Narratively not having it though, almost gives the proposed episode a nice flow, that that episode would interrupt. Part of me wants to say maybe leave it out, despite what it might add. Idk.
I could maybe break the Mace Windu episode, that is two parts with a brief beat in the middle.
Ohhhhh that line is a real value add then if it DOES get that payoff. Good spot. You’ve got a great memory for all of this detail.
So I’m still working my way through what you’ve put out so far and typing up my thoughts, but I did have a few thoughts I wanted to share.
Regarding your “Tales from the Clone Wars” microseries episode, I would suggest giving it an episode number that places it somewhere in/after your production season 3, since it includes Barriss and Luminara, which a) helps re-establish Barriss before we see her again at the end of your season 4, and b) has Luminara congratulating her on finishing her training as a padawan, which helps explain the lack of Luminara’s presence in the Ahsoka’s Fall arc.
Additionally, there are five episodes of the Forces of Destiny webseries that feature Clone Wars characters, mostly Anakin/Ahsoka/Padme. Specifically they show Ahsoka training to use her shoto and and her being given her longer Padawan beads. I was considering editing them into a “Tales of the Padawan/Jedi” anthology episode that I could contribute to this project and could be a suggested episode right before “The Politics of War”
So, back to thoughts about this! (I’m having a very productive day!)
You’re quite right about my Tales, in that it formally concludes Barriss’ padawan training, meaning it really should fit somewhere between the end of my season 2 (Geonosis) and the end of my season 5 (Ahsoka’s Fall). And earlier in that timeframe feels better.
And equally, those five episodes of Forces of Destiny (5x3 mins) are great fun, and add a few nice moments which are additive to a canon run of TCW. As you suggest, they fit between seasons 2 and 3.
So here’s an idea: How about combining both my existing Tales From the Clone Wars and the Forces of Destiny shorts, into episode zero of season three, a cartoon bonus episode? I’ve always intended that the Geonosis arc’s nice trauma with the worms was a maturing point for Ahsoka and led into the costume change, so it’d be cool to have the episode immediately following it showing both Ahsoka and Barriss progressing formally in their training.
In terms of the ordering, I’m not quite sure what’d work, because you’d ideally avoid having the same character back-to-back with themselves and there’s quite a lot of Ahsoka/Padmé/Yoda in these. But perhaps something like:
The last one’s a bit tricky though:
Interested on thoughts for this!
Right then, that’s the Onderon arc reviewed. This’ll become the finale of season three, also bringing the Lux mini-arc to a close. I don’t think it’s a super strong arc, with fairly low emotional stakes for our main characters, but it does wrap up a few themes of this season, and the presence of Saw Gererra and the initial seeds of rebellion give some value, especially since we revisit Saw’s rebels in the Bad Batch.
Each episode is split from the others by a time skip, so there were a few ways to cut this, but I think thematically it works best as two sets of two episodes.
In my first episode, we’d have the Republic secretly training the rebels, up until the point where the rebels destroy the power generator and begin to win popular support. I think I’d trim out the droid attack in the jungle, the entrance to the city, and a little of the montage sequence, just to get us from training to the first (clumsy) rebel action in a bit more of a streamlined way. I’ll keep all of the training since it’s decent character work and one of the main things referenced in the Bad Batch. This’ll probably end up around 40 mins.
In my second episode, we’d have the conflict between the two kings, the popular uprising, and the separatist attack on the rebel encampment. I think the split works well here because at the start of episode three of the original quadrilogy the rebels appear much more competent. There’s not much to cut here, though I will look for a few trims because to me this episode does feel a bit slow. I’ll shuffle around the scenes of the Separatist king a little between my first and second episode, so that it’s only this episode which has the focus on the Separatist angle and the internal politics, and to remove a little redundancy. I’ll trim one scene of Hondo where we see his base, because in my chronology it’s destroyed (or under repair) at this time and I don’t want to mention that in my opening text as it’ll spoil his suprise arrival. That scene can be cut without impact though, as it’s explained in dialogue around it exactly what’s happening/happened. This’ll probably end up around 50 mins.
Oh and for fun I updated the spreadsheet so now it tracks how much time I’ve cut. As of today:
Just a new version of what was s02e06 The Return of Maul, with the name changed in the file and the video track too.
Onwards to the Onderon arc!
Just a new version of what was s03e02 Revival, with the name changed in the file and the video track too.
I’m now re-uploading a new version of The Return of Maul with the name changed to ‘Monsters’.
(Edited previous post)
Comprising Eminence.
Please be aware of the note on reordering the episodes in this season.
I made no changes to this whatsoever, so credit myself only as ‘Presented by’.
I did think about trimming out the Nal Hutta content because I think Don Corleone Hutt is goofy, and wanted to avoid overusing Nal Hutta and Embo this season, but with the restructuring of the season I thought it best to preserve what is otherwise a fairly enjoyable scene.
