Hey guys. Today we’re going to be talking about my
favourite arc in Star Wars The Clone Wars. If you don’t know, Star Wars The Clone Wars
is an animated tv show that began airing back in 2008 on cartoon network. The show is an
anthology series meaning that it doesn't follow one continuous timeline. It instead tells
short little stories that take place between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.
They’re told in no specific order and only last up to four episodes at a time. These
chunks of episodes are called arcs and the specific arc we’re going to be looking at
today is the Umbara Arc which consists of episodes 7 through 10 in season 4. If you
want to see it and you haven’t yet I highly suggest it because as you can tell from the
title of the video, I really like this arc. Also, I will probably be dropping a lot of
spoilers throughout this video so proceed at your own risk. Alright, without further
ado, let’s get into why I think this arc is the best in Star Wars the Clone Wars.
Alright, here is a quick summary of the story if you need a refresher. Anakin with the 501st
and Obi Wan with the 212th are invading the strategically valuable planet of Umbara that
has aligned with the Separatists. We follow the 501st’s landing onto the planet that
proceeds an amazing sequence that really gets that grim war feel across. The native Umbarans
are a very technologically advanced people who use never before seen weapons to defend
their planet. This is a really cool change to the standard clone versus battle droid
combat that we have gotten quite used to. This change is not a new idea but is still
refreshing non the less. After a couple battles Anakin is called back to Coruscant by the
chancellor and is replaced by General Krell who immediately demonstrates that he is not
the most pleasant fellow and is a lot less respectful to the clones than skywalker.
Throughout the next two episodes Krell enacts his own plans that differ quite a bit from
Anakin’s original ones. Krell’s plans are clearly not the greatest and will get
a lot of clones killed. The clones all know this which puts them in a strange position
because they are programmed to be loyal to the chain of command. This divides the clones
with some accepting the orders and others openly stating the plan’s flaws. The clone’s
distrust of General Krell grows as his plans get more and more clones killed and some of
the clones' own plans even yield much better results swaying the clones’ trust even farther.
Eventually the general’s true intentions are revealed after a terrible battle where
the 501st and 212th are tricked into firing on each other by General Krell. Rest in peace,
waxer. After the clones arrest the General for crimes against the republic he is finally
killed by the clone who trusted him most.
Obviously that summary was very over simplified but now let’s talk about why these episodes
are so great. First, let’s talk about the action. The
action in these episodes is absolutely amazing and one of the biggest reasons why it is so
good. The combat is gritty, brutal and very reminiscent of actual war movies. The shadow
world of Umbara is also an amazing planet to have this kind of arc on because of it
always being dark and cloaked in fog. These episodes make you realize how big these battles
actually are which is something I find even the big budget star wars movies struggle to
get right sometimes. Anakin also shows great strategic abilities during the opening sequence
by using the high speed and mobility of the at-rts to quickly dismantle artillery and
disrupt enemy lines while the rest of the clone forces land behind them. It really shows
that in the later years of the clone wars Jedi Generals became quite formidable strategists
on the battlefield. Now, you can’t have clone wars without clones
so how are they in these episodes? Absolutely amazing! These episodes demonstrate the individuality
of each clone and when their loyalty is tested by the absurd leadership of General Krell.
It shows how each clone views the chain of command with some wanting to blindly follow
it and others not trusting his absurd strategies. These episodes also explore the morality of
essentially having an enslaved military force that had no choice in their life. Usually
clones form a mutual respect with their Jedi General like Anakin’s 501st and Obi wan’s
212th but as shown in these episodes, that's not always the case. Even though some jedi
may not be entirely fit to lead an army, their clones still have to fight and die under their
command whether they like it or not. Jedi like Anakin instill freedom of expression
within their ranks which is a good thing to do and is why in the end they fight back...
Alright, overall these episodes are truly amazing and are definitely worth all of the
rewatches I have given them. I hope this video was able to explain some of the many reasons
these episodes are beloved by Clone Wars fans. Also, as I said before, if you haven’t seen
the arc or the clone wars tv show as a whole I highly suggest it.
Anyways, thanks for watching if you enjoyed this video and want to see more make sure
to subscribe and i'll see you in the next one.