Clone Wars show, which I think is what you're calling the 2D Micro-Series that aired between AOTC and ROTS in very short like 2-3 minute installments, so my opinion of it is obviously somewhat limited since I never saw the entire thing. I was watching it on YouTube I think very shortly before it got put onto Disney+ and the last half ended up unavailable before I could go see it and I haven't gone back to finish it because I figure I've kind-of gotten the gist.

Which I guess tells you something of my opinion on it on its own.

I don't dislike it by any means, but I think that the 2003 Clone Wars show is, by its nature, VERY different from the 2008 show. It doesn't take itself even HALF as seriously as the 2008 show does, which means that the stakes are very low and I as the audience can give it a lot more leniency on a lot of things. I'm not EXPECTING these big epic storylines in the 2003 show because that just, quite simply, isn't what it's made for. The 2008 show on the other hand clearly WANTS to be taken seriously most of the time and definitely takes ITSELF more seriously, especially in later seasons where it definitely hits on some heavier topics. So as a viewer, especially an adult one, I tend to sort-of analyze it with the perspective that it's a show that does WANT to be taken seriously to some degree and it wants me to feel things more than a slight thrill at the cool visuals.

So I had some good fun watching some of those early 2003 episodes, like the Mace Windu one and the original Kit Fisto on Mon Cala episode, etc. It's a silly show with some silly little storylines in a fun 2D art style.

But, while there are a LOT of things I think the 2008 show did badly and missed the mark on, there's also a lot of things they ADDED to the worldbuilding that I really love and some genuinely emotional storylines that have stayed with me. In particular, the clones. I don't think anything truly gave the clones the real character and pathos that the 2008 show did, I LOVE the way they were written in 2008, I love how much they want the AUDIENCE to care about them and the nuances added to the characters in how they view themselves and the galaxy and their place in it, I love their relationships with the Jedi, and I love the addition of the chips in the sense that I really like the way it changes Order 66 into this additional tragedy for the clones and the way their fate parallels the Jedi's. They would always mean each other's doom, but it also meant that their people were intertwined from the beginning and this was actually something all of them really cared a lot about and genuinely loved and appreciated, which just makes Order 66 THAT MUCH MORE TRAGIC (and I'm an angst ho so I love that shit). And I am of the firm opinion that the Umbara arc is the best-written storyline in the entire show, hands down, I would rather have the Umbara arc even if it means having the rest of TCW along with it than not have the Umbara arc at all, that's how much I love it. It's heart-wrenching and difficult and visually stunning and complicated and one of the very few storylines that allows the clones to truly shine.

And I like that the 2008 show was able to give a little more depth to some of the Jedi side characters in a way the 2003 show just couldn't (I recognize comics often did more with these characters, but we're not talking about those right now lol). In particular I'm thinking of Shaak Ti and Aayla and Ki-Adi-Mundi and Mace and Luminara and Adi and Eeth and Kit. Barriss of course got treated better in 2003 than in 2008, sadly, but GENERALLY the Jedi characters who got even one or two episodes of focus in the 2008 show got treated kindly and given some additional personality that I found really nice and gave me more Jedi characters to love. In 2003, we get to see them do some action-y stuff that's fun, but from what I saw, they don't necessarily get given super distinct personalities.

So, I guess, TL;DR, the 2008 show is able to do a lot more things regarding the Jedi and clone characters who had up until then remained pretty sidelined that the 2003 show did not, but the more in-depth storylines of the 2008 show invite a deeper analysis of it sometimes that it doesn't always live up to for me while the 2003 show remains a fun, light-hearted, silly romp that can be enjoyed for what it is.

If there's more to the "Clone Wars Multimedia Project" just assume I don't know what it is and haven't seen it so I have no real opinions on it.

[transitranger327]

So I actually have a Star Wars story to tell (it’s a core memory): Echo has always been my favorite clone trooper. My family, especially my brother and I, started watching The Clone Wars during season 1 and we became mega-fans (I was 9, he was 6, literally the target demo). Every Friday we’d watch the new episodes, then Saturday we’d go to star wars dot com and watch all the behind-the-scenes content. We missed the first time “Rookies” aired, but we saw the behind the scenes content for it, and caught it on reruns. We immediately knew Fives and Echo were our favorite clones, he picked Fives so I picked Echo. But we were so disappointed when they weren’t in the rest of Season 1 or 2. But we were absolutely stoked for the series 3 premiere when we heard Fives and Echo were in it. And then they were gonna be ARC troopers? We were losing our minds. Our favorite boys, ARC troopers‽ Unfortunately for me, the Citadel arc happened next. Don’t get me wrong, we loved seeing the Dominos in the phase 1.5 armor. But for some reason we missed the end of episode 2 of the arc (where Echo dies), and when the bts content said Echo died I was inconsolable. I refused to ever watch the ending of that episode for YEARS. When Fives kept showing up in seasons 4 and 5 (Umbara arc is like my favorite SW movie), I was always jealous that my brother’s fave was still around and mine wasn’t. Then TCW was cancelled and I thought that was the end of it.

About a year later, I heard they made half of a Season 6 but it was only on Netflix. It took me a while to figure out how to watch it (on the high seas, as my family didn’t have Netflix), but I was in high school now. The first arc having Fives discover order 66 and coming this close to exposing it? I’d been thinking about that kind of story for forever (my favorite Star Wars AUs are where order 66 didn’t happen or was disobeyed). I was so excited to tell my brother…until I saw s7e4 and Fives died. My brother was just as sad/mad as I was when Echo died. But I finished Season 6 and thought that was the end…until I went onto star wars dot com and saw that there were unfinished animations for some episodes called “the Bad Batch”. And then…my world became whole. ECHO WAS ALIVE!!!!! Sure it was janky af, felt dubiously canon, he had been thru hell and was now a cyborg, but MY BABY BOY! My brother was, of course, just as jealous that my clone was alive and his wasn’t.

Then 4 years later. TCW Season 7 was announced. The Bad Batch arc would be in glorious HD. Echo was firmly alive and hanging out with the Bad Batch. And he got me thru lockdown, as TCW was one of my comfort shows I’d watch and s7 was airing in April/May 2020. And the Bad Batch were gonna get their own show? Hell fucking yeah.

Here we are, 16 years after Echo first graced my small TV screen, and he’s still my fave. I see a lot of myself in him. How by-the-book he used to be and isn’t anymore, how his life fundamentally changed and now’s not exactly a man (I figured out my sexuality, gender, and disabilities in 2019 right before TCW s7 remastered Echo’s return). I would almost certainly die inside again if he dies in the TBB finale. Anyway I’ve never shared anything this personal about Star Wars with anyone and TBB tumblr definitely seems like the kind of people who want to hear this.

[delusionalmultifandomwriter]

Hey, was ist deine Lieblings the Clone Wars folge?👀

"What is your favorite The Clone Wars Episode?"

Probably the whole Citadel Arc, especially the last episode of it. I love the planet Lola Sayu and i also that there are a lot of Jedi involved that you dont normally see like Adi Gallia or Sassea Tiin.

I also love the Umbara Arc and for some reason the episode where Eeth Koth gets captured by Grievous.

[im-no-jedi]

it’s been so long since I’ve watched TCW, I can’t recall all of my favorite Fives moments off the top of my head, this stinks 😫

[smolbean-17]

TBB Wasted(?) Potential

I know we collectively as a fandom have had a lot of mixed thoughts/feelings on how TBB has turned out so far. I think that the general disappointment is merited. At least for now.

I love The Bad Batch. Let me just say that right now.

I am holding out hope that the show will take a turn for the better and get us all reinvested like we were at the beginning. And I’m sure it will. They usually save their best for the very end, especially when it comes to their cartoon series.

