The Clone Wars S1 E5 - 'Rookies' Mini-Review


Sacrifice.

In a highly enjoyable standalone episode, a group of clone rookies attempt to hold of a droid invasion on a distant outpost. I loved the shift in focus from the Jedi to the clone troopers in this episode. Getting to see the inner workings of an everyday clone station turned out to be far more interesting than it sounds, and the humanising of clones continues to be one of the strengths of this series. I also appreciated the realism of war, as I didn't expect so many of the young rookies to be killed in a program targeted towards younger audiences. With great action, genuinely emotional storytelling and a sense of consequences of war, this episode was another strong entry to the series. I think I may have to start being more critical in my analysis, else otherwise these reviews will all end up being pretty highly rated!

 JEDI MESSAGE
"The best confidence builder is experience"

 STORY ARC - NONE

 FEATURED CHARACTERS
- Commander Cody
- Captain Rex
- Sergeant O'Niner
- Hevy
- Echo
- Fives
- Cutup
- Droidbait
- Anakin Skywalker
- Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Admiral Yularen
- General Grievous
- Asajj Ventress

 FEATURED LOCATIONS
- Rishi (moon)

 TRIVIA 
- CT 327's identifying number uses the very common digits 327 - numbers that conspicuously appear throughout the Star Wars saga. Among other things, 327 is a docking bay number aboard the Death Star in Episode IV, a landing platform in Cloud City in Episode V, and a Naboo ship type in Episode I. Though George Lucas has remained coy on the subject of explaining the number's origins, many have noted that it is a popular car engine type, invoked by name in his feature, American Graffiti (1973)
- Careful inspection of the backgrounds in the ops section of the tracking station shows some Twi'lek model pinups photos on the work station walls
- This is one of only two episodes out of the entire series to feature swearing. When the clones come out of the pipeline cover outside the base, a giant eel grabs Cutup, causing Hevy to fire at it. Once it disappears, Hevy exclaims "What the hell was that?!"
- When the droid posing as Sergeant O'Niner tries to convince Cody that no inspection is necessary, it mimics Han Solo's lines "We're all fine here now, thank you" from A New Hope
- On the screen of the detonator used by Hevy to destroy the base, the words “ATTE RUL3Z SOME TEXT” can be found written in Aurebesh

RATING: 8/10

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