Actress and Her Universe creator Ashley Eckstein took some time to answer fan questions regarding Ahsoka Tano in TCW Season 3. No Season 4 Spoilers but its great to hear Ashley's perspective on Ahsoka.
SOURCE: Her Universe Blog
Follow Ashley on Twitter: @HerUniverse
Showing posts with label Ahsoka Tano. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ahsoka Tano. Show all posts
Ahsoka Tano: Is Her Past Her Future?
The latest episode of TCW, "Citadel Rescue," Episode 3.20 has a ton of character development for Ahsoka and some really interesting interaction between Ahsoka and Plo Koon at the end of the episode.
What casual fans may not realize is that the reason Ahsoka Tano is a Jedi at all is because of Plo Koon.
From the Wookieepedia Biography of Ahsoka Tano:
Ahsoka Tano was discovered by Jedi Master Plo Koon[1] at the age of three[5] during a mission to Shili,[1] and was raised in the Jedi Temple. Tano considered Master Koon to be among her oldest and dearest friends by 22 BBY and felt a large amount of gratitude to him for discovering her Force sensitivity and ensuring that she would be given a home at the Jedi Temple.[6]
The closing scene of "Citadel Rescue," shows Ahsoka walking off screen with Master Koon with his arm around her. As close as two Jedi can be who are not formally master and apprentice, we have a relationship here that is like a foster parent/child. There seems to be a great deal of affection and respect between Plo and Ahsoka.
As TCW evolves over the next few seasons could we see a move away from Ahsoka-Anakin to Ahsoka-Plo Koon? Anakin and Obi-Wan as the most effective Jedi in the galaxy may simply become to busy or involved into to many harrowing missions for the Jedi Council to feel comfortable with a Padawan accompanying them. Or perhaps Ahsoka and Anakin have a major falling out of some sort. What if Ahsoka discovers the relationship between Padme and Anakin, and this drives a wedge between the two because of Anakin's disregard for the Jedi Code. What if Ahsoka simply graduates to Knighthood and decides she would be more effective aiding Master Koon in his adventures instead of Anakin and Obi-Wan.
There are limitless possibilities, but there appears to be some heavy foreshadowing in "Citadel Rescue," and it has me wondering whether or not Ahsoka Tano's past with Plo Koon will lead her to a future with him as well.
Clone Wars: Dave Filoni's Adult Ahsoka
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| Definitely Plo Kool |
We have seen a vision of a possible future Ahsoka in the first episode in TCW Mortis arc, "Overlords." When in a mystical cave on Mortis Ahsoka has a vision of her future self. This glimpse of one possible future for Ahsoka was interesting, but will she live long enough to see that vision realized?
Well this week Starwars.com has posted concept art of adult Ahsoka drawn by TCW Supervising Director Dave Filoni.
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| Ahsoka mural from Moddb.com |
Battle Meditation on Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Altar of Mortis (Episode 3.16 Review)
How many Rabies shots do you need to get when you are bitten by the Dark Side?
Episode Title & Number: "Altar of Mortis" Season 3, Episode 16 (3.16)
Original Air Date: February 4, 2011.
Review Blurb: Evil Gargoyle bites lead to Dark Side Rabies, which leads to evil shenanigans for or intrepid heroes on the crazy mixed up realm of Mortis. Oh and Obi-Wan goes all King Arthur except with an epic fail at the end.
Episode Dramatis Personae:
Father, Male Force Wielder
Son, Male Force Wielder, Dark Side personified
Daughter, Female Force Wielder, Light Side personified
Anakin, Male Jedi Knight
Ahsoka, Female Togruta Jedi Padawan
Obi-Wan, Male Jedi Master
Episode Summary:
Newsreel:
Mystery on Mortis! Sent to discover the origin of mysterious distress call, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka Tano are stranded on a distant planet. There, they discover three beings more powerful with the Force than any Jedi have seen before.Episode Guide Synopsis:
The Father keeps a fragile balance between his Daughter, who allies with the light side, and the Son, who drifts ever closer to the dark. With his strength failing, the Father asks Anakin to stay and take his place, preserving the balance between light and dark. But after passing a perilous test, Skywalker refuses.
Now we find our heroes about to depart for their journey home, or so they think....
Before the Jedi can leave Mortis, the Son takes Ahsoka captive in an attempt to entice Anakin into joining him to use their combined strength to overpower his Father and Sister. To this end, the Son casts Ahsoka under the spell of the dark side. Meanwhile, the Father attempts to stave off a disastrous showdown between his children and maintain the Force's increasingly precarious balance on the planet. Fearing that the Son may be unstoppable, the Daughter does the forbidden by taking Obi-Wan Kenobi to the Altar of Mortis, wherein is kept the Dagger of Mortis, a weapon capable of killing a Force-wielder. The Son steals the weapon, and attempts to use it against his Father to steal his power and end his rule, but the Daughter sacrifices herself, placing herself in front of the blade.