What I think sucks the most for us as fans is that we feel the need to defend it or delve so deep into headcanons and theories to make it seem more meaningful and emotional than it really is.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is something that I immediately refer to when I try to think of a children’s show with real, deep, adult situations and character reactions. The characters are ALL fleshed out and show deep emotion. We even feel for the villains! ATLA is some of the best storytelling out there, and it’s aimed for children.

So why isn’t TBB doing the same?

Backstory time: I’m coming into this fandom pretty late in the game. I’m 26 years old. I didn’t start even watching The Clone Wars until 2018, when my husband suggested we get deeper into Star Wars lore. I didn’t grow up with it like many of you did. I viewed the cartoons from an adult perspective from the very beginning. My husband is a filmmaker, so naturally, we were hypercritical the first couple seasons. We had to constantly remind ourselves “this is a show for children” when something cheesy happened or when the story decided to follow freaking Jar Jar Binks for the umpteenth time. Some arcs were enjoyable. Some were soooo boring. Some were incredible.

Really emotional moments were few and far between, similar to The Bad Batch. Did we ever see Obi-Wan or Anakin cry? Ahsoka? I think we only ever see the clones cry (Umbara arc and Rex at the end) And maybe Ahsoka cried at Obi-Wan’s fake death? (Do they not like animating tears?) Those moments aside, during three entire years of grueling war we don’t see much emotional trauma. Not when Satine died. Not when Ahsoka walked away from the Order. There isn’t much residual emotion besides the few off-handed comments that those bad things happened. Sadness, guilt, remorse, longing. These deep emotions were touched upon but never really fleshed out or re-explored. They did, however, do an excellent job portraying Anakin’s gradual fall.

The Clone Wars is far from perfect. It could’ve been more emotional. It could’ve built upon the characters even more then it did. But it is ultimately an amazing and emotionally driven show in so many ways. We love Rex, Ahsoka and the Clones. Anakin’s character was given new life because of The CW. It took a few seasons, but they finally found their pace and delivered. Even if they missed a few beats, there is a reason it’s one of the most critically acclaimed TV shows.

It took me and my husband two seasons to invest ourselves into The Clone Wars and see where the story was going.

I firmly believe it will be the same case with TBB. There are focus groups, people whose jobs are specifically to feel out the audience reactions and make the story better. That’s why Ahsoka went from being kinda annoying at the beginning to becoming one of the most loved, badass characters in Star Wars history. The tone of the show slowly became more and more mature. The creators of TBB need to get a feel of their audience. The first season is almost like a pilot season in a lot of ways.

I bet my life that there will be a second season of TBB. That they know exactly where they intend to end the story. Our reactions to this season will hopefully be an eye-opener to the creators and show them what we really want, and how to direct the story in a way that will leave us satisfied.

We want backstories. Flashbacks. Emotional talks that happen on a whim rather than as an afterthought tacked in at the end of an episode.

We want to know the story behind Tech’s goggles. The story of how Wrecker got Lula. How Echo’s doing with his PTSD. Why Crosshair is so reserved. How Hunter’s enhancements affect him. Why they don’t like the Regs. Why they’re named after 99. If they actually knew 99. What Omega’s life was like on Kamino. What their story is as brothers.

And I hope they deliver. I’m choosing to believe that they will.

[yukipri]

Bad Batch end of season thoughts/ramble, bc it's been a week and I just wanna get it all off my chest...

(end of season spoilers and very disorganized rambling)

First off, I do want to say that I enjoyed watching the show. It fulfilled its primary purpose: entertainment. It was nice having something to look forward to every week, and even though it wasn't quite what I was expecting, it was fun. The animation was gorgeous, I liked all the references and tie ins. I will likely watch it again, and will watch season 2. This is by no means meant to be a hate post.

That being said, it is critical so please just skip if you're not into that!

The thing is...it takes very, Very little for me to love a clone. He doesn't need lines, or a face, or even a name, and the default is that I will love him. He can even be a little bastard, like Slick, and it's fine. I always want to know more about them, and wish they had more screen time and time in general to develop their characters. So given that we were getting 16 (20 eps total if we count TCW S7 pilot arc) centered around these guys, I was expecting to absolutely adore them by the end.

And I wanted to love the Bad Batch, I wanted to love them so damn much, and I tried. But I think one of the reasons why they never fully clicked for me was that their thing seems to be "we're unique, we never fit in, we're outsiders in our own home, among the people who are supposed to be our own family, and so we've found our home with each other."

Which! That's usually a wonderful message, and not a particularly rare or unique one either for stories! I usually dig these kinds of stories!

The problem here is the extremely unique situation of the clones. They are literally created to be identical, brain washed to be uniform. They must conform, or are killed off by their creators, and their conformity isn't a choice in the slightest, but one of fear and necessity.

Their uniformity is something that they are also entirely aware of--it's unavoidable, they're clones. Once out in the real galaxy, they all strive to find and establish unique identities for themselves, struggling against a galaxy that just wants them to be faceless products. It's a shared struggle, and all they have are each other, and their brotherhood is sacred as a result. Shunning unique identity is the opposite of who a clone is--it's what they all want.

So on one hand, it's understandable that the Batch stuck out (when all others who would have also stuck out were culled, when individuality isn't allowed). It's understandable that they would have yearned for the brotherhood shared by the other clones, and when they couldn't have it, they stuck closer to each other. It's even understandable that they would feel bitter, having experienced bullying at the hands of the other clones (but isn't it also understandable that the other clones would feel bitter that the Batch gets special treatment, when their own brothers with less-than-beneficial mutations were taken by the Kaminoans to never return?).

And so we have this batch of clones, who the Kaminoans call "mutated," but also specify that their mutations are "desirable" (implying what happens to mutations that are undesirable...). They have their own unique unit, in which they're able to improvise and act freely with seemingly little to no oversight, so long as they complete their mission. No Jedi to obey, no nat-born officers who look down on them. In fact, they look so different from standard clone troopers that most of the galaxy probably don't even know they are clones. They have their own ship (personalized), they have their own possessions (which we don't really see any other clones have), they have their own barracks (probably also very unique), and they even have access to superior weapons and armor (most of the Batch, minus Echo, seem to be wearing modified Katarn-class armor which is supposed to be for Commandos. we KNOW it holds up better than standard trooper armor).

So I'm sure they had some unpleasant experiences growing up, and I do get it. But at least at "present" end of clone wars, they honestly seem to be living infinitely better than all other clones? They still need to follow orders but they have more freedom, and perhaps most importantly, they have clear uniqueness that is denied almost all other clones. And yes, some of the clones on Kamino bully them, but we've seen NONE of the "regular" clones that we know to be particularly nasty to them, and in fact it's Crosshair who starts it by calling them "Regs."

And how does the Batch respond to this situation? By acting superior. It's Crosshair who says and it believes this firmly, and I do feel that the others are likely mostly influenced by this, but it's also true that Hunter, Wrecker, and Tech don't really deny this either. They don't like the "regs," they do act like they're "better." Poor Echo, who they repeatedly seem to forget is in the room, and who they call "machine" and such...yikes yo

So I guess the point is, I just really struggled to feel sympathetic towards them, and was already on a kinda eh about their premise. They're marketed as "the special clone squad"--and yet they're not nice to the clones I love. I thought that wasn't great, but also hoped that the series would work towards them understanding the other clones better, and I love character development so that woulda been fine--but, nothing. A glance from Hunter at Howzer. Extended camaraderie from Gregor, who I feel they mostly just tolerate for the mission, other than Echo who genuinely cares.

