Long have I waited… to see the final season of Clone Wars - and it didn’t disappoint
- unlike that other Star Wars thing I just referenced. Dave Filoni and the team finally
scratched that 7 year itch and delivered on a thrilling, affecting wrap-up, featuring
episodes that could stand amongst some of the best of the original run in my humble
opinion. One such example was the tenth episode - “The Phantom Apprentice” - heh, nice
title. Ashoka Tano and Maul probably represent two of the show’s crowning achievements.
Ashoka; an original character for the series that grew throughout the story and became
a fan favourite right up there with the most beloved live action characters. Maul; an example
of how to resurrect a dead character and do it right, giving him more texture and personality
than he ever had in the two-ish lines he had in The Phantom Menace. Surely pitting the
two of them against each other in a titanic clash of ideals is the perfect foundation
for a show-stopping lightsaber duel!
You may remember last year I did a little video called… [Clip] … in which I detailed
what made Obi-Wan and Maul’s final encounter in Twin Suns such an immense pay-off to a
long standing rivalry. And I really did think that was the best duel in Wars animation.
But… is that reign over? Is there a… new greatest animated lightsaber duel ever? What
am I going to call this video if it is? What am I going to call the last video?! Someone
call John David Washington. I gotta do some inversion. Which duel is the best? To find
out I’m going to be breaking down what makes the Ashoka duel so satisfying - the only thing
for certain… Either way Maul is taking home the trophy. This is the Ashoka / Maul duel
from the Phantom Apprentice - the greatest animated lightsaber duel ever! Well, maybe
we’ll see I’m recording the introduction before I finish writing this sucker so maybe
I’ll be convinced. Maybe I won’t. Ah, anyway-
The episode starts right in the mess as we witness Ashoka, blades drawn, wondering who
the hell this insidious-looking motherfucker is… [Yes I imagine we have several mutual
friends] Someone’s been checking out Ashoka’s Facebook page - creep. [Master Kenobi had
a more important engagement - indeed] Ha! Love it. Maul is Kenobi’s nemesis, but try
as hard as he might - Maul is at the bottom of the Jedi master’s to-do list. You know
it just burns him to know Kenobi has been living in his head rent free but it’s unrequited.
It’s also a little sad in the context of the release order between Rebels and Clone
Wars’ final season. We all know Maul is due to perish in “Twin Suns” and yet here,
all these years earlier, we’re witnessing the rogue one fail to stir even a peep out
of Kenobi. His fate is sealed when Kenobi has the time and the patience to deal with
him. He’s otherwise engaged. Maul is episode 1 shit baby, Obi-Wan has got bigger fish to
fry - like Chosen Ones.
So if we know Maul is going to survive, we know Ashoka is going to survive - the duel
needs more than just the fragile line between life and death - what driving narrative point
will make this fight interesting and serve the story of both characters going into Rebels?
[Soon the Jedi and the Republic will no longer be the controlling interest in the galaxy.]
This is just… an awesome idea. Maul knows Order 66 is going to happen - he knows how
tenacious and insidious, uh, Sidious is - he has no doubts that his plan will succeed.
Unlike the Jedi, Maul would rather sit back and let it all burn.
[Anakin is a friend to the chancellor, he cannot be happy about this] Of course, Ashoka
points out the painfully obvious thing, something rooted in emotional intelligence, that the
Jedi were too ignorant to consider. They have blind faith in the fact that a Jedi is a Jedi;
they will remain one even when their loyalties are tested with their friends, even when they
are asked to directly betray said friend’s trust. Present throughout this whole episode
is that idea of their ignorance - and it all comes from the fact that their misguided attempt
to stomp out attachment has left them weak and ineffective. It’s laughable that they’re
even getting Anakin to spy on Palpatine - they are YEARS too late; a sentiment propagated
by Maul in the very same episode - he’s there to represent that viewpoint - that the
wheels have already been in motion for so long, that the only thing to do now is sit
back and watch as the Jedi order destroys itself.
