Growing Up Skywalker

Surf’s up! The first arc of Season 4 of the Clone Wars has our faves swimming with the fishes. We’re introduced to yet another teenage monarch — Prince Lee-Char — who’s navigating a civil war between the Mon Calamari and Quarren and orchestrated, as always, by Count Dooku. Kit Fisto is glorious, Padmé and Anakin are mostly there to be threatened with drowning, Ahsoka does Anakin’s job from Attack of the Clones ten times better than he ever did, and the Gungans absolutely saved the day.

In a special segment, we also answer a burning question left over from the Ahsoka Hunted arc: What happened to the Force-sensitive younglings abandoned to be hunted by the Trandoshans, Jinx and O-Mer?

Watching along with us? Next week, we’re hanging out with the Gungans again in “Shadow Warrior” (The Clone Wars 4.4).

Happy Star Wars Podcast Day!

We’re closing out Season 3 of The Clone Wars with the most dangerous game of them all — messing with Ahsoka and her band of misfit Jedi younglings. And we’re thrilled to have Nick Stockbridge of Funny Science Fiction as a guest on this week’s show!

In the Ahsoka Hunted arc (The Clone Wars 3.21–22) we meet a group of Trandoshan weekend warriors who like to hunt younglings down for sport. Humility is learned, jungle shenanigans are pulled, and it becomes more evident than ever that the best skill you can have in the Star Wars universe is the ability to fabricate a tracking beacon out of scrap metal. 

P.S: The special character appearance in this arc is going to blow your mind.

Watching along with us? Next week, we’re recapping the opening of season 4 in the Mon Cala Arc (The Clone Wars 4.1–3, “Water War,” “Gungan Attack,” and “Prisoner”).

It’s time for a classic Clone Wars mess-around! The Citadel Arc (The Clone Wars 3.18–3.20) has everything: battle droids, ambushes, a rescue mission, carbon freezing, Ugnauts, a phenomenal MacGuffin (the Nexus Route hyperspace lanes), Kenobi banter and a truly astonishing amount of foreshadowing for Anakin’s journey. If you are a Wilhuff Tarkin fan, this is the arc for you. (If you are a no-Jedis-shall-hurt-the-space-doggos fan, it’s definitely not.)

Watching along with us? Next week, we’re excited to have a special guest appearance from Nick Stockbridge of Funny Science Fiction Podcast on the show! Nick will help us recap the Ahsoka Hunted Arc (The Clone Wars 3.21–22, “Padawan Lost” and “Wookiee Hunt”).

Hold onto your Star Wars encyclopedias, because we’re in for the ride of our lives! In the Mortis Arc (The Clone Wars 3.15–17) we get the deepest dive into the lore of the Force so far — and that’s just where the first episode starts. We talk about good, evil, and ambivalence…why wisdom has to be earned to be learned…and all about the family story at the heart of Star Wars. Buckle up, baybees, because the Mortis Arc puts Anakin Skywalker’s story on fast-forward, and it’s all playing on the giant celestial chessboard of the galaxy.

Watching along with us? Next week, we’re getting back to the classics with the Citadel Arc: The Clone Wars 3.18–3.20, “The Citadel,” “Counterattack,” and “Citadel Rescue.”

The Clone Wars so far has been a series of appetizers, but with the Nightsisters Arc (3.12–14) we’re getting filet mignon, baybee! As Assajj and her witchy sisters plan vengeance on Count Dooku, we’re introduced to Anna’s big sad baby, Savage Opress — and then things get spooky, y’all. We talk about Star Wars steroids, the Rule of Two, identity erasure, unexplainable magic, and the moment when female power meets manipulation.

Watching along with us? Next week, we’re getting even darker with the Mortis arc: The Clone Wars 3.15–3.17, “Overlords,” “Altar of Mortis,” and “Ghosts of Mortis.”

Lieutenant Divo is back on the case in “Senate Murders” (The Clone Wars 2.15) — and so is Action Padmé! As Padmé struggles to maintain her political leverage against the clone-troop bill, she’s beset on all sides by the creepiest of the Galactic Senators. Friends become enemies! Enemies become…non-enemies! (Because they’re dead.) And the question of whether the Clone Wars will continue hangs in the balance.

Watching along with us? Next week, we’re getting dark with the Nightsisters arc: The Clone Wars 3.12–3.14, “Nightsisters,” “Monster,” and “Witches of the Mist.”

We’ve got war and war profiteering on the mind during our recap of the Funding the War arc (The Clone Wars Season 3.11–12, “Heroes on Both Sides” and “Pursuit of Peace”). Padmé and Ahsoka take a field trip to Raxus to broker peace with the Separatists, Ahsoka meets a boy, and Bail Organa continues to be the best. There is murder! There are speeches! There is creative accounting! And there is perhaps the best political reckoning of war in the Star Wars universe so far.

Watching along with us? Next week, we’re finishing the question of funding the war in “Senate Murders” (The Clone Wars 2.15).

Coming to you live from our luxury conveyex on Vandor, we bring you a deep dive into the swamps of Nal Hutta — and the twisted politics of the Hutt Council. In the Ziro the Hutt arc (The Clone Wars 3.8–3.9 and 1.22), Ziro rekindles his love affair with cabaret cutie/part-time bounty hunter Sy Snootles. We meet Jedi Master Quinlan Vos, finally discover C3PO’s real backstory, and witness an incredibly exciting aerial boss battle on Teth. This episode has everything: Romance! Betrayal! A makeover for R2! And coming out on top is the lady, the myth, the legend…Miss Snootles herself.

Watching along with us? Next week, we’re pinching pennies in the Funding the War arc (The Clone Wars 3.10–11, “Heroes on Both Sides” and “Pursuit of Peace”).

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This week, we talk about heroes great and small as we recap “Arc Troopers” (The Clone Wars 3.2). As you can imagine, Anna’s notes for this episode are mostly frowny faces. And we have so many questions!! What makes a noble death? What are the limitations of being a general by the sword? Is the glory of combat all it’s cracked up to be? And, if you had to pick a favorite clone for this episode, would it be Echo, Fives, or 99?

Watching along with us? Next week, we’re finally finishing season 1 of the Clone Wars! (Yeah!) We’re recapping the Ziro the Hutt arc: “Evil Plans” (The Clone Wars 3.8), “Hostage Crisis” (1.22) and “Hunt For Ziro” (3.9).

It’s never a good day to be a Neimoidian, but especially not in “Assassin” (The Clone Wars Season 3.7) and “Sphere of Influence” (3.4). As we carefully unpick the convoluted chronology of The Clone Wars’ third season, we see Ahsoka thwarting Aurra Sing (again), Senator Chuchi achieving legendary BAMF status (again), and the dream team making fools out of the entire Trade Federation. This is officially an Ahsoka-Padmé-Chuchi fan club and we are not sorry about it.

Watching along with us? Next week, we’re recapping “Arc Troopers” (The Clone Wars Season 3.2).