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Continuity & Analysis

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Shadow Warrior (2011) [S4E4]
Who a person truly is cannot be seen with the eye.
"As war continues to fracture the galaxy, planets become pawns in a dangerous chess game.
One planet in peril is Naboo, where suffering and civil unrest threaten once-friendly relations
between the people on the surface and the underwater-dwelling Gungans. Rumors that
the Gungans plan to aid the Separatists in an attack on Theed force Senator Padme Amidala
home, accompanied by Jedi General Anakin Skywalker..."
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Mercy Mission (2011) [S4E5]
Understanding is honoring the truth beneath the surface.
"Global crisis! The Mid Rim planet of Aleen is devastated by catastrophic earthquakes.
As the people struggle, the future of the survivors rests on their ability to rekindle their way
of life from the rubble of the past. A Jedi transport, on a mission to block Separatist annexation
of the Qiilura system, is waylaid to provide desperately needed humanitarian relief to the people
on the surface of Aleen..."
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Nomad Droids (2011) [S4E6]
Who's the more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?
"Homeward bound! On a peaceful mission on the planet Aleen, R2-D2 and C-3PO were caught up
in an adventure beyond their comprehension. After finally resolving the crisis and being taken to Jedi Master
Adi Gallia's cruiser, they now head home to the safety of the Republic, hoping to avoid a Separatist attack..."




CONTINUITY
'Shadow Warrior' is a standalone episode which is connected to the other two episodes by chronological order, and by Padme and C-3PO's separate
adventures. 'Mercy Mission' and 'Nomad Droids' form a single storyline. The chronological order of episodes is as given by Lucasfilm, and follows
their release order. The planets Aleen, Patitite Patuna, and Balnab are seen for the first time. Four worlds are seen in these episodes:

The episode 'Nomad Droids' is a tribute to Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, as well as L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Both are
satirical and figurative works often misidentified as simple children's stories, much as Star Wars is. The use of the literary cycle in Gulliver's Travels,
as well as the use of reversals from one part of the story to the next, are elements of the epic and heroic story tradition that George Lucas follows.
'Mercy Mission' and 'Nomad Droids' are also an homage to the original animated series Droids, which features R2 and C-3P0's meandering adventures.

- There are food shortages on Naboo, leading to rationing, likely due to the supply and logistics disruptions caused by the war. This is likely contributing to
the deterioration of relations with the Gungans, allowing a resurgence of the mistrust of each other often felt before the Trade Federation invasion 12 years
prior. Hunger and instability tends to lead to fear, anger, and even hate, one of the many ways that even peaceful and safe worlds like Naboo are mired in
the darkness of the war. The Gungan's are less effected by imported food insecurity, as they are native foragers of various creatures native to the planet.
The Gungans are reacting to the less hospitable attitude of the Naboo by falling back on their long-standing historical animosity. Boss Lyonie's influenced
statement that "for centuries the Nabooians have treated us like second-class citizens" is entirely accurate, and likely not an easy thing for many Gungans
to get past. Nevertheless, their new reactionary outlook isn't a natural development of their society, rather it is the product of direct manipulation by
the Sith, who are attempting to take revenge on Naboo for their loyalty to the Republic and peace, and hopefully gain Separatist control of the planet.


Why are there food shortages on Naboo? This isn't a blatant continuity issue like the suggestion that Naboo couldn't
power reading lamps and water pumps due to the war, made in 'Pursuit of Peace' (S3E11). The idea that the humans
of Naboo rely at least somewhat on food imports is perfectly reasonable, as many desired foods many not grow on
Naboo, among other reasons. At the same time, Naboo is not a densely populated planet, and its people could be
easily fed by local agriculture on this fertile and water-rich world. In most areas of the planet we have seen, crops
could easily be grown and harvested by droids and devices, and we have seen multiple examples of herding livestock
suggesting agriculture is important to the planet. If food shortages are indeed a problem, it is yet another failure of
the Naboo government to utilize its advanced technology, and to set up redundancies and reserves for times of
shortage. If they lack the agricultural development to be fully or nearly self-sufficient, and lack the central planning
to ensure years of shortage can be weathered, it is entirely the Naboo government's fault, not the war. The creators
seem intent on presenting the war as ruining the Naboo people's happy lives, and yet there is little reason to believe
Naboo is significantly effected by anything other than the Sith manipulations and the threat of Separatist invasion.