[Ashoka the council isn’t always right] Frustrating that Obi-Wan could admit that
but, as we saw in Revenge, still pushed Anakin into taking the spy assignment. And it just
makes it all the more sad
[Clones bred for combat, all part of the plan - Joker- it’s all part of the plan] Maul
is literally standing there telling Jesse that his entire existence, his reason for
being - is a lie - he’s a pawn in a larger arc - never made to fight a righteous war
- but a jack in the box laying in wait until he can be used to do the one thing that matters
- killing the Jedi. Everyone in this episode is a puppet of Palpatine; so too is Maul,
but he can see the strings. [The plan, the only plan that matters. Not even I was made
aware of it’s grand design but I played my part…]
I love this recurring theme that Maul is deeply alone. Forever the galaxy’s garbage; no
matter what he seems to do he ends up on the fringes, thrown away. [... I was cast aside,
I was forgotten] Facing Order 66 and the end of the Republic, knowing that he had a part
to play and was nothing more than a tool, a means to an end - his entire life was a
trick - it’s fitting these feelings come to light again just before we witness all
the clones go through this same realisation. [There was someone else he was interested
in…. Lando: He doesn’t want you at all, he’s after somebody called SKYWALKER !] Before
Vader tried to set a trap for the Emperor’s prize many years in the future, Maul would
attempt it first. I like that the final run references Vader’s trap in Empire, Kylo’s
offer in Jedi, Vader’s massacre in Rogue - it’s making a point of tying all these
different visions of Star Wars together. Even the stuff you might not have liked - that
Star Wars is Star Wars to somebody - and Dave Filoni gets that. Rather than trying to put
stakes in the ground and drive conflict in the fanbase, I think he really makes strides
to bring us all together… which, when you think about it, is some full tilt Jedi shit.
[At the time I thought Dooku was an old fool - but now I see him and I are one in the same]
It’s heartbreaking to think that Dooku could have been one of the greatest Jedi to ever
live, Maul didn’t have to be a weapon. [The dark side has never been stronger] But here
we are, when it’s all too late - Palpatine has already won - and surprisingly, this episode
is more meditative than we might first have thought. Before the fateful duel begins, it’s
all about Maul realising how twisted and used he truly was, how his pain isn’t even unique,
and yet at the same time he has no one to share it with. Well, almost no one. [We were
both tools for greater powers] Pitting Maul and Ahsoka against each other is interesting
beyond the classic “who would win in a fight?” as thrilling as that is. They are both exiles
from their respective orders - Maul was left for dead to fend for himself - the rule of
Two a tragic misnomer - there is no “master and apprentice” in the Sith - only puppet
and puppeteer. [... you were motivated to leave by the hypocrisy of the Jedi council]
Ashoka thought she was becoming a Jedi to be a peacekeeper - but all she has even known
is being a soldier. They were both promised something different - they’re both smart
enough to figure things out on their own and if needs be - carve out a new, uncharted path.
[With your help, the Jedi can stop Sidious before it’s too late. Too late for what?
The republic to fall. It already has, and you just can’t see it!]
I just love how he talks about all of these things in the past tense, matter of fact - it’s
already over. Ashoka is still trying to hold on to the old ways; the old narrative where
the Jedi defeat evil in the name of the Republic. [You’re still holding on let go] Yeah, whether
you like it or not, the parallels to the Last Jedi are clear here. Maul’s offer is about
rejecting both the dogma of the Jedi AND the Sith, it’s about letting the past die - it’s
about seeking th e chance to carve out something new between them. [Every choice you have made
has led you to this moment - offers hand] The fate of the Republic - of the Jedi - that’s
all sealed in Maul’s eyes - but there’s this one chance, their only chance - to actually
enact change. Maul and Ashoka, not bound by rules and ideals - they just might be able
to destroy Sidious, together. And incredibly - unlike Rey, who doubles down on the old
order, the old ways - Ashoka chooses the unexpected. [I will help you] If only it were that easy...
[What do you want with Anakin Skywalker?]
Really, if what Maul was offering was true - if he really did want to create something
new - overthrow Sidious and let the old ways fall - they would have formed a relationship.
But he doesn’t really want those things - he falls back on the same mantra of the
Sith - to overpower, to possess - he wants to destroy Anakin Skywalker. [To bring balance
to force… to destroy] Ashoka, quite rightfully, knows that his plan to destroy Anakin is no
different to what Palpatine has in store for her old friend.
[Ashoka - I know Anakin] At the same time - would she have taken up her blades against
Maul if she had even a shred of doubt for Anakin? If she saw what he would become as
Maul did - maybe even then, even on a path to destroy - maybe she would have joined Maul.
It’s a great set up - one that makes this fight worth the price of admission even when
we know both combatants will live to fight another day.
Now there’s a big thing that sets this fight apart from the other animated duels I’ve
covered - it is a triumph as much as it is a failing - well, i don’t want to say failing
- none of this spectacular work is a failure - but it’s something that really holds the
key in mind - the answer to the question, is this the greatest animated lightsaber duel?
