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EddieDean

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27-Jan-2017
Last activity
18-Aug-2025
Posts
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Post History

Post
#1525484
Topic
The Clone Wars: Refocused [COMPLETE]
Time

Thank you both! It’s kind of wild that this started as a little idea that I just ran with.

Rogue, I’m not suggesting people watch TOTJ then TCW:R, and it’s not something I’ll roll into the plan for this show - it’s more just something I discovered that offers a fun perspective.

But yes, it might spawn some good AOTC thoughts. Since I’ve got an episodic hat on lately, I can see the merits in splitting the Anakin and Obi-Wan plots out entirely, for example, and not having Anakin at Geonosis.

Vranir, I agree. I think it might suit a movie more than episodes, but maybe this ordering could work:

  • Establish in the crawl that Christophsis is somehow important to the Kamino situatoin, and that all of this is happening out in the same region of the Outer Rim, near Kamino, where Grievous is targeting clone facilities and Ventress is assassinating key Republic assets. Luminara is running priority supplies to and from the region, but has just been diverted to pick up the freshly captured Nute Gunray, who’s stolen secrets which could help Grievous assault Kamino. Since Anakin’s knighted, Obi-Wan’s requested a new padawan.
  • Anakin and Obi-Wan break down to the Christophsis surface. They have some sort of important business there. [From the Christophsis arc]
  • Nearby(ish), Grievous wipes out Plo Koon’s ship and starts pod killing survivors. We establish a threat to clones. [From Malevolence]
  • Anakin and Obi-Wan set up their base on Christophsis, but get ambushed, then go to hunt down Ventress who’s behind it. Separatist forces on Christophsis are revealed to have already landed on the planet.
  • Sidious tells Dooku that Nute Gunray has secrets and must be retrieved. Dooku assigns Ventress to recover him, drawing her away from Christophsis.
  • The Malevolence situation is recognised as an emergency by the Republic, and this gets relayed round the fleet (just after the Christophsis forces get their Comms jammed). Luminara becomes the relay to Christophsis.
  • Luminara, who is escorting Ashoka somewhere (maybe she’s just Luminara’s padawan, we think?), delivers Gunray to her larger ship. Ventress arrives, causes chaos, and rescues Gunray, but we see Ashoka in action. Luminara returns to her original mission. [Assassin]
  • We return to Christophsis. Anakin and Obi-Wan are preparing for a ground battle, and receive delivery of supplies from Luminara’s ship. Ashoka is delivered too (she’s to be Anakin’s padawan?!) and she relays that there’s an emergency. But with the unexpected force on Christophsis, they can’t respond yet.
  • The rest of Christophsis plays out, the Separatist forces are defeated, and the key trio head to space to deal with the Malevolence emergency.
  • We return to Plo’s team in space. They’re struggling and being hunted. Plo tells his troops “you’re individuals and important to me”.
  • Cut to Domino Squad training. [Domino squad arc] We see this group as individuals. They fail training.
  • The main trio rescue Plo, and race to take out the Malevolence. It’s destroyed, but Grievous flees. We imply this was a key distraction.
  • Cut to Domino Squad on the Rishi moon. They’re watching for a possible attack on Kamino. Droids take over the base.
  • Anakin takes Ashoka back to Coruscant. Stuff is heating up in the region, it’s not safe for a brand new padawan. She’s done now for this movie, but she’s had a lot of action.
  • Rex and Cody arrive on the Rishi moon, as Anakin and Obi-Wan hunt for Grievous. Both plots are revealed to be linked- Grievous is using the silencing of this base as a way to sneak attack on Kamino. Everyone rushes to Kamino (including Ventress) and they all fight there and save the planet. End.
Post
#1525427
Topic
The Clone Wars: Refocused [COMPLETE]
Time

In other news, now that I’m all done, I started my rewatch from scratch. But since I was in a Tales of the Jedi mood, I watched all of Dooku’s TOTJ episodes first, and then my two prologues, then into TCW:R proper.

And I’ve gotta tell you, that ordering - chronological (minus Ahsoka’s intro), but skipping the two first prequel movies, really works. Benefits:

  • The Dooku episodes do such a great job of introducing the viewer to the whole Star Wars setting. They’re powerful, beautiful, character-driven, and explain the state of the galaxy really clearly. Even without seeing the movies, you understand why many planets would want to leave the Republic, and why Dooku would be a fitting figurehead.
  • The whole, this way, is way more focused on high quality character development, and the non-movie content does a really good job of filling in the gaps as you go. They feel like stories with worldbuilding, rather than the prequel movies’ worldbuilding with stories in them.
  • Anakin’s introduction is carried by the Tartakovsky series, and it totally works. We get this nice throughline of Dooku > Qui-Gon > Obi-Wan > Anakin. Dooku 's become our focal villain (after his great and understandable development) and then hiring his few right hand characters, then Anakin is introduced as a brash but great Jedi whom the Jedi Council regard as the ‘chosen one’ and the Sith have a particular interest in. He’s a great pilot with a secret wife, and his character is clear - and in his introductory episode we see via his clash with Ventress how he’s tempted by the dark.
  • We then see Ahsoka’s introduction, and she’s cemented as his apprentice as their character and relationship comes more into focus over the first couple of TCW:R episodes.
  • Seeing Mandalore early also does a great job of introducing third parties - and its neutrality also brings the corruption of the Republic into sharper focus.
  • Speaking of which, the Republic’s corruption is far clearer here - yes, it’s probably a force for good, and stability, but we understand much better why people might object to it, and why it’s exploitable by Sidious. We also see Mace Windu as much more representative of the Jedi as the [corrupt] Republic’s tool, rather than a wiser questioning presence like Dooku, Qui-Gon, or Yoda.