- Rish Loo is controlling Boss Lyonie using what Jar Jar refers to as "ancient Gungan mystical power", specifically through a talisman that made Lyonie into a kind
of zombie. The effect was so total, Lyonie didn't have memory of his actions while under its influence. This seems similar in some ways to the Jedi mind trick,
or to the magick of the Witches of Dathomir, and thus may be some sort of Force connected power. Anakin seems to sense it through the Force, thus
lending evidence to the idea that Gungan mystical power is some type of Force-related influence.


Why did Jar Jar have to pretend to be Boss Lyonie? Anakin points out he is the Senate Representative for his people,
and Jar Jar says he is too friendly with the Naboo to be listened to right now. Nevertheless, he is good friends with
General Tarpals. He could have told Tarpals that Rish Loo is a traitor who attacked Boss Lyonie, and they need to arrest
him and bring him before the rest of the Gungan High Council before proceeding. The implication of the scene is that
the Gungan soldiers are democratically deciding how to proceed. The General's opinion is the only one that matters.
The Boss Lyonie disguise does serve a less confusing purpose later, however, as part of the plan to capture Grievous.


- Grievous mentions the "great effort and cost" to bring his armies to Naboo, which he brings up only to manipulate, but is also likely quite true. Grievous had
to redeploy some appropriate force from some other strategic position to launch this campaign. Additionally, the ability to assemble large armies and
transport the necessary munitions, power supplies, and logistics costs a great deal. Fuel is likely the largest expense, and this is a significant factor in how
quickly large forces can move around the galaxy. It may be true that a small fighter or a large fully fueled cruiser can cross much of the galaxy in a day,
but the resource expenditure of moving an armed force is far more considerable, and more expensive the farther they have to travel.
Main Article: Hyperspace Travel

- General Tarpals sacrifices himself to capture General Grievous, and for the sake of peace between the Gungans and the Naboo, who he considers to be
valuable allies. Grievous thinks the Gungans have no chance, because they are incorrectly judged to be primitive and less intelligent, and because he thinks
very highly of himself and his power. Like most in the galaxy, he has significantly underestimated the Gungans, and the superiority of relying on strategy and
determination rather than strength and ability. The Gungan army quickly succeeds in capturing Grievous, where many vastly 'superior' forces have failed.


- Anakin's third lightsaber duel with Dooku reveals just how much more powerful he has grown. It has been over two years since his first duel with Dooku, where he
lost his arm, and more than a year since their confrontation on Tatooine. This time, Dooku needs four MagnaGuards and a confined space to capture Anakin, and
the effort requires an unusual amount of effort from Dooku. Just as is in Episode II, the raw power of Anakin makes the effort of defeating him somewhat
exhausting, and this is the case in this encounter even more so than their first. This also seems to perturb Dooku in both instances, as he believes his high-level
mastery of the Force as a Jedi, combined with using the dark side to become even more powerful, has made him the equal of the most powerful amongst the Jedi.
For his old master Yoda to stalemate him is one thing, but he is frustrated by and jealous of the twenty-one-year-old who is already growing difficult to defeat.
This is their fourth meeting, as they previously met in two other lightsaber duels, as well as during a series of events where they were captured by pirates.

- Anakin and Grievous have their only in person 'meeting' before their introduction to each other in Episode III, but as Anakin is unconscious here, and being
dragged face down, they don't truly meet. As such, Grievous doesn't have an opportunity to assess Anakin's age, or Anakin to assess Grievous' height, as
noted in the insults they will trade with each other when they do meet. They have now been in at least four battles with each other, but have not spoken
or seen one another face to face.


Is Jar Jar a Senator? He is called a Senator twice in this episode, first by Anakin and later by Queen Neeyutnee. Officially
he is Representative Binks of the Naboo delegation in the Senate, so he is, and he isn't. We have seen the Separatist
Parliament is sometimes called their Senate, or their Congress, and its members are Senators not 'Members of
Parliament'. We have seen that some sectors and even planets have two Senate delegations, such as the Mon Calamari
and Quarren Senate delegations, both apparently from Mon Cala. We have seen that even though Aks Moe was
the Senator for Malastare in Episode I, Ainlee Teem, a member of Aks Moe's delegation, was nominated as one
of the candidates to replace Valorum as Chancellor. Teem is usually regarded as a Senator, while other material calls him
a Representative. Different titles obviously mean different things, and yet all of these people are legal representatives in
the Senate, so it's a bit of a semantic debate. Each delegation only gets one vote regardless of how many members it has.