The Clone Wars team utilised motion capture for this battle, even managing to get the
man synonymous with Maul’s physical presence back to own the role that made him a household
name - Ray Park. [Dave Filoni: He can be Maul one more time] Alongside Park, the team brought
in veteran stunt performer Lauren Mary Kim to create Ashoka’s physical presence. The
result is… exactly what you’d expect when you get two professional stunt maestros to
go at it. That weighted, brutal physicality we recognise from the Phantom Menace pours
into the Phantom Apprentice and it’s a joy to see. [Dave Filoni: So when we see Maul
fighting, it’s really going to be Maul fighting] You can sense that Filoni knew they had created
something special with the Twin Suns duel, directly referencing the need for the Ashoka
/ Maul battle to go big and bombastic as a direct contrast to what we saw before. [Dave
Filoni: The Rebels fight was small, I wanted this one to be big] And I think that’s part
of the problem for me; the understated beauty of that fight, why it works so well - it’s
so difficult to top because it is so unique amongst everything else we’ve seen in the
Star Wars world. We’re used to, and expect, drawn-out and epic duels like the battle of
Mustafar, the Duel of the Fates and so on. Twin Suns took a gamble, and I think it paid
off. But that’s the mic drop. Anything else involves awkwardly getting back up on stage
and pinching the mic hoping no one is still looking forward. At the same time, the choreography
is really, seriously awesome… [Catching the saber] Every swing, dodge and parry works
tremendously well and slots into that perfect sweet spot between being a dance full of finesse
and a get-down-n-dirty slugfest.
I guess really I’m torn because it is very cool that they got Ray Park back and they
motion captured this because it makes it feel like a proper live-action duel - but at the
same time, that means you lose some of the charm of the weightlessness and movement of
the original CGI clone wars characters. Not everything needs to be realistic and, particularly
in the case of animated Star Wars, the stuff I love the best is usually the most outlandish
and fantastical [Windu 2003 pummelling all those goons] The Ashoka / Maul fight is probably
the closest the animated sphere has come to a “realistic” lightsaber duel - and whilst
it is a very cool experiment I can’t help but wonder why it wasn’t so hard for Disney
to just let Ray Park swing a saber in live action. One cameo and that’s it? Are you
kidding me?
[Only for you to take his place!] Palpatine hates the
control the Jedi have over the galaxy, and seeks to end that by taking control himself.
Maul, claiming his objective is to destroy such evil - once again just wants to sit in
the hot seat and take that power for his own. Ashoka is special because she rejects this
great chain - maybe the fate of the galaxy shouldn’t be bound up in a handful of sorcerers,
orchestrating petty power plays whilst every planet burns.
Maul, ever the downtrodden underdog, manages to relieve Ashoka of both her sabers - in
most Star Wars duels that’s end of play - not here. Once again the outcome of this
duel is not about who bests who - it is a clash of ideals. [Join me or die - never]
Ashoka then wrecks Maul - overpowering him with precision as she defeats him without
so much as a single weapon! Before being dangled in the air in a rather humiliating fashion
- that puppet on a string metaphor comes full circle here…
This duel sets the stage for the final stretch of Ashoka’s Clone War journey - a stunning
final 40 minutes that sees how she survived Order 66 - right up until a quietly affecting
final scene wherein Vader mourns the death of Anakin Skywalker - and with it, that special
bond he once shared. It’s told visually, in the cuts - masterful.
So… is it the new best animated lightsaber duel?
I’m going to say no. It’s top tier - don’t get me wrong - one of the best for sure - both
amongst the animated and live-action spheres - but I don’t think it’s quite as powerful
as the understated pay off we get in Twin Suns. Yes, we get more bang for our buck here
- but sometimes less is more. There’s something so powerful and sad in Maul waiting his entire
life for revenge only to be cut down in three saber swings. It’s operatic and grand and
totally Star Wars - not to say this Ashoka / Maul duel isn’t - but Twin Suns hits the
nail on the head that touch more. In terms of raw choreography and thrills - it’s probably
Phantom Apprentice that takes home the prize - but it’s never just about that. Story,
character - these things must always come first - these are the elements that keep you
thinking about it for a long time to come.
But really, were just comparing Jaffas Cakes to Jammy Dodgers here - it’s all fucking
delicious. Dave Filoni and the team who brought us so much quality Star Wars knocked it out
of the park yet again, and I can only sit here and salivate at the prospect of more
Filoni-orchestrated Ashoka action
in the Mandalorian...