“Monster” is the second part of the Nightsisters Trilogy and was the first appearance of the new Star Wars bad guy Savage Opress, who is billed as (at the very least) Darth Maul’s blood kin.

The Nightsisters, bent on their quest for vengeance against Dooku select Savage as their instrument of revenge and install him as Dooku’s new apprentice.

It doesn’t get much more straightforward than that.  The episode revolves largely around Ventress choosing the correct pawn and settling on Savage for her work.  Somehow the Nightsisters imbue him with their dark power to enhance him even further and turn him over to Dooku who immediately sets him off on a mission to test his mettle.

This is another set up episode, but the set up contains lots and lots of action.  Perhaps my favorite bit of action was during the second trial Ventress ran her candidates through.  It was pitch black and she concealed herself in the force, picking them off one by one.  It was reminiscent of the fight she had with the clones on the jungle planet in Genndy Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars series.

The story is a little more brutal and more dark than we’re used to seeing on The Clone Wars as well.  Savage works hard to protect his brother, and his sense of protective loyalty to his brother is what drives him to make sure he’s the one chosen by Ventress.  But it backfires and after he’s turned into an evil tool in Ventress’ game, he is forced to snap the neck of the one he tried so hard to protect.  It gives the character and interesting depth and raises a lot of questions that make him more interesting than Darth Maul.  So he’s forced to kill his brother, but why was he so protective of him in the first place?  Did they watch this happen with Maul?  He’s bent to the will of the Nightsisters, but is he really plotting his own revenge against them or is he completely under their control?  Will he be a longterm player in the duration of The Clone Wars?  Or will he suffer a fate much like his brother (too much bad-ass, not enough screentime, cut short in his prime)?  Did he have force powers because he’s from Dathomir?  Or is it because of what the Nightsisters did to him?

That last question right there makes me wonder about the nature of the Force and the midichlorians.  I really, really, really hope we get to see Dave Filoni and his crew delve into midichlorians and explain them to people who didn’t seem to get them in The Phantom Menace.

I’d also like to point out one more touch that brought a smile to my face this episode:  In the night sky there was a falling star in the background, just like those that Steven Spielberg seems to manage into most of his movies.  (My favorite is the one in Jaws.)

I’ve already heard rumblings from people upset with this because this pretty much rewrites the history of Darth Maul (unless Mother Talzin is lying, which I doubt).  I just want to register my annoyance with these complaints.  This stuff in no way discounts the Expanded Universe.  I’m glad they keep it out of the writer’s room and aren’t trying to incorporate it.  In most cases the stuff they’re coming up with is better than the EU.

But in any case, this is another great stepping stone to what I’m sure will be an explosive finale.  I’ve read reviews from the screenings that this arc is “better than the prequels” and they better pull out all the stops for the next episode to make me believe that.

Until next week.

I got a chance to talk to Katie Lucas about her writing on The Clone Wars, specifically the new Nightsisters trilogy that we’re currently in the middle of.  (You can see the latest clip from that here.) She’s written a number of episodes, but these seem to be the ones every wants to see.

And the name is no coincidence, she is indeed the daughter of the creator of Star Wars, George Lucas.

Here’s our brief chat:

Big Shiny Robot!: Though this isn’t your debut as a writer for Clone Wars, you’ve written some great episodes prior to this, but this is being hailed as a new era for an already great show, how do you feel about that?

Katie Lucas: I honestly think that this is an exciting new chapter for the series. It’s grown so much in the six years I’ve been on this show. The stories are more cohesive and filled with a depth that hasn’t been seen thus far. And the animation from here on out? Above and beyond.

BSR!: There’s obviously a lot of comparison being made between you and your father. What has he taught you as a writer?

KL: I don’t see a lot of similarities between my father and I, professionally, save for our passion for great film. He doesn’t consider himself a writer, he considers himself a director. I’m the definition of a writer, and we all know there’s always a bit of contention between writers and directors. We have different visions, but that doesn’t been we can’t collaborate. The most important thing he’s taught me as a writer, and as a person, is to always be true to my own vision, and to never compromise.

BSR!: As a writer, what’s your favorite movie and why?

KL: I don’t have just one. I love Secretary, Harold and Maude, Punch Drunk Love, and Frances, mostly because they’re about outsiders learning to embrace their inner freak, which is a subject close to my heart. The writing is heartbreaking, the direction is genius. The essence of a great film is honesty, and these films present universal truths in a unique and beautiful way. They’re life-changing.