The only things really missing from watching it this way are seeing the Obi-Wan/Maul plot start (you could maybe watch TPM as a flashback before the nightsisters arc?) and more detail on the clones/Jango/Boba (you could maybe watch AOTC between seasons one and two, after we see Kamino but before we see Boba seeking revenge on Mace).

Anyway, it makes for interesting viewing!

Post
#1525426
Topic
The Clone Wars: Refocused [COMPLETE]
Time

It’s a tricky one. You’re right that the episode isn’t super interesting, though it’s harmless enough. I think it’s in an odd place where you’d watch it if you cared about Ahsoka specifically, but it’s not vital to the Clone Wars.

Since it’s optional I worry that pairing it with other things might drag them down, especially since it’s so slow paced. Ahsoka’s Fall is such a perfect arc that I wouldn’t want to distract from it, whereas pairing it with Resolve (you’d call the episode ‘Birth and Rebirth’) is a genuinely decent idea. They’d benefit from having the same aesthetic, though the relevance (and jeopardy) might be lost at that placement in the chronology.

I think there’re two other options: Firstly, as a (long) opening flashback in the Christophsis episode, which wouldn’t be much different from just watching those episodes back to back; and secondly, dumped in to my ‘Tales from the Clone Wars’ anthology which takes content from a bunch of sources and just sticks them together, to bridge my seasons two and three. (A reminder: I plan to include the other Ahsoka episode from TOTJ, the one where she’s repeatedly trained against clones, in that episode too, kind of as a bridging story. She passes out a lot, which would help with the transitions, and it’d also help explain why the art style is all over the place.)

But yes, not sure. Open to further input here!

Post
#1525357
Topic
The Clone Wars: Refocused [COMPLETE]
Time

(RE)RELEASED - S05E06 - CODA: OLD WOUNDS (MAUL AND OBI-WAN) (v2.0)

  • RELEASE VERSION, at v2.0 standard.
  • Note the new numbering.
  • Our second coda for the show, showing the conclusion of the Maul/Obi-Wan plotline.
  • This one should be watched AFTER everything else. And probably after the Kenobi series if you were watching chronologically (but skipping Rebels).
  • Comprising the Star Wars Rebels episode Twin Suns
  • Running 14 minutes.
  • DOWNLOAD LINK is in the tracker spreadsheet, PM me for access.
  • Note: It’s recommended that you download this before watching, rather than streaming it directly from Google Drive.

This is a little extra, just to close out the Maul/Obi-Wan plotline that’s been such a key feature of this series and the prequel era. It’s intended for people who DON’T intend to watch the rest of the Star Wars Rebels animated show. To that end, I’ve removed all Rebels context, allowing the plot to focus on Maul and Obi-Wan, with Ezra just being a context-free tool of Maul - though he still has character. As to how he’s a force-sensitive with holocrons and knowledge of Maul and Obi-Wan, well, the viewer would have to watch more of Rebels for that.

Noteworthy changes:

  • (v2.1 change: Since I now have an Ahsoka coda which includes a new standard for codas and prologues, I’ve updated this slightly to match the same standard. No other significant changes.)
  • No Clone Wars Refocused trappings for this episode - it’s a bitesize standalone thing.
  • We use the original episode’s opening, until Maul plans to use the holocrons to somehow draw Obi-Wan out.
  • I replace the original Rebels logo with this coda’s episode title card.
  • We then skip to Ezra already in orbit of Tattooine, looking at the holocrons in his hand. That’s all the context you get (to begin with) to link him to Maul.
  • I trimmed some of Ezra in orbit to remove humour and Rebels-only context. Ezra then lands.
  • I changed Ezra saying “The sith holocron!” to “A sith holocron!” just to smooth out the lack of viewer context.
  • I trimmed some of the more goofy elements of Ezra being attacked by the Tuskens.
  • I trimmed some of the scene of Ezra wondering what to do, to remove Rebels-only context but show that he’s aware of Maul and here to hopefully help Obi-Wan. Chopper doesn’t argue when he wants to go into the desert.
  • We transition to Ezra in the sandstorm, with some more trims to keep the focus on this plot.
  • I trimmed some of the scene of Ezra in the baking sun, so he doesn’t overdo his relationship with Chopper (it’s not our focus), and instead passes out a bit more quickly. I also cut the more overt Maul vision from this, as adding additional unnecessary complications.
  • I smoothed the transition from baking sun to Obi-Wan finding him, and from that scene into Obi-Wan by the fireplace.
  • I trimmed some of the Rebels-oriented dialogue, mainly to not have Obi-Wan here less anchored to a specific point in the timeline, and to avoid possible conflicts with Rogue One and the Kenobi series. Now they’re mainly just discussing Maul being here for Obi-Wan, and Ezra having been manipulated.
  • The Maul-Obi-Wan scene plays out in full.
  • After that scene concludes, we skip over Ezra’s conclusion (he’s left the scene and our story) and wipe straight into Obi-Wan monitoring the Lars homestead.
  • We use the original episode’s end credits and music, including the Star Wars Rebels logo. I figured that keeping that was fine - this is a Clone Wars Coda but it’s still Rebels content, so there’s no harm in being honest about that.
Post
#1525356
Topic
The Clone Wars: Refocused [COMPLETE]
Time

RELEASED - S05E05 - Coda: Resolve (Ahsoka) (v2.0)

  • RELEASE VERSION, at v2.0 standard.
  • Our first coda episode. (S05e04 is the last real episode.)
  • Comprising the original episode Resolve, also erroneously (but not inaccurately) reported under the name Coda from the Tales of the Jedi series.
  • Running 14 minutes.
  • DOWNLOAD LINK is in the tracker spreadsheet, PM me for access.
  • Note: It’s recommended that you download this before watching, rather than streaming it directly from Google Drive.

