Episode: "Soft War"
Series: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Season 5, Episode 4
Original Air Date: October 19, 2012
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| via Wookieepedia |
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| via Wookieepedia |
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| via Scoobypedia |
Next week: "Tipping Points."
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
The Clone Wars: Soft War
Andrew Leon and I are watching Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Every Tuesday, we will be featuring an episode from the series which
began in 2008.
Episode: "Soft War"
Series: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Season 5, Episode 4
Original Air Date: October 19, 2012
"Soft War" is the third in a four-part story arc, one in which a rebellion is waged against the new, Separatist-aligned king on Onderon. As Andrew pointed out in a recent post, this arc is a particularly important one for the series and the Star Wars saga as a whole as it marks the beginning of the Rebel Alliance. This week, the rebels on Onderon are working to free their true king and oust the pretender. While Anakin and Obi-Wan have gone back to Coruscant, Ahsoka is still hanging around. Her actions in this episode establish a new relationship between the Jedi and the rebels, a relationship with major implications for the adventures to come.
The pivotal character in "Soft War" is General Tandin for reasons best not shared just yet. The episode marks his first appearance in Star Wars. He is voiced by David Kaye.
Kaye was born October 14, 1964 in Peterborough, Ontario. In the '80s, he moved to Vancouver to pursue a career in radio. He found stage work there, too, starring in both Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and Harvey. His voice over career began in 1989 with the G.I. Joe animated series. His voice credits are extensive and the Transformers franchise has been particularly kind to him as he has had prominent roles on six different series. At present, he is the in-show announcer for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
Next week: "Tipping Points."
Episode: "Soft War"
Series: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Season 5, Episode 4
Original Air Date: October 19, 2012
Next week: "Tipping Points."
Saturday, February 25, 2017
The Cephalopod Coffeehouse: March 2017 Blog List
The idea is simple: on the last Friday of each month, post about the best book you've finished over the past month while visiting other bloggers doing the same. In this way, we'll all have the opportunity to share our thoughts with other enthusiastic readers. Please join us:
Friday, February 24, 2017
Cephalopod Coffeehouse: February 2017
Welcome one and all to the Cephalopod Coffeehouse, a cozy gathering of
book lovers, meeting to discuss their thoughts regarding the works they
enjoyed most over the previous month. Pull up a chair, order your
cappuccino and join in the fun. If you wish to add your own review to
the conversation, please sign on to the link list at the end of my post.
Title: Lando Calrissian and the Starcave of ThonBoka
Author: L. Neil Smith
This is the third and last of The Lando Calrissian Adventures, first published in 1983 after the theatrical release of Return of the Jedi. As I've written in my previous posts about this trilogy, these books by L. Neil Smith don't really offer much in the way of character development for Lando but they are reasonably fun in their own right.
Starcave, in particular, plays with a highly intriguing science fiction concept: the possibility of life - intelligent life, even - thriving in the vacuum of deep space. Lando and Vuffi Raa, his droid sidekick, befriend the Oswaft: enormous, space-dwelling sting ray beings. Unfortunately for the Oswaft, Lando and Vuffi Raa have enemies and their association has put the Oswaft in danger as well.
While there are gambling tales in each of the three books, I'd have loved it if that aspect of Lando had been more of the focus: The Sting or Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels among the stars. At the end of the story, Lando does come into enormous riches, suggesting a potential path towards the role we know he will have as administrator of Cloud City on Bespin. Lando is a likeable character in the books, though lacking in dimension. The Vuffi Raa story is actually more interesting and all of the questions surrounding him are answered in the third book. Raa calls Lando "Master" throughout the books, much to the gambler's annoyance. It is the trilogy's slightly annoying running gag but it actually turns out to have narrative relevance in the end.
I doubt I'll pursue the Star Wars novels any further. They're fun to a point but there are too many other good books I'd rather read. I have learned this much in my exploration of science fiction over the past few years: Star Wars is best at the movie theater; Star Trek is best on television. The other material for both is fun but it's not the main event.
Please join us and share your own review of your best read from the past month. This month's link list is below. I'll keep it open until the end of the day. I'll post March's tomorrow. Meetings are the last Friday of each month. Next gathering is March 31st.
