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Continuity & Analysis

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Massacre (2012) [S4E19]
One must let go of the past to hold onto the future.
"Sinister forces on the move! Asajj Ventress has suffered a humiliating betrayal at the hands
of her own assassin, Savage Opress. Having gone into hiding, she now has no choice but
to seek sanctuary with the Nightsisters of Dathomir..."
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Bounty (2012) [S4E20]
Who we are never changes, who we think we are does.
"Abandoned! After an assassination attempt by his forsaken apprentice, Asajj Ventress,
Count Dooku launches a brutal counterattack against the Nightsisters, massacring the entire clan.
Forced into exile, Ventress wanders far into the Outer Rim, among the castaways and vagabonds
of the galaxy, seeking her new life that was foretold by Mother Talzin..."
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Brothers (2012) [S4E21]
A fallen enemy may rise again, but the reconciled one is truly vanquished.
"A darkness awakes! Count Dooku's bitter betrayal of his former apprentice Asajj Ventress
resulted in the creation of a new menace in the galaxy: Savage Opress. Caught in a deadly game
of revenge between Ventress and Dooku, Savage barely escaped the carnage. Beaten and alone,
he returned to Mother Talzin, his creator, who gave him a new quest: to pursue his long-lost brother..."
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Revenge (2012) [S4E22]
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
"Brothers reunited! Darth Maul, the sinister Sith thought to have been destroyed so many
years ago by Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, was found alive by his brother, Savage Opress, and
taken back to Mother Talzin on Dathomir. Though Darth Maul's memory has yet to be fully
restored, his need for vengeance has awakened, more powerful than ever..."




CONTINUITY
These four episodes form a single storyline about Ventress, Savage, and the Sith, made up of two two-episode storylines, the first featuring
Ventress, and the second Savage. The chronological order of episodes is as given by Lucasfilm, and follows their release order.
The planets Quarzite, Stobar, Lotho Minor, and Raydonia are seen for the first time. Eight worlds are seen in these episodes:

'Brothers' and 'Revenge' begin with the red opening title indicating they are the beginning of the Maul storyarc.


- It has been about nine months since Ventress sprung her trap with Savage against Dooku in 'Witches of the Mist' (S3E14). Since that time, Ventress says
that she has been hiding and reevaluating, before deciding to return to Nightsisters, as Mother Talzin claims to have known would happen.

- There is a large Separatist fleet protecting Serenno, home of Count Dooku, to protect the Separatist leader, and due to its potentially vulnerable location
near the Hydian Way. Some of the ships seen may have been part of the task force which will soon depart under General Grievous.


- Dooku plans to take revenge against Ventress and the Nightsisters for the plot they instigated against him. Dooku also desires to remove the Nightsisters
as threat to himself, and as part of Sidious' plan to use the war to decimate potential long-term threats to the Sith and the Empire.


How did Dooku learn that Ventress had returned to Dathomir? It could be a vision from the Force, although such
visions aren't usually so insightful and timely. It is unlikely Dooku's vast intelligence network is responsible, since
Ventress had been hiding, and Dooku has no agents amongst the Nightsisters, who live in a remote location.


- Old Daka is a shaman of the Nightsisters, described by Mother Talzin as the oldest and wisest amongst them. The chant of resurrection she uses to raise
the army of the dead to aid in the battle, seems to be an example of the kind of knowledge she possesses that is beyond even Mother Talzin.

- The Separatists have refined their experimental defoliator tanks, and begun to deploy combat ready models, which use more easily portable and shells
which don't have to be manually reloaded. These rounds are less powerful, and devastate a smaller region, but are very effective in combat.
The defoliator weapon was first seen in its testing phase in 'Defenders of Peace' (S1E14), which took place more than a year and a half earlier.

- Dooku gave Mother Talzin a lock of his hair as payment for a deal at some point in the past, which allows her to locate him in the Force and use her magick
against him. Many of their more powerful abilities are only made possible when on the planet Dathomir, and specifically in proximity to their altar inside
the fortress of the Nightsisters. The lock of hair, the green-colored spirit ichor, and the planet allow her to affect Dooku remotely through the Force.


- Ventress' visit to the cantina at the spaceport in Mos Eisley on Tatooine is a clear inversion of Obi-Wan and Luke's visit there 20 years later in Episode IV.
Based on the music and style of the Bith band, it is probably supposed to be the same band from Episode IV, Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes.