And on top of feeling not feeling particularly sympathetic towards what I saw as a pretty privileged group of clones, the Batch seems to place primary blame of their woes on the "regs" themselves, who again, honestly seem far worse off! There isn't blame directed at the people who demanded the conformity from the other clones in the first place, that made it so the Batch couldn't fit in. The Batch was modified due to the Kaminoans (and implied specifically Nala Se). She's the reason why they don't fit in. And the Kaminoans are also why the other clones have to be so uniform, why they must fight to be people and not products.

Bitterness and pettiness can be fine in characters. But it's frustrating to see in a group supposed to be competent and elite, especially when those feelings have consequences. Sure, it sucks when someone throws a food tray at you. You can throw food back. It's not an equal reaction to feel no remorse when you shoot that guy dead in a blaster fight, when for all other clones, having to kill another clone is one of the most horrible, tragic things that one can do (thanks, Umbara).

Fives was the only clone to actually point a blaster at Nala Se.

We know Omega has deeply personal history with Nala Se. She was Nala Se's personal medical assistant. We see her cry when she takes off her head ornament that matches Nala Se. We know that being back in the lab gives Omega complicated, and probably not entirely positive feelings. But we barely learn more about this relationship, other than these glimpses.

And I get the feeling that to Omega at least, Nala Se wasn't all terrible. If Omega grew up with mostly only Nala Se for company, she had to have gotten her sheltered outlook on life, and her willingness to help others from somewhere. Nala Se intentionally let Omega go, to be "safe."

I think Omega's adorable, and I do like her. But I wasn't able to fully love her to the extent I wanted to, because there was always the fear that she was involved in the creation and implantation of the chips. She knows about them, she would have been positioned to do so. I want to think she would never, and I was hoping the show would reassure us of that, but it never did. We don't actually know how Omega feels about Nala Se, or even the chips and their presence in other clones. Instead, all we know is that Omega doesn't like "regs."

And again, "they call me lab scrubber," and "I helped put (or am complicit in putting) mind control devices in their heads," are kinda, unequal. Again I hope it's not the case. But it definitely kept me feeling uneasy throughout the show.

It really boils down to I don't trust or forgive Nala Se, and the Batch's lack of stance against her and the other Kaminoans, and clear distaste for their other clone brothers, really puts them in a situation that makes it difficult for me to take their side entirely.

And then gosh, Hunter. During Crosshair's whole "you never came back for me," spiel, I couldn't help but think he's kinda right. He had 15 episodes. Sure, it's difficult to get Crosshair back. But they could have done something. They could have done research. We could have had scenes of them wondering where Crosshair is, discussions on how best to find him, even if that discussion ended in, "but we can't risk it right now." They could have grilled Omega for information on the chips, which they really shoulda done either way, but especially since that knowledge is important to understanding what (they thought had) happened to Crosshair. Instead, they just ran every time Crosshair showed up. The show could have done better to show that they cared, and were trying, instead of just, y'know, doing chores for Cid. One, "I kinda miss him," doesn't really count as working on getting him back, at least in my books.

The sole exception to all of this, of course, is Echo. Who really, he works with the Batch fine, he's a former ARC and can more than keep up. Skillset-wise, he fits in well enough. But this season really made me wonder why he's with them at all. Crosshair's revelation and true feelings at the end of the season were no surprise to me, as they're consistent with what we've seen of him from TCW S7. But for Echo, a former "reg" to have to work with someone like Crosshair...even if Crosshair thought Echo was "different" enough to accept him, those are his brothers that Crosshair thinks he's so superior to, and has no issue speaking disdainfully about.

The increasing tension between Echo and Hunter, Echo's interest in helping Rex, in helping other clones, in doing something...I do hope they reach a point where Echo demands they go help, or he's leaving.

They gave Crosshair a chance, despite the fact that his choices were willing. I really hope Echo can convince the Batch to help save the other clones who don't have a choice. Because even if the Batch doesn't consider them their brothers, they're certainly Echo's. They matter just as much as Crosshair, and I really hope season 2 shows it narratively.

To conclude, again I'm interested in seeing what happens next, and I want answers about Omega and Nala Se. I find it interesting that they tied the facility where they took Nala Se in with the scientist dude collecting data on Grogu in the Mandalorian and those cloning labs. All of this is interesting, but at the same time I feel like it's trying to build up to Snoke/Palpatine stuff in the sequels which...I don't care nearly as much about, but who knows, could be neat ^ ^;

I'm okay with, and have made peace with the fact that the Bad Batch probably isn't the "clones-centric" show I wanted, and that they'll continue their own story, and probably continue to not care much about other clones in upcoming seasons. That's unfortunate, but alright. I'm interested enough in their story too.

But at the same time...I can't help but think man, if they have the time and budget to do a season 2, after seeing what was (or wasn't) accomplished in season 1...I wish they'd also make a Rex/Cody/Wolffe/"regular clones" show, because in the end, if you're going to do a "clones show"....that's who I want to see most.

If you got to the end, thank you for reading, and being an ear to my ranting ^ ^; Again this is literally just getting this off my chest. If this take isn't one you agree with, please just ignore. For people who did fall in love with the Batch, I'm happy for you, and regret that it just couldn't happen for me. But, I'm hoping that S2 will change my mind, but we'll just have to see! ^ ^;

[gffa]

Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Stories of Light and Dark, coming August 25, promises to be a beautiful tribute to the just-completed animated series. The anthology will collect 11 stories by 11 authors — Lou Anders, Preeti Chhibber, Zoraida Córdova, Jason Fry, Rebecca Roanhorse, Greg Van Eekhout, Tom Angleberger, E. Anne Convery, Sarah Beth Durst, Yoon Ha Lee, and Anne Ursu — including 10 retellings of memorable episodes and arcs and one original Nightsisters-based story.  So if you loved the tales of Ahsoka, Maul, and clanker-busting clones, Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Stories of Light and Dark will give you the chance to experience them again in a whole new way. Like Captain Rex on a recon mission, StarWars.com reached out to each author to learn why they love The Clone Wars, and which stories they’re telling. Lou Anders (“Dooku Captured” and “The Gungan General,” based on the episodes of the same name): I love The Clone Wars for expanding the story of Anakin’s fall from grace. Skywalker really shines in the series, and we see what he truly was, and what he could have been, and by giving him so many opportunities to excel in the early season, his ultimate fate is that much more tragic. I also love the series for gifting us my all-time favorite Star Wars character, and one of my favorite characters from any universe — Hondo Ohnaka!      My chapter is a retelling of the first season story arc that plays out across the episodes “Dooku Captured” and “The Gungan General.” I wanted to explore this storyline because I find Count Dooku a fascinating character. Sometimes pure, mustache-twirling, mwa-ha-ha evil can actually be boring to write, but a villain who feels they are justified, either because of perceived slights or intellectual superiority or the failure of their rivals or birthright are much more interesting, and Dooku is a bit of all of this. For research, I obviously watched tons of Clone Wars. But I also read up on everything about Dooku I could find, and I listened to Christopher Lee and Corey Burton’s interpretation of the character over and over, trying to internalize their speech patterns. Dooku is so gorgeously supercilious. It was just a blast to get in his head and see the world from his perspective. (And the fact that the storyline gave me another chance to write for my beloved Hondo Ohnaka was an added bonus!) Tom Angleberger (“Bane’s Story,” based on the episodes “Deception,” “Friends and Enemies,” “The Box,” and “Crisis on Naboo”): There’s a lot to love in The Clone Wars, but I think it’s Ahsoka’s arc that really stands out the most. Ventress’s arc does, too, and the way that these arcs cross at the just the right moment is really great Star Wars!      My chapter is based on the “Crisis on Naboo” story arc. It’s basically a Space Western. The baddest bounty hunter of them all, Cad Bane, is hired to kidnap the Chancellor. What he doesn’t know is that almost everyone is lying to him, especially a fellow bounty hunter who is really Obi-Wan in disguise. In the TV version, we see it all from Obi-Wan’s point of view, so we know that Bane is getting played. In this retelling, we see it all from Bane’s point of view and, boy, is he going to be mad! To prepare I watched both The Clone Wars AND old spaghetti Westerns starring Bane’s inspiration: Lee Van Cleef. Preeti Chhibber (“Hostage Crisis,” based on the episode of the same name): I love the story that the prequels tell, but because of the nature of what they were trying to do — tell a decade and a half worth of story in three films — we’re missing major moments in what the war really means to the galaxy at large, and in the Skywalker saga itself. The Clone Wars tells us that part of the narrative, it gives us the shape of what entire populations of people had to go through because of this war manufactured by the ultimate evil. And within that scope gives us the hope and love and beautiful tragedy we associate with Star Wars on a larger scale. (Also, Ahsoka Tano — The Clone Wars gave us Ahsoka Tano and for that I will be ever grateful.)      I’m writing Anakin’s story during “Hostage Crisis” — an episode in the first season of The Clone Wars. I decided to write the story entirely from Anakin’s perspective, which meant being inside his head before the fall, but where we are starting to see more of the warning signs. And then there’s also the romance of this episode! Anakin’s love for Padmé is real and all-consuming and, as we eventually find out, unhealthy. So, this is a romantic episode, but one that shows us Anakin is ruled by his heart. And that that’s a dangerous thing for a Jedi. In order to best wrap my own head around what was going on, I watched the episode itself several times, and read the script, and then I watched the chronological episodes of Anakin’s run-ins with Cad Bane, so I could get a real feel for where he was with his understanding of Bane’s character. E. Anne Convery (“Bug,” based on the episode “Massacre”): I love it because I think it’s a story that manages, while still being a satisfying adventure, to not glorify war. It does this mainly by following through on the arcs of wonderful, terrifying, funny, fallible, and diverse characters. From the personal to the political, The Clone Warsredefines the ways, big and small, that we can be heroes.      My chapter is the “original” tale, though it still touches on The Clone Wars Season Four episode “Massacre,” with brief appearances by Mother Talzin and Old Daka. If I had to boil it down, I’d say that it’s a story about mothers and daughters. Honestly, it felt a little like cheating, because writing new characters meant I got to be creative in the Star Wars universe somewhat unencumbered by what’s come before. I did, however, have several long text chats with Sam Witwer because I was interested in Talzin’s motivations. We talked about stuff like her capacity (or lack thereof) for love. I think I came away thinking she was more a creature driven by issues of power, control, and the desire for revenge, whereas Sam was a little kinder to her. I mean, he is her “son,” so you can’t really blame him for wanting to think better of her! I always love a story within a story, and I was interested in the space where the high mythology of Star Wars and the home-spun mythology of fairy tales could intersect. I drew on my own background in mythology, psychology, and the language of fairy tales, plus I did my Star Wars research. Re-watching the Nightsisters episodes was just plain fun. Zoraida Córdova (“The Lost Nightsister,” based on the episode “Bounty”): The Clone Wars deepens the characters we already love. It gives us the opportunity to explore the galaxy over a longer period of time and see the fight between the light and the dark side. Star Wars is about family, love, and hope. It’s also incredibly funny and that’s something that The Clone Wars does spectacularly. We also get to spend more time with characters we only see for a little bit in the movies like Boba Fett, Bossk, Darth Maul!      My chapter follows Ventress after she’s experienced a brutal defeat. Spoiler alert: she’s witnessed the death of her sisters. Now she’s on Tatooine and in a rut. She gets mixed up with a bounty hunter crew led by Boba Fett. Ventress’s story is about how she goes from being lost to remembering how badass she is. I watched several episodes with her in it, but I watched “Bounty” about 50 times. Sarah Beth Durst (“Almost a Jedi,” based on the episode “A Necessary Bond”): I spent a large chunk of my childhood pretending I was training to become a Jedi Knight, even though I’d never seen a girl with a lightsaber before. And then The Clone Wars came along and gave me Ahsoka with not one but TWO lightsabers, as well as a role in the story that broadened and deepened the tale of Anakin’s fall and the fall of the Jedi. So I jumped at the chance to write about her for this anthology.      In my story, I wrote about Ahsoka Tano from the point of view of Katooni, one of the Jedi younglings who Ahsoka escorts on a quest to assemble their first lightsabers, and it was one of the most fun writing experiences I’ve ever had! I watched the episode, “A Necessary Bond,” over and over, frame by frame, studying the characters and trying to imagine the world, the events, and Ahsoka herself through Katooni’s eyes. The episode shows you the story; I wanted to show you what it feels like to be inside the story. Greg van Eekhout (“Kenobi’s Shadow,” based on the episode “The Lawless”): What I most love about Clone Wars is how we really get to know the characters deeply and see them grow and change.      I enjoyed writing a couple of short scenes between Obi-Wan and Anakin that weren’t in the episode. I wanted to highlight their closeness as friends and show that Anakin’s not the only Jedi who struggles with the dark side. There’s a crucial moment in my story when Obi-Wan is close to giving into his anger and has to make a choice: Strike out in violence or rise above it. It’s always fun to push characters to extremes and see how they react. Jason Fry (“Sharing the Same Face,” based on the episode “Ambush”): I love The Clone Wars because it made already beloved characters even richer and deepened the fascinating lore around the Jedi and the Force.      I chose Yoda and the clones because the moment where Yoda rejects the idea that they’re all identical was one of the first moments in the show where I sat upright and said to myself, “Something amazing is happening here.” You get the entire tragedy of the Clone Wars right in that one quick exchange — the unwise bargain the Jedi have struck, Yoda’s compassion for the soldiers and insistence that they have worth, the clones’ gratitude for that, and how that gratitude is undercut by their powerlessness to avoid the fate that’s been literally hard-wired into them. Plus, though I’ve written a lot of Star Wars tales, I’d never had the chance to get inside Yoda’s head. That had been on my bucket list! Yoon Ha Lee (“The Shadow of Umbara,” based on the episodes “Darkness on Umbara,” “The General,” “Plan of Dissent,” and “Carnage of Krell”): I remember the first time I watched the “Umbara arc” — I was shocked that a war story this emotionally devastating was aired on a kids’ show. But then, kids deserve heartfelt, emotionally devastating stories, too. It was a pleasure to revisit the episodes and figure out how to retell them from Rex’s viewpoint in a compact way. I have so much respect for the original episodes’ writer, Matt Michnovetz — I felt like a butcher myself taking apart the work like this! Rebecca Roanhorse (“Dark Vengeance,” based on the episode “Brothers”): I always love a backstory and Clone Wars was the backstory that then became a rich and exciting story all its own. The writing and character development is outstanding and really sucks you into the world.      I chose to write the two chapters that reintroduce Darth Maul to the world. We find him broken and mentally unstable, not knowing his own name but obsessed with revenge against Obi-Wan and we get to see him rebuild himself into a cruel, calculating, and brilliant villain. It was so much fun to write and I hope readers enjoy it. Anne Ursu (“Pursuit of Peace,” based on the episode “Heroes on Both Sides”): The Clone Wars creates a space for terrific character development. The attention paid to the relationships between Anakin and Obi-Wan, and Anakin and Ahsoka make for really wonderful and resonant stories, and give so much depth to the whole universe.      I was at first a little scared to write Padmé, as her character felt pretty two dimensional to me. But the more I watched her episodes in Clone Wars, the more dimension she took on. She’s such an interesting character — she’s both idealistic and realistic, so when corruption runs rampant in the Senate she doesn’t get disillusioned, she just fights harder. She has an ability to deal with nuance in a way that is rare in the Republic — and it means she’s not afraid to bend a few laws to make things right. In this chapter, the Senate is about to deregulate the banks in order to fund more troops, and Padmé decides to take matters into her own hand and sneak into Separatist territory in order to start peace negotiations. Of course, neither Dooku nor the corrupt clans of the Republic are going to allow for this to happen, so the threats to the peace process, the Republic, and Padmé’s life only grow. This arc is the perfect distillation of Padmé’s character, and it made getting into her head for it fairly simple. But I did watch all the Padmé Clone Wars episodes and read E.K. Johnston’s book about her, as well as Thrawn: Alliances, in which she has a major storyline. I really loved writing her. Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Stories of Light and Dark arrives August 25 and is available for pre-order now.