Title: Lando Calrissian and the Starcave of ThonBoka
Author: L. Neil Smith
 |
| via Wookieepedia |
Starcave, in particular, plays with a highly intriguing science fiction concept: the possibility of life - intelligent life, even - thriving in the vacuum of deep space. Lando and Vuffi Raa, his droid sidekick, befriend the Oswaft: enormous, space-dwelling sting ray beings. Unfortunately for the Oswaft, Lando and Vuffi Raa have enemies and their association has put the Oswaft in danger as well.
While there are gambling tales in each of the three books, I'd have loved it if that aspect of Lando had been more of the focus: The Sting or Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels among the stars. At the end of the story, Lando does come into enormous riches, suggesting a potential path towards the role we know he will have as administrator of Cloud City on Bespin. Lando is a likeable character in the books, though lacking in dimension. The Vuffi Raa story is actually more interesting and all of the questions surrounding him are answered in the third book. Raa calls Lando "Master" throughout the books, much to the gambler's annoyance. It is the trilogy's slightly annoying running gag but it actually turns out to have narrative relevance in the end.
 |
| Vuffi Raa Image via Wookieepedia |
Please join us and share your own review of your best read from the past month. This month's link list is below. I'll keep it open until the end of the day. I'll post March's tomorrow. Meetings are the last Friday of each month. Next gathering is March 31st.
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
The Clone Wars: Front Runners
Andrew Leon and I are watching Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Every Tuesday, we will be featuring an episode from the series which
began in 2008.
Episode: "Front Runners"
Series: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Season 5, Episode 3
Original Air Date: October 12, 2012
The civil war on Onderon continues. The rebels, supervised by Ahsoka, Lux Bonteri and the Gerreras, carry out a series of attacks on the capital. Meanwhile, Onderon's Separatist-aligned king frets.
This seems as good a moment as any for a geopolitical aside. As a rule, I try to avoid politics and religion here at The Squid but sometimes it's unavoidable as the stories I explore take such matters head on. The king of Onderon refers to the rebel band as terrorists, which they are not. Terrorism is a word thrown around too casually by world leaders. Terrorism is one means by which war is waged against a greater power. A group like ISIS or Al Qaeda employs attacks against civilian targets with the intent of striking fear in the general population, thereby drawing attention to its cause. Such a group has no hope of fighting its more powerful enemy on its own terms so it resorts to cheaper, faster tactics like terrorism.
However, not all insurgent groups are terrorist groups. Guerilla tactics are another way Davids fight Goliaths. The US's own Revolution could never have been won against the mighty British Empire without them. Espionage is another means. Ghandi's or MLK's civil disobedience is yet another. There's good, old-fashioned sabotage, too. The greater power doesn't like any of that stuff used against it because it knows it would easily win a "fair" fight. The traditional rules of engagement serve to keep the big boys in power forever.
Here's the problem: leaders of nations too often refer to any rebellious group as terrorists, even if they're not really. Such leaders know the power of the word and their use of it from their own side of the tilted chessboard is meant to inspire fear, too. "You might not like me (or my own attacks against civilians)," they seem to say, "but those other guys will slit your throat in the street."
Fortunately for Onderon, the rebels' targets are all military and their efforts appear, so far, to be winning the hearts and minds of the populace.
Saw Gerrera is Steela's brother. He doesn't like Lux much and is also clearly jealous of his sister's popularity among the other rebels. Saw Gerrera plays an important role in Rogue One, too, played there by Hollywood heavyweight Forrest Whitaker.
By that point in the story, Saw is seen as one of the forefathers of the Rebel Alliance. To my knowledge, he is the first character to appear initially in The Clone Wars, then in the movies.
In The Clone Wars, Saw is voiced by Andrew Kishino. Kishino was born March 20, 1970 in Toronto. He first found his way into show biz as a rapper, going by the stage name Big Kish. He has released two albums of his own and has also worked as a producer. He has had extensive voice-over work in both animation and video games.
Next week: "The Soft War."
