Saturday 14 November 2009

Clone Wars: Season 1 - Episode 6, Downfall of a Droid



The Clone Wars Season 1 - Episode 6, Downfall of a droid centers around two droids, R2D2 and R3S6. The Moral of the Episode is, "Trust in your friends and they will have reason to trust in you".

After suffering a series of disastrous defeats at the hand of General Grievous, the Republic's foothold in the Outer rim is in jeopardy. Commissioned to protect the strategic world of Bothawui, Anakin Skywalker and his weary battle group are all that stands between the System and domination of the Droid Army.

Grievous is growing more deadly and more successful in each battle against the Republic as time goes on. It seems that the Droid Leader always knows just when and where to attack them to cause maximum damage. Kenobi thinks Anakin should pull out the Bothawui system and take time to regroup. Anakin's Padawan, Ahsoka agrees. Skywalker decides they must stay. He has a plan and is determined the Separatists will not capture the sector.

The Separatist's find Anakin's fleet with relative ease through the Asteroid field of Bothawui and also have supreme fire power. "Lets finish them off!" Grievous shouts. He seems to have a unnatural tactical advantage at every turn.

Grievous is drawn in closer and Anakin's trap suddenly works. The General is attacked from behind by Clone Captain Rex's AT-TEs positioned on one of the asteroids. Grievous is totally outflanked and now vulnerable. Anakin Skywalker has out-maneuvered him. The panicking leader screams, "Get us out of here!".

His Flagship unable to escape the onslaught, Grievous departs rapidly in a Vulture Class Droid Ship. Anakin quickly follows, but his ship sustains damage and the Jedi spins out of control, only to wake up later in a nearby medical centre. Grievous has escaped again. Captain Rex was able to save Anakin from his doomed fighter, but when they return to claim the astromech R2, he is no where to be found.

The finding of R2D2 is of utmost urgency when it transpires the Droid does not have its memory regularly erased. The missing droid contains important Republic Tactics and secret locations of many of their Bases!.

In the meantime, Anakin's replacement astromech is R3S6 which Ahsoka nicknames, Goldie on account of his colouring.

Anakin, Ahsoka and R3 search the asteroid field for any sign of the missing R2D2. They soon come across a Trandoshan Scavenger Ship and suspect that the owner may have taken the droid aboard in order to make a selling profit. They board posing as Droid buyers to be met by a very shady looking Trandoshan. He guides them to a cargo bay of the ship. "I may have an R2 unit," he says, "Have a look, but there are many... unique items down there."

The replacement droid R3 is seeming to be more of a hindrance the further the Jedi progress with their search. In an apparent error, the droid turns on the main power to the cargo bay, first activating the light system and then split-seconds later, two very dangerous IG Class Assassin droids! Ahsoka screams, "Goldie! Shut those droids down!". R3 doesn't seem to hear her.

The IG Assassin droids are brilliant. They leap with ease over the cargo racks, taking great vantage points and shooting their blaster weapons at the Jedi below. They completely ignore R3. It's a very tough battle, but Anakin and Ahsoka eventually win out. Anakin is not impressed. He stares at R3, "You'd make a poor excuse for a light switch!". They leave the Scavenger Ship, the Trandoshan has been no help at all.

The shady Trandoshan dealer immediately contacts General Grievous. He had R2D2 all along contained in a hidden compartment. "I have the merchandise you are looking for."

The Jedi presume Grievous has a secret listening post somewhere that is giving him a huge tactical advantage. Anakin decides to go look for it on his own. His reasoning is one ship raises less suspicion and is harder to spot. Despite his reservations he agrees to let the troublesome R3 come along as his astromech.

Aboard the Trandoshan ship, the captured R2D2 manages to dislodge his restraining bolt and escape his compartment. An alerted IG Assassin droid gives chase, but is tricked into an airlock and jettisoned into space. R2 is a clever droid, but his progress is seemingly halted when the Trandoshan owner finds him.

This is where Anakin's trouble with R3 really begins. Exiting discreetly from Hyperspace, Skywalker orders the droid to perform a sensor sweep of surrounding space. Instead the droid turns on the ship's tracking beacon alerting everyone to his presence. Grievous notices the transmission, "Skywalker! Now you have fallen into my trap!". Wasting not a single second, Grievous ships make a short hyperspace jump and appear right in front of Anakin. "Time to leave," he calmly comments.

As Anakin tries to avoid his attackers, R3 is not making it very easy. The droid seems to be doing the opposite to everything he instructs him. Grievous launches all Vulture Class Fighters to make chase. It seems like overkill for one ship, but somehow, Skywalker still manages to avade them and destroy a flurry of missiles fired at him. "That was clever," a droid says to the annoyance of Grievous. Skywalker's luck appears to be running out however, as R3 causes problems with both the engines and the laser weapons.

Captain Rex and Ahsoka arrive just in time in a boarding craft! Skywalker haphazardly manoeuvre's his ship into the landing bay and they Hyperspace away from danger.

Anakin is not at all impressed with R3S6's performance. "I'm lucky to be alive," he says.

R2D2 is still out there aboard the Trandoshan Scavenger ship.

The story continues in Episode 7 - Duel of the Droids.



No comments:

Post a Comment