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Continuity & Analysis

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Landing At Point Rain (2009) [S2E5]
Believe in yourself or no one else will.
"Counterattack! With the clone army stretched in desperate attempt to engage
General Grievous' Starfleet, Separatists planets that were once thought secure are now rising up
against the Republic. On Geonosis, Separatist leader Poggle the Lesser, safe in his newly ray-shielded
factories, creates thousands of terrible new weapons which march off the assembly line against
the outnumbered clone army. The Jedi, resolute in their effort to restore order to the Republic,
mount a massive invasion to retake Geonosis and shut down Poggle's factories of terror once and for all..."
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Weapons Factory (2009) [S2E6]
No gift is more precious than trust.
"The final surge. Having learned of warlord Poggle the Lesser's plot to rebuild a Separatist
droid foundry on Geonosis, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka Tano,
prepare to assault this heavily-fortified installation. Their mission: destroy the factory at all costs.
Anticipating stiff resistance, Republic commanders send Jedi Master Luminara Unduli and
her Padawan Barriss Offee, to reinforce the attack. But time runs short for our intrepid heroes
as the dreaded droid mill nears completion..."
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Legacy of Terror (2009) [S2E7]
Sometimes, accepting help is harder than offering it.
"Victory on Geonosis! After a massive planetary siege, the Separatist forces on Geonosis have
finally fallen. Key weapons factories have been destroyed, but at a heavy cost to Republic troops.
Now, as Jedi Master Luminara Unduli and Obi-Wan Kenobi begin a clean-up of the planet, they
launch an intense campaign to find Separatist leader Poggle the Lesser and bring him to justice..."
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Brain Invaders (2009) [S2E8]
Attachment is not compassion.
"Victory on Geonosis! After a massive assault, the Republic has finally recaptured the Separatist
planet and shut down its droid factories of doom. An investigation by Luminara Unduli
led to the discovery of Queen Karina the Great, whose hive-mind could reanimate dead
Geonosian soldiers. During the destruction of the queen's temple, the Jedi apprehended
her advisor Poggle the Lesser, and now prepare to deliver the villain to Coruscant for trial..."




CONTINUITY
These four episodes form a single storyline about Geonosis. The chronological order of episodes is as given
by Lucasfilm, and follows their release order. Geonosis is the only world seen in these episodes:


- Anakin and Ahsoka finished "routing" the Separatists near Dorin, indicating that Separatist advances into the Expansion region in the galactic north
have been at least partially forestalled. Dorin is the homeworld of Master Plo, and near to Ahsoka's homeworld of Shili.

- The Generals leading the Geonosis invasion contact Outer Rim Command for a briefing, and it seems that this is based on Coruscant, unless Mace,
Yoda, Luminara, and Palpatine are being relayed to them via Outer Rim Command, possibly from different locations.



Luminara is in the briefing via hologram transmission, but in one three-second shot she is on the ship. This animation
error isn't readily apparent, since she is seen behind a different hologram, but it is clearly her and not her hologram.


- Palpatine does a good job of seeming concerned about the safety of Jedi, and defers to their decision-making any time it isn't important to his plans.
He keeps the Jedi from growing too concerned about his overreaching too quickly, while stays informs of the location and movement of Jedi, which
he then passes on to Dooku. Ordinarily, the chance to eliminate three powerful Jedi knights would be high priority, but Palpatine may be less interested
in testing Anakin's power with lethal contests as he was in the year prior. The Sith always vet and reevaluate their apprentices by putting them to lethal
combat to prove their worth, but Anakin's power and abilities have become clear, and considering how close he is to completing his plan, and the help
Anakin's power would be to the task of eliminating the Jedi leadership, he may be more interested in keeping him alive to use as a weapon.
Main Article: Darth Sidious and The Plan

- The Geonosian structures we have seen largely seem to be built of the native stone, or hewn out of them, but their exterior is of secondary importance,
as the actual structure is mostly near or below ground level, and below that connected to huge networks of catacombs. As an insectoid species,
the Geonosians nature and evolutionary history on this planet are reflected in the functionality and design of their architecture.