Review:
I) Story/Writing
"He who strays ever closer to the Dark."
There is a very interesting line in the newsreel of this weeks episode in mentions that Daughter aligns with the Light side of the Force and Son strays ever closer to the Dark. It doesn't say that the Son is the Dark side. What we see later in the episode through dialogue by the Daughter is that she is purely selfless by nature and that her brother is purely selfish by nature. So in reality I think we are dealing with supremely powerful beings that stuck/landed on Mortis at some point and the planet's connection to the Force serves to increase their powers and to exaggerate their natural character traits. i.e. Son gets more selfish and eviler and Daughter gets more selfless and good. Supremely powerful beings with delusions of grandeur.
Anakin is the worst Jedi ever. Seriously, calm, peace meditation. Anakin is all emotion. This episode makes me think that Yoda's Padawan for Anakin experiment is a failure.
Interesting emphasis on "chains" when Ahsoka is held captive by Son before she is "infected". I find it interesting and made me think of the Sith code.
Very cool conversation between Father and Son:
Father: You are growing stronger my son.The Altar:
Son: Am I father.
Father: Vanity however is getting the better of you.
Son: How So?
Father: You have done what is forbidden, You have chosen the Dark side and allowed it to feed you anger and desire for power.
Son: By bringing the chosen one here you have shown me my potential you have only yourself to blame.
Father: Do not do this son. Do not become what you should not. Be strong I implore you. Or else I should be forced to contain you.
Son: You look frail father...
Father: I am not dead yet.
Son: Well, perhaps I am tired of waiting. I HATE YOU..
What exactly is the Altar of Mortis? Daughter tells Obi-Wan that "When you reach the Alter it will give you what you need," and "He who wields the blade will be able to control my brother."
Random Tangents:
1. Familial bond between Son and Daughter but not between Son and Father.
2. Son gains strength from conflict? Did the Clone Wars in the galaxy at large increase Son's power and this cause Father to call Anakin to Mortis. .
3. How incredibly powerful is the Father, he just pimp slaps both his kids out the window with the flick of a wrist.
4. I was actually surprised during the battle, between Father and Son, the way they shot Ahsoka, I expected her to fight through the Darkside control at some point and stab Son with the Altar Dagger.
5. Interesting that Son's knockout finger blow to Ahsoka reminded me a lot of Mother Talzin's finger blow to to the top of Savage Opress.
6. Check out Father's necklace, two winged serpents(?) twisted together. Cool looks a bit like.
Anakin the voice of hope. Daughter's last act saving Ahsoka.
7. Interesting are the events on Mortis pre-determined by what happens to the galaxy at large instead of vice versa. Given Father's speech at the end it has me wondering.
Because of the 22 minute time constraints of these episodes, some of the best episodes of The Clone Wars are the ones with the smallest casts. More screen time allows for deeper dialogue and more action on the main storyline. Too many ancillary characters just sort of muddies the waters sometimes and because of its format the storytelling of the Clone Wars really needs to be lean and mean.
In this episode we get a total of 6 characters, and one setting only (Mortis). We don't have to spend time getting from place to place, or introducing or re-introducing characters, and it really allows the story to hit the ground running.
II) Acting
Even though he is one of the main actors on the show Matt Lanter's performance as Anakin sometimes leave a little to be desired. I think he showed very good range in this episode. He was able to convey Anakin's turbulent emotions through his voice and give some nice foreshadowing to the emotional turmoil that will ultimately be Anakin's downfall and redemption.
Ashley Eckstein also had to go outside the box for this episode and I loved the creepy and almost insane way she played Ahsoka once she was under the spell of the Dark Side. As I said in the preview clip it reminded me of Harley Quinn, the Joker's sidekick from the Batman comics and cartoon series.
III) Animation
What can be said about the animation this week. I thought overall it was a better job than last weeks episode. Particularly the facial animations that put this week over the top. Anakin, Son, and Ahsoka all had tremendously expressive faces throughout the episode. This is an incredible development considering where the show started in that department. 
Other cool effects visually were
1. the look of Dark Ahsoka, 2. Daughter becoming less luminous when she died, and 3. Pink Sith Lighting.
IV) New Characters/Planets/Vehicles
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| Son visits Anakin in a Dream as Anakin |
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| Son in beast mode kidnapping Ahsoka |
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| Son's Dark Tower |
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| Dagger of Mortis |
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| Son in "prison creature mode" |
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| Evil Ahsoka and her new "master" |
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| The Three Musketeers |
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| Stab in the back |
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| More Dark Ahsoka. She is creepy |
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| Apparently Son never heard of the Force Choke |
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| Father's Wings |
V) Continuity Clashes: "How I learned to stop worrying and love the ret-cons."
There weren't any major continuity issues that bothered me this week. I was afraid they were going to go nuts on what the Force is and how it operates based on what we saw in "Overlords," but the way Father talked to his siblings it makes me think as much power as they have and as much as they seem to personify the characteristics of their respective sides of the Force, they are not actually the Force itself but something else. We shall see where this all goes in next weeks episode.
