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Continuity & Analysis

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Darkness on Umbara (2011) [S4E7]
The first step toward loyalty is trust.
"War in the Expansion Region! As the Separatists tighten their grip over vital but isolated
supply routes, the Republic launches a lightning strike into a remote Ghost Nebula
to control the strategic system of Umbara. Republic forces smash through the Separatist
blockade in an effort to claim the shadowy world..."
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - The General (2011) [S4E8]
The path of ignorance is guided by fear.
"Turning the tide! As Separatist control over vital but isolated supply routes expands,
Republic forces invade a key planet, the darkened world of Umbara. In the midst of helping
Obi-Wan Kenobi's battalion conquering the Umbaran capital city, Anakin Skywalker is called
away to Coruscant. His battalion is temporarily placed under the command of Jedi General
Pong Krell, a shrewd and temperamental leader. Krell's reckless strategy forced Captain
Rex to retreat with his platoons in a disastrous defeat..."
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Plan of Dissent (2011) [S4E9]
The wise man leads, the strong man follows.
"Invasion in peril! Republic forces struggle to take Umbara, a hostile planet completely
enshrouded in darkness. Jedi General Pong Krell and Captain Rex lead a battalion against
a constant attack by a brutal enemy. Krell's aggressive and reckless strategies backfire, killing
many clones. Despite the Jedi General's dangerous tactics, Captain Rex's squad successfully
captures a critical airbase. This further fuels the mistrust of Krell's leadership, dividing his men..."
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Carnage of Krell (2011) [S4E10]
Our actions define our legacy.
"While fighting to control the darkened world of Umbara, Anakin Skywalker's battalion
is temporarily placed under the command of Jedi General Pong Krell. As Krell's disastrous
strategies result in increasing casualties, his men begin to turn against him. Captain Rex
struggles to balance loyalty between his commander and his fellow men. Under his watch,
Fives and Jesse disobey Krell's orders, resulting in their court-martial..."




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


- Senator Mee Deechi of Umbara was murdered less around a half a year prior to this episode, in 'Senate Murders' (S2E15), which led to a chain of events
culminating in Umbara leaving the Republic and joining the Separatist Alliance. The particulars are not known but the death of Deechi is considered to be
the crisis point. Obi-Wan describes Umbara as "heavily armed", which is certainly the case, as Umbara manufactures weapons. Its military uses advanced
and unique technology, much of which is designed and built by Ghost Armaments, a major arms corporation located on Umbara. Deechi's reasons for
supporting militarization, and his alliance with Kamino, the Techno Union, and other arms manufacturing interests, are made much clearer in this context.

- Umbara is a 'shadow world', located in the Ghost Nebula Sector, in the Slice region of the Expansion Region of the Rim, home to the Ghost Nebula, which is
a prominent stellar nursery enveloped by massive clouds of interstellar dust. The planet's thick atmosphere prevents most of the light of its star from
reaching the surface, leaving the planet in perpetual darkness. The unique ecology and biosphere of the planet are the result of evolving under these
conditions, and notably includes several kinds of very dangerous creatures. It is the homeworld of the Umbarans, who are a pale, humanoid species,
who are technologically advanced, and were formerly prominent members of the Republic. The Umbarans are informally called the 'Shadow People'.


- The Republic has begun to fly the Z-95 'Headhunter' starfighter, manufactured by Incom Corporation, which also makes the ARC-170 starfighter that has
been utilized by the Republic for at least the last year, as well as the X-Wing line of starfighters. The Z-95 is an impressive multi-role starfighter that is
effective as an escort fighter, an air-support fighter, and even as a light bomber. It will quickly supplant the V-19 Torrent as the primary Republic fighter,
and remain so for the last year and a half of the war. Near the end of the war, it will begin to be supplanted by the V-Wing starfighter, which will become
the first primary fighter for the Empire.


This storyline contains more than a few small animation errors, such as helmet art, pieces of armor, or facial hair
disappearing in one shot, and reappearing in the next. Krell is holding his blue saber in his right hand and his green in
his left, but when he jumps out of the tower and lands he is holding his green saber in his right hand and blue in his left.
None of these errors are significantly important, but they are unnecessarily abundant in these episodes.


- Most clones have recently begun wearing Phase 2 armor, which is similar in appearance to Phase 1 ARC Trooper armor. This storyline is the first appearance of
Phase 2 ARC Trooper armor, which is only slightly different in appearance from Phase 1 ARC Trooper armor, but is said to have increased functionality.