- Captain Jet, CC-1993, is the commander of a flametrooper unit assigned to the droid foundry offensive. He is referred to as "Captain" sometimes and
"Commander" other times. Commander is a superior rank to Captain, but any officer in charge of anything can be referred to as 'Commander', by
virtue of being in command. Supplementary material usually gives his rank as Commander, despite the fact that he is repeatedly called Captain.
This is probably because he says "Commander Jet out" over the transmitter. His actual rank is assumed to be Captain, to avoid a continuity error.
Main Article: Ranks and Rank Insignia

- The shield defending the droid factory is consistent with the localized shields otherwise seen in the SW universe. While it is possible to wear down any shield
by firing energy weapons and explosives against them, their absorption capacity and resilience are a combination of the power output of their emitters and
the size and capacity of their power source. On a starship, that resource is finite, even for large ships with huge generators. Energy is required for all the ship's
operations, and to keep those on board alive, and it cannot be totally devoted to shields. Even for a large ship with large reactors, fuel kept on board is limited
and shields need to stop absorbing energy to recharge. On the ground, a shield can be powered by a local reactor dedicated entirely to providing it with energy.
The size of the reactor isn't limited by size or shape, and the same goes for its emitters and power transfer hardware, making a localized shield many times
stronger and more resilient than any in space. Taking it down with firepower would take a long time and require a large force constantly expending ordinance.
Instead of waiting potentially months to get in, the only sensible option is to advance forces through the shield and shut down the generator.
Main Article: Shields, Deflectors, and Ray Shields


- Waxer and Boil, part of Obi-Wan's 212th Attack Battalion under Commander Cody, are again featured, as they were in the Ryloth storyline.


According to the tactical droid, the super tanks are impervious to all standard weapons of the Republic, due to its
heavy armor. Anakin says they must be ray-shielded, which doesn't seem to be the case, unless there is an invisible
form of ray shields that can be projected from unseen emitters through a solid hull of armor. Ruling that out,
there must be something about the metal composition that makes it very strong. It is shown that lightsabers can
cut them, at least at some points on the tank. No matter what it is that makes them so tough, the issue is that
the super tanks are shown to be effective. Why is this the only place they can be built? They are not seen again,
and while this does not mean that none were ever built, or used anywhere in the galaxy during the Clone Wars,
their introduction raises a host of questions. If this metal or defense technology exists, it would give so much of
an advantage it would be pursued further. If there is some reason this cannot be duplicated, or the metal can't
be made again, the explanation would almost certainly be highly unlikely. Even if they can't mass produce their
armor, this tank is far better than the standard Separatist tank by virtue of armament and capabilities, and their
mortar barrage is devastating from a distance. They are worth mass-producing even with standard armor.



Luminara and Anakin rapidly free climb underneath a horizontal rock surface, while supporting their entire weight with
one hand and placing detonators with their other hand. How are they so good at this? There is no Force application
that makes this easier or safer, and there is no aspect of Jedi martial arts or acrobatic training which would be of
specific help in this venture. It's not just about the physics of what they do that makes this so unbelievable, it is more
about their grip than anything. Finding hand holds that would make it possible to do this with two hands would still
be very risky, and would require moving at a slower rate to find and test them before advancing. Even under the best
circumstances, rapidly advancing while planting explosives is almost certainly impossible. While The Clone Wars
series usually does a good job of believably approximating real life, on occasion it forgets about physics. They could
have been shown using some simple technology to do this. Luminara isn't even wearing gloves.