- Boba's crew is Bossk, Latts Razzi, C-21 Highsinger, Embo and his pet Anooba named Marrok, Dengar, and Oked, but since Oked is killed by Ventress for
being too forward with her, she takes his place. Boba and Bossk seem to have made it out of prison during the escape where Moralo Eval, Cad Bane,
and Obi-Wan got free, in last storyline's 'Deception' (S4E15). How exactly they escaped is never shown, but it can be assumed they aren't out on parole.

- The planet Quarzite is located in the Pallis Sector, in the Trailing Sectors of the Inner Rim. It is a world with a high-pressure atmosphere, making it
practically impossible to fly in its atmosphere or land on its surface. The underground civilization is connected to the rest of the galaxy by at
least one space station, which has an orbital tether and a space elevator.


- Quarzite is an absolute monarchy and dictatorship, where one race dominates and another is oppressed. While not known to be a primary republic system
known as a member world, the planet was technically within the Republic, at least until the Clone Wars. The autocratic position of Lord Otua Blank, and his
treatment of the Kage people, suggest that there are few constitutional limits on what kind of government a world in the galaxy can have under Republic
law. It is possible the situation on the planet has deteriorated, as the Republic is occupied with the war, and traditionally doesn't micromanage its worlds.

- Quarzite is home to a substantial subterranean civilization within its crystalline crust. Vast caverns and tunnels which occur naturally have been over time
fully integrated by alterations and advanced technology to create an entire world underground. The planet is the homeworld of the Kage and the Belugans,
who share space under the planet, although in this time period there appears to be little harmony between the two peoples.


- Anakin and Ahsoka stop off on Stobar, in between assignments in the war, as Anakin mentions he is tired of eating government rations. They must have
been engaged in some battle in between the last storyline and this episode, and their Forces may be refueling or resupplying on Stobar. It is not known
where they are heading to fight from here, either, as they will be seen in the next storyline to have already returned to Coruscant. Anakin senses Savage,
although he doesn't identify him. He only notes it is a dark presence, and that it he senses something familiar about it, but he can't quite place who or
when. He has only had limited interaction with Savage, but any dark side Force wielder can have a disturbing and notable presence in the Force.
Obviously, since Ahsoka doesn't pick up on it, it isn't a signal broadcasting his location. Rather, it is more like a smell on the wind that might be picked up,
or a sound that can be heard, but only if it hits a person just right, or if a person a can isolate it, concentrate on it, and tune out the other noises.

- Stobar is a planet located in the Boeus Sector, in the Expansion Region of the Rim. It is located in an important regional crossroads, where the galactic
hyperlane known as the Rimma Trade Route meets the Harrin Trade Corridor, and significant regional hyperlane. As a result, the planet is one of many
worlds which have developed as a result of the traffic in their area, and the economic opportunities that generates. The spaceport is visited in this
storyline, which features services for travelers, and likely refueling, resupply, and other amenities. The restaurant shown is called Plop Dribble's.


- Derrown 'the Exterminator', one of the bounty hunters from the Naboo operation in the last storyline, is seen in the restaurant on Stobar. This suggests he
survived the fall when Obi-Wan shot his jetpack in 'Crisis on Naboo' (S4E18), which does make sense, as Parwans were described by Cad Bane as 'gas bags'.
He is eyeballing Anakin, who has just come in for a meal, possibly concerned that the Jedi might be here for him, or that Anakin might recall him if seen.

- Savage is still on his mission to find his brother Maul, given to him by Mother Talzin in 'Witches of the Mist' (S3E14). The talisman she gave him has led
him to Stobar, where he it indicates the dust on some shipping crates is connected to Maul, giving him the final clue he needed to find the right planet.

- The planet Lotho Minor is located in the Wazta Sector, in the Western Reaches of the Outer Rim. Its convenient location near the Corellian Trade Spine,
and unscrupulous corporate ethics, have resulted in a ruined planet used a dump for millennia, which has become host to gigantic junk fields.
Millennia of unregistered large scale waste disposal on the planet ruined the ecosystem and severely harmed the atmosphere, which now produces
acid rain. The planet is the homeworld of a people referred to as the Junkers. They were a non-spacefaring people who were innocent victims of
the interstellar economy, but who adapted to survive their planet's changing conditions. Over time, they became increasingly knowledgeable about
technology, and have developed an expertise in fashioning devices from wasted machines, including cybernetic enhancements for their own bodies.
It is unlikely they would have survived on the planet had they not chosen to integrate technology with their bodies, given the conditions hostile to life.


- Morley has been helping an insane Maul to stay alive on the planet by leading those he can to their death so that Maul can eat, and he can get
the leftovers. He calls Maul his master, but Savage's suggestion that Morley has been manipulating Maul may be true, in part or in whole.

