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.
21: “Mystery of a Thousand Moons” (Season One, Episode 18)
"A single chance is a galaxy of hope."
Synopsis:
Even though the underground lab has been shut down, Dr. Vindi's droid manages to activate the Blue Shadow Virus, infecting Ahsoka, Padmé, and several clone troopers. To cure their friends, Anakin and Obi-Wan must travel to Iego to secure the only known antidote. But finding a safe way off the planet poses its own problems.
Analysis:
Fear and superstition are powerful weapons to keep people in their place.
Long after the Separatists have abandoned Iego, their legacy remains: a handful of reprogrammed battle droids and other assorted technology, including a powerful force that indiscriminately kills pilots who would dare try to leave. Some of the inhabitants call it a curse. But the death trap is another Separatist construct, a laser security system that forms a deadly web and obliterates all who venture too close.
Anakin is desperate to find a way to flee, the root of the reeksa plant in his care the only thing that could reverse the deadly effects of the Blue Shadow Virus threatening to rob Padmé, Ahsoka, and several clones of their lives. So much hinges on technology here. The infection, after all, was triggered by a droid and threatens to envelope the entire planet of Naboo if the battle droids trapped in the bunker with the Republic officials manage to open the hatch to escape themselves.
But the key to fighting the mysterious ghost, and the nefarious technology at play above Iego, is in Jaybo Hood.
Much like Anakin in his youth, Jaybo is smart and resourceful. He's a tinkerer who's devised a way to not only deactivate battle droids to make them harmless but reprogram them completely to be his servants. And his knowledge of the flora and fauna of his home planet proves crucial in helping Obi-Wan and Anakin attain the antidote they came for.
His abilities also inspire the plan that eventually frees the entire planet from the Separtists' residual terror and allows the Jedi to reach their infected friends before it's too late. Jaybo is a glimmer of hope on a planet enthralled by superstitions and lore, a chance for the next generation to be better than those who have come before.
The people of Iego are free. Naboo is safe from a planet-wide plague. But in a war, there are new dangers and the threat of casualties each day.
Intel:
- "Are you an angel?" The innocent musings of a young Anakin Skywalker upon meeting Padmé Amidala are echoed here when he and Obi-Wan must travel to the Moons of Iego, where angels are said to dwell.
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 faith in her abilities as a leader are shaken in "Storm Over Ryloth."
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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