- While the Jedi are a society of warrior monks, they also an academic society, and all three aspects are equally important to the nature of Jedi Order.
The Jedi collect, preserve, and pass down valuable knowledge and current intelligence, not only about the Force, but about all aspects of science,
nature, astrography, politics, culture, society, history, and any other field which can serve to help better understand the universe. While the Jedi
usually prefer to compartmentalize information, and share it on a need to know basis, it is because they recognize that knowledge is power, and
the Jedi believe that power must be dispensed responsibly. Obi-Wan not only follows this priority, he clearly understands why it is important and
valuable. First, Obi-Wan wants to see what diplomacy with the Queen will get them, and gain information from talking, Anakin only seems interested
in gaining intelligence that will help him plan his attack. Obi-Wan understands it is more important in the long run to know one's enemy, and while
charging in can win battles, patient intelligence gathering can win wars. Later, Obi-Wan's impulse is to capture the brain worm for study. Anakin's
impulse is to step on the threat that he doesn't like, and to be rid of it. Anakin is far more interested in being a warrior than a monk or an academic.


- Poggle joins his fellow members of the Separatist Council, San Hill, Nute Gunray, and Wat Tambor, in being captured by the Republic. Gunray was lost
before he could be brought to Coruscant, but Poggle is brought back for trial like the others. He is seen on the security monitor in Republic Military
Headquarters in 'The Jedi Who Knew Too Much' (S5E18), over a year and a half later. He is able to make it back to the Separatist Alliance sometime
after that episode, just as Wat Tambor does, who is also seen on the monitors. According to supplementary material, Poggle's expertise is sought by
the engineers working on the first stages of the Death Star, and he is able to use his participation in the program as a means to make escape, only to
eventually see the Separatists lose the war, and to be murdered by Darth Vader in Episode III, almost two and a half years from this storyline.

- In addition to producing countless eggs, the Queen also produces brain worms, which hatch out of small eggs, which enter the bodies of Geonosians,
or others, and give her access to and control over their minds, in a kind of parasitic collective consciousness. The brain worms of 'Brain Invaders'
foreshadows the events of Order 66, where the clones will turn on their Jedi comrades against their will. Just as during Order 66, the clones'
experience serving alongside Jedi will give them an advantage in defeating them, as one clone clearly states, saying "if there's one thing we clones
know, it's how to stop a Jedi." Barriss' infection with a brain worm, leading to her turning on her good friend Ahsoka and the entire Jedi Order,
foreshadows her becoming 'infected' by the dark side, leading to the events which result in Ahsoka leaving the Order near the end of the war.

- Mace has not yet left Coruscant in 'Landing At Point Rain', but will depart shortly to rejoin the campaign on Dantooine. Mace has been leading the campaign
on Dantooine for over a year, first seen in Clone Wars 'Chapter 12'. In 'Brain Invaders', Mundi mentions that Mace's forces held but have incurred
heavy losses, and need medical supplies. The medical station near Ord Cestus is positioned for the Jedi to get supplies on the way from Geonosis.
Ord Cestus is not only relatively near to Dantooine, in legendary material it is homeworld of the X'Ting species, who are insectoids like the Geonosians.
This is likely an intentional reference to this connection, one of many expanded universe adoptions of legends material. It is likely given Dantooine's
strategic location that the battle on the planet at this stage is simply a continuation of the same campaign, having once again reached a critical stage.

ANALYSIS
Having spent a brief time at the beginning of this year on the counteroffensive, Republic forces are once again stretched containing Grievous, who is once
again expanding his campaigns. As a result, some Separatist worlds conquered during the first year of the war are rising up, and often overwhelming what
forces could be spared to garrison those worlds. Geonosis is lost due to unknown circumstances, initially blamed on the tenacity of resistance of the natives,
which is accurate, but is only part of the story, as the Republic will eventually learn when discovering about the Geonosian brain worms. Many of the worlds
which formed the early Separatist Alliance were heavily opposed to the corruption of the Republic, and its Core-centric politics. Many other Separatist worlds,
like Geonosis, were never part of the Republic, never respected it or its ideals, and are all too eager to participate in its downfall. No matter the specific reasons
a particular world willingly joined the Separatists, a subsequent Republic invasion likely served to increase anti-Republic sentiment, and even create passionate
hatred where before there was only a philosophical dislike. The only way to secure such worlds is a full scale military occupation, which is the very practice
which begins and ends the transformation into the Empire. Archduke Poggle, along with the warriors he sent to hide in the catacombs in Episode II, has
succeeded in liberating his homeworld, and now protected in his new ray-shielded factory is seeking to rebuild their wealth and influence which they lost
when the Republic confiscated Geonosian Industries facilities and assets.