This week's episode guide has a nice references featured in this week's episode to Wagner's Opera "Siegfried" (Altar) and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Tower of Orthanc and Saruman's Staff)
VI) Rating This Episode
I really enjoyed this episode even more so that last weeks. Lots of action, cool visuals, and tons of Ahsoka awesomeness. 9.0 out of 10.
VII) Next on The Clone Wars
Next week on TCW is Episode 3.17 "Ghosts of Mortis," the third and final part of the Mortis story arc. It looks like we will get a ton of foreshadowing of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Do we get a hint at a possible fate for Ahsoka in next weeks episode? Tune in and find out.
Next week should also see the second guest appearance of Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn.
Synopsis from Star Wars Insider:
Anakin Skywalker must choose between the light and dark side of the Force as he gains a disturbing insight into his own future. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka prepare for a decisive confrontation their effort to unravel the mysteries of the planet. Can they ever escape Mortis?
Next week looks indescribably awesome.
Video Clips
Cartoon Network Preview of Episode 3.17 Ghosts of Mortis
New Dark Side Ahsoka Preview Clip from Altar of Mortis: Clone Wars Episode 3.16
MTV GEEK has a new preview clip from this Friday nights Clone Wars Episode, "Altar of Mortis."
This is the much hyped episode featuring "Dark" Ahsoka. Not only does it appear that Ahsoka is under the sway of the Dark Side incarnate in the form of the "Son," but there appears to be a confrontation in either this episode or next between Ahsoka vs. Anakin and Obi-Wan.
What do we make of this clip?
The clip begins with Anakin climbing a large tower that reminds me of LotR: The Two Towers. The Dark Side tower itself looks like a giant septer with a claw shaped top holding a bright green mystical orb. The tower also has glowing writing/carvings in its surface running up the length of the tower.
At the top of his climb Anakin finds a courtyard with a solitary tree planted in the center of it, and Ahsoka sitting in the corner.
Anakin: Ahsoka, it's me you're safe now. Lets go.Ahsoka: Are you proud of me master?Anakin: What??? Of course Snips, of course I am proud of you. Now lets get out of here.Ahsoka: He's right, right about everything. You must join him. He only wants whats best for the universe.Anakin: Hey, whats wrong with you?
Things that make you go hmmmm... On the heals of the other preview clip where we see Son shape shifting into the form of Anakin, it makes me wonder whether this is Ahsoka at all or just the Son taking the form of Ahsoka.
I am definitely picking up a Harley Quinn vibe from Ahsoka in this clip. Which I like its a very weird twist for the character (assuming it is Ahsoka and not Son in Ahsoka clothing) and a nice chance for Ashley Eckstein to stretch her acting range with the character. 
If your mind wasn't blown or confused enough after last weeks episode of The Clone Wars "Overlords" it looks like this weeks episode is going to turn up the weird quotient to eleven.
Clone Wars News and Rumors: Coming Soon Rex and Ahsoka Story Arcs
From a very good Wired.com interview with Star Wars: The Clone Wars Supervising Director Dave Filoni..
Wired.com: Given all that’s happened, where does the series go next?More Clone action is always welcome as some of the Clone-centric episodes have been the best of the series. Including one of my personal favorites, "Deserter."
Filoni: It’s exciting. We have a lot of it figured out, but I’m always personally projecting the end of the war. Especially dealing with the major characters, like Ahsoka and Rex.
But I will say that the second half of this season, which I think really began with the “Nightsisters” episode (view clip above), is where we really get into the large arcs of the show. We start marching in a much more chronological order than before, where we were jumping around from character to character.We’re going to have a major clone arc coming up, as we develop Rex’s character, and the same goes for Ahsoka.
Clone Wars Secrets: Mysteries of Mortis
The official site has a preview of Star Wars Insider Magazine #123:
"Launchpad: Upcoming episodes of The Clone Wars are previewed as the Jedi explore the mysteries of Mortis; Empire director Irvin Kershner remembered."
http://www.starwars.com/fans/media_news/insider_123/index.html
What are the mysteries of Mortis? What is Mortis? A person, planet, group/cult?
The Clone Wars is getting really interesting. Does this have something to do with the 'Dark Ahsoka' trailer? Look for more news and opinion as it develops.
"Launchpad: Upcoming episodes of The Clone Wars are previewed as the Jedi explore the mysteries of Mortis; Empire director Irvin Kershner remembered."
http://www.starwars.com/fans/media_news/insider_123/index.html
What are the mysteries of Mortis? What is Mortis? A person, planet, group/cult?
The Clone Wars is getting really interesting. Does this have something to do with the 'Dark Ahsoka' trailer? Look for more news and opinion as it develops.
New Ashley Eckstein Interview talking about Ahsoka & TCW
What can we look forward to in this series for Ahsoka and the rest of the Jedi?
