Star Wars: The Clone WarsWBSaturday and Sunday,6 pm*** Whats it about?Set in the fictional Star Wars galaxy,the animated series,The Clone Wars,takes place between episodes two and three of the movie franchise. In the three years between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith,the brewing war between The Galactic Republic and the increasingly more powerful separatist movement,headed by Count Dooku and the mysterious Darth Sidious,escalates into open hostility. Both sides are out to find allies and in their quest to recruit myriad civilizations and planets on their side,clash with each other in many bloody battles,before the scales begin to tilt in favour of the dark side. Whos in it?All you favourite characters from the movies are to be found here. The main characters continue to be the young Padawan Anakin Skywalker and his master Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi,while a new character,Ahsoka Tano,another Padawan,is added to the cast. The venerable Jedi Master Yoda,is in his element in this series,where right from the first episode,he gives fans a taste of his awesome lightsaber skills. Count Dooku is the main visible villain,while the presence of Senator Palpatine adds a simmering menace in the background. One interesting addition is a female Sith,Asajj Ventress. Whats hot?All the motifs and themes that old timers love about the original film series are here. Luckily,the iconic logo and John Williams theme have not been fiddled with. Plot-wise too,the series picks up pace instantly,unlike the supremely boring Attack of the Clones. Children will love the engaging battle scenes and the funny,if silly,jokes cracked at the expense of the Battle Droids. Grown up fans in India,many of whom have not had the chance to read the books set in George Lucas fictional universe,will enjoy the little details that show Anakin Skywalkers journey to his peak as a Jedi Knight and his eventual downfall. Best of all,the Clone Troopers finally get names and facesdespite their common parentage,they are shown as being very different in personality and prowess. In fact,even newbies will enjoy this as a stand alone series,since the characters and the plots are very well detailed. Whats not?The jokes do tend to get a little too silly at times and too many of them focus on the Battle Droids. And while we agree that the moral heart of the series is the young Skywalker,why dont we get to see more of our favourite characters like Mace Windu and Yoda? And why does Jar Jar Binks - the most annoying prequel creation - have to be there at all? Should you be watching it?If you want to introduce your children to the fascinating world of Star Wars,this is a great place to start.