Episode: "Front Runners"
Series: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Season 5, Episode 3
Original Air Date: October 12, 2012
 |
| via Wookieepedia |
This seems as good a moment as any for a geopolitical aside. As a rule, I try to avoid politics and religion here at The Squid but sometimes it's unavoidable as the stories I explore take such matters head on. The king of Onderon refers to the rebel band as terrorists, which they are not. Terrorism is a word thrown around too casually by world leaders. Terrorism is one means by which war is waged against a greater power. A group like ISIS or Al Qaeda employs attacks against civilian targets with the intent of striking fear in the general population, thereby drawing attention to its cause. Such a group has no hope of fighting its more powerful enemy on its own terms so it resorts to cheaper, faster tactics like terrorism.
However, not all insurgent groups are terrorist groups. Guerilla tactics are another way Davids fight Goliaths. The US's own Revolution could never have been won against the mighty British Empire without them. Espionage is another means. Ghandi's or MLK's civil disobedience is yet another. There's good, old-fashioned sabotage, too. The greater power doesn't like any of that stuff used against it because it knows it would easily win a "fair" fight. The traditional rules of engagement serve to keep the big boys in power forever.
Here's the problem: leaders of nations too often refer to any rebellious group as terrorists, even if they're not really. Such leaders know the power of the word and their use of it from their own side of the tilted chessboard is meant to inspire fear, too. "You might not like me (or my own attacks against civilians)," they seem to say, "but those other guys will slit your throat in the street."
Fortunately for Onderon, the rebels' targets are all military and their efforts appear, so far, to be winning the hearts and minds of the populace.
*****
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| via Wookieepedia |
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| via Wookieepedia |
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| via Regular Show Wiki |
Next week: "The Soft War."
Friday, February 17, 2017
Squid Eats: Mad Taco
There are two restaurants in Vermont which inspire instant salivation for me and both are in Montpelier. One is Royal Orchid, the best Thai restaurant in the state boasting a crispy duck dish that is just about the most fantastic thing I've ever eaten. The other is Mad Taco.
We live closer to Burlington than to Montpelier so we are usually more likely to head west than east for our weekend adventures but our charming state capitol has plenty going on for a town of its modest size (smallest state capitol in the US: 7,755 people). The Savoy is one of the best artsy movie theaters in the state and is currently screening both the animated and live action Oscar-nominated shorts. On Saturday, we decided to take in both, stopping in at Mad Taco for lunch.
Montpelier is actually Mad Taco's second location. The original is in Waitsfield. The simple, order-at-the-counter restaurant aims to provide authentic Mexican tacos with locally farmed products and in-house smoked meats. The beer list is excellent and also predominantly local.
I always order the same thing: kimchi tacos. I consider being more adventurous but why mess with success? The restaurant also makes a range of salsas, served in squeeze bottles, rated 1-10 for heat. I love heat and can say that in my experience, anything rated at 3 offers plenty. 5 is heading towards danger territory. On this visit, I tried a 3 and a 4, both lovely.
As for the movies, this was our first time seeing the live action ones. We've been going to see the animated shorts for several years now, figuring they're more child friendly - not necessarily so. In fact one of this year's animated nominees, Pear Cider and Cigarettes, came with a not-for-kids warning. Wife and daughter (13) left the theater for that one - last in the program - but I stayed.
All of the nominated films in both categories were really strong - not always the case. My favorite among the animated ones was Pearl, a six-minute, essentially wordless story about a girl growing up with her single, free-spirited but ultimately responsible father. Daughter preferred Pixar's offering: Piper. Wife liked Blind Vaysha, a Canadian-produced parable about living in the moment. The objectionable aspects of Pear Cider and Cigarettes are many: nudity, objectification of women, violence, lots and lots of substance abuse. But mostly, it's sad as addiction stories usually are. The artwork was excellent, as it was for all five. Any of the five would be a deserving winner.