- The junk fields of Lotho Minor are immense, covering huge areas of the planet, and often piled to towering heights. Long ago, the Republic built and
deployed a large number of gigantic trash incinerator droids, referred to as "fire-breathers" by the locals. The Junkers don't have any concept of where
they came from or why they do what they do, so consider them to be mechanical monsters. They are in reality dangerous, but not malevolent. While it
is unknown if their maintenance is occasionally overseen by some Republic agency, they have been mostly left alone to attend their monumental task.


- Maul was sliced in half by Obi-Wan on Naboo twelve years earlier, in Episode I. He fell down a large shaft, and according to supplementary material, he was
able to drag his upper body into an air vent, winding up in a trash container. He stayed alive using Sidious' dark side teachings, and because his Zabrak
physiology makes it possible to be sliced completely in half without a 100% certainty of death. As unlikely as this was, he was still alive enough to
survive being shipped out with the trash and deposited on Lotho Minor. He since gained makeshift legs, but is insane, and scrounges just to live.


Maul's six-legged scorpion-like body is ridiculous. Supplementary material suggests he made it for himself, which implies
that Maul is an expert in cybernetics and computer programming. It would have made far more sense if the Junkers
had built it for him, as they are seen to have cybernetic limbs, and are assumed to be experts in taking junk parts and
making them working cybernetic additions, and yet they would have little reason to help him. Supplementary material
implies Maul found the parts, and doesn't say how he figured out how to connect them to his nervous system, not to
mention the need for programming a processor that can translate his brain's signals, which are designed to operate
two legs, into messages that can operate six legs with different joints. Since none of this is ever explored, we are left
with no real logical explanation, and must decide which nonsense we find least absurd. It is possible he somehow
used the Force to cobble together this thing, which naturally looks creepy and scary because it's the dark side or
something. It seems from his body's reaction when Mother Talzin makes him sleep that he might just be holding
the parts together with his mind and the Force. While this is at least a sensible explanation, ordinarily that would
have required a great deal of concentration, and Maul's psyche was anything but intact. On the other hand, anger
and rage are what makes one strong in the dark side, so perhaps that was what was holding together this ridiculous
contraption. In George Lucas' original visions of Episode VIII, and Episode IX, Maul was to be revealed as
the Dark Lord of the Sith, first being seen with a set of robotic spider-like legs, and later with two human-like legs
which made him abnormally tall and strong. Since there were no plans to make those films when this series was being
created, it was decided to reveal Maul now, and keep the two different stages of legs, but move up the timeline of his
leg change considerably. These were great concepts, but the change of timing meant they made his 'spider' legs into
these unexplained garbage parts that don't really make sense.


- As part of Maul's insane but brilliantly insightful ramblings, he says that "the chains are the easy part, it's what goes on in here that's hard", while pointing
to his head indicating that what goes on in the mind is hard compared to the physical world. This is the same phrase that the Son, the dark side Mortis god,
said while in disguise to Ahsoka in 'Altar of Mortis' (S3E16).

- Yoda senses Maul's awakening very specifically, thorough his powerful vision using the Force. Obi-Wan also has sensed a disturbance in the Force, but his
sense was less specific. It is unclear why Yoda could see this so clearly, as Maul, Savage, the Nightsisters, and Dathomir are all shrouded in the dark side,
not to mention the more general cloud on the Force cast by the cosmic imbalance, however Force visions are unpredictable, and are the will of the Force.

- Maul's body and mind are healed using the dark magick of Dathomir, and the green-colored spirit ichor. His new legs are forged using the Force out of
the spirit ichor, one of the abilities of a Dathomir witch shaman, at least when she is in proximity to their altar.

- Maul senses that the Force feels notably out of balance since twelve years earlier, the product mainly of the chaos and darkness of the galactic war.

- Raydonia is a pleasant world located in the Belsmuth Sector, in the Trans-Hydian region of the Outer Rim, near the Hydian Way in the northeast of the galaxy.
It is home to a unique ecosystem which is largely undisturbed, including forests, and oceans. Its climate is moderate and agreeable to Humans, who
are the only people shown to have colonized the planet, however larger settlements and potentially other species may be found elsewhere.


- Obi-Wan gets the message from Maul on Coruscant and departs for Raydonia. Ventress sees Savage's bounty on Tatooine and departs for Raydonia.
Obi-Wan's trip was shorter, so he arrives there first. Ventress had a much farther trip, and so arrives later, but not long after. It's unclear exactly how
Ventress knew to go to Raydonia, since he was not seen in the message to the Jedi, but she may have found him through the Force. Regardless, while
it isn't certain at exactly what time the two saw the information which sent them on their respective journeys, the implication is they got the idea to go
at about the same time. While the time gap between their arrivals isn't likely exact, this maintains continuity with established hyperspace travel.
Main Article: Hyperspace Travel

- Maul captures Obi-Wan, but doesn't kill him, as he desires for Obi-Wan to suffer to make up for cutting him in half and leaving him to twelve years of
suffering. His desire for this particular revenge will lead him to miss this and another opportunity to kill Obi-Wan.