- The planet Aleen is located in the Bright Jewel Sector, in the New Territories region of the Mid Rim. It is the homeworld of the diminutive reptile-like Aleena, as
well as the reclusive, subterranean Kindalo, who are tree-like. It is a somewhat dry planet, which hosts two healthy and diverse biospheres, one above
ground and a second and entirely separate one underground. Unlike Aleena seen around the galaxy, the Aleena on their homeworld appear to be a simple
cultural of limited technological sophistication, although their planet features some impressive stone architecture. It is unknown if this was built before or
after contact with the interstellar community. While the Aleena seem understand how to operate computers, all the advanced equipment that is seen
on the planet comes from the Republic.


- The regular clone infantry have begun using Phase 2 clone armor, which replaces the Phase 1 clone armor they have been wearing since the war began.
Phase 1 ARC trooper armor has been seen from the beginning of the war, and has most of the appearance and features of Phase 2 clone armor.


- C-3PO and R2-D2 were dispatched as translator and mechanic on the mission to Aleen, which explains why neither was seen with Padme and Anakin on Naboo.
Padme and C-3PO speak via hypercom after C-3PO's mission, and Padme is now back on Coruscant.

- C-3PO is regarded as having magical or extraordinary powers by the simple, nature-loving Aleena, because he is telling them to "remain calm" during
a groundquake, and the ground stops quaking. They also probably like him because he understands and speaks their language. Their reverence of him
is nowhere near the level of that of the Ewoks, as the Aleena are experienced with advanced technology, but they are certainly impressed.

- The groundquakes on Aleen destroy infrastructure, and damaged structures ancient as well as modern. The mainframe station, which houses Republic computers
and equipment used by the Aleena, are located next to the collapsed remains of what used to be a small temple. Supplementary material has identified this as
a Jedi chapter house, which was a Jedi structure built to house the Great Seal, which keeps the Aleena settlement separate from the subterranean world.


- The subterranean world on Aleen has a divergently evolved ecosystem, and a totally different atmosphere. The Great Seal long ago placed to keep each world
safe from the other's poisonous atmosphere was unsealed for some reason by some unknown party. The quakes, which are assumed to be natural, are actually
caused by Orphne, in defense of what those in the underworld perceive as an attack by those on the surface. Orphne needs the droids help because they can
breathe both atmospheres. She seems to understand that droids aren't as incapable of thinking as most seem to think they are, and also tells them that even
droids can choose some of their own destiny. Since droids are not organic, their destinies aren't influenced by paths laid out for them by the Force, but they
aren't totally disconnected from the same forces which influence the destinies of living beings. Orphne knows they need water to return to the surface, but
rather than just tell them that, she makes them solve a riddle as a test, or as a way to make them think about the elements like water, and ultimately the air,
which leads the droids to discover the source of the problem. That poisonous air was the issue might not ordinarily occur to droids, because they don't breathe.

- Padme tells C-3PO that it is "a big universe beyond the few million planets you know." Considering that C-3PO is unfamiliar with Balnab, this implies there are
a many more than a few million charted planets within the known galaxy. C-3PO isn't even familiar with all the planets within Republic jurisdiction, as he needs
to look it up in another computer. Republic space must contain several million planets which are useful, rocky, or noteworthy enough to have been named.
Main Article: Galactic Population

- Patitite Pattuna is a pleasant and largely undeveloped planet located in the Bright Jewel Sector, featuring a unique and thriving ecosystem. It is also the homeworld
of the miniature Patitite species. It doesn't appear to be connected in direct way to the galactic community, but this isn't certain. The tiny Patitites are
a sophisticated and technological people. The local leader in the area the droids crash is known as the Big Hay-Zu, who is some sort of military dictator or
absolute monarch. This strongman has apparently succeeded in convincing his people that it is in their best interest to accept his less than benevolent rule,
telling the droids that "we do what he says, for our own good", and that he sends the "lucky ones" of their children to fight in wars for him against other
groups of Patitites. After his accidental death, C-3PO establishes a winner-takes-all democracy, leading the formerly cooperative Patitites to rapidly descend
into bickering and self-serving attempts to grab what power they can. This pleases C-3PO, as he has just helped to remake this community in the image of
the Republic that he considers to be an ideal system.


