Season One, Episode Eighteen — “Mystery of a Thousand Moons”
© Copyright & TM 2016 Lucasfilm Ltd.
By Jason Gibner. Picking up directly where “Blue Shadow Virus” ended, we find that “Mystery of a Thousand Moons” already has quite a bit stacked against it. “Oh good, there’s the outlandishly cartoony villain Dr. Vindi! I love him,” said nobody ever while watching the first moments of this episode. Fortunately “Thousand Moons,” while still a bit funky around the edges, is definite improvement over the previous episode. Thankfully Dr. Vindi and the always unsettling (and bizarre) BJ Hughes-voiced Jar Jar are positioned in the background, as this episode focuses wisely on a race against time.
In an effort to save Ahsoka and her Clone Squadron (already infected with the Blue Shadow virus), Padme teams with the Padawan and goes full Ellen Ripley this week, sneaking through spooky corridors armed with a blaster while Anakin and Obi-Wan head to planet Iego to find a cure. There are moments where Padme steals the show, but for those where Anakin begins to betray his teachings and lets just a bit of the Dark Side out on the poor few who would stand between him and the woman he loves. It’s easy to forget that this Jedi is just a few tragedies away from becoming a full-blown Dark Lord of the Sith. “Mystery of a Thousand Moons” is here to remind us of that.
WHAT WORKED: A little Anakin rage goes a long way. Upon learning that Padme may have been exposed to the deadly Blue Shadow virus, The Chosen One finally lets loose his rage. There’s a moment early on where Dr. Vindi is shouting some kind of nonsense and Anakin whips out his saber at lightning speed and immediately points it at Vindi’s throat. What makes that even better is the look of shock and confusion on Obi-Wan’s face. Watch out, Kenobi, in a few years you’ll learn what kind of buck wild stuff Anakin is willing to do to save the lady he loves.
While this episode gets bogged down by unnecessary characters (more on that in a minute), it has a driving action-focused story with our heroes racing to find a cure for the dread Blue Shadow virus. As opposed to the last episode which had almost nothing going on, this action-heavy quest comes as a welcome relief.
WHAT DIDN’T: Jaybo. I do not like you, Jaybo. This episode comes to a screeching halt as Anakin and Obi-Wan land on the mysterious Iego to be greeted by a army of reprogrammed battle droids and their “radical, dude” master: A very Poochie-like kid named Jaybo. (Seriously, I wish I was making this up. Sadly, I’m not. Jaybo is canon and there’s every reason to believe that he’ll appear in a upcoming Star Wars film one day.)
“Mystery of a Thousand Moons” features a painfully disturbing Gungan performance art, as interpreted by BJ Hughes. I’ve never had a problem with Jar Jar; in fact, I’ve always kind of loved the bombad General, but the one and only person who should ever be tasked with voicing Jar Jar Binks is Ahmed Best. Period.
BEST LINE(s):
“I have a bad feeling about this.” – Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan: “A great leap forward often requires taking two steps back.” Ankain: “And sometimes all it requires is the will to jump.”
“I am not training him.” – CaptainRex, on Jar Jar.
“Patience, Anakin. There’s more than one way to skin a womp rat.” – Obi-Wan.
BEST MOMENT: Towards the end of the episode, the infected Padme is taken on a stretcher abroad a Republic ship so she can get the Blue Shadow cure. In her thanks to her secret husband, she gently takes Anakin’s hand. “I trust I’ll see you soon, General Skywalker?” she says with a smile. This secret love affair is something that the prequel saga just didn’t have time for and it’s often wonderfully fleshed out in The Clone Wars.
EPISODE’S MVP: Anakin Skywalker’s rage. Clone Wars goes a long way in deepening the heroic nature of The Chosen One, but this may be the first time in the series where we’re really reminded that this guy has quite the temper (not to mention, a very dark future). Darth Vader’s story continues to be the foundation of all other Star Wars stories and any opportunity to get a closer look into the conflicted and complicated world of Anakin Skywalker is always a welcome treat.
© Copyright & TM 2016 Lucasfilm Ltd.
HOLOCRON READINGS:
– Jedi fortune cookie: “A single chance is a galaxy of hope.”
– Anakin’s sly put down of calling Dr. Vindi “sleemo” is Huteese for “slimeball” and recalls his youth spent being the nicest boy in the galaxy on Tatooine.
– The angels of Iego were first mentioned by young Anakin when he thought perhaps Padme was one. He heard the traders and deep space pilots talk about them. Anakin loved hearing their stories of exploring the vast universe.
– The Cliffhold city is based on an old Phantom Menace Doug Chiang design for Naboo. Among the Aurebesh letters on the buildings is a marquee that reads “Kristal Skull.” Apparently, the citizens of Cliffhold are into the strange, otherworldly adventures of Mutt Williams.
– The Iego “laser field” in space seems like an obvious shout to the classic Star Trek episode, “The Tholian Web.” Before you get all uptight about the mixing the two big Star franchises, know that they too share a “symbiotic relationship” and have often informed and inspired each other. Lucas himself has been quite open about being a big fan of the original Star Trek series.
– This episode features a planet named Milius Prime which is an obvious shout-out to Conan the Barbarian director, friend of George Lucas, and living legend, John Milius.
– The voice of Dr. Vindi is Michael York, star of Logan’s Run and stepfather to prequel producer and living legend, Rick McCallum.
6.5 out of 10
Next: “Storm Over Ryloth,” “Innocents of Ryloth,” “Liberty of Ryloth,” soon.
Before: “Blue Shadow Virus,” here.