Anakin is called back to Coruscant, and Krell tells him that "the request was made by the Supreme Chancellor."
Did Sidious foresee through the Force that Master Krell would fall to the dark side if helped along, or that Krell
had already fallen to the dark side? This could certainly be the reason, although it could be simply Palpatine's
practice of routinely overruling Anakin's Jedi assignment and asking Anakin to take care of some campaign or
issue personally. This fosters the bond between Anakin and himself, and further aggravates the Jedi, who direct
their scorn at Anakin. It is also possible that Krell was simply lying, however that would have constituted a risk
to his plans. If such a lie were discovered quickly enough, Anakin would return and the other Jedi on the planet
would work against Krell's goals. It is probably safe to assume that the Chancellor ordered it, and certainly true
that he loves to manipulate Anakin, and quite possibly the result of Sidious learning about Krell through the Force.
Main Article: Darth Sidious and The Plan


- Krell identifies Rex as CT-7567. Supplementary material has attempted to retcon this clearly canon information by suggesting that Rex is actually CC-7567,
as they are working on the theory that all clone Captains and Commanders must have CC designations. This is not supported by canon, as we have seen
a Commander with a CT number, other clone Captains with CT numbers, and clones of various ranks with other designations like ARC numbers and Cadet
numbers. As such, there is no canon necessity to call this a continuity error, and doing so would only serve to retcon canon to fit supplementary material.
Main Article: Dooku, Sifo-Dyas, and the Clone Army

- The Umbaran troops are seen wearing helmets, despite this being their native homeworld, which when punctured, leak out a strange gas different from
air on the planet. This is described in supplementary material as a gas designed for military purposes to improve ability and amplify aggression.


Krell refers to Fives as ARC-5555. This was likely an attempt to maintain continuity with the series Clone Wars,
and supplementary material based on that series, where ARC Troopers had ARC numbers. The issue with this is that
Rex is also an ARC Trooper, and other ARC Troopers we have seen also haven't had their designations changed with
their assignment. Additionally, Fives gives his number as CT-27-5555 in 'Clone Cadets' (S3E1) just before graduation.
It is presumed that clones abbreviate their designations, as there are millions of clones, so the -27 is dropped.
In 'Conspiracy' (S6E2), Fives is identified as CT-5555, which fits best with the other ARC Trooper designations in this
series. As such, it is assumed to be his correct designation, however both ARC-5555 and CT-5555 could be equally valid.
Main Article: Dooku, Sifo-Dyas, and the Clone Army


- The 'heads' of the impeding tanks, where the driver is located, are ray-shielded. These appear to be atmospheric versions of the kind of shields used on
starships, similar to the ray shields seen near the beginning of Episode III, only deflecting from without instead of from within. This shielding is
apparently not seriously effected by the clones' blaster fire, although presumably enough shooting would deplete its energy eventually.
Main Article: Shields, Deflectors, and Ray Shields


Why do the impeding assault tanks sometimes give off a crazy noise? These large millipede-like machines bore in and
out of the ground, and are meant to inspire fear with their appearance and abilities. The strange noise they sometimes
make could be like a dive-bomber siren, meant for psychological warfare and fear based intimidation. That is a fine
theory, but are these pilots hitting the button to make this creepy wail, or is it an automatic function of the machine?
What is most odd about the intermittent use of the sound is how it goes off at times that a creature might make such
noises, and then twice in succession when the craft is being destroyed, just how an animal being killed might wail.


- A unique Umbaran alphabet was developed for this storyline, seen in Umbaran buildings and used on their devices. There are brief examples of
Umbaranese, the spoken language of the planet, but no translation is given, and likely the words are nonsense used as a sound effect and to add
realism to the story. As with most untranslated speech in SW, what matters is the tone of what they are saying, rather then the meaning.



Why is Appo a Sergeant? Appo first appeared in Episode III, where supplementary material identified him as
a Commander, and gave him a CC number, which isn't proof of rank but usually is given to clone Commanders and
sometimes clone Captains. This need not be considered a continuity error, but it doesn't make a lot of sense. It is only
a bit over a year and a half until Episode III. Giving an experienced enlisted-level officer a battlefield commission is
a practice in wartime, but it would have been to Lieutenant, or at most a Captain if many officers had fallen. Why would
Rex not have been promoted to Commander and Appo made a Captain in his place? If the creators had simply made him
a Captain in this storyline, it would have helped to explain why he might have similar seniority to Rex, and wouldn't
require some convoluted explanation to fit this into canon. When a person or event is in one of the six Lucas films,
additional material is supposed to serve to explain rather than confuse.
Main Article: Ranks and Rank Insignia


- Hardcase can't take it easy, and cites the cause as his growth acceleration chamber had a leak, which made him hyperactive, at least according to his
Commander on Kamino. Whether this is actually the case is not certain, as his Commander may have just been giving him a hard time. Nevertheless,
the idea that certain clones' unique personalities are the result of growth irregularities is highly likely.

