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.
30: “The Zillo Beast Strikes Back” (Season Two, Episode 19)
"The most dangerous beast is the beast within."
Synopsis:
The Zillo Beast arrives on Coruscant and Chancellor Palpatine orders Dr. Sionver Boll to study and then kill the creature. Instead, the Zillo Beast escapes from the lab with devastating consequences for the city and its inhabitants.
Analysis:
In the shadow of the rampaging Zillo Beast, Chancellor Palpatine looks genuinely frightened, scrutinized by the glowing green glare of the animal he ordered sacrificed for his own gain.
Every time I watch this episode, I feel worse and worse for the poor creature. Its quiet existence below ground disturbed by war, chained up and taken from its home planet against its will for cruel scientific testing, and ultimately killed in the defense of the millions of residents of Coruscant as it waged a terrified rampage against the one man who sought to harness its powers for himself.
Padmé, true to form, sees the humanitarian plight in the midst of the chaos, showing a deeply empathetic view of the poor creature and offering to help stand up for the Zillo, which has no voice and has had no choice in the matter.
But Palpatine thinks of the Zillo as "just an animal," a scornful comment suggesting that this mammoth, invulnerable beast is somehow lesser than he. By performing experiments on the creature, Palpatine hopes for knowledge to lead him one step closer to the thing he craves most in life -- unlimited power.