BSR!: What made you decide to pursue writing? And how did you manage to decide to get into Clone Wars? I imagine it was something that wasn’t just handed to you.

KL: I went to college to become a poet and decided to take some film classes out of curiosity. When The Clone Wars was just getting started, my Dad suggested I try writing a screenplay for the show, just to see if I was interested in pursuing screenwriting. I wrote Jedi Crash, and the team loved it. Six years later, and I’m still here!

BSR!: What was it like seeing these episodes you wrote debuting on the big screen? What was the fan reaction like?

KL: Overall, it’s been an amazing experience. Seeing my work on the big screen with an excited audience for the first time was a real game changer. I am more determined than ever to get more of my work out there.

BSR!: This series of episodes seems to delve a lot into the Nightsisters and Count Dooku and, obviously, Savage Opress… A lot of people have been pretty vocal about how this rewrites other pieces of the expanded Star Wars universe… How do you respond to those kinds of questions? Are you even all that aware of the Star Wars universe outside of the films or the show?

KL: I am vaguely aware of the extended universe, though we try to keep as much of it out of the writer’s room as we can. We want all of our stories to be as fresh and as new as possible.

BSR!:  Do you see yourself taking on any other Star Wars to write? Books, comics? The TV show?

KL: I won’t be writing any other Star Wars material after I finish on The Clone Wars. Star Wars is my father’s life work, not mine. I have my own stories to tell.

BSR!: Lastly, I just want to thank you and your father for all the work you guys have done to entertain the world. As a kid it meant a lot to me and it means a lot to me to be able to share it with my kids. And it inspired my career path, so Star Wars really does shape people…

KL: Thank you so much and continue being inspired!

The next episode of The Clone Wars airs on Friday night on Cartoon Network.  Check local listings for a time.

And we’ll be on the look out for Katie’s non-Star Wars work and give you updates about that as we find them.  He’s a great writer and I for one am excited to see what stories she has to tell outside the Star Wars universe.

The scene here explains quite a lot of Darth Maul’s origin (if it’s to be believed) and should send Expanded Universe nerds into fits.  Not that I know much at all of Darth Maul’s origin as told in the EU (nothing in fact) but I know a bit about Zabrak’s and Dathomir…

The last episode was great.  This one looks better.  The third might blow my mind.

Here’s Katie Lucas’ piece from the press release:

Count Dooku visits the witches of Dathomir, seeking to replace Asajj Ventress with a new, deadlier apprentice. Little does he know that his new protégée – the formidable Savage Opress – has been selected by Ventress herself, and that the Nightsisters have used their witchcraft to transform the warrior into a monstrous killer without remorse, compassion or loyalty. The second chapter of a three-part Clone Wars arc, “Monster” airs at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT Friday, January 14 on Cartoon Network.

“I’ve really fallen for Ventress, and here the audience gets to learn a lot about her history. She’s an extremely complicated character,” says Katie Lucas, writer of the three-part Nightsisters arc. “She’s a cold-hearted harpy, but she has good reason to be – and now she’s displaying a much more independent side of herself. Ventress is nobody’s pawn anymore. She finally owns herself. I grew up on Buffy and Tank Girl, so writing for strong females is second nature to me. I listened to a lot of early Hole and The Distillers albums to inspire me while writing these stories; I really wanted to tap into that visceral female rage, and Courtney Love’s snarl certainly tears that right out of you.”

While Ventress has certainly asserted herself and assumed a more powerful role than ever before, “Monster” also introduces an all-new villain into the power struggle. A warrior from the same fearsome race that spawned Episode I’s Darth Maul, Opress is bred and trained to serve – but he is destined to become more powerful than ever his masters had imagined.

“Savage is a lot like Frankenstein’s creation,” says Lucas. “He’s a monster, but you get brief glimpses of a real heart beneath the surface. He’s a complicated character – I don’t think he would have turned to the dark side without the manipulation of the witches. They use him.”

Daughter of the acclaimed Star Wars creator, Lucas acknowledges her personal connections to that “galaxy far, far away,” while still recognizing her writer’s responsibility to speak to the quintessentially Earth-bound human experience.