[seasidewriter1-writes]

Replying to @elizabeth0020 for: Hello!! I’ve always wondered how you decide what arcs/episodes you’re going to write? There are sooooo many, how do you know what’s a good one for your story vs one that isn’t? And a second question (if you feel like answering lol): how do you picture all the details you wrote? Like lighting, movements, facial expression etc? You’re so good at that and I’ve always been amazed at how you come up with them!

I love answering anything and everything, so never worry about sending me too much! I don’t often get to talk about the technical stuff (like the questions you’ve asked), so I love getting any chance I have to talk about them! (So hold on tight, ‘cause this is a ramble! 😂)

So, for the first question regarding the arcs... I picked out what episodes/arcs I thought were beneficial when I did my first watch through of the Clone Wars this past summer. I had a google doc that I wrote down all the episode names in, then jotted down the preliminary ideas. Let me tell you, with a show that has seven seasons of 20+ episodes, it was... so daunting to even think about narrowing down what episodes and arcs to use. It was what initially deterred me from using any of them at all. So I started to look for things that I felt would directly impact Elara, her character, and her development. For example, I didn’t really use all of “Cat and Mouse” because the episode, on a whole, wouldn’t have Elara much involved in it. It did, however, provide a wonderful backdrop for her time on Christophsis, which is why I didn’t nix it entirely. Aside from forcing Obi-Wan and Elara to be tied together, “Dooku Captured” and “The Gungan General” were used to introduce her to Hondo, whom both allows her to be more playful, and showcases her knowledge of the seedier side of the galaxy. And there are plenty of episodes that I love and adore that I just... don’t think would fit. For as much as I love “Senate Spy” and the introduction of Clovis, there’s no way for me to put Elara into that episode and not have it feel forced. That’s another huge thing I look for when picking episodes; if Elara doesn’t feel like she would naturally fit into the storyline somehow, even if it’s indirectly, I’m not going to force her into it. That’s when I do things like mention the events of the episode in a chapter (like with “Clone Cadets”) instead of doing a whole episode. So Clovis is obviously going to get a mention (she’s Anakin’s sister and Padmé’s bestie, of course she’s going to hear about the debacle), but the whole episode won’t be written out.

Then, of course, you have the arcs. The ones that I had immediately chosen are (and these probably come as no surprise): Ryloth, Mandalore, Mortis, Slavers, and Deception. The arcs I find easier to choose because you have a chance to work with more surface area so to speak. It gives me a chance to really flesh out Elara’s part in the story, focus in on her and her emotions and how she’s tied to this particular plot. With the Mortis Arc, for example––Elara is a Skywalker. She is strong with the Force, and in the “Balance” verse, considered a Chosen One. That ties her into the Mortis Arc very interestingly, since it’s not just Anakin going God Mode. It’s going to lend me the chance to really dig deep into Elara, her connection to the Force, to the Light and Dark (the Daughter and Son), and her relationship to being a Chosen One. At first I was like ‘holy shit I’m never gonna be able to do this arc,’ and then when I buckled down and really thought it over... I realized it’s going to be really important for her as a character, and particularly her relationship with Anakin (stay tuned!). It also probably comes as no surprise that a lot of the arcs (and episodes) that get picked are influenced by whether or not Anakin or Obi-Wan are in them. Which is why I almost turned a blind eye to the Umbara Arc until someone brought it up. I did a rewatch of it and knew I had to include it, too. Because that’s going to be an awesome opportunity to flesh out how close Elara is to the 442nd, and be able to contrast her ideals as a General against those of Krell. A lot of the picking of episodes and arcs ends up being trial and error. I wrote the first four-ish pages of “Clone Cadets” before I realized it just didn’t flow right.

All this being said, I like to envision Elara is around for all of the Clone Wars episodes, so I’ve got lots of fun little random snippets for things that I’ll probably never write, but figure would happen in some part of a CW episode.

And after all that, here we finally are at your second question! ☺️

Coming up with all those small details is actually an amalgamation of things at work. I do attribute a lot of it to my training as an actor/theatre artist. I think about how, if I were directing it, how I’d want the movements to look, and how that would translate on both a small scale, and a large scale. A touch of a hand for Obi-Wan and Elara can feel like a world shifting movement––but come off as nothing but a simple, friendly gesture to their fellows. On a small scale, what makes the difference is the way the touch happens. How light the pressure of the touch is, how long it lasts, how slowly their fingers brush against the other person’s hand... all those things help me figure out the mood of that touch and how they’d respond to it. Also, when choosing words to describe movements I often think about the attitude attached to it. A ‘turn of the head’ when Anakin’s being moody may end up being a ‘swivel,’ or the ‘arch’ of an eyebrow from Obi-Wan is more sarcastic than a gentler ‘raise.’ I often agonize picking out those sorts of words. I’ll sit there and try them over and over again, then put them all into a Thesaurus website because I worry I use the same words too much. The thesaurus (particularly when writing Obi-Wan), is my best friend.

When I write mannerisms for canon characters, I use a lot of reference for. I’ll literally just scroll through gifs, watch movie clips, or rewatch the scene I’m writing to pick up on character-specific mannerisms. A couple chapters ago I was describing Anakin’s angry face, and I just looked at images of him from Revenge of the Sith (him alone in the Council room, him being knighted as Vader, his expressions on Mustafar, etc.) I’ll also do this for vocal ticks/inflections. I will also unashamedly admit I will sit there and compose my face into whatever expression I’m trying to describe. Sometimes feeling it physically, or physically composing it helps me come up with words or ways to describe the look. Same thing with touches AND with vocal inflection. Do I sit by myself and read what I’ve written aloud in my best Obi-Wan Kenobi cadence? Yes, yes I do. And has it helped me figure out what words/phrases do and do not work? Yes, it absolutely has!

Also, a lot of describing the details of motion/facial expression/touch gets affected by music for me. Like, if you listen to “Stairway to Heaven” as played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra while reading, say, the scene in “The Gungan General” where Obi-Wan and Elara wake up pressed up to one another... that song is just THE feel of that moment. Listening to the right music when writing (the little details especially) is big for me. Kinda like how “Blue Monday” is the music that works best for the bunker scene in “Storm Over Ryloth.”

There are also a lot of details that I pull from real life. I remember when I wrote Elara seeing Naboo for the first time—and consequently grass, trees, and flowers, too—it was summer time for me. I was staring out at the trees and the way the light filtered through them, watched how they swayed... the grass had just been cut and the breeze smelled sweet... and I was like ‘god, imagine experiencing this all for the first time.’ So I took what I felt and elevated it a little, tried to add a kind of wonder to the things that we all, for the most part, kinda take for granted. I like pulling on experiences I’ve had in real life as a basis.

I ask attribute a LOT of my detail work to my training as a theatre artist. I think about lighting now differently than I did a couple years ago; because I learned what kinda of light fit different moods. Like the scene of Obi-Wan at Dex’s would feel completely different if I’d described the light as cool toned. It would lack a sense of hope. His reminiscences would be sadder, it would feel more stark. The warmer tones suggest that there’s still heart and hope, a possibility for things to get better, and that reflects his inner life better than colder, bluer light. Or how I used light when I wrote Elara seeing Watto again after 10 years to describe her struggle between Dark and Light in that moment. She stepped out of the sun and into the shade because, for a moment, she almost gave in to the Darkness. (Inspired by the scene in Force Awakens where Kylo asks for Han’s help and the light shines down on them... with hints of red low lighting to hint at the struggle... only to have the light disappear as he overrides his own vulnerability, reverts to the Darkness and kills his own father).

