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.
117: “The Disappeared” Part II (Season Six, Episode 9)
"Wisdom is born in fools as well as wise men."
Synopsis:
Jar Jar Binks' beloved Queen Julia of the planet Bardotta has been abducted by the bloodthirsty Frangawl cult to fulfill a dark and ancient prophecy. Representative Binks and Jedi Master Windu must find the missing Queen before the cult can rise in power.
Analysis:
Much like Darth Sidious seeks to use Anakin Skywalker's powerful connection to the Force for his own dark deeds, the Great Mother is willing to sacrifice the Queen Julia and so many other harvested souls to attain a power greater than the Sith or the Jedi.
But even Mother Talzin is no match for the buddy-crime-fighting duo Mace and Jar Jar! Sure, sometimes it seems like the Gungan is causing trouble more often than keeping them out of it. Somehow he always redeems himself. His unsteady feet lead to Mace losing his lightsaber, but his sticky tongue retrieves it before the Jedi gets pummeled by a pair of gundarks.
At the Malmourral temple the cultists convene, the stars and planets aligned for the time at hand, and Jar Jar accidentally triggers the stoic temple guards only to help Mace in their defeat with a very big blaster. What Binks lacks in grace and skill he makes up for in heart and determination.
As Mace intones, "Magic is only an illusion." And Jar Jar's fierce love and loyalty to the queen are no trick of the light. Whether giving the animal keeper a right hook or freeing the queen just before her spirit is ripped from her body, Jar Jar lets nothing stand in his way. That dedication is repaid when Julia pushes the Gungan out of the way at the last possible moment before the cultists' Spirit Stealer 3000 (OK, maybe that's not the official moniker...) starts working.
In the end, Talzin is right. She is just a simple witch. And with a blade of dark magicks and a shattered orb, she proves to be no match for the Jedi and the Gungan.
Intel:
- Last spotted in "Revenge," the leader of the Nightsisters makes a triumphant return in this episode, but comic fans know we haven't seen the last of her yet.
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 the Jedi begin to unravel the mystery of Sifo-Dyas in "The Lost One."
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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