And we’re back! After an extended break over Christmas, the blog returns with an easy entry on the latest Star Wars : The Clone Wars. It also happens to be the 100th episode.
It’s a credit to Star Wars: The Clone Wars that at its worst I always think it merely falls short of its potential. A lot of times I feel as though it pulls back when it just starts to do or say something interesting. If it were a just kids show – as some believe – then my desire for it to question the deeper mythology of Star Wars would seem silly. But it occasionally plays with concepts that children would just not understand. At its best, Star Wars: The Clone Wars sits alongside the Batman and Samurai Jack as some of the most thoughtful western cartoons I’ve ever seen.
Missing In Action isn’t Star Wars: The Clone Wars at its best, though. For a landmark episode, it’s a disappointment. The pint sized Colonel continues to be infuriating, the plot is going no where and even Artoo fails to hold my interest. In my humble opinion, this four part arc is a train-wreck that should go down next to midi-chlorians as Things Not To Do With The Sequels.
That said, Gregor just highlights how nuanced this series has made the clones. The amnesiac is the latest in a long line of soldiers to be expressed as individuals. Kudos should go to Dee Bradley Baker, whose voice work defines each one quickly yet sharply.
So it’s a shame when the script doesn’t push nearly as hard. Mission In Action was an opportunity to continue with the thematic arc started in the excellent Umbara story arc in season four. A clone with amnesia should bring out the debate of duty, programming, loyalty, self-awareness and identity. If Gregor didn’t remember anything, would he really drop everything to fight a republic he hardly knew?
This internal conflict never really surfaces. In fact, as soon as he’s faced with the truth, Gregor drops back into the role of an obedient clone. “You’ve turned me into a slave!” he tells his boss. Surely this has to be a dark in-joke by the scriptwriter, given what he’s fighting to get back to?
Delusions Of Grandeur 