RJ Writing Ink

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7, Episode 12

Somber. If I had to describe the final episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, it would be somber. We’ve known for fifteen years how the Clone Wars ends, and we’ve known for five years how it ends for Ashoka and Rex. They escape, Maul escapes, and don’t meet again until Rebels. What I wasn’t expecting was how they all get out of Order 66, and it rivals the best the movies have to offer. Or video games, for that matter.

War Drives Men Mad

Picking up where the last episode leaves off, Rex is free from the madness of Order 66, and he and Ashoka have to get off the ship. Something that becomes harder when Maul single-handedly destroys the hyperdrive, takes the only shuttle, and leaves everyone to crash into a nearby moon. Classic Maul. Worse, thanks to Darth Sidious, the other Clones are beyond the point of reasoning. When Rex makes the logical argument that Ashoka’s not a Jedi and not subject to Order 66, the Clones don’t listen. 

Herein lies the true tragedy of the Clone Wars, in my eyes. This show helped to make the Clone Troopers human. Thus, fans feel compelled to care about them. To see them form bonds and friendship’s only to be turned into mindless drones by Sidious is heartbreaking. Thank the Force that Rex and Ashoka have enough compassion to avoid killing them; even if they’ll all die when the ship crashes.

Speaking of which, the final third of the episode is a cinematic masterpiece that would make Genndy Tartakovsky proud. No dialogue as the heroes endure high-flying, Tomb Raider stunts as the ship goes down. When the dust settles, the two are alone in a Galaxy ruled by the Sith. Before they set out on the next stage of their journey, Ashoka pays one final tribute to her former comrades. The sight of the Clones buried in graves marked by their helmets is something you’d see in photos of long-ago wars. It’s a haunting reminder of many people who go to war never come back from it. 

May the Force be With You

There’s probably some parallel universe where the show ended on Cartoon Network years ago. However, this universe gives us the courtesy of knowing that the two live to see the fall of the Empire. Their stories have yet to end, and if rumors are true, we’ll be seeing Ashoka in the next season of The Mandalorian. However, I think this is a perfect end to one chapter of Ashoka and Rex’s lives. Quiet, solemn, and a somber reflection of what they’ve lost. The war’s over, fans; no one wins. Except for Darth Sidious.

May the Fourth be With You.

I Give “Victory and Death” a 4.5/5. War’s Over

Click here to learn all there is about Star Wars with Wookiepedia, the Star Wars Wiki.

Click here to see more of my Star Wars Stuff.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7, Episode 8 Review

After struggling to find its footing, the Ashoka Alone arc finally manages to do so in its final chapter. I’ve made it clear that I think this arc has not been that exciting; it’s got a lot of pacing problems! However, this final episode finally manages to get its message across. That message being that while Ashoka’s not a Jedi anymore, she can still do good in the galaxy. Which actually brings her closer to what a Jedi should be like in the first place.

A Test of Character

Throughout this arc, one of the big concerns that’s been hanging over Ashoka’s head is whether or not she should tell her friends about who she is. A lot of people don’t have a high opinion on the Jedi anymore, and she doesn’t want them to abandon her. However, she decides that the risk is worth it, in the end. Sort of. She pretends to sell out the Martez sisters to save herself while they go to get new spice.

If the Jedi Council saw what she was doing, they would likely reprimand her. Me, I think this is the best option. She gets her friends out of harms way, leaving her free to bust out on her own. Plus, she makes it clear to the sisters that she’s not turning on them: “Trust me…”, she says. However, only Rafa catches on to the cadence in her voice. So they decide to go back because Rafa refuses to let herself get one-upped by Ashoka. And not because she’s grateful for her help!

What it Means to Be a Jedi

As it turns out, it was a good thing they go back, because Ashoka gets caught once more, only this time because she discovered something much bigger was afoot. The Pykes are taking orders from none other than Maul, former Sith Lord and one of the most dangerous beings in the Galaxy. His location: Mandalore.

I had hoped that this arc would be eventually segue into the long awaited “Siege of Mandalore”. However, it didn’t happen like I thought. Instead of the Mandalorians freeing her and telling her everything, she found out on her own. Worse for her, the Pykes reveal to the returning Martez sisters that she’s a Jedi, which does shock and upset them a bit.

However, this doesn’t stop the three from working together like badasses and escaping the Pykes back to Coruscant. After which, the Martez sisters pull her aside and give her their honest opinion. She may not consider herself to be a Jedi, but she’s more of a Jedi than any the sisters have ever met.

I’d have to agree with that sentiment. Ashoka may no longer be a part of the Jedi Order, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have to follow their ideals. Now that she’s no longer bound to the restrictions the Republic puts on the Jedi, Ashoka can go out and do more good than she would otherwise. Just travel the galaxy and help people, like Samurai Jack. In other words, Ashoka’s more a Jedi than most of the Order at this point.

A Good Segue to the Final Chapter

This arc is not going to be one that I’ll remember well in the long run. However, it does manage to provide a good segue to the final chapter of the show. At the end of everything, Ashoka’s approached by the Mandalorians, led by Bo-Katan Kryze. They’re not Death Watch anymore, they’re just trying to free their world from Maul. And they want Ashoka to help them.

We already knew that Ashoka was going to join them, but what we didn’t know is how. Well, now we know! The whole point of this arc was to remind Ashoka that she can still do a lot of good in the galaxy and that she shouldn’t give up her past as a Jedi cold-turkey. However, she’s still worried about where this path will take her in the end.

As for me, I can’t wait to finally see how the show will end. This is going to be good!

I Give “Together Again” a 3.5/5

Click here for some of my Star Wars stuff.

Click here to see my other animation stuff.