Episode One : Ambush
"Great leaders inspire greatness in others."
Episode Brief: Jedi Master Yoda and three clone troopers -- Jek, Thire, and Rys -- must face off against Count Dooku's dreaded assassin Ventress and her massive droid army to prove the Jedi are strong enough to protect a strategic planet and forge a treaty for the Republic.
Karl's Review: The first episode takes place on the moon of Rugosa, a moon with giant coral formations all over it. Yoda is sent to negotiate with the King of Toydaria (the race that Watto belongs to).. but his ship is attacked and he is forced to land in an escape pod. Assaj Ventress meets with the King first to try and sway his allegiance to the Separatists. A challenge is issued.. if Yoda can fight his way through Ventress' battle droid army and reach the King by nightfall he will prove is worth to the Toydarian King.
This episode has lots of Yoda-on-droid action, as he fights his way to the king. The interesting part is that he fights along with 3 clone troopers. We really get to see the interactions of these clones, and how they try and differentiate themselves from their identical brothers. These clones wear red marking signifying them as Senate Security forces, an action figure with these markings was released as an exclusive by Hasbro at ComicCon this year. At one point they stop to rest, and the clones feel doubtful that they will be able to prevail against the odds facing them. It is interesting how the clones, throughout the show, have to figure out how to deal with this Jedi, whom they know nothing about. At times Yoda simply sits and meditates, and the clones are left confused.. they also refer to him consistently as "General" no doubt due to their military training... Yoda is portrayed quite well in this episode, even reverting to his playful nature as he laughs and leaps from battle droid to battle droid. This is a side of Yoda not seen since Empire Strikes Back. He also exhibits his wise persona, as he rallies his clones when they are feeling overwhelmed. "Clones you may be, but the Force resides in all life forms. Use it you can, to quiet your mind." Yoda sees them differently through the Force, and convinces them to see themselves that way as well. I enjoy seeing how the clones choose to differentiate themselves, some with different hairstyles, some with scars and tattoos... It is perhaps one of the more interesting themes to permeate the series, and a good choice to put in the first episode. Assaj Ventress (am I the only one who finds sith chicks sexy?) doesn't do much in this episode but boss around her droids, but she is an awesome character, and her voice and visual depiction is perfect. I look forward to seeing her expanded upon throughout the series.
An enjoyable episode...good depictiongs os Yoda and the Clone Troopers and some cool action sequences, but it lacked the grandure of a war supposed to be engulfing an entire galaxy. I give it 3 astromech droids out of 5.
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