Jedi Master Even Piell has been captured and is being held in a stronghold known as The Citadel.  It was originally created to hold Jedi and is reknowned for having the best defenses of any prison.  Obi-Wan and Anakin lead a team to break Master Piell out of the prison.

In order to get into the system without being detected, Artoo Detoo has reprogrammed a group of Battle Droids to pilot a stolen Seperatist shuttle and frozen the team in carbonite to evade any life scanners on the planet.  From here the episode plays out like a thrilling combination of the Endor strike in Return of the Jedi and The Guns of Navarone.  They even have to scale a rock wall, just like in Navarone, but instead of having to destroy a gun, it’s a rescue mission.

In fact, as soon as I saw the rock wall I was counting the seconds before a member of the team fell to his death or broke a leg (as Anthony Quayle did in Navarone.)  When it happened, it brought a smile to my face.

I was smiling a lot through this episode.  It was very fun and felt like a Saturday afternoon matinee adventure.   It was lighthearted, there was plenty at stake and the action was tremendous.  And it ended on a brilliant cliffhanger.

I’m sure you’ve all noticed that “Captain” Tarkin is featured in this episode, and he’s important since he holds half of the code the Seperatists are trying to torture out of Even Piell, but when Piell is rescued, he insists they need to rescue Tarkin as well.  You’ll remember Tarkin as Peter Cushing’s character from Episode IV – A New Hope (and briefly in Episode III) and he’s the only Imperial Officer we saw Vader take any orders from.

He also blew up Alderaan.  Bastard.

But we see the introduction of these two characters and I’m excited to see the seeds of their relationship grow in the coming episodes in this arc and to see the evolution of it. It’s a secret I’ve ALWAYS been curious about, and I think it really is going to be revealed.

It feels as though they’ve pulled out all the stops on this half of The Clone Wars and I’m dying to see what they’ve got cooking for the rest of it.  Can the animation and writing get better?  I wonder.  This episode had one of the coolest fight sequences on the show, where a squad of Commando Droids face off against four Jedi and a group of Clones in a magnetized hallway.

And seriously, the Commando Droids are so fun to watch, I hope they use them on the show more.  Same with C-3P0.  It was great to see him back on the show and I think they use him more, too.

The lighting in this episode has taken a step forward as well.  There was a moment in particular where Ahsoka is coming out of a vent and looking down a hallway that struck me as very impressive.

I do have one gripe about this episode, though I think I’ve already come up with a rationale to ignore it.

In The Empire Strikes Back, Lando is pretty concerned about Vader putting anyone in carbon freeze.  “We use this facility for carbon freezing, you put him in there it might kill him.”

And Vader shares that concern and doesn’t want Skywalker damaged, so he orders it be tested on Captain Solo.

There’s a very real threat that Han Solo won’t survive the freezing process, but this episode had none of that worry here.  For the life of me I’m trying to figure out why.  The only thing I can think of is that maybe the Cloud City facility isn’t designed for freezing life forms and the ones the Jedi use are designed for such a procedure.

In any case, this was a very fun episode and I can’t wait to see how they get out of the prison.  My only disappointment is that we have to wait two weeks for any resolution.

The New York Times revealed this morning that the season finale of The Clone Wars will be a two part episode arc featuring none other than Chewbacca the Wookiee, Han Solo’s first mate and one of two Wookiee’s responsible for aiding Yoda in his escape from Kashyyyk in the aftermath of Order 66.

Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca in all 4 films that featured the character (as well as in The Holiday Special and on The Muppet Show), was also invited to give the animators an insight into what it takes to bring everyone’s favorite walking carpet to life.

From the New York Times article:

Though Lucasfilm Animation is keeping specific plot details under wraps, the “Clone Wars” finale, scheduled for April 1, will see Chewbacca cross paths with Ahsoka Tano, the Jedi apprentice to Anakin Skywalker (a k a the future Darth Vader). To prepare for these episodes, titled “Padawan Lost” and “Wookiee Hunt,” the “Clone Wars” supervising director Dave Filoni and his team of animators and artists delved into the Lucasfilm archives for original Chewbacca reference materials and costumes, and invited Mr. Mayhew to their studios in Marin County, north of San Francisco, to advise them on the process of bringing Chewie to digital life

This begs a number of questions. Will we see Chewbacca interact with Yoda once more? If you remember closely, in Revenge of the Sith (which happens after the events portrayed in The Clone Wars) Grand Master Yoda mentions his good relations with the Wookiees and Chewbacca is seen closely guarding him throughout his entire stay on the Wookiee homeworld.

