Star Wars The Clone Wars Season 6 Review

The Order 66 Arc (Episodes 1 €“ 4)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XghR4HMAYl0 Episodes "The Unknown", "Conspiracy", Fugitive", and "Orders" Synopsis When Clone Trooper Tup assassinates a Jedi in the middle of a battle, it leads ARC Trooper Fives on an investigation that takes him to the heart of Chancellor Palpatine's plot against the Jedi. Analysis Right from the moment early on where Tup shoots Master Tiplar in the face, this is a story arc that doesn't let up but keeps the action more muted once it moves away from the battle scenes in "The Unknown". The subsequent investigation scenes on Kamino and Coruscant are a lot more low key than what you'd expect from a show like The Clone Wars but that only adds to the atmosphere. It's very much a political thriller set in the Star Wars universe but is none the worse for it and it weaves the themes of identity and betrayal very well into the narrative. The biggest thing this story arc has going for it is its deeper look at the Clones' identities and how they're considered by many as disposable soldiers and products. This is especially prominent in the comparisons made between Fives and AZ, the medical droid who becomes his companion and partner in crime on Kamino, as well Shaak Ti's argument with a Kaminoan about whether or not the Clones are the property of the Republic or the Kaminoan government. We also see this in the focus on the identities the Clone give themselves thanks to Fives' facial tattoo making him immediately recognisable when he's on the run from the Republic. On a lighter but still important plot point related to the Clones' identities, we also see that they have a private bar on Coruscant. Because even genetically modified relentless war machines need a drink sometimes.

This is a story that very much feels like it's leading towards an endgame with a much more direct link to the films (it will make you look at Attack Of The Clones and the Order 66 sequence in a whole new way), and really has the stakes ramped up with enemies and traitors cropping up in surprising places. Even the more lighthearted moments with AZ don't lower the tone. In fact, he's quite a fun character and his camaraderie with Fives is a very solid part of the story. This arc also has a wonderfully dark ending that not only reminds us how much of a manipulative snake Palpatine is (and gives his new voice actor Tim Curry some great material to work with at the same time) but is also worthy of the pantheon of incredibly adult Clone Wars moments that give the show so much atmosphere and actually makes us feel like we're in a galaxy at war. At times it feels like it's a little too long. In particular, the abduction of Tup by the Separatists and his subsequent rescue by Anakin, Rex, and Fives in "The Unknown" feels a bit too much like filler but it moves along at a brisk enough pace to stop that being too problematic. Its biggest issue though is that, at times, it feels far too similar to Season 5's final story arc that saw Anakin's Padawan Ahsoka Tano on the run after being framed for murder. Right down to the familiar shots of Anakin taking a Police Gunship with a squad of Clones onboard to Coruscant's underlevels to find the fugitive. But this is such a good story that even that's a minor problem at most. Verdict A complex and thrilling start to the final season with a few minor flaws that drag it down slightly.

rating: 4