The Clone Wars Rewatch: Bombs and the "Blue Shadow Virus"

Danger lurks beneath the surface when Padmé and Jar Jar enter a mad scientist's secret laboratory.

October 25, 2018

To celebrate the 10^th anniversary of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and the all-new episodes coming thanks to #CloneWarsSaved, we’re undertaking a full chronological rewatch of the five original seasons, The Lost Missions, and the theatrical release. We’d be honored if you would join us and share your thoughts on the award-winning series.

20: “Blue Shadow Virus” (Season One, Episode 17)

"Fear is a disease; hope its only cure."

Synopsis:

The Republic discovers a Separatist bio-weapon lab hidden on the planet of Naboo. Rather than wait for help, Padmé and Jar Jar go in to investigate.

Analysis:

Just in time for Halloween, this episode leans into the mad scientist trope with Dr. Nuvo Vindi, a classic and quite possibly categorically insane Separatist collaborator who's hellbent on giving life to the eradicated blue shadow virus.

Vindi's scheme introduces an element of biological warfare into the mix of the Clone Wars battles. And although some of the water-borne virus has already spread to the water supply on Naboo near the underground laboratory, his end-game is far more disastrous -- a more potent airborne strain with the power to swiftly eliminate life on an entire planet.

The Separatists, like the Empire after it, are consumed with the idea of domination through annihilation. If you're not with them, you're seen as against them, and you must be destroyed.

clone-wars-rewatch-117-48

1 of 2
clone-wars-rewatch-117-77

2 of 2

clone-wars-rewatch-117-48

1 of 2

clone-wars-rewatch-117-77

2 of 2

Padmé and Jar Jar, for their part, exhibit a fearlessness in their pursuit of the truth, working together to uncover the location of the secret Separatist lab and barreling in with little more than a hazmat suit and a shred of hope to protect them. There's no time to wait for help from the Jedi or anyone else, much to a very emotional Anakin's chagrin.

In the end, each member of the team, from Peppi Bow and Jar Jar to Ahsoka and the clone bomb squad, are integral in putting a pin in Vindi's plans and diffusing the series of bombs he set up along with the destructive virus. But the danger still lingers...

Intel:

The crew working on this episode nicknamed the underground laboratory portals the "disco hallways." Their design was inspired in part by the hallways Luke Skywalker later explored on Cloud City.

What did you think of the episode? Tell us in the comments below and share on social with #CloneWarsRewatch!

Next up: Come back next Thursday when Ahsoka, Padmé, and others are infected in "Mystery of a Thousand Moons."

Associate Editor Kristin Baver is a writer and all-around sci-fi nerd who always has just one more question in an inexhaustible list of curiosities. Sometimes she blurts out “It’s a trap!” even when it’s not. Want to talk more about The Clone Wars? Hop on Twitter and tell @KristinBaver what you thought about today’s episode.

Site tags: #StarWarsBlog, #CloneWarsRewatch