To celebrate the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Disney+, 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 for the weekly #CloneWarsRewatch -- you can watch this week’s episode on Disney+ now -- and share your thoughts on the award-winning series.
110: “Conspiracy” (Season Six, Episode 2)
"The wise benefit from a second opinion."
Synopsis:
In the sterile laboratories of Kamino, the ailing clone trooper Tup and his friend ARC Trooper Fives are quarantined for examination following Tup's shocking murder of a Jedi Master.
Analysis:
Even before the discovery of Tup's so-called tumor, the power struggle over investigating his fatal flaw -- either an isolated failure, Separatist brainwashing, or a problem in the engineering -- is hard to watch.
The doctor, Nala Se, is so adept at gaslighting. She knows quite well that the root of the problem lies somewhere in the inhibitor chip carried by every clone trooper, the work of Lord Tyranus himself to supposedly safeguard against rogue Jedi. In reality it's a switch to flip and turn even the most loyal clone soldier against the general he had followed into battle for three long years. But to keep the truth from the Republic and the Jedi, she suggests killing Tup like he's a lab experiment gone wrong -- even though he's in perfect health otherwise! -- and cutting him open to investigate on the molecular level. To Nala Se, the clones were made to be disposed of and she can't wait to terminate Tup in the name of science.
Jedi Master Shaak Ti, unaware of the danger lurking inside the brain of every clone, prefers a more compassionate approach in a final bid to save Tup's life. Tup is more than a number, more than a soldier in a sea of identical troopers, at least to Shaak Ti. And perhaps it's Fives who understands that best of all. He's loyal to the Republic and to the brother he's served alongside in battle. Despite the evidence to the contrary, he'll vouch for Tup's integrity and their dedication to duty. Tup, in his right mind, would never harm a Jedi.
While the Jedi and the Kaminoans are busy bickering amongst themselves, it's Fives who takes action with the help of his new friend, the medical droid AZI-3. The secret they uncover could have ended the war and saved the Jedi Order. But instead, it's buried by conniving Palpatine.
The one glimmer of hope in all this is, oddly, in Tup's final moments. It's sad to see his life extinguished, but by insisting upon trying to save him, at the end Fives has given his brother peace, liberating him from a nightmare that has haunted his dreams. If nothing else, his noble actions gave his conflicted friend the next best thing to surviving. With his dying breath, he proclaims "I'm free." Free of the torment that had plagued him. At least that's something.
Intel:
- Shaak Ti helped Fives during his training, which we can see in the episode "Clone Cadets."
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 Fives continues his quest for answers in "Fugitive."
Associate Editor Kristin Baver is a writer, host of This Week! In Star Wars, 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.
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