Broken Frontier

The season finale of Star Wars: The Clone Wars may also be the best episode of its first season, telling a mature yet simple story while at the same time introducing an exciting new character to the Star Wars canon: Cad Bane.

On the surface, Bane doesn’t seem all that remarkable. From the Duros species—first introduced in A New Hope—the red-eyed, blue-skinned bounty hunter is reminiscent of a Wild West gunslinger, complete with wide-brimmed hat, flowing trenchcoat and twin pistols. However, it’s his effortless cruelty and no-nonsense attitude that will undoubtedly make him a fan-favorite alongside Star Wars bounty hunters such as Boba Fett, IG-88 and Bossk.

“Hostage Crisis” opens with Bane and a cadre of bounty hunters—including Aurra Sing, who made her brief on-screen debut in The Phantom Menace—breaking into the Senate to take Republic leaders hostage in order to barter for the release of Ziro the Hutt. As fans may remember, Jabba the Hutt’s Truman Capote-esque uncle was arrested during the Clone Wars feature film that kicked off the series. Spurred by an assuredly generous Separatist paycheck, Bane and his team mow down the Senate guards in shockingly violent fashion. Bane snaps one unlucky guard’s neck and, moments later, takes out an entire room of them with a well-placed thermal detonator. Later, he shoots a fleeing senator in the back without even flinching. Bane’s in complete control at all times and doesn’t care who gets in his way. Fortunately, judging by the way this episode ends the season, we haven’t seen the last of this mysterious character.

Early in the episode, Anakin Skywalker is trying to convince his secret bride Padmé Amidala to take some time off with him, but she is preoccupied with her work. To prove his devotion to her, Anakin gives her his lightsaber for safe keeping. “This weapon is my life,” he says. “And I want you to have it.”

After the cringe-inducing romance of the prequels, this scene is actually quite effective in advancing the episode’s self-contained plot—forcing Anakin to rescue the senators without his lightsaber—while at the same time illustrating his unwavering love for Padmé. It’s not incredibly obvious, but there’s some fascinatingly dark foreshadowing at play here as well. When the two embrace, notice that Anakin’s gloved hand is wrapped around her neck. If you’ve seen Revenge of the Sith (and you probably wouldn’t be watching this series if you haven’t), that little nuance just might give you chills.

Despite Anakin successfully rescuing the senators from Bane’s “parting gifts” —detonators placed around the Senate atrium—Bane and his crew escape to be congratulated by the slimy Hutt for a job well done. In the final moments of Season One, it would seem that the bad guys have the upper hand. However, if the popularity of The Empire Strikes Back is any indication, Star Wars fans have no problem whatsoever with downbeat endings and will be eagerly anticipating Season Two, which is slated to hit Cartoon Network this fall.