4.12 Slaves of the Republic This move does freshen the atmosphere considerably (some story arcs can become rather samey in style) as Zyggeria counters the luscious, artful surroundings of Kidnapped with the harsher Eastern flavoured streets of the slavers’ homeworld. In style, it owes a great deal to the hive of scum and villainy, Mos Eisley, and, more accurately, Mos Espa (from The Phantom Menace), as the gang tread the streets on their quest. Of course, it’s not long before they split up. Much more interesting are the antics of Obi Wan, who sparks with a great deal more charisma, and when the Jedi are reunited, in a scene almost mirroring the Jabba’s Sail Barge set-piece from Return Of The Jedi, one feels the Force, so to speak. It’s a great moment, seeing Artoo spew forth not one but two lightsabers, with Anakin mimicking (or preempting, depending on your point of view) Luke’s salute to the astromech droid in Episode VI. But the heroics are short-lived, and juxtaposed with some shocking scenes of torture (a trait that The Clone Wars has become most proficient at), and a won’t-someone-think-of-the-children, eyebrow-raising suicide. Read our review of last week’s episode here.