I also love using physical objects as emotional triggers, like is done in theatre quite a bit. A good recent example being Elara’s lightsaber. Obi-Wan having it reminds him of his worries regarding her safety, and his struggle with choosing what path to take in regards to his feelings towards her. Or Elara with the Snow Blossom. These things have the ability to spark different emotions depending on the situation. On a good day, the Snow Blossom will make her smile; on a bad day, it may make her feel more sad than happy. And sometimes they don’t have to be objects—they can be bruises or scars or healing wounds. Having something physical spark an emotional response can be really helpful, and has actually helped me though rough spots in my writing.

I could literally go on for hours about all of this kind of stuff! So thank you for asking about it and giving me a chance to discuss it even a little bit! ☺️

[transcendencism]

god the way rex is sidelined to give ahsoka the spotlight in the final arc is so fucking infuriating. the first episode alone has me banging my head into the wall. it’s so frustrating to see ahsoka put back into a commanding role and giving her authority over rex once again. LITERALLY in the scene after they’ve landed on mandalore and one of the clone captains calls rex on his comm, and ADDRESSES HIM as “commander rex”, and AHSOKA is the one that replies. also she and rex split up for some stupid reason? so what? ahsoka can meet maul by herself? fuck that.

if they really wanted me to believe that rex and ahsoka had that “equal ground” relationship we see crumbs of in rebels, they should’ve let rex be in charge. ahsoka is not a jedi anymore. she is not the commander. and she was pretty clear up until the helmets reveal (which is a whole ‘nother can of worms) that she understood she was no longer a commander, and did not want to be addressed as such.

also in that helmets scene, when ahsoka tells rex directly that he doesn’t have to call her commander anymore, he says “sure thing ... commander.” LIKE . GROSS. that’s fucking GROSS. i think it could’ve had so much more emotional weight if he’d called her “ahsoka” in that moment, and it also would’ve foreshadowed him disobeying the order to warn ahsoka.

rex is made a side character in an arc that has as much importance to him as it does ahsoka. except the ahsoka-anakin dynamic just HAD to come first. ahsoka as anakin’s padawan came before her identity as a former jedi. ahsoka doesn’t sense order 66 and the genocide of her people, she senses anakin killing mace windu (i mean... what the fuck?) like they had to butcher the damn timeline JUST to get another anakin-ahsoka moment in there that honestly wasn’t needed.

and god ... the scene of rex’s infamous tears. i think rex would’ve learned from umbara about just giving in and letting his brothers get needlessly killed for the sake of following orders. and there WERE no orders to follow then (except for ahsoka’s even though she has no authority over him anymore and shouldn’t have had any in the first place). and after the first arc where rex was THAT determined to get echo back, and you’re telling me he’d just give up on his brothers? especially since he himself had just experienced having his free will taken from him? and he’d just go “awh fuck guess we’re doomed”?

except that had to happen because we needed to give ahsoka a chance to be miss squeaky clean and go “i’m not going to be the one who is going to kill them”. why couldn’t rex have been the one to come up with the plan? why couldn’t rex have been the one to tell ahsoka “no, we’re not giving up on them. i’ve fought alongside them my entire life and i’m not giving up on them now.”

it’s so clear to me that this arc put ahsoka first and it’s so irritating bro ... and like i love ahsoka!! she’s one of my favorite characters in the entire franchise! but i love rex too, he is ALSO one of my favorites and he deserved so much better than what he got.

[datastate]

[the clone wars finale spoilers] that last episode... wasn’t satisfying. there was SO much more they could’ve done i feel

i have no complaints with how they ended it on that hopeless note! with anakin as darth vader taking back ahsoka’s lightsaber, that was chilling and i loved it

what i did not love throughout this entire arc have been the interactions with the clones. in this episode, especially with rex. i will Not believe that rex, as hopeless as he’s felt from the end of umbara or the conspiracy arc (where he watched the last of domino squad die while talking “nonsense”), would immediately disregard his siblings’ lives when that’s the most he’s fought for over the years of the war.

you can’t be serious in that ahsoka had to warn rex that they didn’t want the clones dead by telling him to set his blasters to stun. that is what rex would do anyway! he clearly cares about the fate of his own vode and he wouldn’t stop now, even if he does know the people he cared for are long gone!

you can have them both agree on wanting to have as few casualties as possible, because ahsoka has grown. rex has always known he’d protect his own, but ahsoka used to be as reckless as anakin when she took lead which ended in more casualties than anyone would be comfortable with. now? you can show she’s more careful and protective with what she does, while still being effective in fending them off as she and rex escape.

you can have rex point out how dangerous his siblings are, from their skill and their willingness to die for this cause, without him writing off their lives as if he were fucking anakin or krell. i understand he was stressed in that situation, that he wouldn’t want ahsoka or himself to die, but i dont believe he would ever imply that there were ones who had to die. krell excused his slaughter with “required sacrifices”, that’s what rex denounced. even upset, pained, and panicked, rex wouldn’t want more of them to die.

which reminds me! why the fuck isn’t his anger with ahsoka letting maul (someone who clearly would never care about the clones’ lives as he was already manipulating natborns and fucking. invaded jesse’s mind) escape ever explored?? this goes hand-in-hand with rex “excusing” the deaths of his own.

i love ahsoka, i love that she’s obviously caring of the clones, and i love her lines and precautions and actions because she’s grown. but so many of her lines were just... frustrating, because i felt they should’ve gone to rex instead. rex hardly speaks this arc, and when he does he feels... so out of character.

this entire arc feels like it was for ahsoka, never rex, let alone the clones as a whole.

ahsoka had the clones erase their individual signifiers on their helmets in place of her markings. ahsoka was the one bo-katan listened to while rex was pushed into the background. she let maul free for her diversion without telling him not to hurt the clones. she saved rex because he was close to her. she’s the one reminding rex that she doesn’t want to hurt the clones. she’s the one standing at the clones’ graves.

so much of this was the clones propping ahsoka up. we didn’t even get a scene with jesse trying to cope with rex after maul invaded his mind, which could’ve been an amazing ironic scene set up for when jesse’s mind is eventually shut down by the chip for another cause. just drop a line where rex is like “i will never let this happen to you again, you’re all i have.” and jesse gives some attempt at a remark of his own (he still tried for that on umbara, he’d be fine doing it now) which makes rex laugh and then put it against the scene where rex still tries and fails to reason with ct-5597, because he has lost jesse. the last named clone we’re shown is gone, and we feel that pain because just an episode ago, he was a real person who joked and also made rex laugh, just as ahsoka has.

jesse doesn’t even get a dignified death in comparison to the droids. none of the clones do! it’s fitting for the narrative, sure, that the clones are lost in the background as the empire marches on, but it’s so... unfulfilling for the audience and for them. with jesse. you could’ve had him be more fueled to find and ruin maul for a reason he doesn’t remember. 

i wish the clone wars focused on the clones. but that’s a problem we’ve had from the beginning.

we hardly have any scenes to back-up the clones actually forming bonds with one another, other than the occasional drop of “brother.” i just... i’m hoping that, if they were given more episodes, the clone wars writers would’ve gone in-depth with the relationships between the clones, even if it was just rex, jesse, cody, and kix left. they could reminisce about scenes we were never shown in the last six seasons. hell, you could’ve had the occasional pop-up of echo trying to contact rex again.

speaking of echo, i was genuinely hopeful when they began with the bad batch arc so to see the clones have been treated like shit for six seasons before with barely any episodes to call their own despite the show being named the clone wars (+ the clone narrative arguably being the most interesting one to follow, but i digress) and then to hardly get any time this season is so. upsetting? for me? because after the bad batch arc i hoped that they’d continue to focus on the clone interactions this season, trying their best to make up for the past six seasons of never really looking at the clones or how they thought of the war, but this arc failed to keep up with that. it favored ahsoka rather than rex, the one who actually had to deal with the chip and had to watch his vode lose their individuality to it, programmed like droids to follow the order through (anyone remember “but we’re not droids, we’re not programmed. you have to learn to make your own decisions”? rex would be horrified at this) so i don’t understand why we didn’t get more from him and his reactions to losing them.

dont get me wrong, i love the clone wars. it means a lot to me. i love ahsoka. i love anakin. i love obi-wan and plo and aayla and the jedi as a whole. i think darth maul’s up there as one of my favorite antagonists. but i empathize with the clones more than anything else.

