I love this level of feedback, JupiterBrains, thanks!
The New Padawan is a tricky one, and I think my priority is just to get through it as quickly and painlessly as possible. (Give or take the new content from Tales of the Jedi.) While you’re entirely right, and that the prequel episode’s content fleshes this story out, I think what we’re competing against here is that the episode’s military plotline just isn’t that interesting - and it’s not a great ‘promise’ to the viewer about what they’re going to get.
Ultimately, TCW works best when treated as a series of good character stories, where the setting is the war, rather than a set of battlefield stories. So yes, increasing the tension of the battlefield story would be valuable, but, is that really a story worth telling? I think the heart of this episode is the introduction of Ahsoka and her early relationship with Anakin, and we should stay focused on that in an otherwise not particularly appealing episode.
I’ve also mentioned here before that I have a little issue with introducing traitor clones in our very first story - yes, great, we should see them as individuals with their own agency, but I think it’s too early to introduce their potential for outright betrayal of the Republic in a show where we need to believe in them as the good guys’ reliable military.
I could, I suppose, create an extended version of the opening episode, as I plan to with a few other episodes, to give people the choice. But I don’t want to overdo that!
On Life and Death though, I do think there’s room for inclusion here, because it supports that core goal of keeping the focus on Ahsoka. Especially early in the show - most people are cool with Ahsoka now, but back when TCW came out she was disliked, and I want to kind of say ‘nope, we’re starting with Ahsoka, we’re confident about it, come along for the ride’. So yes, including L&D would help there. I’m not sure exactly how to include it - showing her powers would be a nice crossover point, though comes with her own challenges - but I’ll think about it more sometime.
Please keep feedback like this coming!