The two main things I like about the season are the connections to the old saga and the secrets being revealed. We explore some of the connections and those episodes are just unbelievable. As for the secrets, we get to explore a really great back story and one of the storylines is going to blow fans' minds that we are even able to attempt it.
New Interview with Ashley Eckstein who plays Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Give it a read.
Source: The Force.net http://www.theforce.net/latestnews/story/Ashley_Eckstein_Talks_To_The_Daily_Record_135831.asp
Source: The Scottish Daily Record. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-interviews/2010/12/29/q-a-with-ashley-eckstein-the-voice-of-ahsoka-tano-from-star-wars-the-clone-wars-animation-series-86908-22813614/
Youtube link for New Clone Wars Season 3: Dark Ahsoka Trailer
Io9.com has posted a Youtube version of the Season 3 Trailer that was posted on EW.com yesterday.
Link to i09.com Article with video.
Link to i09.com Article with video.
Clone Wars Season 3: Dark Ahsoka Trailer
I had the distinct privilege to attend the Los Angeles Savage Opress screening and after the three episodes where shown we got a sneak peak at the new teaser trailer for the second half of Season 3. Today Entertainment Weekly in an exclusive posted the trailer on their website.
EW's Dark Ahsoka Trailer
Wow there is a lot going on here.
Part I: Blow By Blow Summary:
The trailer opens with a ship arriving at some islands on an unknown planet.
*We see 4 or so very athletic looking characters running and using Jedi acrobatics to move along a massive tree branch with a large moon or planet in the background. I think this is Ahsoka, the green Twi'lek, the Cerean, and the other unidentified alien we see later in the trailer.
*We see a really cool looking interior of a temple or thrown room, with blue lights, a a pattern of writing or art inscribed over the floor and walls. Between two winged statutes a old wizard looking character is kneeling as Anakin approaches him.
*Quickly cut to a jungle battle see with Republic tanks and Ahsoka hiding behind some odd vegetation with her clone troopers.
*Quick cut to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka walking across a desolate environment, as behind them and overtaking them is some sort of storm/effect that he changing the desolate environment to lush and fertile. I have no idea what is going on here. Magic, the force, terraforming, Jedi Agricorps, etc. Just plain weird.
*Quick cut to Republic troopers crawling across what appears to be the face of an asteroid or moon, with arches of purple electricity threatening them from various points in the environment. Mines of some sort?
*Quick cut to someone in a slab of carbonite. If you look closely in full screen mode it looks to me like the character model of a clone officer, that we have seen on the bridge of Republic cruisers. But also notice the second slab of carbonite in the background. Both being loaded onto a ship by battle droids.
*Cut to a shuttle entering a massive black cube or diamond shaped ship, and Ahsoka in chains/captive.
*Cuts to Anakin in some sort of arena between two flying creatures one a white (Pegasus/griffin) for lack of a better description and one a dark bat like creature. The bat like creature appears to either have someone holding onto his feet or has someone trapped in his foot claws. On the floor is a very interesting design, that makes me think of balance, kind of a Star Wars style Ying-Yang. It makes me think of balancing good and evil. On a ledge overlooking the scene appears to be the same wizard we saw Anakin approaching earlier.
This is one of the two most interesting scenes in the trailer. I would speculate that this arena is some sort of test for Anakin. Battling the good and evil within himself or perhaps having to make the choice between good and evil in some way.
For whatever reason it also makes me think for the force Potentium movement, which is tied into Zonama Sekkot. On first blush seeing the trailer and the weird looking woman at the Savage Opress screening I got my hopes up that it may have been Jabitha and Zonama Sekkot. Upon a second viewing as cool as that would be, I think they are going somewhere else with this.
* Cut to Obi-Wan and a very pale/luminous woman (White Woman) with greenish tinged hair approaching a bald headed, pale, man in dark clothing with red eyes and tattoos on his skull.
*Quick cut to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka with lightsabers drawn on this same guy (Red-Eyes). In the background, there appear to be large boulders floating in the sky. Almost like tiny islands in the sky.
*Cut to Red-Eyes shooting purplish/pink lighting, and the White Woman either shooting the same lighting or catching/attempting to catch the onslaught from Red-Eyes with her had. Very interesting. Then in a far view we see Red-Eyes pouring the lighting into someone.
*We then see a Green Twi'lek and what appears to me to be a Cerean running through the jungle and coming up short in the face of a gunship of some sort. The next scene is the same Twi'lek and Cerean as well as Ahsoka, and another character who could be human or a different species with brownish hair looking down from a high branch at something that is unclear from our view. If you look in the lower right corner of the scene you see a very large creature of some sort moving.
*Quick cut to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka at night seeing someone fleeing and the person jumps into the air and transforms into the bat-like creature we see Anakin pictured with earlier in the trailer. If you look closely at the very beginning of this scene you will see that it is Red-Eyes, note the bald head and high collar on his clothing just before he jumps.
*Then you have a fighter/shuttle chasing what looks to be the same Red-Eyes bat creature through a series of valleys.