- Krell says that luck was on their side. It is strange to hear a Jedi believe in luck, as ordinarily they would not, however other Jedi are at times seen using
the term as a colloquial way to say 'may the Force be with you', or to refer to good fortune which may or may not have been the will of the Force.
This is unlikely to be an indication of any particular philosophy on the part of Krell, rather it is likely a matter of semantics.

- The Umbarans have a number of unique technologies, most of which are quite advanced. Their hologram projection method, which forms images out of a finite
number of holographic blocks, is indicative of domestically produced technology that does not rely on parts or direct copying from technology traded on
the interstellar market. This makes the planet more self-sufficient, and reduces reliance on monopolistic organizations like the Techno Union. It has the added
benefit of fostering scientific and technical know-how on the planet, while at the same time insulating them from external manipulation.


Fives refers to Jesse as "Hardcase". Neither Jesse nor Hardcase corrects him.


- The clones seem to continue to become more like Jango, and to overcome in some ways having being engineered to be less independent and more subservient.
When the clones steal the fighters to attack the orbiting supply ship, they discuss their diverse motivations. Fives is doing it because General Krell's plan will kill
many clones and this could help spare them. Jesse is doing it because he doesn't like General Krell. Hardcase is "just doing it for fun", although this may be
a result of his hyperactivity more than his independence. Later, Dogma is shown to be far more well-conditioned, but still disobeys his programming based on
an individual choice. The clones may be programmed, both with the chip, and by their upbringing and training, but they are still very capable of transcending
that, most of the time. They are also beginning to question what will happen to them after the war, and looking at their lives and choices as individuals.

- The Separatist supply ship is a DH-Omni-class vessel manufactured by Hoersch-Kessel Drive, part of the Trade Federation and a major starship manufacturer.
It features their usual rounded design components, and like the company's Lucrehulk-class Battleships, seen in Episode I and throughout the Clone Wars, is
designed to facilitate the massive cargo and transport needs of the Federation, and to conduct the important interstellar commerce which makes the Federation
so wealthy and powerful. The fleet also contains a number of Umbaran ships, identified as supply ships by supplementary material, although they may be
multi-role cruisers capable of combat beyond defense. They have been painted with the roundel symbol of the Separatist Alliance, which indicates they have
placed their fleet resources under Separatist control. As such, Umbaran ships may have served elsewhere in the galaxy in Separatist fleets later in the war.


- The starfighters infiltrating the supply ship are stopped by ray shields, which are the same red horizontal type seen on prison doors and other functions.
The Umabaran fighters have ray-shielded cockpits, which are similar to ship shields, and the immobilizing ray shields seen near the beginning of Episode III.
These cockpit shields are being shot at by battle droids, which is depleting them, suggesting they need to cycle and recharge, or they will fail, the same as
shields on ships during combat. It is unclear if they can recharge without being deactivated if the droids were to stop firing at them.
Main Article: Shields, Deflectors, and Ray Shields


Why does the weapons pod hitting the side of the reactor cause an explosion? The creators made it pointy so it looks
like it could be piercing something, but it looks like it is moving about 25 kph after Hardcase pushes it. If the reactor
casing is that brittle, he could have punctured it by shooting a blaster at it. The pod is a weapons pod, and the reactor
has energy in it, so naturally the creators decided they should both blow up. If these systems are this vulnerable to
explosion, things would be blowing up from minor battle damage all the time, which is very contrary to what has been
shown on screen. They even reference Anakin as a kid in Episode I destroying a different spherical Trade Federation
ship by hitting its reactor from the inside. He used high energy torpedoes of some kind fired from his starfighter, he
didn't gently push one metal-cased object into another and cause a massive explosion. The physics of hard objects is
once again ignored for a dramatic story device. Additionally, Rex shouldn't have been able to see the light from
the explosion on the surface. It looks like a huge area is lit up behind the clouds. Putting aside the super-dense cloud
cover and atmosphere on this planet, which is its defining characteristic, the ship that exploded would have required
lenses to see even if the sky were totally clear, and only a small flash would have been seen.