- Are Patitite Pattuna and Balnab in the same starsystem? If they are, there is no conceptual issue, but if they are not it seems the droids leave one planet and
arrive in another starsystem way too fast. In this case supplementary material calls them 'near-by', but doesn't specify if they are in the same system
or not. Travel at lightspeed while not in hyperspace make such a journey take much longer than several seconds. Considering that there is no attempt
to show any amount of passage of time, it seems most likely that the two planets are in fact in the same system.
Main Article: Hyperspace Travel

- The planet Balnab is referenced in the fighter's computer as a stellar remnant in its emerging stages of organic development. The planet has rocky canyons, swamps,
and likely a wide variety of other terrain in other parts of the planet. As it is in a developing stage of evolution, there are no sentient species native to this world.
The droids encounter a small group of an unknown species capable of star travel, that seems to be marooned on the planet.



The members of an unknown species that are apparently marooned on Balnab follow a great leader who is in fact
a holographic image controlled by some WAC droids. These people apparently possess weapons common in
the known galaxy, and obviously arrived here in a ship, so why don't they know what a hologram is? This yet
unnamed race is seen often around the galaxy in future material in this series, making it even less likely they wouldn't
know what was going on. Their situation also raises the question of the motivations of the WAC droids. Why did they
want to control their followers, who they describe as "mindless organics"? It seems that they are also stuck on this
planet, so this may be some scheme to get these aliens to collect resources they need to maintain their energy, but
from their conversation it seems like they just enjoy being in charge and manipulating a bunch of organic beings.
This situation was created as an homage to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, so it is unlikely the motivations of
the WAC droids were considered, or are truly relevant in this instance.



Why is Grievous still in this area after having captured Master Gallia? He seems to be just cruising around in a single ship,
the rest of Grievous' fleet having departed, with her in restraints just hanging out on the bridge. They are traveling at
regular sub-lightspeeds, and are apparently short of ideas on what to do with their time as they locate and destroy
a pirate ship for target practice. Grievous' strategy is unclear, as he has once again captured an important Jedi, then
waited around for superior Republic forces to locate him. Dooku did exactly the same thing Grievous does in this
storyline in 'Dooku Captured' (S1E11), seemingly having no plan to kill the Jedi or take them anywhere in particular, but
doesn't leave the area, or move on to some other business. Grievous also did this in 'Grievous Intrigue' (S2E9), but in
that instance he was at least planning a decent trap to kill or capture more Jedi. To complete the Gulliver's Travels story
of the droids, the creators needed events to come full circle, which is fine except that it makes Grievous look
uncharacteristically incompetent and harmless. He previously told the Jedi that he only lives to see them die, and that
the only reason he would keep one alive is to torture them, not for information, but simply to make them suffer.
He hasn't killed Gallia, isn't having her tortured or questioned, and doesn't seem in a hurry to go anywhere or take her
somewhere to accomplish those goals. This is incredibly convenient, unlikely, and poorly thought out.



There is an animation error in the incinerator room scene. Two RA-7 droids are on the conveyor belt, but when
the shot angle changes there is only one, and when the angle changes again there are once again two of them.


ANALYSIS
Minister Rish Loo has already maneuvered himself as the power behind the throne amongst the Gungans, but desires more, and is willing to join the Separatists
to achieve the power he covets. He believes he could become the leader, not just of the Gungans, and the planet Naboo, but perhaps of even more in Dooku's
promised 'New Order'. Dooku is once again seen using a soft touch, telling Rish Loo that the Gungans will thrive as members of the Separatist Alliance. The Sith
have been unable to remove the planet as an opposition force due to its unity, so stoking racial tensions is an effective way to divide and conquer. The once
marginalized Gungans would enjoy a privileged position where they rule the planet, and the humans would become the second-class citizens, and assuming
normal Separatist procedure would probably be put to work in labor camps. Rish Loo is attempting to instigate a Gungan march on the planetary capital
of Theed along with the droid army, an inversion of the scenario which defeated the Sith plans during the Naboo Crisis. The Sith desire to destroy Naboo
is primarily an attempt to remove them from a prominent position as outspoken advocates for peace and planetary sovereignty. Dooku also likely wishes
to control an important Mid Rim sector capital, which would be a significant strategic victory for the Separatists. The Sith are also motivated by revenge,
and always take the time to revisit those who have thwarted them in the past to attempt to take vengeance when it is less expected. Rish Loo tries his best
to execute the plan, and he does everything Dooku asks of him, but since the plot fails, Dooku calls him a fool and kills him.