Will we see that backstory play out?

It also says much about Chewbacca’s role in the galaxy and the wider conflict. Some have opined that Chewbacca was actually a secret Republic spy (using Artoo as his contact) during the Dark Times. Will we see the seeds of that theory grow into something more tangible?

And I know I’ve harped on this clue more than once, but at Star Wars Celebration V, Filoni dropped a hint that there would be an episode that drew inspiration from Predator. And if the season finale is called “Wookiee Hunt”, could there be a more fitting homage to one of the best science fiction thrillers ever made?

Only time will tell.

In the meantime, the New York Times has a clip of Chewbacca’s appearance (to Ahsoka of all people). I love the music cues in the piece. They’re taken straight from Ben Kenobi’s reveal in A New Hope.

Very excellent stuff.

The season finale of The Clone Wars airs April 1st.

We have a brand new clip from this week’s The Clone Wars episode. “The Citadel” looks to be a return to form with the action-packed sorts of episodes we were growing used to in Season 2.

This clip looks fantastic and I can’t wait to discover the context in which this is happening. Is this being done to them? Is this voluntary to commit a Trojan Horse maneuver? Only time will tell.

From the press release:

Led by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, an elite rescue team attempts to free a captive Jedi general from an impenetrable Separatist prison. Deep within enemy territory, The Citadel is surrounded by droids and run by a sadistic warden determined to prevent anyone from breaking out – or in. Our heroes stage an action-packed forced entry to “The Citadel,” the first chapter in an explosive three-part storyline – airing at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT Friday, February 18 on Cartoon Network.

“This arc is basically classic Star Wars; we focused on the things that I really remember loving about the Saga from when I was a kid,” says Dave Filoni, supervising director of The Clone Wars. “In the Mortis trilogy, George wanted us to explore some ground that’s never really been covered in Star Wars before. And now with the Citadel arc, we’re going back to some of those essential, classic conventions that have always made Star Wars so fun.”

Action-packed and filled with nods to the live-action saga, the Citadel trilogy finds its heroes behind enemy lines – using an unusual infiltration tactic that fans of the original trilogy will recognize as a twist on a classic Star Wars scene. With the heroes encasing themselves in carbonite to slip past The Citadel’s impenetrable security, the episode explores quintessentially familiar ground in decidedly unfamiliar ways.

“There are a lot of references packed into these episodes,” says Filoni. “Even the basic break-in idea parallels the Death Star rescue from Episode IV. It was really fun to do our version of that, but it’s definitely not the only thing that will feel familiar – though we’ve put our own spin on everything. This whole arc allowed us some fun opportunities to pay homage to the Star Wars that we all fell in love with when we, the older fans, were kids. Pretty much everyone on the crew is a fan, so it’s been fun to revisit some of those classic elements in The Clone Wars.”

Another familiar element come in the form of a classic Star Wars villain – introduced here on the side of the Republic! First appearing in Episode IV as the Imperial officer bold enough to “[hold] Vader’s leash,” Grand Moff Tarkin (now just a captain) will have his fateful first meeting with Anakin Skywalker in this week’s Clone Wars adventure.

“Tarkin was tricky,” says Filoni. “We had to capture his essence, while also aging him down appropriately. Peter Cushing is such a distinguished actor, and Tarkin is such an iconic role. He fills the room with his presence and, aside from the Emperor, he’s the only character who ever orders Vader around. So getting him right was very important to us, because his introduction to Anakin is an important one. And they’ve got a fun relationship that’s been very interesting to explore.”

New Eagleheart. New Mongo Wrestling. New Robot Chicken. More Lucy, Daughter of the Devil and Frisky Dingo. And a video game blowout! Let’s start at the top.