[astralarias-old]

Im very excited to hear that you are getting into tcw. Did you have any ideas of making an oc(s) for it/implementing some you have? 👀 Or is that not your thing?

Do you have any fav characters so far? Which arc did you enjoy the most or disliked you one? I wanna hear all about it, if it's no trouble of course. ☺🙏🏻💖

I had a whole reply typed out to this last night and the page crashed BUT

Thank you!! This might get a big long whoops.

I absolutely plan to make OCs! I’m not sure about bringing existing ones in - I already have an Aikarico in the SWTOR era, so I’m not sure I’ll make another character inspired by her - but Atlaki is definitely on the table as well as a Twi’lek Jedi healer I’ve got planned.

I’ve been watching it since just before Christmas with my sisters and we love it! I’ve got them obsessed with Star Wars in general too lmao.

Our favourite arc - mine especially - has been the Umbara arc! I’m always a sucker for clones and discussions about the ethics of them and how they’d be treated so those episodes ticked pretty much all my boxes - as well as having some killer character development for Rex. I love seeing characters struggle between their duty and doing what is right and I absolutely adore Rex.

As for favourite characters I kinda love everyone, even the villains, but I have a soft spot for Fives (already crying over him), Rex, and Ahsoka!

I’m kinda dreading Order 66 - when it happened in the game Jedi: fallen order, I almost had to quit the game because I was sobbing like a baby and could hardly bring myself to kill any of the clones 🥺

I’m just so glad to have found this show because honestly it feels kinda like watching ATLA for the first time again - especially getting to enjoy it with my sisters, it’s so fun trying to figure out the plot twists and everything with them!

[angelwars11]

RANTING TIME. RANTING TIME.

This gave me terrible shivers dude. Like seriously!!! "Loyalty, is everything to the clones. " Me: "Execute Order 66." *sobs* Last time we are going to see the light side of Anakin, Ahsoka and Anakin together, and everything is chill before all hell breaks loose. I am not ready to watch the clone troopers kill the Jedi without any control!!

But dude, I'm so excited for Ahsoka's and Maul's fight because I believe Maul is going to have motion capturing by this actor. So the movement is DEFINITELY going to be flawless, also this arc is going to be written by the writer who wrote the Umbara arc, so GET READY for AMAZING animation!!! When I hear the words, "Execute Order 66." Dude, I'mma cry so hard.

Now, we've been through this series, with tears of sadness and joy. Sharing fan art, fanfics, interests and games. This arc is going to crush us all, no doubt, but we can make it through this together!! We started this together and we are going to end this together!

Oh! And I know some people have been a little upset over the Ahsoka ARC because it didn't turn out as well as we had hoped. With Trace and Rafa, between Ahsoka. BUT, the last episode of that Arc was decent and my sister and I enjoyed it! The Bad Batch arc was great in our opinion, we loved it! Now, some things were missed like: Echo hug with Rex, reunion between Echo, Jesse and Kix, one of the last members of the original Torrent Company. That was missed!

But the creators, the team, and Dave Filoni can win us back by making the Seige Of Mandalore arc a 'BEYOND TErRific' moment for us!! There's so much they can pull off, and not just the mind blowing animation but also the story line and Order 66 (which, btw, I'm going to cry when I see that!) BUT THEY CAN MAKE IT UP TO US!! (Or to the people that didn't like the bad batch arc and Ahsoka arc)

I'mma be real with y'all! I LOVED both arcs, especially the last episode of the Ahsoka arc with it's smooth transitioning into the Siege of Mandalore Arc. It was smooth in my opinion! People are saying they did not like it because of Trace and Rafa, or the lack of development, or something like that. For the Bad Batch arc it's because they didn't have certain scenes people wanted to see! And I'll say this! I loved and enjoyed these episodes, so sue me, they were good to my sister and I and we enjoyed them!!

So, since the Seige of Mandalore Arc is being written by the person who wrote the Umbara arc, I know it's going to be absolutely amazing!!!

[im-no-jedi]

happy May the Fourth! ✨✨✨ and happy one year anniversary to the premiere of The Bad Batch! 💙💙💙

Star Wars in general has always been a big part of my life, but this show and these characters have impacted me in a very special way that I will be eternally grateful for. more sappy rambling and a looooooooong backstory under the cut:

as I said, Star Wars has been in my life for as long as I can remember. my parents are MASSIVE fans, with my mom proudly being a SW hipster (she was one of the people hyped about the movie before it even came out) LOL. I wasn’t a fan at first though! in fact, I hated Star Wars for several years of my life. mostly due to the fact that Palpatine and especially Darth Vader scared the ever-loving crap out of me. I made a vow as a child to never watch Star Wars ever for as long as I lived.

then The Phantom Menace came out. I had just turned 11 when the movie first premiered (literally the day after my birthday!). my parents of course absolutely HAD to see the movie, and after doing so, they both HAD to tell me how much they thought I would enjoy it. number one, Vader and Palpatine weren’t in it (technically they were, but I didn’t know that yet 😉), and number two, there was a character in the movie that they 100% knew that I was going to love. that character, as most of you know, was Jar-Jar Binks. and it was thanks to good ol’ Jar-Jar Binks that my parents finally convinced me to watch a Star Wars movie.

needless to say, I loved the movie and proudly proclaimed it as one of my favorite movies ever for quite some time. and just two years later, I watched through the entire original trilogy while getting over a nasty cold. ever since then, Return of the Jedi has been definitively one of my top favorite movies, second now only to Tron Legacy 💙

because of my introduction to the series through TPM though, I’ve always had a massive soft spot for the prequel era. which is funny to me looking back because I had zero interest in The Clone Wars when it first came out. especially after finding out the series focused so heavily on the Clones. I had no idea why anyone would want to watch a show about “stormtrooper wannabes” or Anakin having a padawan. I specifically remember watching the Rookies episode randomly on TV once and thinking “why are they trying to make me care about these guys?”

oh poor naive young me... 😂

gradually, I got more interested in the show and even got over my apparent disdain for the Clones, but I was only ever a casual fan of the show. Ham and I would only watch it when we happened to catch it on TV basically. 

but then... oh but then... the Umbara arc happened. y’all when I tell you my life actually CHANGED after watching that arc... I have literally never been the same. that arc not only singlehandedly got me back into the show (as in now I HAD to watch the new episodes every week), but it solidified my love for the Clones. and that is an understatement if I ever said one. calling myself a “Clone fangirl” doesn’t even cut it imo. 

most of y’all know what happened after that. you can go back in the annals of my blog, all the way back in 2012 to witness my decent into TCW madness. I started using this username (im-no-jedi) back then, and although I’ve changed it a few times since then, this is the only name I’ve ever gone back to more than once. and I have no plans on changing it ever again now 💙

now to specifically talk about TBB. cause I have much to say about this particular corner of the Star Wars franchise.