*Cut to Droids being blasted by Clone troopers, Jedi Council member Even Piell, with green lightsaber lit in battle, followed by a quick cut to Piell on the bridge of a Republic cruiser with a Seperatist ship out the viewport and Super Battledroids storming the bridge.
*Next we see a weird unfriendly looking alien walking down a hallway.
*What looks to be assassin droids of some sort carrying electo-shields jumping down the walls of a cavern, and we see the back of what looks to be Anakin's head with his blue lightsaber in hand, clearly outnumbered.
* Cut to Ahsoka jumping through a very weird looking jungle, then Anakin injured/in pain rising from the floor. Anakin battles the shield droids, and in the same scenery the weird alien riding a hover scooter, comes in for the attack. On his left breast he has some sort of emblem on his armor. It looks like two wings or a U shape with a small V underneath it.
*Cut to a scene what appears to be aboard a ship with Obi-Wan and Anakin looking around the corners of a hatch as Ahsoka jumps in and finishes off a droid with her lightsaber.
*Cut to the cockpit of what looks like a Trandoshan (Slaving ship?) ship.
*Quick cut to Anakin fighting Red-Eyes who is deflecting lightsaber slashes with his wrist gauntlets.
*Quick cut to Ahsoka fighting multiple spider droids possibly?
*Quick cut to Obi-Wan holding a blade/scepter of some sort that is smoking with green mist all around. Could be a Sith weapon, or Obi-Wan being attacked by the Nightsisters' magic.
*Cut to a Clone Trooper tumbling to his death.
*Cut to Anakin looking like Frodo climbing his way to Mordor.
*Ahsoka with her eyes closed and head down in front of a stained glass window, her face, montrals and headtails are completely run through with dark veins. Her eyes are yellow/orange like a Sith.
*Cut to Anakin screeming "NOOOOOO" and Ahsoka jumping out of a tree with her lightsaber and attacking Anakin. These last two shots look like they are from two different scense to me.
PART II: Analysis or What the heck is going on?
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Deep breath time. What the heck did we just see?
I think the majority of the scenes we saw are from the season finale, likely a two parter.
What I am sure of: The White woman and Red-Eyes can both transform into animal like alien forms. These are the two creatures we see Anakin between in the arena scene at the beginning.
The rest is just informed speculation:
If I were guessing I would say that the scenes are show out of order in the preview.
Ahsoka is fighting with Clone Troopers say on Felucia possibly investigating something with a team of 3 other young Jedi Knights, when they come under attack. At some point she and some of the clones are captured, she is taken aboard the big black ship and Obi-Wan and Anakin come to rescue her.
At another time we have them on a planet based story where Anakin is attempting to find his way, if my guess is to that temple we see in the second scene. The droids are attempting to prevent him from getting there, that is why he looks so exhausted in the scenes we see later in the trailer.
Perhaps the person we see at the feet of the Red-Eyes/Bat creature is Ahsoka, and the test that Anakin is taking part in in the arena also effects her fate. This is just speculation and supposition at this point. I am probably more wrong then right.
At the same time I think we have either separate episodes or a separate story line involving Even Piell and Saesee Tin involved in a massive space battle. I think that most of those scenes are connected.
More thoughts to be edited into this post as I have time to ruminate on it.....
Ahsoka interviews Asajj and Padme
Ashley Eckstein of Her Universe and The Clone Wars has posted a new blog entry at Her Universe from the LA screening of the Clone Wars. She interviews Lucasfilm's Bonnie Burton as well as Actresses Nika Futterman (Asajj Ventress) and Catherine Taber (Padme Amidala).
Ashley's Blog: http://heruniverse.com/blog/
Video Courtesy of Her Universe
Go to Her Universe for all your holiday shopping needs for those special ladies in your life.
Her Universe Shop: http://www.heruniverseshop.com/
Ashley's Blog: http://heruniverse.com/blog/
Video Courtesy of Her Universe
Go to Her Universe for all your holiday shopping needs for those special ladies in your life.
Her Universe Shop: http://www.heruniverseshop.com/
New Clone Wars Second Half of Season 3 Trailer (SPOILERS) PART 2 of 2
CAUTION: The following post will contain SPOILERS for Episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars that have not been released. The trailer being discussed below has not yet been released to the general public. I imagine sometime in the next month it will appear on Starwars.com.
#5: Frozen in Carbonite:
I can't believe I forgot to mention another image that harkens back to Return of the Jedi and The Empire Strikes Back. One of the iconic images from those films is Han Solo trapped in carbonite.
Well in the season three trailer we also saw someone frozen in carbonate. The person looked male, but other then that I cannot be sure who it is.
#6: New Jedi Character introduced: Even Piell
Even Piell is a weird looking character, kind of a pissed off looking near human version of Yoda. Technically he is a Lannik, and hails from the planet of the same name.