In this week’s Eagleheart, Double Your Pleasure, Chris Elliot flies on a rocketpack.  Yes, a rocketpack. You want to be there. Official summary: “Twins from Chris’ past are more than they seem.”  Thursday, Mightnight, ET/PT

Sunday’s new Mongo Wrestling Alliance sends team Kleberkuh to Mexico, where they must fight a cult of little people wrestlers dressed as skeletons, including their king, who is a giant-sized little person. (not sure how that works, but going with it anyway)

DVR Theater continues with Frisky Dingo and Lucy, Daughter of the Devil.  Maybe it’s just the thing I have for Grace Ryan, but make sure to tune in to Tuesday night’s/Wednesday morning’s “Meet Antagone.”

Also, possibly to entice all of the new Verizon iPhone users, [adult swim] is blowing out all of their games on the app store for $.99.  Robot Unicorn Attack. Five Minutes to Kill Yourself. Amatuer Surgeon. You want them. Especially Robot Unicorn Attack.

As always, full schedule is here, and enjoy this week’s helping of goodness courtesy our friends at [adult swim].

There were moments in ‘Ghosts of Mortis’ that were tremendous. And it makes you really think about the nature of Anakin’s future.

This episode is the last in the Mortis arc and picks up where the last episode leaves off, with Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka needing to flee the planet before the Son can manipulate his way off of Mortis to the eternal ruin of the galaxy.

But the Son sees the future of Anakin and feels that he can be easily swayed by the Dark Side. Anakin seeks out the Son to kill him, but finds the well of the Dark Side and the Son shows him his future in the single most powerful moment in the Mortis saga. Through the swirling mists of the dark side of the Force, the Son shows Anakin his future, and it’s a future we’re all familiar with.

Watching the heroic Anakin that we know and love from The Clone Wars wrestling with his dark, certain future is heart breaking. We see him doing all of the worst things in his fall and it culminates with the destruction of Alderaan and it’s almost certainly

Though we know him to be lying (as is the way of the Dark Side) the Son tells Anakin that his future is not set in stone and if he turns against Obi-Wan and Ahsoka then he can be spared all of the pain he will cause in his future. It proves once and for all that a willingness to turn evil for the greater good is ingrained in Anakin’s DNA and makes his fall in Revenge of the Sith all the more heartbreaking.

It’s quite apparent that the show is maturing and the themes and topics they’re willing to tackle is growing with them. I was told before hand that this episode would play to all of my interests as a fan of the saga and it was true. My favorite story from the beginning has always been the rise and fall and redemption Anakin Skywalker and this arc has been one that adds so much nuance to it that I’ve been so delighted and impressed.

For some people Star Wars is about the space battles. For others it’s the Imperials. For others it’s lightsaber duels and others still it’s the love stories and Han Solo. But for me Star Wars is a tragedy. The tragedy of Anakin Skywalker and how he became whole again because of the love of his son. And this arc of episodes added shading and nuance to that story arc in a way that made me incredibly pleased.

If this is the level of writing and maturity we’re going to be getting on this show moving forward, I’d like to be the first to congratulate the cast and crew of The Clone Wars. You’ve taken it to the next level.

This week’s episode starts with a bang, with the former Speedy, now renamed Red Arrow, rescuing a scientist from a tropical beachfront fortress. He really kicks some ass and delivers this scientist to our superhero team, only to find he’s been replaced with a new sidekick for Green Arrow, Artemis.

We also find out what scientist lady has been working on- a giant swarm of nano-bugs capable of absorbing and destroying technology (or something). Our heroes are charged with defending her while she finishes working on a virus to destroy the bugs, but the League of Shadows are hot on their trail. Specifically, we get to see Cheshire, Black Spider, Professor Ojo, and the Hook face off against the team. Oh, and there’s something suspicious about Artemesis’ past, and she seems to have some connection with the League of Shadows herself.

The real standout here is Aqualad, who is settling in well to his role as team leader. It’s nice to see that dynamic, as it would make sense to have either Robin or Superboy be the leader, but neither of them are really ready for that responsibility.

