Opinions // OCTOBER 31, 2019
Divided they fall to Riff Tamson’s rule.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and the all-new episodes coming thanks to #CloneWarsSaved, we’re undertaking a full chronological rewatch of the five original seasons, The Lost Missions, and the theatrical release. We’d be honored if you would join us and share your thoughts on the award-winning series.
69: “Prisoners” (Season Four, Episode 3)
“Crowns are inherited, kingdoms are earned.”
Synopsis:
The Republic and Gungan forces have been captured by Riff Tamson and his Karkarodon enforcers. Now, it is up to Ahsoka and the young Prince Lee-Char to unite the fractured people of Mon Cala and drive out the Separatist invaders.
Analysis:
Divide and conquer. A fractured people are much easier to dominate than those united despite their differences, and the Separatists have used the Mon Cala’s internal strife to their advantage.
Riff Tamson murdered the king to punctuate the civil unrest, manipulating an already tenuous relationship among the natives with empty Separatist promises to the Quarren people. The whole time he intended to take the throne as his own.
But he didn’t count on Prince Lee-Char’s charisma and strength, the way the young ruler could bring hope to not only the Mon Calamari but the Quarren too, and how he might rally those imprisoned and enslaved and seize the chance to unite his people. Even the Jedi seem powerless to defeat Riff.
The Quarren are the key. Taking the first step toward victory, they alone set the plan into motion. And at last, with a common enemy who would obliterate them all and usurp the throne for himself, they find the will to fight alongside, not against, one another.
Prince Lee-Char deals the fatal blow in an act of retribution for his fallen father. But unlike those consumed by revenge, Tam is killed in the prince’s self defense, a step toward justice for the late king before Lee-Char takes his rightful crown.
Intel:
- The baton Captain Ackbar carries is a nod to an accessory from the original Kenner action figure. Episodic director Danny Keller fondly remembered using the stick as a blaster in his youth so he worked it into this episode.
What did you think of the episode? Tell us in the comments below and share on social with #CloneWarsRewatch!
Next up: Come back next Thursday when Jar Jar Binks comes to the rescue in “Shadow Warrior.”
Associate Editor Kristin Baver is a writer and all-around sci-fi nerd who always has just one more question in an inexhaustible list of curiosities. Sometimes she blurts out “It’s a trap!” even when it’s not. Want to talk more about The Clone Wars? Hop on Twitter and tell @KristinBaver what you thought about today’s episode.
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