So too, for the live action works. My favorite was Timecode from Spain, the Palme D'Or winner for short film at Cannes: two parking garage attendants find a wonderful way to amuse each other. We all enjoyed Sing, a Hungarian film about a children's choir and poetic justice. Two of the nominees deal with immigration issues: the Danish Silent Nights and Ennemis Intérieurs from France. If timeliness is worth anything, Ennemis Intérieurs will win.
 |
| via TripAdvisor |
Montpelier is actually Mad Taco's second location. The original is in Waitsfield. The simple, order-at-the-counter restaurant aims to provide authentic Mexican tacos with locally farmed products and in-house smoked meats. The beer list is excellent and also predominantly local.
I always order the same thing: kimchi tacos. I consider being more adventurous but why mess with success? The restaurant also makes a range of salsas, served in squeeze bottles, rated 1-10 for heat. I love heat and can say that in my experience, anything rated at 3 offers plenty. 5 is heading towards danger territory. On this visit, I tried a 3 and a 4, both lovely.
As for the movies, this was our first time seeing the live action ones. We've been going to see the animated shorts for several years now, figuring they're more child friendly - not necessarily so. In fact one of this year's animated nominees, Pear Cider and Cigarettes, came with a not-for-kids warning. Wife and daughter (13) left the theater for that one - last in the program - but I stayed.
All of the nominated films in both categories were really strong - not always the case. My favorite among the animated ones was Pearl, a six-minute, essentially wordless story about a girl growing up with her single, free-spirited but ultimately responsible father. Daughter preferred Pixar's offering: Piper. Wife liked Blind Vaysha, a Canadian-produced parable about living in the moment. The objectionable aspects of Pear Cider and Cigarettes are many: nudity, objectification of women, violence, lots and lots of substance abuse. But mostly, it's sad as addiction stories usually are. The artwork was excellent, as it was for all five. Any of the five would be a deserving winner.
So too, for the live action works. My favorite was Timecode from Spain, the Palme D'Or winner for short film at Cannes: two parking garage attendants find a wonderful way to amuse each other. We all enjoyed Sing, a Hungarian film about a children's choir and poetic justice. Two of the nominees deal with immigration issues: the Danish Silent Nights and Ennemis Intérieurs from France. If timeliness is worth anything, Ennemis Intérieurs will win.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
The Clone Wars: A War on Two Fronts
Andrew Leon and I are watching Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Every Tuesday, we will be featuring an episode from the series which
began in 2008.
Episode: "A War on Two Fronts"
Series: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Season 5, Episode 2
Original Air Date: September 21, 2012
This week kicks off a four-part arc in which we return to the Lux Bonteri story. We first met Lux in Season Three as the son of Separatist senator, Mina Bonteri. A kind, thoughtful, principled - not to mention handsome - young man, his very existence is a revelation for Ahsoka and indeed for the viewing audience. Up to that point, we had all been led to see the Separatists as purely evil but the Bonteri story shows that some, at least, are good people with legitimate gripes. Lux and Ahsoka develop a personal friendship with hints of something deeper.
Since that first meeting, Lux has switched sides. Lux suspects (correctly) that Count Dooku was behind the conspiracy to assassinate his mother and accused him publicly. Now effectively exiled, he has joined a group of insurgent rebels on the planet Onderon. As we join the story, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka and Rex are on their way to train the rebels.
Enter the Gerreras, Steela and Saw, sister and brother. The Gerreras are Onderon natives, fighting alongside Lux. Saw clearly doesn't trust the new guy but Steela is fond of him - a little too fond. Ahsoka carries her own torch for Lux though she does her Jedi best to fight and conceal it.
Steela is voiced by Dawn-Lyen Gardner. Gardner was born in Los Angeles in 1980 and was trained in both acting and music from a young age. She got her first television work as a child, appearing on both Viper and ER. She went to Julliard for college which led to stage work: For Colored Girls, The School of Night and The Seagull. Currently, she has a lead role in the Oprah Winfrey Network's Queen Sugar.
Next week: "Front Runners."
Episode: "A War on Two Fronts"
Series: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Season 5, Episode 2
Original Air Date: September 21, 2012
 |
| via Wookieepedia |
Since that first meeting, Lux has switched sides. Lux suspects (correctly) that Count Dooku was behind the conspiracy to assassinate his mother and accused him publicly. Now effectively exiled, he has joined a group of insurgent rebels on the planet Onderon. As we join the story, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka and Rex are on their way to train the rebels.