Download links in the tracker spreadsheet, PM for access to the spreadsheet.
I’m now re-uploading a new version of Revival with the name changed to ‘Pirates of the Outer Rim’.
You’re right that it’s fairly minor, I just figured I’d rather give her character a bit of time to breathe.
I had thought about including The Box as a bonus episode, but you’re right that making an extended version is the best choice. I can do that fairly easily, so I’ll consider it seriously. I don’t want to get into the habit of creating too many extended versions though, as it means making two sets of change for every one. But I’ll certainly consider it, and I’d be interested to know what elements people would like reinstated for extended episodes. I can have extended versions in my Canon or Complete Cuts, to replace existing Quality Cut episodes where viewers prefer. But I’ll only produce them once I’m sure I’ve finalised their parent version.
Comprising the Trandoshan arc.
Please be aware of the note on reordering the episodes in this season.
I made no changes to this arc beyond aggregation and the removal of Sugi. Sugi in this episode only has a single line and is seen in five shots, she’s the bounty hunter hired as a taxi service for the wookiees. Since she appears in my later s03e07 ‘The Shadow Collective’, I cut her from this mainly so we don’t see her in two very different jobs in such a short space of time.
Download links in the tracker spreadsheet, PM for access to the spreadsheet.
s03e07 The Shadow Collective is uploading now and will be available in a couple of hours.
Please be aware I’ve just made a light restructuring to season three. I’ve brought forward the Trandoshan arc from its planned place in my season four, and jiggled round some of the others. There were a few good reasons for this:
So now, season three is structured as follows:
If you have already downloaded those episodes, you need to do the following:
Of course!!! Forces of Destiny! What a brilliant idea! I’d be happy to produce that myself or to include it if you create it, whatever works for you.
A little update on my current plans: I was going to refine a little more of S2 following feedback before sticking my teeth into S3, but I’ve really got the momentum up again right now so I’m veyr eager to spend that momentum on what feels more like forward progress.
So my plan is to finish S3 before returning for more polish on S1 and S2. I also noticed that my S3 is quite Ahsoka-light, so I’m going to pull her Trandoshan arc into S3. That’ll also give us a bit of necessary pacing regarding Nal Hutta, the Hutt Council, and Embo, all of which are needed in this batch of episodes because of the Maul episode I’ve placed near them. So I may do a little reordering.
I’ve got the next Maul episode (the Shadow Collective) almost done. I was thinking I’d trim the Nal Hutta content (for balance and because it’s the weakest and most redundant part of that episode) but I didn’t want to turn this into our shortest episode, and I think it’s fixed by being paced a little further from the Rako Hardeen arc. So I think I can just finish that off quickly tomorrow. The Trandoshan arc shouldn’t be far behind either, as it’s a straightforward aggregation that doesn’t need much work. And that just leaves the Onderon arc, which is a four-parter where a LOT happens but which retreads a lot of ground, so that one will definitely require a lot of careful thought.
Excited to share them and have your feedback, Del!
I agree that I would have liked to see Krell in a modified role. I was never a big fan of the Umbara arc, mainly because I felt like Krell was too much of a cackling villain who was offensive for the sake of it. I’ve tried to reduce that as much as possible, but I found that there was a necessary balance with having him be a hardliner versus still being a legitimate foil for the main characters, so settled on making him already in league with the Separatists and reducing a lot of the more cartoonish mannerisms.
Ultimately though, the purpose of his character is to represent ‘evil order’, which is the final step on Rex’s journey learning about his relationship with orders in preparation for Order 66. And there isn’t much more material that could be used to recontextualise his character.
Comprising the Rako Hardeen arc. Details as above. Download link in the tracker spreadsheet. PM for access to the spreadsheet.
And that’s rendering now. Should take a while as it’s my longest yet, at 55:45.
I’m really pleased with how that came out. As fun as The Box episode is, I think this way it plays as a much more focused episode that’s tighter on Obi-Wan and especially refocused on Anakin’s tension with the Jedi and his relationship with Palpatine.
I added a couple of nice touches I was pleased with too - firstly, I relocated Dooku’s Naboo base to the one he uses during other episodes, using establishing shots from Blue Shadow Virus (horrible!) and Shadow Warrior (the best JarJar episode; still horrible!).
Secondly, I added reference to Quinlan Vos as the Jedi who hunted down both Cad Bane and Moralo Eval. Whilst he doesn’t appear in my TCW:R, I thought this was a nice way to give him a nod (and inline with his canon appearances). Plus, one scene I’d hoped to include but ultimately had to cut was his fight with Cad Bane, so I think this is a way of flirting with some version of that fun scene, even though it’s not a part of TCW:R.
Really excited to share this one with you guys, it’s a great romp.