Fans of the prequel movies will remember this Jedi Master as he appeared in The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones as well as in EU material. For me his most prominent appearance was in the novel Coruscant Nights I: Jedi Twilight.
New Clone Wars Second Half of Season 3 Trailer (SPOILERS) Part 1 of 2
CAUTION: The following post will contain SPOILERS for Episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars that have not been released. The trailer being discussed below has not yet been released to the general public. I imagine sometime in the next month it will appear on Starwars.com.
As many of you have no doubt heard or read by now, attached to the Savage Opress screening was a preview of the remainder of Season 3 of The Clone Wars.
Given the fact that my mind was blown by the Savage Opress story and the way that Lucasfilm cuts these teaser trailers it was tough to be totally sure what was going on much of the time. But the following are my thoughts on what I saw or think I saw.
#1: The season finale will focus on a Dark Ahsoka.
The final scene of the trailer is a very angry looking Ahsoka, her face and body covered with purplish veins or markings of some sort, is seen attacking Anakin. I would predict that this story regarding Ahsoka is part of a likely two episode season finale. One interesting thing is that the way they drew Ahsoka is the way I would expect one of the EU's Nightsisters to appear. It was described that when a Witch of Dathomir used the dark side blood vessels would rupture causing discoloration to her skin and here tribe would see this as a sign she had become a Nightsister and banish her. Well we have already seen the Clone Wars interpretation of the Nightsisters, so I don't think that theory fits.
I wonder if Ahsoka becomes infected by something. We have seen Barriss Offee in last seasons' Brain Invaders have her will dominated in spite of her Jedi training. So its certainly possible what we could be seeing was Ahsoka not being in her right mind. Perhaps some Nightsister magic that makes Ahsoka see things in an altered reality or puts her under Mother Talzin's control.
Another theory would be that Ahsoka actually falls to the Dark side and becomes a villain, future season could alternatively revolve around the Jedi hunting her and trying to redeem her. While this direction could be interesting for a number of reasons, I don't think its terribly likely.
#2: We are going to get a ton of Anakin and probably Obi-Wan
There was a lot of Anakin in the preview, much of which I can't remember, but there was one memorable scene where he appeared to be in an audience chamber or arena and was using the force to perhaps balance two objects on opposite sides of him. I'm not entirely sure what was going on but it looked interesting. I think we are going to get a lot more of the Clone Wars big three (Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka) in the second half of season 3.
#3: Planet Speculation: Zonama Sekot
This is entirely speculation on my part. In the trailer we have some really weird planetary visuals. The highest probability is that it was Felucia. But based on the weird vegetation and one particular character shown, I have hopes that it is in fact the living planet Zonama Sekot. For those unfamiliar Zonama Sekot features prominently in Greg Bear's novel Rogue Planet (Set between Episodes I and II) as well as the New Jedi Order as a world that came from the Yuuzhan Vong's galaxy.
Plot Summary from Wookieepedia...
Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and the young Anakin Skywalker travel to a very strange and mysterious planet Zonama Sekot, whose citizens live under the influence of the Potentium. The Padawan and his master intend to purchase a Sekotan spacecraft and discover the fate of Jedi Knight Vergere who visited the planet a year earlier, and was not heard from since. Also looking after the magnificent Sekotan ships are Raith Sienar and Wilhuff Tarkin, who struggle with each other for political power. The creation of the living ships is thoroughly described, from the joining with the Seed-Partners, to designing and construction of the ship. The climax of the novel depicts the Second Battle of Zonama Sekot between the Sekotan and Tarkin's forces.On top of the weird planetary images we see a blue woman, I am not sure of this is a hologram of some sort but it didn't look like the hologram effect. It made me think of Jabitha, who was the Magister (ruler of sorts) of Zonama Sekot. Anakin had a special relationship with her and the planet and its seed partners (which grew into star ships). I would be interested to see Anakin and Obi-Wan returning to this planet in the cartoon.
#4: Another Dark Side force user or group of force users.
Also prominently featured in the trailer was a yet unseen male character. He appeared tall and fairly lean and my instant reaction to him was bad guy. He looked like a dark side force user, but he may not be. No idea who he is and he didn't make me think immediately of any characters from the EU.
That about it for now, until I can watch the trailer again an attempt to dissect it in greater detail.
SHOTO LIGHTSABER: Size Matters Not
The Expanded Universe and the Prequel Trilogy gave us more variety in lightsaber design and technology, from the movies most notably, Darth Maul's Dual-bladed lightsaber, Count Dooku's curved hilt, and Master Yoda's minaturized (arguably Shoto length) saber.
In the Expanded Universe during the Legacy of the Force novel series, we see the reintroduction of a character Lumiya, a Dark Lady of the Sith who first appeared in the Marvel Comics Star Wars #96: Duel with a Dark Lady. Lumiya uses a unique weapon, a lightwhip. In battling Lumiya, Luke Skywalker constructed a Shoto lightsaber to use in addition to his regular lightsaber to attempt to counteract the multi pronged attack advantage that the lightwhip gave Lumiya.