This is one of two episodes from Tales of the Jedi which are particularly relevant to the story of the Clone Wars, in this case Ahsoka’s perspective on the aftermath of the war and the Republic’s transition into the Empire, and the rise of the Inquisition (their first canon appearance in video media!)

Notes:

  • This episode is entirely untouched from its original release, except from a light re-branding from being a TOTJ episode into being a TCW:R coda. Since I’ve touched nothing, I’ve kept its original title.
  • I’ve included it here though since TCW:R is really the story of Ahsoka in many ways, so it belongs to your understanding of the show and her character. It also bridges the gap between her TCW appearances and her Rebels appearances. Plus we’ve got Dave Filoni’s Ahsoka show coming up, so let’s get as much of her story in as possible.
  • Chronologically, the opening scene happens very shortly after her prior appearance (in TCW:R), but the body of the episode is an unknown time later. There’s been no official word on this, and it’s somewhere between 18 and 5 BBY. All you really need to know is that it’s after TCW and before Rebels. But you might as well watch it here.
  • I was tempted to put the Vader coda from the final TCW® episode here, in between the two timeframes, but I think ultimately that’s got more punch where it sits in that episode, even if not strictly chronological. You lose nothing this way, at least.
  • As a side note, Ahsoka’s appearance in Rebels was originally more of a suprise (it was the first time we saw her IRL since the Ahsoka’s Fall arc), but with season seven of TCW filling in the gaps about her leaving Anakin, and the release of the Ahsoka show, that cat’s pretty thoroughly out of the bag, so I don’t mind keeping that spoiler spoiled.
Post
#1525355
Topic
The Clone Wars: Refocused [COMPLETE]
Time

RELEASED - S00E00b - Prologue: Life and Death (Ahsoka) (v2.0)

Note the ‘B’ in the episode number.

  • RELEASE VERSION, at v2.0 standard.
  • Our second semi-optional prologue episode.
  • Comprising the original episode Life and Death from the Tales of the Jedi series.
  • Running 20 minutes.
  • DOWNLOAD LINK is in the tracker spreadsheet, PM me for access.
  • Note: It’s recommended that you download this before watching, rather than streaming it directly from Google Drive.

This is one of two episodes from Tales of the Jedi which are particularly relevant to the story of the Clone Wars, in this case the introduction of Ahsoka and her discovery by the Jedi.

Notes:

  • Uniquely for my show, I think this is important for a Filoniverse watch but optional for a ‘Recommended Clone Wars only’ watch. It’s valuable Ahsoka, hence Filoniverse, but I don’t think it’s particularly valuable if you’re watching the Clone Wars. We did just fine for seven years without this episode, to be honest! Still, it’s good, so why not.
  • This episode is entirely untouched from its original release, except from a light re-branding from being a TOTJ episode into being a TCW:R prologue. Since I’ve touched nothing, I’ve kept its original title.
  • I’ve included it here though since TCW:R is really the story of Ahsoka in many ways, so it belongs to your understanding of the show and her character. Plus we’ve got Dave Filoni’s Ahsoka show coming up, so let’s start her story right here.
  • Chronologically, this is currently the first story told in Star Wars video media, BUT I believe it should be watched right before Ahsoka’s introduction in the show and relevance to the plot, rather than as the first thing you watch (hence numbering this as s01e00b), so it immediately precedes her joining Anakin. There’s no point watching this then going off to watch two movies (and three other TOTJ episodes) and the Tartakovsky series , since she doesn’t appear in any of that. Treat this as a flashback. Or don’t, I’m not your boss.
  • Speaking of which, I might eventually make it an actual official flashback as part of my Christophsis episode one day (which is when Ahsoka gets properly introduced to the Clone Wars plot).
Post
#1525352
Topic
The Clone Wars: Refocused [COMPLETE]
Time

Goddamn guys, that’s so delightful to hear. Thank you all so much - this means a huge amount to me. It’s absolutely been worth it. What a pleasure.

Since you’ve all been so lovely, how about-

Oh go on then, you can have a couple of codas and a prologue!

Nothing too special here, I’ve just taken two Ahsoka episodes from Tales of the Jedi and turned them into content here - one that precedes this show and one that follows it. And while I was at it, they established some new standards I also applied to my existing Maul and Obi-Wan coda, which used content from Rebels.

Now, TCW:R really contains the full Clone Wars Ahsoka story (other than Rebels content) and the full Maul/Obi-Wan relationship.

Post
#1525313
Topic
The Rise of Skywalker: Untold (WIP)
Time

Just had a readthrough of your proposed changes, and they’re really excellent. Had a couple of ideas:

  • You mentioned not having Finn, Poe, and Chewie getting captured a second time on Kylo’s ship, and minimising Hux. If you’re going to do this, you could have Pryde kill Hux for being a spy soon after the audience learns about the leaked info (very early in the movie), signifying the old First Order getting largely replaced by the new Final Order fleet.
  • Rey’s Kylo bedroom dagger vision could include a shot from around ROTJ timeframe showing the wayfinder sitting on the throne next to Palpatine, so long as the shot doesn’t look too borrowed from ROTJ.
Post
#1525130
Topic
The Clone Wars: Refocused [COMPLETE]
Time

So what’s next?