The information provided by Padme about the new droid foundry makes a second invasion of Geonosis a top priority. Mundi, Kenobi, and Skywalker are all
assigned to lead the operation, and specifically to the main objective of shutting down the droid factory, which is more important than the reconquest of
the entire planet. The secondary objective is the capture of Poggle, who is a very valuable information resource and a member of the Separatist Council.
The final mission objective is to secure the planet, and ensure it doesn't rise up again. The aerial battle is, as always, key to the success of the invasion.
The Generals plan the overarching strategy, and lead the forces on the ground, but once engaged, the Admirals lead the battle on the map, coordinating
the logistics of each part of the campaign, providing support to ground forces, and allocating resources and reinforcements to various fronts. The battle
at the Point Rain is tipped by air support, turning what was becoming a dire situation into an eventual success.

The second victory on Geonosis once again came at a cost of heavy Republic losses. After being joined by Luminara, and the capture of Poggle, all areas of
the planet are secured, and the ranks of Geonosian resisters are once again depleted. The Geonosian leadership is dealt with, both the Archduke, and
Queen Karina the Great, both of whom were responsible for the resistance which necessitated this second invasion. The price which Geonosis paid for
brazenly siding with the Sith was a devastating one. Having been twice invaded, its industries ruined, its population severely reduced, and its leaders lost,
Geonosis faces a humiliating Republic occupation, which transitions into an Imperial rule leading to genocide and the virtual destruction of their culture.

Anakin and Ahsoka, being independent, impatient and reckless at times, insubordinate, and informal, are contrasted with Luminara and Barriss, who
are monastic, patient, polite, and formal, and who have a harmonious master-student relationship. Their difference in philosophy and balance comes to
the forefront when Ahsoka and Barriss are trapped in the collapsed factory. Luminara's philosophy of "be at ease" is met by Anakin's insistence that
"we need to act now", reflecting Anakin's refusal to give up or to accept death, and his desire to make things the way he wants them to be. Anakin is
proven right, in this instance, because he never gives up hope, leading to a vigorous recovery effort which finds the Padawans. Luminara's position
is about accepting reality, and avoiding attachment, because it inevitably leads to fear of loss. Anakin truly is not prepared to lose his Padawn, or anyone
else he loves, which is exactly what Yoda hopes he can overcome by being her teacher. Barriss also wants to give up hope, taking a pessimistic outlook
on her Master's teachings, for she has an unrealistically dire view of this situation, a trait that will lead to her eventual fall. Ahsoka is the other side of
the same coin as Barriss, only she has an optimistic outlook, which embodies the hope that is central to Jedi philosophy. This is also found in Anakin's
outlook, only his optimism can at times lead him to frustration, fear, and anger, when the optimal is not realized. Anakin and Ahsoka's similar traits
are feeding off of each other in a codependent relationship, which is further enabling their behavior, but at the same time is constantly leading one to
reflect on their shortcomings when observing them in the other. As Obi-Wan says to Anakin, "I don't think you realize how alike you two have become."
Ahsoka points out that Anakin will always do what needs to be done, a reference to Anakin's desire to accomplish whatever he has decided is right,
regardless of danger, moral uncertainty, or lengths he must go. His destiny is forged by his choices, his impatience, and his selfishness. Anakin
demonstrates this with his interrogation of Poggle using violence and terror. He does this because it is what needs to be done to save Ahsoka, and he
is afraid of losing her. Ahsoka doesn't 'do what needs to be done', as in kill Barriss when infected by the brain worm, and it saves Barriss' life.


FURTHER ANALYSIS
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