This episode is pretty by the numbers: lots of action and fighting, not so heavy on character development. Which is fine if all you want are the ‘splosions and the smashy-smashy. It delivers on that. Lots of good arrow-work in the episode especially, given the presence of Red Arrow and Artemis. Even though your typical archer character (Hawkeye, Green Arrow) can be really lame, in these instances the writers and creators know what they’re doing. I’m also still really digging the wordplay Robin engages in (asking why people are always overwhelmed or underwhelmed, but no one is ever just “whelmed”, etc). We also get some fun moments where Martian Girl telepathically links everyone’s minds together because they fear their electronic communications are being monitored- lots of typical adolescent thoughts being thrown around that team, and even a moment where Aqualad tells people he can hear them glaring at each other.

While not as good as last week (I loved the character moments. . . and still can’t get over the robot monkey attack!) this is a solid episode worthy of your time.  Again, add this to your DVR, watch it Friday night with Clone Wars (or Smallville? If that’s your thing. . .) or watch it Saturday mornings when cartoons were meant to be watched, with a giant bowl of sugary cereal, the way cartoons were meant to be watched.

The official Star Wars website today revealed a photograph that has sent me reeling with intrigue and joy.

After this week’s wrap-up to the Mortis trilogy, what lies beyond has been a bit of a mystery.  Supervising Director Dave Filoni has promised to end on a high note, but the indications of what could be coming are sparse.  My best guess, based on clues given to me by Filoni in an interview, are still an episode based on Predator (possibly with Darth Maul and Savage Opress?)

But we have a sneak peek of next weeks episode:

The episode “The Citadel,” which airs on airing at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT Friday, February 18 on Cartoon Network, features the return of a classic Star Wars character from Episode IV. Long before he held the rank of Grand Moff in charge of Death Star operations, he was a Republic officer in the Clone Wars.

This makes sense.  It’s obvious he was around in this era, and he certainly outranks Vader.  There’s something about what happened between him and Vader in between Episodes III and IV that seems to imply that they’re at least close enough to talk to each other with a modicum of frankness that no other Imperial officer would dare speak to a Dark Lord of the Sith with.

If the beginnings of that relationship can be explored, I’m incredibly interested in seeing it begin.

Here’s a larger look at the image:

We have a new clip from “Ghosts of Mortis”. This arc has been tremendous so far and though this clip reveals very little, it teases a lot. How can the son show Anakin his future? Isn’t the future always in motion? And what will this do to Anakin? If he foresees the events of Revenge of the Sith, how will that shade further viewings of that film bearing this information in mind?

Interesting questions all.

Here’s the official press release about this episode:

The Jedi remain stranded on Mortis, with Anakin Skywalker caught in an epic struggle between the light side and the dark side of the Force. As the Jedi prepare for a decisive confrontation, Anakin must face some shocking visions of his own future in “Ghosts of Mortis” – the climactic chapter in an epic, three-part Clone Wars storyline, airing at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT Friday, February 11 on Cartoon Network.

With the fate of the galaxy on the line and Anakin himself tempted by absolute power over the Force, The Clone Wars continues to put a stake in the ground – firmly establishing the series as essential viewing for a full understanding of the still-unfolding Star Wars canon. The Mortis trilogy is utterly central to the maelstrom of what’s yet to come, bringing Anakin’s terrible destiny to the fore. In “Ghosts of Mortis,” we see his inevitable seduction to the dark side – in smoke-shrouded visions of the future, but also in the burning fires of the here and now. Plagued by a nightmarish glimpse of what he will become, Anakin will take up arms against his best friend amidst the fires of Mortis…

“The prophecy is finally playing out, front and center,” says Matt Lanter (90210, The Roommate), who voices Anakin in the series. “We are realizing that so many important events are being played out that will come to affect what happens in Revenge of the Sith. We see Anakin slowly becoming more independent, wanting more freedom and power. His relationships change. He has become even more of a leader, but may be questioning the Jedi leadership a little more. And it seems as if Anakin doesn’t trust [Obi-Wan] as much, and thinks he is actually holding him back.”

A transformative storyline in the trajectory of the series and the Saga as a whole, the Mortis trilogy explores wholly new ground – revealing the true nature of the Force as it’s never been seen before. At the very core of the story is Anakin – whose personal journey will ultimately define the galaxy.