- Obi-Wan has his second duel with Maul, twelve years after Obi-Wan's victory on Naboo. This time Obi-Wan is forced to retreat, having been beat up and
angered. Anger only makes a Force wielder more powerful if they are using the dark side. If they are using the Force in the right way, rage leads to
imbalance. Jedi are more powerful when they are focused, calm, and passive. When they become emotional they lose some of their edge. One has to
choose to use one's anger to have the effect of magnifying one's abilities. For a Jedi not embracing their anger, the result is a loss of effectiveness.


ANALYSIS
The Battle of Dathomir is one of many battles that took place during the Clone Wars which was not a fight between the clone army and the droid army.
Like many Separatist invasions, this assault was launched with the post-war galaxy in mind, aiming to devastate yet another potential opponent to empire.
Unlike any other fight in the Clone Wars, this battle required the droid army to fight dark siders on their planet of power, which has a strong connection
to the dark side, allowing them to use their magick, and even raise an army of reanimated corpses. Grievous had a somewhat competitive relationship
with Ventress when both were allies, as they both believe themselves superior to the other. They are finally able to directly test each others abilities in
combat, with Ventress emerging as the more capable warrior, but with Grievous using his droid army as a shield to avoid defeat, as usual. The battle is
devastating to the Nightsisters, but Mother Talzin survives to possibly rebuild the clan, as does Ventress, newly reborn as a Nightsister.

Dooku tells Grievous that he can sense Savage's power growing, which is in part a testament to just how powerful one can become in the Force using
the dark side, and how quickly one can achieve results. Grievous thinks as little of Savage as he does of nearly everyone, questioning how a single
warrior can possibly constitute a threat to the Separatist forces. Dooku is far more cognizant of the threat that a single dark side Force wielder
poses, telling Grievous that "he is a threat to all of us, even the Jedi. With the Nightsisters eliminated, there is no one left to control him." Dooku felt
he had no choice but to move against Ventress and the Nightsisters, despite their power, since they did pose a threat to him. They are powerful, and
unlike the Jedi, are far less scrupulous about how they go about confronting their enemies. Nevertheless, removing one part of a structure must
lead to instability, and Dooku knows that without limits, a dark warrior is as dangerously unpredictable as they are powerful.

Maul slaughters innocent civilians on Raydonia to lure Obi-Wan into a trap, and insists that he comes alone. Mace wants to send clones with him,
but Yoda has seen through the Force that it is best for Obi-Wan to go alone, and that he will have an unexpected ally. This advice is followed, since
it seems to be the will of the Force as it was revealed in a Force vision, and most of the Council seem to agree that the Force has spoken and that
there is nothing further to discuss. Divining and then following the will of the Force is central to the Jedi religion, but Mace is also worried about
the pragmatic reality of how important the capture of Maul would be to discovering more about the Sith. Yoda seems certain that this is the right
path, and Mace decides to trust in the Force as Yoda suggests. This sets off a chain of events which culminate with Ahsoka being in a position to
survive Order 66, and ultimately leads to her important actions in the future, including helping those who would lead Maul to his eventual end.
While Mace was certainly right about the value of Maul and the information he could share, his concern is about protecting the Order, while
the Force has a will that seeks to provide destinies and paths for beings to choose, as part of the larger destiny of the galaxy and the life in it.

Ventress is rebaptised as a Nightsister, leaving her Sith past behind. Her destiny will always be linked with the Nightsisters, and while that still means her
path will forever be dominated by the dark side, at least according to Jedi philosophy, it does mean that she is no longer committed to totally selfish
ways. She is able to find purpose and familial emotion in her attempt to defend her sisters from Grievous and his army. She reconnects with the good
that is still in her on her first mission as a bounty hunter, remembering what it felt like to do what is right and use her abilities to help someone. She
doesn't commit herself to a life of virtue, but she has truly moved beyond her commitment to evil. The joy that can be found in helping others makes
life worth living, brings purpose to life, and this makes Ventress feel that she once again has a future. When she teams up with Obi-Wan for a shared
objective, it helps win her a little latitude with the Jedi, while at the same time helps her build a bit more on her character.


FURTHER ANALYSIS
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