I’ve got a bunch of free time right now so I’ve decided to keep my momentum up in order to tackle some of the more challenging upcoming episodes. First up now is the Rako Hardeen arc, which I’ve just reviewed and taken notes on.
What a fun arc! It’s one of the purest fun Star Wars arcs in the series, I think. Just a complete romp from beginning to end.
This arc has four episodes:
I have one big choice to make, and that’s whether to release it as 2x2 episodes or 1x3 episodes, based on whether or not I include The Box episode. Points in favour of the Box are that it’s very fun and with good action. Points against are that the arc is already fun and action-packed, and that nothing that happens in the Box is vital, it simply shows some of the decision making behind the crew makeup for the job. It also has little jeopardy, since the characters are either known to survive beyond this point or new. Further, taking out The Box makes this less of an Obi-Wan solo story and more of an Anakin/Obi-Wan Ahsoka story, which I think is a slightly more valuable focus in the long run. The Box also muddies the water a little by making the plan seem less well coordinated and more ad-hoc:
So my default here will be to remove that episode, fun as it is.
The other cuts I intend to make are as follows:
I think I’ll be calling this episode THE DEATH OF OBI-WAN KENOBI, which all viewers will know is untrue, so I figure its boldness will produce some good curiosity here.
I’mma go do all that!
Hm, that’s a valid concern, thanks Hal. I wonder if someone who’s more familiar with the source material could chime in on that one. Given the cuts I’ve been making versus the original episodes, should I sometimes be keeping content in, in order to let the plot breathe a bit more? Do I have that option given the existing content?
Don’t have much to say but I recently watched a few episodes and appreciate having this series, WIP though it be.
There’s never any pressure to review if you don’t want to, but I’m curious what a new viewer’s thoughts about the existing episodes would be! What’s strong? What’s weak? How’s it pulling together as a whole?
This is the first episode I’ve not edited in the slightest other than adding all of my usual opening and closing content, so I’m crediting myself only as ‘presented by’. I did think about trimming the R2D2 droid stuff, but it’s good body horror and it’s the good side of plucky/noble R2.
Great episode though, tying our season three opener to the ongoing Mandalorian plot.
Link in the tracker spreadsheet, PM me for access to the tracker.
I’m going to do the Maul Shadow Collective episode next as it’s another low-to-no edit and I’ve got the wind in my sails.
This is not part of my Quality Cut, which is my recommended way to watch the series. Instead this episode is just part of the Complete Cut, for people who want everything except for the most objectionable content. I’ve edited this episode now because I stole one of its scenes to use in a more important episode in my Quality Cut, so I’ve trimmed it out here just so the two episodes don’t clash. I also trimmed the ending with Ziro the Hutt since he doesn’t appear anywhere else in TCW:R, so instead it ends on ambiguity as to who’s behind the assassination. But since in my s03e01 we see how many political enemies she has, we can simply assume it’s one of them.
Link in the tracker spreadsheet, PM me for access to the tracker.
My s03e04 - A Friend in Need is also done and rendering right now!
Oh boy, such usable feedback! Thanks so much guys.
Assassin (without Ziro, leaving the ending ambiguous) is uploading now. Then I’m going to do A Friend in Need, since that should be fairly easy, then work through all of the feedback to date. We should get a good burst of activity these next couple of weeks.
I was watching The Blockade of Ryloth and noticed at around the 29 minute mark the audio is very out of sync with the visuals, It happened on both my laptop and phone.
I’ll check that, thanks.
corruption on mandalore is labeled s02e05 and v1.0 in the spreadsheet but the linked file is named s02e04…(v0.1)?
Yes, I’ve decided to reorder those (just to better spread Ahsoka’s presence across the season) but haven’t got round to actually doing it yet. I’ll make that all clear in a specific post for it soon - probably with a bit of reordering to season one too, based on the earlier about developing Ventress.
Imhotep, I won’t give a detailed response to each of your points, suffice to say they’re all noted and I’ll run through them with my polish pass, but to be specific about a couple:
I’ve just started watching and am a few “episodes” in. Really am enjoying it so far.
I have a few things of note though that I’m not crazy about.
In the first episode where ahsoka is introduced, I find the the bail organa scenes feel to me very out of place compared to e everything else.
Also a mino personal preference complaint for the rookies set if episodes, I like all the changes that were made, but I personally miss the droids asking if they take prisoners and heavy saying “I don’t”. I normally am not crazy about one liners like that, but for there I think it fits.
A few people have mentioned that about Bail, I think I’ll try a no-Bail version.
Noted on the Domino Squad trilogy, I’ll think over that scene some more.
Keep it coming! 😃
I like option 1 a lot more. I think the ambiguity would give viewers something to chew on.
Yeah, I think that’s probably cleanest, especially since we do return to Padmé quite soon after this episode.
Here’s to 9,000 more!