Probably in this order:

  • I’m going to gather your feedback, check for older feedback in this thread, and run through the whole show again myself.
  • Teeny tiny edits to a handful of episodes based on your feedback, including my Massacre and Attachments episodes.
  • Addition of TOTJ’s Ahsoka Coda episode as a bonus coda.
  • Addition of TOTJ’s Life and Death episode as an Ahsoka intro (either standalone or incorporated into episode one).
  • Revision to my Tales from the Clone Wars bonus anthology episode to polish it up a bit and include a bit more from TOTJ’s Practice makes Perfect episode.
  • Extended versions of Children of Night, Assault on Geonosis, The Death of Obi-Wan, Slaves of Zygerria, and Dissent on Umbara.
  • Bonus episodes featuring characters from wider canon.
  • Remaining bonus episodes (anything not absolutely horrendous).
  • Season zero (featuring the remaining TOTJ content and the prequel movies).
  • Thinking about moviefying the whole (as per the top post on the previous page).
Post
#1525049
Topic
The Clone Wars: Refocused [COMPLETE]
Time

onewingedangel3 said:

Let’s go! Also, you’ve convinced me on Ambush. The Yoda/clone conversation scene kinda made me forget about the rest of the episode’s poor quality lol.

It’s always been my intention to include every last nugget of good stuff in the show somehow - to be honest I’m suprised it took me this long to realise I had a place for that scene.

Post
#1525048
Topic
The Clone Wars: Refocused [COMPLETE]
Time

Welp, there we go. At time of writing, the above episodes aren’t quite all available yet - some are still rendering so it’ll take me a day or so to get them uploaded. But the cuts are done and I wanted to braindump it all before turning in. Once they’re all available that’s the whole show as originally envisioned, brought up to the polished release standard, that I’d be proud to share with anyone, and we can commence the back-pattery. I wasn’t expecting this free burst of available time today, so I’m as suprised as you are.

Post
#1525047
Topic
The Clone Wars: Refocused [COMPLETE]
Time

(RE)RELEASED - S03E10 - Kings of Onderon (v2.0)

  • RELEASE VERSION, now brought up to my more polished v2.0 standard.
  • Our tenth and final episode of season three, and the final part of the Onderon duology.
  • Comprising the original episodes The Soft War and Tipping Points.
  • Running 37 minutes.
  • DOWNLOAD LINK is in the tracker spreadsheet, PM me for access.
  • Note: It’s recommended that you download this before watching, rather than streaming it directly from Google Drive.

A decent enough conclusion to the Onderon arc, with development for Lux, Saw, Ahsoka, and the Onderon rebellion.

Noteworthy changes:

  • This episode is titled ‘Kings of Onderon’, for the Onderon connection but the shifted focus to its rulers.
  • Regarding placement, as above, it’s just a sensible finale, really. Just marginally more ‘relevant’ than the rest of the big season three episodes.
  • I use the opening text to recap the previous one, but go a bit stronger on the rebellion angle.
  • I sped up the transition between the rescue in the royal square and the arrival back in the wilderness, so that now having saved the King the rebels immediately flee the city, rather than conducting a few more operations within it first over a number of days. The action now happens over a single day, with King Rash immediately pursuing them into the wilderness with his full force, so it feels a lot more tense.
  • As much as I love Hondo, I removed him altogether. Previously the attack on the rebel base was conducted in phases, with enough downtime during them for Ahsoka to call Anakin, Anakin to fly to Felucia, Hondo to fly to Onderon, and Ahsoka to distribute the rockets. This added implied hours to the battle. Now, the rebels already have the anti-air rockets, and once their own assumed air superiority gets challenged by the new droid airships, they quickly move to fetch and distribute the guns. It’s no less tense, and this worked out suprisingly smoothly. There’s still a good amount of battle though since it’s a visually interesting one in an otherwise quite political episode.
Post
#1525046
Topic
The Clone Wars: Refocused [COMPLETE]
Time

(RE)RELEASED - S03E09 - Rebels of Onderon (v2.0)

  • RELEASE VERSION, now brought up to my more polished v2.0 standard.
  • Our ninth episode of season three, and part one of the Onderon duology.
  • Comprising the original episodes A War on Two Fronts and Front Runners.
  • Running 33 minutes.
  • DOWNLOAD LINK is in the tracker spreadsheet, PM me for access.
  • Note: It’s recommended that you download this before watching, rather than streaming it directly from Google Drive.

Not the strongest episodes, but they set up some seeds of rebellion, introduce Saw Gererra, and Ahsoka learns an important lesson about letting go (via Lux).

Noteworthy changes:

  • This episode is titled ‘Rebels of Onderon’, for the Onderon angle (and to highlight it’s a two parter with the following), and to highlight the rebellion side of things.
  • Regarding placement, the rebellion plot, Saw, and Ahsoka focus make this a worthy enough finale. I wanted to get all the Lux plot covered in a single season, and putting this last and his prior appearance fourth gives him enough time to have returned to Onderon and joined their uprising.
  • I use the opening text to outline Lux’s journey here and the situation on Onderon, and allude once more to the Republic being stretched.
  • I cut some redundant combat (since we see more of it immediately after), and removed Saw’s jealousy of his sister.
  • I removed all of the scenes of kings from this episode to the next, mainly just to keep both episodes focused on a primary theme each, since the kings don’t really enter play here.
Post
#1525043
Topic
The Clone Wars: Refocused [COMPLETE]
Time

(RE)RELEASED - S03E08 - Dissent on Umbara (v2.0)

  • RELEASE VERSION, now brought up to my more polished v2.0 standard.
  • Our eighth episode of season three.
  • (Note the new ordering if you’ve been away from my edit for a while.)
  • Comprising the original episodes Darkness on Umbara, The General, Plan of Dissent, and Carnage of Krell.
  • Running 52 minutes.
  • DOWNLOAD LINK is in the tracker spreadsheet, PM me for access.
  • Note: It’s recommended that you download this before watching, rather than streaming it directly from Google Drive.

