Star Wars: Clone Wars -- Chapter 21

[Thank God for TiVo! I had forgotten this was going to be on.]

The chapter starts with some clone troopers arriving on an unnamed planet on which some Jedi are pinned down by a droid army. The troopers make quick work of the droids by dropping grenades on them.

The clones then move in to where the Jedi Ki-Adi-Mundi is trying to fend off General Grievous, who is armed with two lightsabers. The clones open up on Grievous, forcing him to scale the ceiling to get away. He manages to slice up a few of them, but he is driven off by the firepower of a troop transport vehicle.

Mundi wants the clones to go after and kill grievous, but they warn him that the survivors of the battle will die if they do so. Mundi boards the transport and they take off. We see two female Jedi -- Aayla Secura and Shaak-Ti -- both on IV's. Grievous is seen taking a lightsaber as a trophy from a dead Jedi who looks like a Yeti.


Fade to a misty dream sequence, where a baby-faced nine-year-old Anakin contemplates a huge swamp tree that is calling to him. With him is the ghost of Qui-Gon Jinn. Qui-Gon urges him to enter the tree.

"I'm afraid, master!" says the little boy.

"Control your fear," says Qui-Gon. He stoops down to one knee to be on eye level with the child and gives him a reassuring, fatherly hug. "You are the Chosen One. And you must be tested."

Anakin gathers up his courage. "What's in there?" he asks.

"Only what you take with you," Qui-Gon says softly.

Satisfied with that answer, Anakin walks forward into the tree.

"Your final test is at hand. Trust in the Force."

The scene fades into Yoda sitting on his meditation stool, scowling. "Hmmph!" he says.

[Note: Was it Yoda's dream or Anakin's?]

[Note: Obviously, this is the Dark Side tree that Luke entered on Dagobah. Is this a famous tree?]


Ki-Adi-Mundi gives his report to the Jedi Council and tries to explain how his crew got rocked by General Grievous.

"We may have been exhausted, but when was the last time someone stood up to five Jedi and held his own? This must be dealt with."

[Note: In other words, stop judging me. You weren't there.]

"I agree. This General Grievous is changing the shape of the war," says Mace.

One of the females, gifted with the ability to count, says they need more knights.

Obi-Wan says, "I know this will generate debate, but I suggest that in this time of war we forego the Trials and promote my padawan, Anakin, to Jedi Knight.”

A hairy Jedi with long curling fingernails objects to setting aside their traditions.

Mundi says, "In this time of need, why do we hold back the Chosen One?"

"Whether or not he is the Chosen One is still to be determined," says Mace, sounding suspiciously like a player hater.

Other Jedi weigh in. Palpatine wants him promoted, says one. That don’t mean shit to me, says Mace (okay, he didn’t really say that). Kit Fisto says Anakin’s a "cunning warrior" and their best pilot. Adi Gallia (the sister who can count) says he's “reckless with his gifts.”

Obi-Wan defends his padawan, whom he says has already been through worse than the Trials. He passed a Trial of Skill when he defeated the "dark assassin" on Yavin IV (Asajj Ventress?). He endured "an atrocious Trial of The Flesh" at the hands of Count Dooku. And "he continues to pass every Test of Courage that this war has dealt him."

[Note: If only Anakin could have heard this glowing praise from Obi-Wan!]

Still, the other Jedi say he has one trial left -- testing the Spirit and “facing the Mirror.”

[Note: Ooo! That sounds interesting! Where can I find out more about the nature of the Trials?]

Yoda puts an end to the debate. They need all the knights they can get. "Trust in the Force, I do. A knight he shall be."


Fade to a seedy Coruscant neighborhood. A hooded Anakin walks the crowded streets, looking suspiciously at others. He looks at his own reflection in a window and scowls, evidently unhappy with what he sees. Everyone around him looks like a monster. Or is that just how Anakin sees everyone in the world?

Another hooded figure catches his attention. With blinding speed he dashes into an alley, then violently yanks the other figure into the alley with him. He ignites his lightsaber by the person's throat...

"Ani!" says Padme, throwing off her hood and looking terrified.

He looks scared too. He was about to slice her.

They share a brief kiss, which they have to break off when Anakin spins her around to hide her face from a guy he thinks is glancing in their direction. Anakin starts brooding again, sick of having to worry about being seen with his own wife.

Padme, sporting Princess Leia buns, tries to comfort him by saying he'll be a Jedi Knight soon.

"And then what?" he counters. "Jedi aren't supposed to marry!"

She reminds him that they knew it would be like this. Maybe after the war things will change. The Republic needs you, she says.

"In the shadows of Coruscant, or any other city, and most importantly in my heart, I will always love you."

"Well, you do look really good in the dark," he whispers, leering a bit and cheapening her words. He strokes her face with his left hand, his human hand.

They are about to kiss again, but along comes Threepio, the king of bad timing, wandering around in a “disguise” and screaming “MISS PADME!!!” at his top volume setting.

Surprisingly, they don't dismantle him. Instead Anakin complements Threepio on his new gold plating.

They are interrupted again, this time by Obi-Wan paging Anakin on a holo-watch.

Anakin is down to blow him off, but responsible Padme makes him do the right thing.


Anakin takes his time getting back to the Jedi Temple and Obi-Wan is exasperated.

"You're late!"

"If I'm late for another scolding, does it really matter?" Anakin gripes.

"Scolding? You're not a little boy anymore. And as long as you're my student, you will heed my wisdom."

"You're right," Anakin says, wheeling around. "I'm not a little boy. And as for your wisdom, YOU'RE NO QUI-GON JINN!"

[Yep, he went there.]

Obi-Wan, though stunned by the outburst, gives him a pass. Anakin says he's sorry and Obi-Wan says he misses Qui-Gon too.

[He also misses the point, but that's my man, Obi-Wan.]

"We must leave our roles as master and student. It is time we became... brothers."

Anakin arches an eyebrow, then he grins as he realizes that the hazing is over and he's about to join the frat.

A door opens up behind Obi-Wan. In a dark room a circle of Jedi stand with ignited lightsabers. Standing on a chair, but still looking really small, is Yoda.

[Note: So cute!]

Anakin goes down on one knee before Yoda.

"Anakin Skywalker," says Yoda, tapping his lightsaber (low setting??) on Anakin's left shoulder, then his right. "By the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, dub thee I do, Jedi Knight of The Republic."

With a flick of the wrist, Yoda slices off Anakin's padawan braid and it falls to the ground with the end still smoking.

Fade to Padme, staring out the window of her luxurious, but empty apartment. Threepio approaches her holding out his hands. In his hands is Anakin's braid.

A look of joy comes over her face. She carefully takes the braid and puts it in a gold keepsake box which also holds the good luck pendant Anakin carved for her when they first met on Tatooine.

She sends him back a gift of her own -- Artoo. In her wordless hologram Padme holds her arms out to Anakin.

Anakin reaches out with his droid hand and tries to grasp her image, but it slips through his fingers.

Anakin installs Artoo into his fighter and heads back out to the war.