- The episode 'Carnage of Krell' begins as an homage to Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory. The clones face a firing squad for refusing to follow suicidal orders,
suggesting that the clones are a sort of human sacrifice to be offered on the altar of war. They must be slaughtered in the name of victory, or face ritualistic
murder at the hands of their fellow soldiers, at the behest of their commanders. The army becomes an inhuman machine with human beings as its parts.
As Rex observes, "if this is how soldiers are rewarded for heroic actions, then one day, every man in this battalion may face a similar fate."

- Waxer is the Lieutenant leading the platoon from the 212th which Krell sent against Rex and the 501st, and is killed. His helmet features an illustration of Numa,
the young Twi'lek which he befriended in 'Innocents of Ryloth' (S1E20).

ANALYSIS
Separatist military and political advances continue in the Expansion Region, further shifting the momentum of the war away from the Outer Rim inwards toward
the Core. The closer the frontlines get to the center of the galaxy, the smaller the distance between the major hyperspace routes. As a result, the regional routes
and more isolated supply routes are of increasing strategic importance. In order to counter this momentum, the Republic launches a series a blitz offensives to
retake territory, or as in the case of Umbara, remove Separatist strongholds which dominate regional hyperspace routes. As the war approached the end of its
first year, the tide in the Outer Rim was finally going the Republic's way. In the year since that time, the Republic victories eventually slowed to a new equilibrium,
resulting in Grievous launching the next phase of his overall strategy, increasingly moving Coreward, and generally expanding the range of his assaults. Separatist
successes in that time are being expanded upon. With the war now in the first months of its third year, the Republic is once again establishing an effective counter.

The Republic is invading what was until recently a loyal world that has democratically chosen to leave the Republic, and it is doing it for purely strategic purposes.
The Umbarans are living beings, not droids, and the Jedi are leading a military invasion of their homeworld for political rather than ethical reasons. The very nature
of such campaigns are antithetical to the Jedi, and yet they willingly participate in the slaughters because the Republic, which they believe they still hold influence over,
is too important of a mechanism for enforcing their values to allow to pass. This fundamental duality of purpose, or outright hypocrisy, depending on one's point of
view, is yet another way in which the war Sidious has engineered for the Jedi to fight in uses their own principles against them, to maneuver them into choosing to
serve the dark side willingly. The Jedi are faced with choosing between fighting for the dark side, or letting the dark side take over. The only alternative the Jedi see
is to do what they have always done in the ancient wars, to fight it as ethically as they can, and end it as quickly as possible. The scale of this latest war, and the threats
posed by the super-advanced forces involved, make it nearly impossible for the Jedi to maintain their ethics and still achieve a victory that doesn't take decades.

The first stage of the Republic invasion involves an orbital insertion. A Republic fleet provides cover, while a fighter strike force attacks vulnerable escort frigates
as a means to create a hole in their blockade sufficient to allow an Acclaimator-class assault cruisers to enter the atmosphere and deploy their forces. The next
stage of the battle is the tenuous landing and establishment of a beachhead, while under fire from Umbaran artillery and air support, followed by the planned
ground assault aimed at taking the capital. Obi-Wan, Pong Krell, and Saesee Tiin attack the capital city from the south, and Anakin attacks from the north. Once
Anakin is relieved, Krell takes up the assault from the north. The difficulty which Krell and the 501st have in reaching the capital is due to the Umbarans' stiff
resistance, quality forces, and their ability to resupply from a key airbase nearby. Obi-Wan's assault is similarly forestalled near the capital due to their steady
supply of reinforcements. Krell therefore orders a full-frontal assault on the airbase. Despite Krell's indifference towards his troops, the situation is dire, and
Obi-Wan would have given the same order, although probably would have used more clever tactics. The nature of this planet makes this campaign very difficult,
particularly for off-worlders, and that is compounded by the unique technology of the Umbarans, which present unforeseen challenges, and necessitate the use
of tactics that are outside of many clones' usual experiences. The successful capture of the airbase doesn't alleviate their problems due to the situation in orbit.

The Separatist fleet protecting Umbara is too large for the Republic fleet sent to cover the landing to take on, and thus they withdrew, but not before launching
waves of fighter squadrons to combat the Separatist fleet, and prevent it from giving air support to their troops on the surface. The supply ships in orbit are still
resupplying the capital directly, making a swift Republic victory all but impossible. Without victory in orbit, a long siege of the capital with a steady supply of
reinforcements would be necessary, or the campaign would otherwise collapse into a Republic withdrawal. The Republic starfighter squadrons are clearly thinned
somewhat at this stage in the battle, and yet appear to be inflicting great damage on the Separatist fleet. This aids in Fives' gamble using the stolen starfighters,
allowing them to successfully destroy the primary supply ship. Obi-Wan and Master Tiin succeed in capturing the capital after the supply ship is taken out, and
subsequent operations succeed in defeating or capturing the last pockets of resistance in the capital region.