Enter the Gerreras, Steela and Saw, sister and brother. The Gerreras are Onderon natives, fighting alongside Lux. Saw clearly doesn't trust the new guy but Steela is fond of him - a little too fond. Ahsoka carries her own torch for Lux though she does her Jedi best to fight and conceal it.
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| Steela Image via Wookieepedia |
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| via Twitter |
Next week: "Front Runners."
Friday, February 10, 2017
Squid Eats: Shalimar of India
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| via Twitter |
One recent evening, when the girl, now a teenager, had other plans, my wife requested Shalimar for our date night. I'm pretty sure we had the same friendly waitress we had all those years ago. Same order, too: non-vegetarian thali with extra nan. It's a good choice for trying a little bit of everyone. There was also a lovely goat curry on offer that night.
Our lives have changed a lot in the years since. We still do a lot together as a family but the girl grows ever more independent. High school is right around the corner, college (hopefully) not too long after that. I get in trouble talking about such things around my wife. I've never been one to wish my child would stay young forever. Watching her grow up is fun and exciting to me, to a point. Knowing we have a limited time as a family of three makes it all the more precious. I remember enough from my own teen years to know that nights just the two of us will be more frequent rather than less so. It's nice in some ways. But there is sadness, too.
Can't help it. I was born a sentimental old fool.
After dinner, we went to a Vermont Symphony Orchestra concert. We've been going to a lot of such concerts, partly spurred by the girl's own ever expanding musical exploits. The program: Dreamtime Ancestors by Christopher Theofanidis, Barber's Violin Concerto and Beethoven's Symphony No. 8. The featured soloist for the concerto was the VSO's own concertmaster, Katherine Winterstein. She was amazing, leading me to wonder why symphonies don't give such opportunities to their own personnel more often. I suppose there are political and commercial advantages to hiring freelancers but it seems a shame.
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
The Clone Wars: Revival
Andrew Leon and I are watching Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Every Tuesday, we will be featuring an episode from the series which
began in 2008.
Episode: "Revival"
Series: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Season 5, Episode 1
Original Air Date: August 24, 2012
Savage Opress and Darth Maul are on a violent rampage around the galaxy. They come across Hondo Ohnaka and his band of pirates, even recruiting some of Hondo's minions and turning them against the boss. The Sith brothers' antics also draw the attention of Obi-Wan Kenobi and fellow Jedi Adi Gallia.
Again, not a fan of the Darth Maul story but I won't belabor the point. I'm delighted to see Hondo, still my favorite new character in the series. He's even smooth in handling the betrayal of his own men, recruiting them back to the fold without retribution.
Jiro is the leader of the small Weequay pirate band who betray Hondo in favor of Maul. Jiro's only other appearance in the Expanded Universe is in a short story entitled "Kindred Spirits," published in Star Wars Insider. He is voiced by Matt Lanter.
Next week: "A War on Two Fronts."
Episode: "Revival"
Series: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Season 5, Episode 1
Original Air Date: August 24, 2012
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| via Wookieepedia |
Again, not a fan of the Darth Maul story but I won't belabor the point. I'm delighted to see Hondo, still my favorite new character in the series. He's even smooth in handling the betrayal of his own men, recruiting them back to the fold without retribution.
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| via Wookieepedia |
Next week: "A War on Two Fronts."
Friday, February 3, 2017
Squid Mixes: Squid Ball
Two weeks ago, I posted about my latest brewing adventure, orange honey ginger ale from Andrew Schloss's recipe in Homemade Soda. Schloss's book also includes cocktail recipes for several of the sodas. For the orange honey ginger ale, he recommended combining with dark rum to create what he called ginger honey rummy.
The result was okay but we prefer whiskey to rum at our house. My wife is a long-standing fan of a traditional highball, combining ginger ale with rye whiskey, preferably Old Overholt. So, we tried that too. One of the joys of mixing drinks is the exploration of flavor combinations. Almond and lime, for instance, are dazzling together - definitely a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. While the rum brought out the fruitiness of my soda, the whiskey emphasized the ginger. For both of us, the rye cocktail was superior.
