2024 Christmas Goodies

Christmas was again a fun time.  We did ours Monday and yesterday with the different kiddos so today should be fairly quiet.  Santa was good to me with lots of fun gifts.  I'm a big Green Lantern fan so the Alan Scott Dread Lantern McFarlane figure was a must have for me.  I'm a fan of Bane from the Batman movies so one grandson surprised me with this McFarlane figure which I needed.  Looks like a custom coat for the figure.  The other grandson got me a Blood Shot figure.  We were at a collectibles store, and I worked with the owner so they could shop for something without me knowing.  Lots of fun.  I really like DC's animated movies and added Justice League: New Frontier to the collection.  A bigfoot shirt and Reba McEntire shirt were much appreciated as well.  As a huge Clone Wars fan, I'm digging the character encyclopedia.  I hope everyone has a great day and Merry Christmas!

 

Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Animated Series The Final Season (Minor Spoilers)

Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Final Season:  I'm a huge fan of The Clone Wars animated series so when it was announced they would produce a final season (season 7) I was stoked.  You can see my original post on The Clone Wars animated series here.  There are minor spoilers ahead so beware.  This is a Disney+ exclusive.  Season 7 does a great job finishing up the series which was abruptly cancelled.  We see what happens to Ahsoka Tano when she left the Jedi Order after being falsely accused of treason.  More importantly it ties in directly to Revenge of the Sith - the crescendo of the prequels.  

The twelve episode season has three arcs.  The first four episodes focus on an Obi-Wan and Anakin story while the second four show us what happens immediately after Ahsoka leaves the Order.  It's the third arc that is great.  The first two arcs are good for setting the ground work but it all pays off here.  This puts us in the middle of the action of Revenge of the Sith.  Ahsoka works with the Jedi Order but she isn't ready to commit to returning.  For now it's a means to an end.  

The big payoff is seeing this final arc play out with Darth Maul and Ahsoka while Revenge of the Sith plays out in the background.  It's crazy and I couldn't wait to see what happens next.  We learn some of the behind the scenes details of the movie while seeing Ahsoka, Darth Maul and Rex be key cogs in the final act.  I loved the final arc.  While the first two were good the season ended on a big high.  There's rumors of an Ahsoka TV series or show in some form.  I'm all for it.  She's a great character and I would love to see more of her.  If you haven't seen The Clone Wars The Animated Series go watch it now.  It is so good.  I resisted for quite a while because it was animated but they do do such a good job.  And if you've already seen it and haven't see the final season go see it now. 

Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Animated Series

As a Star Wars guy I'm ashamed it took me this long to watch and finish Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series.  I was hesitant at first maybe due to it being animated but once I started watching I was hooked.  The creators and writers did a great job fleshing out much of the Star Wars universe.  In doing so they gave us a glimpse behind some of the characters we know and love while also expanding the universe with new characters we can also enjoy. While primarily centered around Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi it also brought us the great character of Ahsoka Tano, Anakin's padawan.  There are way too many new characters to list but Asajj Ventress was the other new character who really stood out to me.  The pirates, Nightsisters, Death Watch (Mandalorian) and other Jedi Knights and Masters were great as well.  It really showed how deep the Star Wars universe is and how many stories are out there.  

    But maybe the stars of the show are really the Clone Troopers themselves.  As in some of the Legends books, these guys were each given personalities and are really humanized.  They really bring the show to life and are no longer faceless troopers.  Some will even make appearances in the Star Wars Rebels animated series. 

  There are always things about any show that may make you take pause.  The crazy action, powers, how things always work out in the end (well most times),  and how the Jedi couldn't seem to see their hand in front of their own face could be a bit frustrating at times.  Near the end of the series you also see where the Jedi began to see things that may lead to larger issues in the Republic.  These could never be resolved of course since Revenge of the Sith would no longer make since. 

While animated this is not a kid centric show.  They will enjoy it but adults may want to be there with the youngest crowd.  There are many on screen deaths here as well as all the "normal" violence that wars have.  There are also emotional parts as well and I think they did a great job balancing this for kids as well as adult fans.

The different story lines are all over the place in a good way.  While the war itself is always center stage you could be in any corner of the galaxy at any given point and time dealing with any number of different events or circumstances.  Stories included singular missions by the Jedi, diplomatic missions, large wars, those centering on politics (Padme played a big part in many of these), the Jedi themselves to include Padawans, the Clones, different planets, and even the droids got an arc.

     I can't do this series justice.  It is was great fun to watch and I really enjoyed the characters and story arcs.  It also showed how there are so many great stories within the Star Wars universe to be told.  I personally would love to see more on the many great Jedi Knights and Masters though there are plenty more from the other side of the good and evil spectrum who also deserve their stories be told.  And what about the clones?  I think they could also star on their own.  I'd also love to see another animated series that is set within the universe proper.  They did a great job here and it let's us enjoy characters we already like while giving us much more insight and depth into them.  Bottom line is I was late coming to this party but I really enjoyed it.