The Clone Wars S1 E2 - 'Rising Malevolence' Mini-Review


To Be Expendable.

Anakin and Ahsoka launch a desperate rescue mission after Plo Koon's fleet is ravaged by the new Separatist weapon, the Malevolence. This is the first episode I have watched as part of a story arc, and you can tell that much of this episode feels like plot set up for the rest of the arc. However, I loved seeing Plo Koon take centre stage for once, and an entertaining space battle between the clones' pod and the droid hunter was another highlight. Overall, mild character development and new intrigue kept me interested throughout and I look forward to where this arc leads.

 JEDI MESSAGE
"Belief is not a matter of choice, but of conviction"

 STORY ARC - Malevolence (1/3)

 FEATURED CHARACTERS
- Anakin Skywalker
- Ahsoka Tano
- Plo Koon
- General Grievous
- Count Dooku
- Commander Wolffe
- Sinker
- Boost
- Yoda
- Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Mace Windu
- Chancellor Palpatine

 FEATURED LOCATIONS
- Abregado System
- Bith System

 TRIVIA

  • Booster and Sinker's attempt to restart the escape pod's power grid uses dialogue directly lifted from Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) when Han Solo and Chewbacca are trying to fix the Millennium Falcon
  • Master Plo Koon and his clone troopers hear the distress call of escape pod 1977, and helplessly watch the battle droids kill the clone troopers inside. 1977 is the year the first Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) movie premiered
  • Commander Wolffe's clone troopers all have stylized wolf muzzles painted on their helmets
  • The firing channel shot of the Malevolence's ion cannon is a nod to the shot design of the Death Star firing in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
  • Dave Filoni experimented with having his favorite Jedi, Plo Koon speak different alien languages based on Gaelic and Japanese. However because of the amount of dialog the character was getting it was decided to have him speak English. The only remnant of his 'native Keldorian' language is the greeting 'Koh-to-ya'
  • This is the first in-universe chronological appearance of Admiral Wulff Yularen, who would later appear as an officer in the Imperial board room scene in A New Hope (1977)
  • Anakin's ship is called the Twilight
  • Plo Koon's ship was called the Triumphant
RATING: 7.5/10

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