With Lumiya's return as Jacen Solo's Sith mentor Luke and his wife Mara Jade Skywalker see the need and dust off the old Shoto to face the threat from Lumiya. Admittedly this novel series was my first introduction to the Shoto, as I am not an avid comic reader. The term Shoto is Japanese for "short sword" and it generally referred to a sword that was between one to two feet in blade length. I thought it was pretty cool that the in universe term for the short lightsaber was taken directly from the sword fighting tradition in Japan.
In terms of Star Wars fans the Shoto is about to explode in popularity. The reason is that in addition to the new character model for Ahsoka Tano (voiced by Ashley Eckstein), she also got a new weapon. A shorter green Shoto lightsaber to use in conjunction with her regular lightsaber. There are two benefits to the Shoto, not only does it provide an offensive advantage, a second means of attack. But it also can be used like a shield to deflect an opponents attack, while pressing the offensive with your other lightsaber.
There is a very logical reason for (as I believe is rumored) Anakin to build this Shoto for his Padawan. There are three main lightsaber wielding enemies we have currently seen in the Clone Wars Series. Dooku, Asajj Ventress, and General Grievous, of these Ventress uses two lightsabers, and Grievous varies from one to four lightsabers. We also are soon to see the appearance of Darth Maul's brother Savage Opress using either his brother's dual bladed lightsaber or a lightsaber of the same design.
Anakin clearly wants to increase his Padawan's chance of survival, so giving her a Shoto and teaching her a new fighting style gives her a better chance to survive and potentially win encounters with Ventress, Grievous and Opress.
From the perspective of a fan of the Clone Wars series, the addition of a second lightsaber, hopefully portends an increase in lightsaber fighting, and the inclusion of multiple lightsabers and different lightsaber combat styles/forms could make for some awesome visuals.
The addition of the Shoto, is also a way to further show the character growth of Ahsoka Tano as she ages and gains more experience as a Jedi and a deeper understanding of the Force. It makes her character more nuanced and just plain cooler. I can't wait till we see Ahsoka and her Shoto in action in the series....
Ahsoka Tano: From the Penumbra of Star Wars
Ahsoka Tano: From the Penumbra of Star Wars
One of the more controversial moves in recent Star Wars history was the introduction of an adolescent girl to the saga. This decision caused a radical change in our understanding of Anakin Skywalker and his tragic fall from Jedi “Chosen One” to Darth Vader the slaughterer of younglings and the iron fisted enforcer of Emperor Palpatine’s New Order.
Who is Ahsoka Tano? Where did she come from? And why the heck is she here?
In a 1965 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Justice William O. Douglas writing for the majority made an analogy using the term penumbra which generally means a shadow or darkness. Justice Douglas said, The foregoing cases suggest that specific guarantees in the Bill of Rights have penumbras, formed by emanations from those guarantees that help give them life and substance…. The Ninth Amendment provides: "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." GRISWOLD v. CONNECTICUT, 381 U.S. 479 (1965)
In a similar way Ahsoka Tano could be said to spring from the shadows created by the Clone Wars and the story of Anakin Skywalker. Her purpose to those stories is to “help give them life and substance.” It doesn’t matter if she was specifically envisioned by George Lucas, just as Justice Douglas didn’t believe it necessary for the framers of the Constitution and the bill of rights to have foreseen specific unenumerated rights. What is important is whether or not Ahsoka improves the saga of Star Wars and whether or not she serves the purpose for which it is created.
It is clear that over the course of the years Star Wars as we have come to know it has gone through many permutations in George Lucas’ mind and through the creative process, elements of story have changed, characters have been created and discarded, ideas laid aside but later used. It is not out of the realm that he at some point long before the Clone Wars cartoon series had the idea in his head that Anakin had an apprentice (Padawan). Out of this bud of an idea sprung Ahsoka.
I. How Ahsoka fits into the Fall of Anakin Skywalker and Rise of Darth Vader
The fatal flaw of Anakin Skywalker is attachment. He learned to love and attachment to his mother and too friends before he learned to be a Jedi. This provided a flawed foundation upon which the Jedi through Obi-Wan Kenobi tried to build a Jedi Knight. Anakin grew up as a slave, deprived and forced to labor for the Hutts. What do we know about his childhood beside the facts that he possessed a droid (partially built C-3P0) and a junker podracer. Not a great deal in terms of material possession. But Anakin’s entire world is focused on his love for his mother. Initially upon the Jedi introduction over dinner he is thinking the Jedi have come to free the slaves, freedom for himself and his mother. He re-builds C-3PO for the express purpose of helping his mother. This is a little boy who loves the only parent he has ever known with all his heart. The first major loss of his life is the separation from his mother. While he was excited to learn to become a Jedi, there is no doubt that his mother was on his mind everyday from that point on.