“If I hadn’t been raised in the Star Wars universe, I don’t think there would be any way I could write sci-fi. It doesn’t come naturally to me. I’ve had to adapt,” she says. “Part of being a screenwriter is knowing how to entertain, and the other part is staying true to your own vision. I’ve always been inspired by the truths of our world, universal and personal, here in our reality, and I try to bring as much of that as I can to The Clone Wars.”

The first episode of The Clone Wars for 2011 really kicked things off with a bang.  ‘Nightsisters’ is the first part of a three episode trilogy devoted to Asajj Ventress’ quest for revenge against Count Dooku for his betrayal of her.

The episode is pretty straightforward and it serves its purpose well.  Sidious, sensing that Ventress has grown too strong with the dark side of the force, orders Dooku to eliminate her.  It’s an incredibly Sith like thing to do and caught between a rock in a hard place, Dooku carries out the order.  The rest of the episode is Ventress working hard to stay alive and get revenge.

It’s hard to talk much about specifics here.  This is the opening act of a three act play.  It’s a setup.  But it’s a very well put together set up, with very interesting players moving their pieces into place in very interesting ways.

This episode probably has more lightsaber dueling than the last 10 episodes combined.  Anakin and Obi-wan spend  quite a bit of time dueling Ventress and Ventress and her two Nightsister companions spend a tremendous amount of time fighting Dooku.  My guess as to the reason there haven’t been as many lightsaber duels?  They’ve been saving it all up for this episode.  The choreography here was pretty stunning and must have been a nightmare to coordinate.  The animators really got a feel for the fighting style of Anakin and Obi-wan from the movies and Ventress moves with a deadly grace that I just love to watch.  But the real superstar in lightsaber combat always has been (and probably always will be) Count Dooku.  His fighting style in the films was always incredibly powerful and elegant and they improved upon that tenfold here in this episode.  And I must say, I’ve been dying to see this episode since Celebration V, when they showed snippets of Dooku fighting blindly…  He’s a badass…  There’s really no other way to put it.

As always, the animation and lighting department has continued to step up its game.  The space battles were stunning, the landscape of Dathomir was intriguing, and Count Dooku’s palace had an incredibly beautiful and elegant architecture.

And as far as character design, Count Dooku’s pajamas will forever go down in the Star Wars history books.  He looked like Hugh Hefner in his silk pajamas, but a thousand fold more deadly.

As I said before about the story, this is really the set up and it’s hard to comment on the overall writing.  This is Katie Lucas (George Lucas’ daughter) writing here, and this episode is completely competent.  Though it doesn’t surpass ‘Assassin’ as my favorite episode this season (by Katie or otherwise) this is episode is certainly getting us to where we want to be.

I’m thirsty for more and if they tease Savage Oppress (who was barely a whisper in this episode) I might explode.  I suppose there is a reason Cartoon Network has dubbed this the “Nightsisters Trilogy” but I think I speak for everyone when I say that we want more Darth Maul-like goodness.  And with Clancy Brown voicing him, we can’t get to him soon enough.

This was a very solid episode.  And I can’t wait for more.  This is a very solid start for Clone Wars in 2011.

And I’m sad I couldn’t make it to one of the screenings…

We have two new clips from the first episode of The Clone Wars in 2011. These come from the first part of the three episode Savage Oppress arc that was previewed last month theatrically to hundreds of lucky fans across the country.

From the official press release:

Troubled by Asajj Ventress’ growing prowess with the dark side of the Force, Darth Sidious commands Count Dooku to eliminate her. But Ventress survives Dooku’s assassination attempt, and the jilted former apprentice vows to take revenge, enlisting the aid of her kinswomen – the mystical Nightsisters of Dathomir – in her sinister scheme. Evil clashes with evil and sparks fly – igniting the fuse for the launch of the explosive second half of Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season Three. Darkness falls and the end begins with “Nightsisters,” an all-new episode debuting at an ALL-NEW TIME – 8:30 p.m. ET/PT Friday, January 7 on Cartoon Network.

The first of a three-part story arc, “Nightsisters” pulls back the curtain to reveal bitter rivalries, seething resentments, shattered alliances and more – including the revelation of a dark sorcery as mystical and powerful as the Force itself. Wielded by the witches of far-off Dathomir, this sinister magic poses a threat to both the Jedi and the Sith, and a challenge to the delicate balance of the Force.

