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

via Wookieepedia

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.

*****

via Wookieepedia

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.

via Wookieepedia

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.

via Regular Show Wiki

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."