“This is the Clones Wars at its best so far,” says Lanter. “These stories are such an important piece of not just the series, but Star Wars in general – and these are without a doubt the most trying and emotional episodes that we have seen Anakin deal with. He has to deal with visions of the past, saving his Padawan and risking the future all at the same time. It adds so much to the Saga and makes the events of the films that much more devastating.”

We have two new Superbowl trailers for you.

First is the new Gore Verbinski/Johnny Depp film Rango. This is the first completely animated film that ILM is producing completely in house and it actually looks really good. (The Clone Wars movie was produced by Lucasfilm Animation, not ILM.)

Next, we have Limitless, starring Bradley Cooper and Robert DeNiro. I have no idea what it is, other than it looks like a high tech sort of Wall Street rip or something.

We’ll have more as they become available.

We’re all drooling over the Captain America and Thor commercials, waiting for them to happen, so we’ll see.

After last week’s incredible episode, I knew it would be hard to top. And though I don’t think this episode tops it, ‘Altar of Mortis’ certainly maintains the pace and leaves us off heading in an incredible trajectory. In order to keep Anakin on Mortis, the Son (voiced by Sam Witwer, the apprentice from The Force Unleashed) kidnaps Ahsoka right from their ship and infects her with the Dark Side.

Obi-Wan and Anakin take separate paths to gain her return. Driven with purpose, Anakin seeks a direct route, wishing to confront the son in order to rescue Ahsoka. Obi-Wan knows that the Son will not be so easily cowed, and wishes to seek the help of the Father and the Daughter.

Neither option works out very well.

There is a lot to love in this episode and as a middle act, it was very reminiscent of Attack of the Clones, both visually and thematically. When Ahsoka is captured and finds herself shackled to the wall, the lighting in the room looks very much like the prison Obi-Wan spent time in on Geonosis. And in the finale, the Daughter and the Son have a “wizard’s duel” much like the showdown between Yoda and Count Dooku in Episode II.

Thematically, we have the Master Vs. Apprentice fight between Anakin and Ahsoka (under the toxic influence of the Son) that hearkens back to both Dooku and Yoda, but also foreshadows the future conflict between Obi-Wan and Anakin. Aside from that, you have Anakin struggling with loss (in Ahsoka) and a drive to prevent her from dying. The Dark Side wins in this installment and is strengthened, just like the end of the Attack of the Clones, and we are left wondering if the world can ever be right again.

But on the other hand, is this really a world? This entire episode seemed hazy, and, to quote Luke, like something out of a dream. The edges of the screen were feathered with a white haze most of the episode. And nothing on Mortis is what it seems, like the Star Wars equivalent of Wonderland. Though the most bizarre thing in this episode must have been the gnomish form taken by the Son to bamboozle Ahsoka. It was weird, and a little creepy in all of the right ways.

While I’m thinking about it, did anyone else catch all of the pretty overt references to classic Star Wars film dialogue? This episode was littered with things from the saga just like last week. Have I mentioned that I love it when they do that?

And before I forget, I’d like to call attention to Ahsoka here. Aside from the facial animation and voice work being the best it’s been with the character since her inception (kudos to Ashley Eckstein), Filoni and his crew are using this character like an emotional bartering chip. I’ve talked a lot about this before, that we’re all expecting her to die at any moment and she won’t. And the second we let our guard down and we’re in the middle of laughing at a joke, she’s going to be killed. In this episode, I really thought there were three or four moments where I actually thought she was going to die and tears were ready in my eyes.

The Clone Wars team is playing with us. Completely toying with our emotions. And they’re particularly deft at it and it had my heart completely racing.

And they’re going to keep playing with our emotions concerning the fate of Ahsoka until it’s too late.

Though this episode was really good (and better the more I seem to chew on it), it is easily overshadowed by the power of the trailer for next week’s episode. I’m just bursting with excitement for next week I can’t even begin to explain. James Arnold Taylor doing moments directly out of Revenge of the Sith? That’s just exciting.

I can’t wait to see where they take things from here.