So, this means I get to name the resulting drink, right? Ladies and gentlemen, I present the Squid Ball:
2 oz. rye whiskey
Orange honey ginger ale
In a highball glass, pour the whiskey over ice, then top off with the soda. Stir well and serve.
(I could/should probably tinker around to develop a recipe that doesn't require homemade soda but this is what I've got for now.)
The result was okay but we prefer whiskey to rum at our house. My wife is a long-standing fan of a traditional highball, combining ginger ale with rye whiskey, preferably Old Overholt. So, we tried that too. One of the joys of mixing drinks is the exploration of flavor combinations. Almond and lime, for instance, are dazzling together - definitely a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. While the rum brought out the fruitiness of my soda, the whiskey emphasized the ginger. For both of us, the rye cocktail was superior.
So, this means I get to name the resulting drink, right? Ladies and gentlemen, I present the Squid Ball:
Orange honey ginger ale
In a highball glass, pour the whiskey over ice, then top off with the soda. Stir well and serve.
(I could/should probably tinker around to develop a recipe that doesn't require homemade soda but this is what I've got for now.)
Thursday, February 2, 2017
The Clone Wars: Season Four
We have reached the end of Season Four in our exploration of The Clone Wars. Episode posts resume next Tuesday with Season Five. But first, a quick reflection...
General Impressions
I won't mince words. Season Four was disappointing. I was feeling so great about the series after such a strong Season Three but here, it stumbled. Formula is starting to creep in. Too many droid stories, too. A character is resurrected unnecessarily. There are good stories here and there but it seems to me like the series has passed its peak and is now on the way down.
Favorite Episode: "Plan of Dissent"
The best arc of the season is the General Krell story. Pong Krell, a Besalisk Jedi, takes command of the 501st Legion when Anakin is recalled to Coruscant. Krell is a tyrant with little regard for the well-being of the clone troopers. The narrative is told mostly from the point of view of the troopers as they chafe under his leadership. "Plan of Dissent" is the third in the four-episode story arc. I choose it as the best for its strong similarities with the first season episode "Rookies" in its climactic scene.
Least Favorite Episode: "Nomad Droids"
Not just a droid story but a two-part arc? Really? Must we? Good grief...
"Nomad Droids" is the second part of said arc. Artoo and Threepio escape in a Y-wing when their cruiser comes under attack. They find adventures laced with Wizard of Oz and Gulliver's Travels allusions. Normally, I'd be giddy about Oz references but here they just leave me tired. Enough with the droids already!
Favorite New Character: Pong Krell
Krell's a bastard but he's fascinating. The relationship between the Jedi and the clones is the most interesting story going in the Clone Wars and the Krell arc shows that relationship at its worst.
Onward
On to Season Five next week. I'm definitely hoping for improvement. Hondo Ohnaka is back in the first episode. That seems like a good sign.
Please visit my friend Andrew Leon today for his Season Four recap. Next Tuesday: "Revival."
General Impressions
I won't mince words. Season Four was disappointing. I was feeling so great about the series after such a strong Season Three but here, it stumbled. Formula is starting to creep in. Too many droid stories, too. A character is resurrected unnecessarily. There are good stories here and there but it seems to me like the series has passed its peak and is now on the way down.
Favorite Episode: "Plan of Dissent"
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| via Wookieepedia |
Least Favorite Episode: "Nomad Droids"
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| via Wookieepedia |
"Nomad Droids" is the second part of said arc. Artoo and Threepio escape in a Y-wing when their cruiser comes under attack. They find adventures laced with Wizard of Oz and Gulliver's Travels allusions. Normally, I'd be giddy about Oz references but here they just leave me tired. Enough with the droids already!
Favorite New Character: Pong Krell
 |
| via Wookieepedia |
Onward
On to Season Five next week. I'm definitely hoping for improvement. Hondo Ohnaka is back in the first episode. That seems like a good sign.
Please visit my friend Andrew Leon today for his Season Four recap. Next Tuesday: "Revival."