I remember when the unfinished arc first came out, after TCW was initially cancelled, before Disney brought it back again. 2015 was a good year for Star Wars fans; that was the year The Force Awakens was announced, and I was ECCSTATIC. but we’re not talking about the sequel trilogy on this post, nope (despite me being one of the only persons in my family who actually likes it *COUGHS*). 

anyway! Ham and I were super intrigued by the concept of TBB, and to no one’s surprise, we loved them immediately. I believe we liked them so much, we actually watched the unfinished arc twice (Ham can correct me if I’m wrong LOL). also, I posted about this already, but I actually drew a little fanart of a chibi Hunter back then; I had planned on drawing all of them, but only ever drew Hunter (talk about fate, right? 😏). so needless to say, we were sooooooooo happy that when Disney brought TCW back, the TBB arc was one of the ones that made the cut! rip in peace to the Padme pinup art joke though 😞✊🏻

I’m gonna be honest now... as much as I loved them, I was quite shocked when I found out Disney was making a spinoff show about them. of course, I was happy to just be getting more Clones content, especially since it directly related to TCW. I’ve also always wanted to see how the Clones dealt with the aftermath of Order 66. and like I said, I liked the boys a lot! I was just skeptical if they could carry a show all by themselves is all.

and oh boy. ohhhhhhh boy. history once again repeated itself with this one. in a BIG way.

at the time the show came out, I was running a DnD campaign. so I remember, although I loved it right off the bat, I wasn’t able to fully give my full attention to it because I was so focused on running my game. and ironically, by the time the season ended, I also ended up taking a break from my game. so I decided to rewatch the show again, giving it my full attention this time. and, well, the rest is history, I don’t need to say anymore, y’all witnessed my decent into madness last year and don’t need to relive that 😝

I want to actually get into my feelings about the show though, and why it’s impacted me so much. time for another wall of text! 🤣

as I’ve already stated, the Clones are my favorite thing about Star Wars, period. and TBB is no exception. in fact, I would go so far as to argue that TBB is a perfect example of why I love them so much (on par with the Umbara arc at least). and I didn’t fully realize it until watching this show. but it’s the real reason I love Star Wars as a franchise in general.

it’s about family. Star Wars has always been about family and the bonds that form (or break) because of that. however, aside from the Skywalkers, we don’t see much of actual blood-related families. and don’t get me wrong here! I looooooooove me a good Found Family and am a HUGE fan of the trope. but to me, the best stories will always be about families that are formed through blood, as well as choice. and that’s exactly what the Clones are. technically, they’re related through blood. but it’s also by choice. they choose to view each other as brothers and treat each other as such. and I would definitely argue that the best example of this is TBB.

with the rest of the Clones, it’s easy to see the similarities between them. they of course have their own perks and behaviors, but none of them as varied as TBB. and to me, that makes all the difference. I like seeing variation in families. it reminds me of my own family.

and that there is the core of it all for me. what it all boils down to. TBB reminds me of my own family. all the way down to the fact that there are six people in my family, and four of us are siblings. I see myself and my three siblings in the og four TBB boys. not exactly character wise (although I’ve gone into detail before how much I personally relate to Hunter), but the bond the four of them have greatly reminds me of the bond I have with my three siblings. even down to Crosshair leaving the group, to a certain degree. I’ve even got a similar age difference to my youngest sister that’s akin to Hunter and Omega! (if Hunter was actually in his mid 20s of course LOL)

another thing that I personally relate to is the characters’ circumstance. I’ve not been secret about how my teenage years were hard. my dad lost his job when I was 15, and my life completely changed after that. my family nearly lost everything. we even lost all the people in our lives we considered “friends”. we had nobody but each other, and we were trying our best to just survive for quite some time. much like TBB has been since Order 66.

I know 100% for a fact that this is why the show is so special to me. showing that family bond, while also showing the characters struggle to make it in a galaxy that’s constantly against them... I can relate to it. 

and that’s what makes Star Wars so great to me. the vastness of the universe allows for literally anything to happen, which means someone will inevitably be able to find that (1) thing that they can latch onto and relate to. for me, it’s TBB. and I will forever be grateful to the people who made this show a reality. thank you for making me feel like I’m a part of the Star Wars universe 💙💙💙

....which I am now thanks to MLWTBB 😉

[flexin-rex]

Fives and Echo for the character ask

Ooooohhh boiii

Fives

•favorite thing about them

Who and what he stands for as a character. He’s the clone trooper who literally has a number for a name, and he is essentially one of the Clones who fights the hardest to be seen as a man. And not as a number, or even as a weapon. He’s the embodiment of one of the greatest themes of the Clone Wars, the individualism of the Clones and seeing them as people, as humans, and having the emotions and thoughts that makes us human. All while embodying what a soilder stands for. He fights so hard to uncover the secrets that could harm the people and ideals that he serves. And he dies trying to protect these things, the Republic, his brothers, the Jedi… HES SO WELL WRITTEN HATS OFF TO FILONI

•least favorite thing about them

His death.

And how we didn’t get to see him with the beautiful S7 animation. IMAGINE SEEING HIM IN HIGH DEFINITION. Like, seriously… we were robbed.

•favorite line (this one is a two-way tie… don’t hate me plz)

“Are your scopes… Jedi-issue, sir?” hehe.

“No Clone should have to go out this way! We’re loyal soilders! We follow orders, but we are not a bunch of unthinking droids! We are men. We must be trusted to make the right decisions! Especially when the orders we are given are wrong!”

•brOTP

Fives and Echo. Fives and Rex.

•OTP

Idk Fives and surviving through S7, and escaping with Rex and Ahsoka.

•nOTP

Fives and Canon, it’s repulsive. Also, Clonecest.

•random headcanon

Fives has a journal that he keeps under his pillow. His brothers always tease him about it, but he doesn’t care. He tries his best to write in it every night. Clones hold alot of weight on their shoulders, and it wears on you after awhile. He goes out of his way to write about his day, his thoughts, and feelings. Helps relieve some of the pressure of the War.

•unpopular opinion

The best we ever saw of Fives was during the Umbara arc.

•song i associate with them

Idk In The End (Linkin Park cover) by Tommee Profitt

•favorite picture of them

He’s a cutie lol

Echo

•favorite thing about them

So wholesome.

He just wants things to go according to plan. So please just let him do his job so he can go and read or something idk

•least favorite thing about them

Idk Echo has done nothing wrong in his life.

•favorite line

“Personally, I like that it's so quiet out here. I can catch up on the reg manuals.” HES SUCH A WHOLESOME OLD SOUL I LOVE HIM

•brOTP

Echo and Fives.

•OTP

Echo and Happiness. That man suffered so much, this is all I ask for him.

•nOTP

My answer will always be Clonecest.

•random headcanon

We all know and love Echo for who he is, doing things by the books. But have no doubt, if there was ever form of prank, Echo and Fives were most likely behind it. You would think Fives was the one to lead the whole operation, but no. It was Echo. He was the mastermind behind all the jokes that were pulled on their brothers. You know what they always say, it’s the quiet and well-behaved ones you have to look out for.

•unpopular opinion

A lot of people complain about how Echo didn’t ask Rex about Fives. I think he kinda knew all along. Like, I’m sure if Fives was around, he would’ve been right beside Rex in the search for Echo. That man would’ve done anything in his power to find his best friend.

•song i associate with them

Soilder by Fleurie

•favorite picture of them

I loved seeing him in this episode. Like, he’s still recovering. He’s been malnourished and put through such physical extremes, but he’s still stepping up to do his duty. He looks so determined and it’s amazing