In Attack of the Clones we have Anakin sensing his mother in pain and danger, returning to Tatooine too late to save her, having her die in his arms and his subsequent slaughter of the Sand people. On top of the loss from the earlier separation from his mother, now he experiences the total loss of her in death. Anakin now has the guilt of abandoning her in the first place to train as a Jedi and the guilt of not being there in time to save her.
The introduction of Ahsoka provides yet another chance for this flaw in Anakin to be accentuated and to help explain how severe Anakin’s fear of loss was in Revenge of the Sith. As much as the Jedi spurn attachment we have seen that the Master-Padawan relationship is a hybrid relationship that is surrogate parent/sibling, teacher, and friend. The potential loss of Ahsoka is like Anakin losing a daughter or little sister. The loss of Ahsoka if taken in view of the total story of Anakin Skywalker would represent the potential for Anakin to lose all of the potential major female family members; Mother (Shmi), Daughter/Sister (Ahsoka), Wife (Padme). With the loss of his mother and Ahsoka, not only does Anakin’s fear for Padme make more sense in its intensity, but the rapid turn to the dark side makes more sense as well. This was a guy who experienced tremendous emotional trauma in his personal life as well as the trauma caused by constant fighting in the Clone Wars. The major question is not why did Anakin fall to the dark side, but why did it take so long and how did more Jedi avoid falling as well.
II. How Ahsoka fits into the Continuity
Ahsoka also fits as a Retcon, if Ahsoka dies in the course of the Clone Wars series, especially if it is set close to the events of RotS, then in plays in nicely as to why she is not mentioned in the movie. Both Obi-Wan and Padme would know that the loss was too fresh for Anakin to deal with, so conveniently it goes unmentioned in the movie.
Once the story of Ahsoka is concluded in the Clone Wars series, I think we also see references to her popping up in the Expanded Universe novels or Comics. Once other writers know what Ahsoka’s fate is, we can fit her to a greater degree in the Post-Battle of Endor EU. If she survives somehow, she could appear and interact with Luke’s Jedi Order at some point down the road. If she dies, some record, be it a holojournal, reference to her, etc. could be found and used as part of a story. But I am sure at this time Lucasfilm has made her pretty off-limits as a character as to not create a continuity problem for its current main Star Wars vehicle (The Clone Wars).
III. Ahsoka, a character or caricature?
In both the original trilogy and the prequels we have a strong leading lady in the person of Princess Leia Organa and of Padme Amidala. However, if you pay attention for the most part the world of Star wars is male dominated. It makes sense to take the chance and make the new main character of the latest Star Wars story not only a young person, important for a show whose target audience is children, but also a girl. Not only does this send a positive message to female viewers, but it also creates a fresh take on storytelling from operating from a female perspective that is limited in Star Wars story telling.
If you follow the expanded Universe we have seen a number of stories featuring and some primarily so, lead female characters. You don’t have to be a guy to swing a light saber. We have any number of examples of leading lady Jedi’s in the EU, for example Barriss Offee (Medstar Duology), Etain Tur-Mukan (Republic Commando’s series), Tahiri Veila (Junior Jedi Knights Series through current FotJ series), Jaina Solo (Dark Journey, as well as many other novels especially the LotF series), and of course Mara Jade Skywalker(Zahn’s novels and rest of EU until Sacrifice).
The introduction of Ahsoka into the Star Wars universe was awkward to say the least. The Clone Wars animated movie was not probably some of the weakest storytelling of the entire Clone Wars series. So not only do you have a so-so movie, but the characterization of Ahsoka was rather unappealing. A snarky tube top and mini-skirt wearing teen, who was rude to her new Jedi Master, is not the most endearing character ever created.
Ahsoka has been best in the Clone Wars when she is either on her own or paired a Jedi other than Anakin. In these situations the focus shifts off of Anakin and onto Ahsoka who can and should be the star of the show. So far in the first two seasons of the show we saw Ahsoka very much learning on the job, making mistakes, overconfident at some times and unsure at others. But as we get deeper into season 3 we are seeing a maturing Ahsoka. Ahsoka is also getting a long overdue fashion makeover. Some fans and critics of the show have commented on Ahsoka’s attire or lack thereof. While I don’t think this is a huge deal, it is nice to see Ahsoka getting a less revealing and more situational appropriate outfit.
Only the future episodes of the show will tell us where the character of Ahsoka goes, but I think Dave Filoni, George Lucas and the writers of the Clone Wars series have redeemed a character that was poorly executed in the Clone Wars Movie, but who has become integral to the story telling of the Clone Wars television series.
Author’s note: I would like to give credit to Nathan P. Butler (Star Wars Timeline Gold) and the crew at We Talk Clones (Solosound/EuCantina.net) for the inspiration of this editorial. It was Mr. Butler’s analogy of the Star Wars continuity to the differing interpretations of the Constitution (strict constructionist vs. living breathing) that brought the idea of penumbras to the surface of my mind. We Talk Clones and EU Review are two of the best Star Wars related podcasts on the web and are a must listen for fans.
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