“We’ve still only seen a small sliver of what’s possible,” says Dave Filoni, supervising director of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. “Not only are we seeing stories from different points of view, but we are constantly learning about new perspectives that shift the paradigm entirely.”

One of those new perspectives comes from Ventress herself. Previously represented primarily as Dooku’s grim shadow and an agent of evil, her secret history is revealed when she is forced to re-examine her allegiances. The hunter becomes the hunted, but she is quick to demonstrate that she is no ordinary prey. She strikes back with a vengeance, returning to the offensive as she responds to the insult and injury of her former master’s betrayal.

“Things are changing in The Clone Wars – permanent changes that will affect the whole Star Wars universe,” says Filoni. “We are about to start seeing some significant shifts, starting with the power structure of the Separatists and the Sith. We’re shaking things up for them, and you’ll see that our bad guys are going to react strongly to that. They don’t take it too well. What we’re seeing is the start of a chain reaction. Things are really about to pick up – and this is just the beginning.”

Tomorrow, we’ll be running a complete interview with Matt Senreich and Seth Green about Star Wars Robot Chicken III, but today, we’re doing a tease from the interview with us talking about their impressions of The Clone Wars:

Big Shiny Robot!: I write a lot about The Clone Wars and I didn’t get to talk to you guys at the premiere, what your guys’ impression of the show is…

Matt Senreich: I love The Clone Wars. That show just keeps getting better and better. It all started with that first feature where in my mind I was like, this might not be a show I’d watch, it’s for kids. But it’s gotten to this place where it’s like, “Are kids still watching this?” Because it’s been getting so intense. But I just find it captivating. The visual style is getting better and I think Filoni is doing an amazing job.

Seth Green: I can’t believe that we can be so lucky as to be given this view into the Star Wars universe. And to have it be taken so seriously and with such gravity. I mean, I’ve talked to soldiers in all different aspects of the US military and they really have responded to the depiction to the Clone Troopers and the other side of the Star Wars wars that we’ve never seen. Like what it’s like to be a soldier on the battlefield bred for combat and death. It’s a really intense view. And you see all the things you didn’t have time to explore in the Prequels. And it’s great canon. I love what they’re doing. I love how it’s more like Robotech than any kids cartoon I’ve ever seen. It’s dramatic and heartfelt and scary and fun all at the same time. And it’s adult, but it doesn’t exclude kids and it doesn’t pander to them. It’s a real accomplishment.

BSR!: Yeah. Filoni and I geeked out for what felt like 20 minutes about Robotech… And my next question is, you’re Todo 360, who is one of the funniest and most fun side characters on the show. And his voice is an effeminate version of your interpretation of Threepio?

SG: Pretty much. I just thought that’s what droids sounded like when I first saw Star Wars. All the droids that don’t make beeps and boops must sound like foppish British dudes. That’s what I went for. And Dave and I joked, “Should I just kind of do like a soft Tony?” And we tried it and it was funny. And because he’s so little we wanted him to be indignant a lot. And because he’s so small, it’s fun to see him get blustery and have a Yosemite Sam quality. He doesn’t get scared. He’s standoffish even though he’s so small.

Come back tomorrow for some nice, juicy pieces about the new Robot Chicken special, and some tantalizing tidbits about their new Star Wars show.

Entertainment Weekly has an exclusive of the trailer that was shown at the end of the Savage Oppress screenings.

Wow.

That’s really just…

I seriously have tears in my eyes. This trailer was bloody perfect. We get to see Even Piell in action? And someone in carbonite? And more Trandoshans? And some sort of Sith people? And… And… And… And the end… With Ahsoka?

Is that a hint of the dark side? If that’s true, I’ll feel like Padme pleading to Anakin on Mustafar.

Wow.

There’s just…

Just go. Watch it again. Spread the word.

Also, the end of this trailer announces a new timeslot for Clone Wars. Is this earlier than usual? If so, good news. As of now it airs at 10:00 pm in my timezone and that just pisses me off.

Last night’s episode of The Clone Wars, ‘Pursuit of Peace’, continued the story of the senate’s fight to pass or not pass a bill that would create five million more clones to send to the war.