A very popular episode, with gorgeous graphics and a good meaty shades-of-grey plot.

Noteworthy changes:

  • This episode is titled ‘Dissent on Umbara’, mainly because I wanted to preserve the name Umbara (as I’ve done with many of the most popular arcs) and, y’know, dissent.
  • Regarding placement, this originally aired around the middle of the show, and I’ve pushed it just a little more towards the ending. Mostly to balance the season, but also because it’s time to start refocusing on complicated clones, and it shows both Dooku and the Republic getting more desperate.
  • I use the opening text to emphasise the Republic’s limited supply of clones (thanks Padmé), and keep the Umbara plot clear.
  • Structurally, I’ve made quite a lot of trims - though I’d hope that the episode feels the way you remember it. The original arc had a lot of action, which looked gorgeous but really didn’t serve the plot, and watching it as four episodes I think it really drags and the pacing suffers. I’ve chopped a bunch to let the emotional core shine through, but with far tighter pacing, whilst still keeping this as a very action-heavy episode that showcases the gorgeous graphics. In particular I trimmed the combat-heavy opening where Anakin’s leading the clones, up till Krell takes over, and I only had Krell send the clones on one suicide mission (versus the walker tanks) rather than also in a straight line against the capital. All the meat, a quarter of the time.
  • But yes, for those of you who miss it, I will eventually release an extended version with all the combat back in.
  • I trimmed a little of the infiltration of the airbase as well as some of the surrounding combat and discussion.
  • After the clones take the airbase, I trimmed some of the discussion there, most notably removing the scene where they test and crash the aircraft, because it doesn’t change the status quo.
  • Throughout, I trimmed most of Krell’s more overtly villainous hatred of Clones, making it seem (at least early on) more like he’s just a hardliner with extreme tactics.
  • In the final episode, I preserved the majority of it, mainly just cutting down the hunt for Krell in the forest to remove his cartoonishly evil villain speech and to speed up his capture, while preserving a lot of his physical threat. I also slightly trimmed his jail dialogue to imply he’s already a Separatist rather than just doing this all on the hope he’ll get recognised. I think this all tightens up his character nicely, whilst keeping him ultimately the same.
Post
#1525039
Topic
The Clone Wars: Refocused [COMPLETE]
Time

(RE)RELEASED - S03E07 - Hunted (v2.0)

  • RELEASE VERSION, now brought up to my more polished v2.0 standard.
  • Our seventh episode of season three.
  • (Note the new ordering if you’ve been away from my edit for a while.)
  • Comprising the original episodes Padawan Lost and Wookiee Hunt.
  • Running 45 minutes.
  • DOWNLOAD LINK is in the tracker spreadsheet, PM me for access.
  • Note: It’s recommended that you download this before watching, rather than streaming it directly from Google Drive.

This is a great episode and in many ways the turning point for Ahsoka. All of her teaching has brought her to this point, and what she discovers about herself in this episode will shape her character moving forwards.

Noteworthy changes:

  • This episode is titled ‘Hunted’, cos it’s cool.
  • Regarding placement, originally this episode came a little earlier, but I think it’s more punchy here, as the pinaccle of a lot of her growth.
  • I use the opening text to emphasise the Felucia and Ahsoka backstory, and the necessary plot to get us kicked off.
  • I removed Sugi, a very minor character here, just because I’ve placed this episode next to the Shadow Collective one, and it seems like two very different situations for her to be in in such a short timeframe.
  • Other than that, the episode plays as-is.
Post
#1525037
Topic
The Clone Wars: Refocused [COMPLETE]
Time

(RE)RELEASED - S03E06 - The Shadow Collective (v2.0)

  • RELEASE VERSION, now brought up to my more polished v2.0 standard.
  • Our sixth episode of season three.
  • (Note the new ordering if you’ve been away from my edit for a while.)
  • Comprising the original episode Eminence.
  • Running 25 minutes.
  • DOWNLOAD LINK is in the tracker spreadsheet, PM me for access.
  • Note: It’s recommended that you download this before watching, rather than streaming it directly from Google Drive.

Oh boy, it’s heating up now! Finally the Mandalore and Maul plots collide. Great episode.

Noteworthy changes:

  • This episode is titled ‘The Shadow Collective’ since this is when it really forms.
  • Regarding placement, this is bang on the midpoint and we want Mauldalore to hang over the show from here in.
  • I use the opening text to refresh on the two factions, and imply that it’s going to have a huge impact.
  • Other than that, the episode plays as-is.
Post
#1525032
Topic
The Clone Wars: Refocused [COMPLETE]
Time

(RE)RELEASED - S03E05 - Slaves of Zygerria (v2.0)

  • RELEASE VERSION, now brought up to my more polished v2.0 standard.
  • Our fifth episode of season three.
  • (Note the new ordering if you’ve been away from my edit for a while.)
  • Comprising the original episodes Slaves of the Republic and Escape from Kadavo.
  • Running 45 minutes.
  • DOWNLOAD LINK is in the tracker spreadsheet, PM me for access.
  • Note: It’s recommended that you download this before watching, rather than streaming it directly from Google Drive.

This is the second two episodes of the Kadavo slavery arc, which fits into a gap I had in season three. It’s basically a good two-parter that’s not top tier but is a perfectly good all-rounder, with our core four characters all getting good development, bonus Plo Koon, a good enough slavery plot, good use of Dooku, and decent action.