Master Krell has a reputation for being an effective general, and a successful one, but his victories have all come at high cost in Republic troops. Assuming Krell hasn't
gone full dark side before his introduction in this storyline, some of his prejudices are still reasonable from a Jedi point of view, although certainly not in keeping with
the spirit of tolerance, acceptance, and generosity which most Jedi display. Life is the source of, and product of, the Force, and thus what is natural is right and good
to the Jedi, and what is artificial isn't necessarily so. The clones may be living beings, as most Jedi regard them, but they are also an unnatural product of manipulation
by technology, which makes it possible for a Jedi to see them as not a proper product of the Force and even an abomination, from a certain point of view. Krell is very
dismissive of clones, as he thinks of them as unnatural and therefore less important. He almost always refers to them by their birth numbers, and doesn't like clones
to talk to him as equals. It is unclear why he doesn't think clones are ordinarily capable of understanding honor, either he is just trying to be difficult and insulting,
or this is some reference to the manipulation of their personalities by the Kaminoans. Krell treats clones like droids, expendable machines that are here to fight and
be expended as tools to provide cover and absorb fire for the Jedi, who are the only ones intended to survive. He does however give legitimate justifications for his
strategic goals, characteristic of generals in many Earth wars who placed their victory and success above the lives of their troops. Krell isn't concerned with how tired
his troops are and how it will affect their performance, in part because he doesn't care how many of them are killed to achieve the objective. This not only shows
a lack of concern for his troops, but isn't a strategically wise use of battlefield resources. Forces must be preserved to hold objectives, to absorb counterattacks,
and to be concentrated with other forces for subsequent objectives. He orders a direct frontal assault without retreat along the main route to the capital city,
a strategy that is either reckless, or deliberately intended to produce casualties among his men. Krell does seem to be menacing from the beginning, the result of
his embracing the decadence of war, and allowing it to feed his arrogance and sense of self-importance. After his arrest, he tells Rex "I serve no one side, only my
own", which suggests that not only did Krell move towards the dark side on his own, but that he may have been working against them on Umbara from the start.

Krell's descent towards the dark side must have been a long time coming, and also continues incrementally, as he certainly falls farther to the dark side as this story
progresses. He is consumed by the darkness of war and corrupted by his position of power. At first, he wants to win at any cost, which is certainly not the Jedi way,
but doesn't necessarily indicate he has decided to sabotage the campaign. As he grows darker, he seems to be deliberately sacrificing clones, but won't spare three
clones for a potentially valuable strike, likely for the same reason he didn't want the clones to steal the fighters in the first place, which is that he was no longer
interested in winning for the Republic. It is clear he has chosen his dark path by the time that he wants to execute the insubordinate clones immediately, rather
than worry about typical Jedi concerns like due process, fair hearings, and patient decisions effecting peoples lives. He must have already put into motion his plans
to have two units of clones attack each other, giving some evidence to suggest he may have been planning this the entire campaign. If he would indeed have executed
the clones himself as he suggests, he has already fully gone to the dark side. Krell's fall is very similar to Dooku's, and therefore also foreshadows Anakin's fall. Like Dooku,
Krell became convinced of his own superiority over 'lesser' beings, as evidenced by his statement that he did it "because I can. Because you fell for it. Because you're
inferior." Also like Dooku, Krell feels the Jedi don't live up to his standards, and therefore he will move beyond them, saying he is "no longer naive enough to be a Jedi."
He also appears to have reached some of these conclusions from visions he received through the Force, predicting that "a new power is rising. I've foreseen it."
The cloud in the Force caused by the dark side has obscured this from the Jedi, and has kept them from avoiding their fate, but such vision is still possible if willed
so by the Force. Perhaps Krell's initial steps towards darkness allowed him to see this more clearly. His prophecy unfortunately is not heard by the Jedi, and would
have likely been dismissed by them anyways considering the source. He quite accurately tells the clones that "the Jedi are going to lose this war, and the Republic
will be ripped apart from the inside. In its place is going to rise a new order." Krell believes as Dooku does, that he will rule as part of the new order, the very same
opportunity which Anakin sees in Episode III, completing his fall and devoting himself to the goals of the Sith. Krell likewise wishes to make the same choice, and
plans to become Dooku's new apprentice. Together, Dooku and Krell may have become powerful enough to ultimately overthrow Sidious.


FURTHER ANALYSIS
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