Padme and her sanity caucus, predictably, would prefer to see diplomacy resume with the Separatists, but they have other plans. Last week, we met Padme’s life-long friend and Separatist, whom she convinced to call for a vote for peace with the Republic. Those hopes seemed tenuous by the last episode, but are completely unrealistic after Dooku reveals that the Confederate Senators calling for peace have been killed in an alleged attack by the Republic.

Still hoping to defeat the bill, Padme and Bail Organa play minority whip and try to rile up votes. The problem is that Dooku has hired a pair of Bounty Hunters to rough up the senators thinking of voting against escalation.

I know this episode sounds like a lot of political maneuvering, and it is, but somehow they inserted an urgency and pacing into that maneuvering and made it pretty great. Add to that a great pair of bounty hunters roughing up senators and you’ve got the makings of a great political episode.

A lot of people have complained about the prevalence of political episodes of this show, but I really feel like not only was this one necessary, but that it was a story so incredibly well told that there really is nothing to complain about.

Part of what I really, really liked about this episode was that we get to see a little bit of Palpatine’s side of the scheming. Throughout the course of this show he’s been seen as sort of the doddering old man from The Phantom Menace with hints of who he was in Attack of the Clones, but now we’re finally getting to see hints of his dark side and it enhances the showdown in Revenge of the Sith beyond words.

I can also see conservatives having problems with some of these more recent episodes. The political episodes have been doing a very good job at tackling philosophical issues about greed and corruption in a political setting (and none better than in this episode) but conservatives tend to confuse the words greed and corruption with words like “capitalism” and “free enterprise”. This episode revolves heavily around the fact that the banks have been deregulated and if the government were to take out the required loans for troops there would be no checks and balances on how that money was taken or fair rates of return or interest. Sure, it’s a little heady for some kids, but if that nugget can be implanted in kids now, that greed is wrong and gouging people simply because it’s legal is wrong too, then this show is actually making a positive impact on the world. If nothing else, it will force some parents to have these conversations with their kids and take a long hard look at what they might believe.

I’m a little surprised there hasn’t been more conservative outrage against it yet.

As far as the sets, I feel like these guys are putting in such great work building bars and cantinas that we need a couple of episodes devoted entirely to those locales. When we see the bounty hunters get their jobs in this episode and we sweep through the bar and see the mostly naked (possibly entirely naked) Twi’lek dancers in the dark light and the phosphorescence of the drinks and other lighting… These sets and their lighting schemes are works of art and it feels like these must be some of their favorite sets to build because they always seem to stand out.

As for the one big action scene in this episode, I have to say it was pretty exhilerating. It was a very fun mix between the speeder chase in Attack of the Clones and the speeder bike chase in Return of the Jedi with a couple of a very determined Bounty Hunters, wishing nothing more than to cause Padme death. It was pretty awesome.

Overall, I would say this is one of the better episodes in this season so far.

My biggest complaint? Where the eff have Anakin and Obi-wan been? I feel like we’ve been so mostly constrained to Coruscant and politics that I’ve almost forgotten that there’s a war on.

But something tells me the episodes for season 3 in 2011 will bring us back to that. Going back to the original press releases for this season and the trailers we’ve seen, we still have the Nightsisters, Savage Oppress, and the Prophecy of the Chosen One to see this season.

And my guess is that they’re saving the best for the finale. And for that I can’t wait.

We got a bonus this week: A look at the next episode of Clone Wars after Friday’s, which happens to be scheduled to air early next year.

I’m having a hard time containing my excitement about this arc of episodes. Between the Nightsisters and Savage Oppress… I’m just giddy.

The single line from the press release:

January 2011 will begin with a bang as Count Dooku seeks to eliminate his own apprentice — and Ventress does not take kindly to the attempt on her life.

This is from the last episode of Clone Wars for 2010, airing Friday.

This clip looks like a great mash-up of the speeder chase in Attack of the Clones and the speeder bike chase in Return of the Jedi and I really can’t wait to see it in context.

Now if only Padme’s hair reacted to the wind…

From the Press Release:

Senators Padmé Amidala, Bail Organa and Onaconda Farr attempt to rally the senate against a bill that would appropriate funds for millions of new clone troops – with disastrous financial consequences for the Republic. Their opposition to the measure, however, makes them targets for intimidation and attack. “Pursuit of Peace” is an all-new episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars – airing at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, December 3 on Cartoon Network.