Broken Frontier

The latest episode of The Clone Wars has just about everything a Star Wars fan could want: large-scale battles, daring escapes, exotic locales, ferocious monsters and half-naked blue women. Okay, that last item is more of a bonus this time around with the introduction of Jedi Master Aayla Secura, but “Jedi Crash” is a thrilling adventure from start to finish. Directed by Rob Coleman and penned by Katie Lucas—daughter of Star Wars creator George Lucas—this episode successfully captures the magic that decades ago turned the eyes of a generation toward that galaxy far, far away. 

“Jedi Crash” opens with Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano racing to assist Aayla’s fleet, which is being attacked by heavily-armed Separatist frigates. The duo arrives just in time, racing to Aayla’s rescue and slicing a few super battle droids to bits in the process. The Jedi meet up with Aayla—voiced with a charming French accent by Jennifer Hale—and make their way to a Republic cruiser in the heavily-damaged ship’s docking bay. During the escape, an explosion knocks Anakin unconscious as he risks his life to save his friends. After nearly flying head-on into a star, the Jedi’s escape ship crash lands on a mysterious planet colonized by a diminutive race of furry pacifists called Lurmen, which look a lot like lemurs and speak in a rich, Irish brogue. In true Star Wars fashion, help comes from an unlikely source, as these creatures hold the key to saving Anakin’s life.

Through the Lurmen, the episode examines the nature of war, and whether or not the Jedi can truly be considered keepers of the peace in their struggle against the Separatist forces. “Fighting for something doesn’t necessarily mean you have to destroy everything in your path,” Lurmen elder Tee Watt Kaa tells Aayla, who affirms that the Jedi fight solely out of necessity. “Only when you lay your arms down and pursue a course of nonviolence can you make this claim to me that the Jedi are peacekeepers.” Raising the idea that violence will always breed more violence is a bit weighty for a series aimed at children, particularly one that is so action-oriented. However, the message is more than welcome.

Cute, fuzzy aliens aside, much of this episode centers on Ahsoka’s attachment to Anakin—which fans will recall is strictly forbidden for a Jedi—and the confusion she faces in that teacher-student relationship. Fortunately, Aayla can relate to what the Padawan is going through, having felt a similar attachment to her own master. “Don’t lose a thousand lives just to save one,” Aayla advises. It will be interesting to see if such attachment leads Ahsoka down a path similar to that of her master, the future Darth Vader.

It should be noted that this episode is visually amazing, taking viewers from an upper-atmosphere ship-to-ship battle to the wavy grasslands of the Lurmen's colonial home, Maridun. Fans who were disappointed in the stylized look of The Clone Wars should by now be over their initial skepticism, as this may be one of the best looking shows on television.