To celebrate the 10th 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.
79: “Escape from Kadavo” (Season Four, Episode 13)
“Great hope can come from small sacrifices.”
Synopsis:
Anakin tries to convince the Zygerrian Queen that she, too, is a slave and pawn in an evil Separatist plot. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan toils in the slave camps of Kadavo.
Analysis:
Poor Obi-Wan. Small acts of kindness inside the slave camp do far more harm than good, and his open defiance has been beaten down to something that looks, on the surface, like compliance and submission. He’s helpless, or so he seems.
But as the queen is soon to discover, with some help from pointed words by Anakin, everyone embroiled in this conflict is a slave of some kind. The queen is as much a slave to the Separatists as the Togruta are to her people. Count Dooku is a slave to Darth Sidious. And Sidious, while the ultimate master, is still very much a slave to the Sith and his own lust for power.
Fear, which keeps the slaves in check, ultimately makes Anakin a slave to the dark side.
But Ahsoka, who will prove her own strength of individual will much later, is able to see beyond the ordeal of her people. She helps lead them to freedom, encourages them to join the Republic, and wisely notes that surviving such an ordeal will become a source of strength in good time.
Perhaps that is the ultimate lesson here. You can be a slave to your fears, or let fear of others keep you in metaphorical chains, or you can choose to break free, find your own way out from what seems to be an inescapable prison, and harness a new kind of strength and power by surviving. Where there is a glimmer of hope, even those in binders may find their way to freedom.
Intel:
- The HH-87 Starhopper design was based on original concept sketches for the Imperial shuttle seen in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.
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’s attempt to help Lux Bonteri lands her in trouble in “A Friend in Need.”
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.
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