Padme tells Tarpals that "with Grievous captured, we could win the war", a common refrain amongst Republic leaders and Jedi since the beginning of the war,
and an objective that will prove to be the last major step in defeating the Separatists. At this point in the war, this is an exaggeration, as Dooku and the Separatists
would no doubt continue without him, and Sidious would modify his plans if necessary. At the same time, Grievous is an important tactician, a charismatic leader,
and a vital Sith agent. Removing him from the war would be a major Republic victory. Sidious seems unusually perturbed by how the loss of the General will affect
his plans, telling Dooku that "this turn of events is unfortunate. General Grievous is a critical part of my plans for the Clone Wars. He must not remain captive."
Sidious seems less concerned about Grievous as a potential leak of information than he is in the necessary part he is to play in the remainder of the plan. Grievous
poses a specific threat to the Jedi, but he is also important because he understands and executes Sith goals, unlike most of Sidious' other allies, who are only
interested in executing schemes which benefit their agendas. Since Grievous is effective, dangerous to the Jedi, essentially amoral, and willingly complicit with
even the most despicable aspects of the Sith plan, his function is nearly irreplaceable. Sidious instructs Dooku to capture Skywalker and use him as a bargaining chip,
knowing full well of his relationship with Padme, and how to use other people's love to manipulate them, even make them choose to betray that which they are
loyal to. In this case, Padme puts her love of someone close to her, her husband, ahead of her duty to the Republic, ignoring the incredible suffering she could
prevent if the war was to end more expediently. She makes the exact same decision which Anakin makes in Episode III.

As is often the case, the events which truly set wars in motion happen years before the full-scale fighting. In this war it was the Naboo Crisis, which took place ten
years before the Clone Wars began, which was as Anakin called it, the "first battle". Dooku indicates to Anakin that the war started on Naboo years ago, which doesn't
seem to be news to Anakin, other than Dooku's potential involvement. The Jedi are well aware that the Clone Wars are simply a conclusion to the trade route crises
which precipitated the Separatist Crisis, and that the Sith were involved, as they we forced to confront Darth Maul directly. Dooku wasn't personally involved, but
the Sith were at the center of it all, a fact Dooku once again is completely honest about it, telling Anakin that "the Sith control everything, you just don't know it."
Once again this information falls on skeptical ears, as the Jedi instinctively assume everything the Sith say are lies or misdirection, but Dooku has now twice told
the Jedi directly that the Sith control the Republic, the Trade Federation, the Separatists, and many other huge interests, and yet the Jedi do not believe it.
Just as he was in that "first battle", Jar Jar is instrumental in saving the Gungans, the Naboo, and the entire planet, and once again foils the Sith's plans.

The Republic forces were diverted to Aleen for the relief mission on their way to the Qillura system to reinforce those fighting to block Separatist annexation of
the planet Qillura, which is located just north of Aleen and the Bright Jewel Sector. The invasion of Qillura is part of a series of offensives in the Mid Rim and
Expansion Region, launched by the Separatists to once again strain Republic resources. Republic forces have established parity in most regions of the Outer Rim,
and have even had success going on the offensive and pressing their initiative. The Separatists must now look to threaten worlds closer and closer to the Core
regions, in order to prevent Republic forces from amassing in greater numbers in the Outer Rim. The ability to prevent the Republic from concentrating its forces
is the single largest advantage which the Separatists have, made possible by their quantitative advantage in troops. The superior quality of Republic forces would
prove far too much of an advantage were the wars to remain confined to the areas surrounding loyal Separatist worlds. Grievous began employing this phase
of his strategy in the beginning of the second year of the war, but in recent months and those to come will accelerate this program to slow Republic advances,
and continually increase the threat level to regions closer to the Inner Core, thus accelerating rather than deescalating the conflict.

Not long after Commander Wollfe rendezvoused with Master Gallia's flagship, and dropped the droids off, her ship is attack by Grievous, who boards her ship
in order to capture or kill her. The result is the Battle of Patitite Pattuna, which begins as a very one-sided ambush by a respectable Separatist fleet against
a single Republic destroyer, but eventually culminates in a victory for the Republic, when Master Plo leads his task force to rescue her. This suggests the Republic
met with success in the Qillura System, as Wollfe and the 104th Battalion are with him. Plo boards Grievous' command ship, and keeps the droid forces occupied
while Commander Wollfe locates and frees Gallia. Another of the many successful 'Jedi rescue' scenarios which occur on numerous occasions during the Clone Wars.


FURTHER ANALYSIS
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