I ignore the first episode of the original arc entirely- too much time wasted fighting droids, defusing bombs, and fighting creatures, and Obi-Wan’s near-subjugation isn’t as good as the real emotional battering he takes in the third episode, so isn’t necessary. As much as that episode’s fine, it’s not a popular one, so I don’t think it’ll even be worth the inclusion as a bonus episode. (Correct me if you disagree!)

Noteworthy changes:

  • The episode is titled ‘Slaves of Zygerria’ because that’s cool enough. (I was going to call it ‘Slaves of Kadavo’ until I realised that Kadavo is actually a different planet in the story only seen in the final third.)
  • In terms of placement, season three has little interconnectedness so there was a lot of flexibility. In the end it came down to balance of characters between episodes, and not wanting to place it too close to the similar-looking Onderon arc.
  • The opening crawl bypasses the excluded first episode, giving the context for Zygerria, the implied interest of the Separatists, the missing colonists, and the spies that’ll be mentioned right at the start of this episode. I didn’t emphasise the Togruta because their relevance as Ahsoka’s species isn’t a major feature of the episode.
  • One minor dialogue trim to cut a reference to the excluded first episode.
  • A clean transition between the two episodes I used here, skipping us over some dialogue that’s redundant when the content is now back-to-back.
Post
#1525027
Topic
The Clone Wars: Refocused [COMPLETE]
Time

(RE)RELEASED - S03E04 - Temptations (v2.0)

  • RELEASE VERSION, now brought up to my more polished v2.0 standard.
  • Our fourth episode of season three.
  • (Note the new ordering if you’ve been away from my edit for a while.)
  • Comprising the original episode A Friend in Need.
  • Running 25 minutes.
  • DOWNLOAD LINK is in the tracker spreadsheet, PM me for access.
  • Note: It’s recommended that you download this before watching, rather than streaming it directly from Google Drive.

Another fun episode with a focus on Ahsoka-Lux and Mandalorians.

Noteworthy changes:

  • The episode is titled ‘Temptations’ to emphasise the Ahsoka-Lux angle, and the Mandalorians’ hunger.
  • Regarding placement, it’s time to get the Mandalore plot into gear now too. It’s all downhill from here baby!
  • I use the opening text to emphasise the plot elements in focus - Mandalore, the peace negotiations, and Lux.
  • Other than that, the episode plays as-is.
Post
#1525026
Topic
The Clone Wars: Refocused [COMPLETE]
Time

(RE)RELEASED - S03E03 - Pirates of the Outer Rim (v2.0)

  • RELEASE VERSION, now brought up to my more polished v2.0 standard.
  • Our third episode of season three.
  • (Note the new ordering if you’ve been away from my edit for a while.)
  • Comprising the original episode Revival.
  • Running 24 minutes.
  • DOWNLOAD LINK is in the tracker spreadsheet, PM me for access.
  • Note: It’s recommended that you download this before watching, rather than streaming it directly from Google Drive.

A great episode - love a bit of Obi-Wan vs Maul - but one I’ve barely touched.

Noteworthy changes:

  • This episode is titled ‘Pirates of the Outer Rim’ because it’s cool as fuck.
  • Regarding placement, as with all Maul content, I’m spreading it throughout the show rather than just dumping it in one chunk. It’s here because we’ve not had any in a while, and the growing threat of Maul’s got to hang over the whole show from here.
  • I use the opening text to bring us up to speed on Maul. I also give the Darksaber a little love.
  • Minor trim to remove the reference to Hondo’s base being damaged by Grievous in the Younglings arc, as that episode isn’t part of my main edit. The opening text gives you an ambiguous explanation so that it’s either from Slave One crashing into it offscreen (back in the Boba Fett arc) or from Grievous (if you chose to watch Younglings anyway).
  • Minor trim to remove sneering Palpatine, since my edit removes his connection to Sidious.
Post
#1525021
Topic
The Clone Wars: Refocused [COMPLETE]
Time

(RE)RELEASED - S03E02 - The Death of Obi-Wan Kenobi (v2.0)

  • RELEASE VERSION, now brought up to my more polished v2.0 standard.
  • Our second episode of season three.
  • Comprising the original episodes Deception, Friends and Enemies, The Box, and Crisis on Naboo.
  • Running 56 minutes.
  • DOWNLOAD LINK is in the tracker spreadsheet, PM me for access.
  • Note: It’s recommended that you download this before watching, rather than streaming it directly from Google Drive.

One of my favourite arcs, a pure fun romp. Villainy, the underworld, secrets, assassination - it’s got it all.

Noteworthy changes:

  • This episode is titled ‘The Death of Obi-Wan Kenobi’ because, well, we all know it can’t be, so it’s a bit of intrigue.
  • Regarding placement, this would make a natural season opener since it’s got everyone, but this season my prior episode deserved that spot. This episode comes second, as a palette cleanser after all that politics, and to kick off the season’s action.
  • I use the opening text to set up the story - Cad Bane’s now imprisoned, which needs explaining, and Moralo Eval is the focus of the plot. I had Quinlan Vos capture Bane (offscreen) as a nod to his characterisation in other media, and since I’ve cut the episode where he does actually chase (but fail to capture) Bane.
  • Structurally the big change here is removing the vast majority of content from The Box episode in this arc. I know some people will miss it, so I will eventually release an extended cut of this episode which reinstates it, but I have good reasons for doing so here: Firstly, the pacing - the arc is already full of good action, and The Box’s action is less meaningful to the plot. Secondly, it only shows off the crew’s skills, though they’re mostly throwaway characters and their abilities are explained later anyway. Thirdly, it puts the focus back on the trio rather than purely Obi-Wan. And fourthly, removing it removes a lot of ambiguity about whose plan this is (Eval’s or Dooku’s?), and some odd motivations (does Dooku want to kill Eval even though he’s vital? Would Eval really betray Obi-Wan here?). So, fun as it is, it’s out for the main cut.
  • Otherwise, the arc plays out pretty much in full. I removed a bit of dead air when Obi-Wan gets kicked out, captured, rescued, and rejoins the group, as it was a little redundant and didn’t really give us anything new in terms of characterisation.
  • From the finale, I cut the raid on the warehouse (we now imply this is a secret base Dooku set up for them, using an establishing shot I stole from an otherwise un-used episode), and I also cut the large epilogue fight, which really didn’t add value after the episode’s true conclusion with the end of the assassination attempt.
Post
#1525014
Topic
The Clone Wars: Refocused [COMPLETE]
Time

(RE)RELEASED - S03E01 - The Politics of War (v2.0)

  • RELEASE VERSION, now brought up to my more polished v2.0 standard.
  • Our first episode of season three.
  • Comprising the original episodes Heroes on Both Sides, Pursuit of Peace, and Senate Murders.
  • Running 32 minutes.
  • DOWNLOAD LINK is in the tracker spreadsheet, PM me for access.
  • Note: It’s recommended that you download this before watching, rather than streaming it directly from Google Drive.

This is a radical edit of the Heroes on Both Sides / clone loan arc, and one of my personal favourites that I’m particularly proud of.

You can read more about the process behing this one here (scroll down a bit) and then here if you’re interested in the process behind a really complex radical restructure like this.

The original set of episodes in this arc were really messy. First there was a one-off politics episode (which was bad), then two prequels to it which I think attempted to cover similar ground but do it better. The problem is that that new chronological order undid Padmé’s successes in the prequel episodes. And the fact that they were all adhering to a 22-minute open-and-close runtime meant that there was a lot of additional politics, weird tangents, and a lot of different antagonists (many of whom are irrelevant).

However, the core of this arc is really good, and I like to think I’ve let it shine. Padmé’s character is fantastic here and she earns a great win, one that’s bittersweet since while it’s good for the people, it makes the war harder. (I’ve continued to emphasise this over this season.)

It also introduces Lux and his relationship with Ahsoka, a story which in my edit plays out (and concludes) throughout season three. Ahsoka gets some good lessons and growth in this episode.

Noteworthy changes:

  • This episode is titled ‘The Politics of War’ mainly because I like to manage expectations. You’re getting a politics episode, we might as well be confident about that.
  • Regarding placement, while it isn’t particularly action heavy, and may be too complex for younger kids, it really sets the stage and tone for what’s to come in later seasons, so served well as the opener for season three.
  • I use the opening text to position the episode as partially a response to the end of the previous one, with fear of more droid foundries turning into pressure to buy more clones. Also that Padmé recognises this might be cripplingly expensive, and a little reminder of Padmé’s friendship with Ahsoka.
  • Structurally the whole plot is now in service to the moment where Padmé, after persevering through much adversity, gives her impassioned speech to successfully call off the loan for more clones. Now, Padmé first buys extra time to putt off the vote, then works on plan A (making peace with the Separatists via Mina), then after Mina’s murder shifts to plan B (making good political moves, and connecting with the people), then she makes her impassioned speech to win the day.
  • I kept all the Mina/Lux stuff, except for Lux ogling Ahsoka and her tutting about ‘boys’. I took out a little of Padmé’s response to Mina, but borrowed some audio from Senate Murders where Padmé’s talking about her “dead friend” Onaconda to keep her dead friend Mina in mind instead.
  • I trimmed some political conversations which didn’t serve that key plot - in particular those which went too deep into the mechanics of interest rates.
  • I did get some good value out of Senate Murders, notably a couple of repurposed scenes. Since Dracula and Halle Burtoni both appear in all episodes, we can show a little of the Republic’s internal corruption to give our characters some adversity, and then the bad guys’ negative reactions as Padmé succeeds at the end seek to still give a satisfactory conclusion to their now short arcs. (Halle Burtoni’s arc also hints at the future developments regarding Kaminoan allegiances.)
  • Senate Murders also gives us our closing scene, showing Halle Burtoni being petty whilst the pre-Rebels celebrate together (which was previously merely a false sense of happiness before Onaconda’s death). I also modified the dialogue here to have Padmé reference her recently murdered friend, since in the original chronological ordering that plot kind of fizzles away.
  • I cut Grievous out entirely, plus most of the scenes of the bomb droids, and all references to Dooku coordinating the attack. He’s aware of it but we assume that the attack has been set up by the corrupt Republic guys instead, which makes them more threatening and individual.
  • Ahsoka now disappears halfway through. She had to, because she’s handed back to Anakin in a scene where the Senate has its emergency lighting on. I moved a few things around to emphasise this, so that it feels like Padmé knows she needs to get Ahsoka back to Anakin while there’s an unexpected situation happening.
  • To get Padmé out onto the street, I manufactured a new scene where she’s thinking through recent events, lost in thought (using a few of the most relevant lines from people she’s talked to in the episode and a bit of reverb). Now it makes more sense why she’s out alone, and so easily jumped. I know Star Wars rarely does this, but I think it’s a very effective device here.
  • I skipped over a lot of Padmé’s action scene with the bounty hunters. Now, when it appears that the bounty hunters have been arrested (but before they escape to chase Padmé), I cut straight to her meeting Tecla, implying that they were indeed arrested. (I would have skipped the action scene entirely but she’s got the injury on her face later.) I also didn’t show Bail’s assault, instead just showing the effects of it.
  • The one bit of adversity I cut entirely was Bail being the one who was expected to make the speech, with Padmé only standing in once Bail was injured. This wasn’t really necessary - she’s a successful Senator and former Queen, and definitely a competent orator. We didn’t need the self doubt here, and this way she’s kept in focus through the story. Yes she’s a bit of a softie but I think that works well here - she wins because being soft is her strength. The political middle ground wasn’t required.
  • Pursuit of Peace originally had Onaconda beat up during a “mandatory blackout”. But seeing as we’d literally just had a power station bombing cause a regular unintentional blackout, I felt I had to shift Onaconda’s assault to immediately after the explosion, while everything was chaotic, which also made the whole attack look more coordinated. I had to cut Onaconda out of some shots in the Senate chamber to achieve this, but there were so many Senate scenes in this trilogy that I had plenty of alternate reaction shots to use instead.
  • Onaconda survives this story! He’s boring though and I didn’t care either way. I think in TCW:R he’s not even a senator, potentially just a political friend or part of Padmé’s retinue. I haven’t actively cut references to him being a senator though so who knows? But more importantly, who cares?
  • We don’t see that horrendous investigator character in this episode (or indeed anywhere else in TCW:R).
Post
#1525009
Topic
The Clone Wars: Refocused [COMPLETE]
Time

(RE)RELEASED - S02E10 - Terror of Geonosis (v2.0)

  • RELEASE VERSION, now brought up to my more polished v2.0 standard.
  • Our tenth and final episode of season two, and the third and final episode of the Geonosis trilogy.
  • Comprising the original episodes Legacy of Terror, and Brain Invaders.
  • Running 40 minutes.
  • DOWNLOAD LINK is in the tracker spreadsheet, PM me for access.
  • Note: It’s recommended that you download this before watching, rather than streaming it directly from Google Drive.

Geonosis is a great arc, with a lot of good action but a real focus on our core trio, and especially Anakin/Ahsoka. A worthy finale. This part, part three, follows the action-heavy previous episode probably the most true horror episode of the show. And it’s genuinely tense, and with that good character-building trauma for our main character Ahsoka.

Noteworthy changes:

  • This episode is titled ‘Terror of Geonosis’ to continue the callout to the recognisable planet but to tell the prospective viewer that we’re going in a whole new direction after the prior two.
  • Regarding placement, as I stated above, the episode is part of an arc that’s a fitting finale. I also placed it here as the final part of the ‘opening’ of the show, the first two seasons, to mark the transition point into darker terrain (and new character models). It concludes season two’s theme regarding the instability of the war, and the lighter theme that we haven’t really heard much from Dooku lately (turns out he was churning out weapons factories). After this, the war’s back to the forefront.
  • I use the opening text to clarify a couple of things that’re the focus of this episode - the state of the battle (but absence and search for Poggle), Ahsoka’s emotional state, and the new non-military threat.
  • Structurally I borrowed Smudger’s idea to intercut the two episodes so that the plot develops in parallel and the most tension is preserved at any given moment.
  • I cut Poggle fleeing - It was a bit goofy, and Luminara’s dialogue brings us up to speed.
  • I also removed the ‘coming in too fast’ subplot because it’s not interesting - we don’t care about the medical station so there’s no additional jeopardy there, and it takes away from the main drama of the worms. (I’ve further refined a transition here compared to the earlier version of this episode.)

Good fun. Onwards to season three!

Post
#1525005
Topic
The Clone Wars: Refocused [COMPLETE]
Time

(RE)RELEASED - S02E09 - Assault on Geonosis (v2.1)

  • RELEASE VERSION, now brought up to my more polished v2.0 standard.
  • Our ninth episode of season two, and the middle episode of the Geonosis trilogy.
  • Comprising the original episodes Landing at Point Rain, and Weapons Factory.
  • Running 38 minutes.
  • DOWNLOAD LINK is in the tracker spreadsheet, PM me for access.
  • Note: It’s recommended that you download this before watching, rather than streaming it directly from Google Drive.

Geonosis is a great arc, with a lot of good action but a real focus on our core trio, and especially Anakin/Ahsoka. A worthy finale. This part, part two, is the most action heavy, before we get into a bit more character meat (and terror!) for the true finale episode.

Noteworthy changes:

  • This episode is titled ‘Terror on Geonosis’ mainly because I wanted to keep the ‘Geonosis’ name in this trilogy, and an assault is what happens. Not much I can say there.
  • Regarding placement, as I stated above, the episode is part of an arc that’s a fitting finale. I also placed it here as the final part of the ‘opening’ of the show, the first two seasons, to mark the transition point into darker terrain (and new character models). It concludes season two’s theme regarding the instability of the war, and the lighter theme that we haven’t really heard much from Dooku lately (turns out he was churning out weapons factories). After this, the war’s back to the forefront.
  • I use the opening text to emphasise the relative manpower of the two factions (relevant here and through season three), and to set up the Geonosian plot. I also bring Poggle into frame, and give Luminara a reason to show up halfway through the plot.
  • I retained all of the strategising and the sense of geography in the battle, since I think this episode probably handled that better than any other, but I trimmed a good amount of Anakin’s and Ki-Adi-Mundi’s combat when it was just action with little story.
  • I’ve also made Yularen appear a little more strategic, having him anticipate Anakin’s need for air support.
  • I made a few small changes to allow the audience to think Ahsoka may be dead just a little longer, and to make Barris appear a bit more fatalistic (lightly setting up that maybe she’s kinda fucked up, which’ll come into play later in the show).
  • I also trimmed a good amount of droid banter.

Anyway, this one’s been hanging over me for ages - it’s where I last stalled - so I’m glad to have it finally knocked down.