With Episode II redeeming what many thought was a poor showing in The Phantom Menace, the Star Wars saga is about to come back full circle, to the middle of the story that first captivated and transported an entire generation into a galaxy far, far away.
Remember? There was this great adventure taking place. Princess Leia needed help. She wanted assistance from Obi-Wan Kenobi, but ended up mostly getting help from Luke Skywalker. Luke's father was once a Jedi Knight and fought in the Clone Wars and was—supposedly—killed by Darth Vader, everyone's favorite bad guy (in the really cool black armor). Vader also killed Obi-Wan Kenobi, his old Jedi Master, toward the end of Episode IV, an act that should have put him past redemption. Obi-Wan was one of the last of the nearly-extinct Jedi order. His death all but doomed the galaxy to evil.
But, George Lucas blindsided us in Episode V, revealing that Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader are one and the same. Now, there was the whole father-son relationship to explore, and exploit, which took on a second layer in Episode VI, as the Emperor came on stage as Vader's master and the architect of the Republic's doom. This was the powerful leader who had disbanded the Senate, ordered the extinction of the Jedi, and sought ultimate power for himself. He was also looking to turn father against son, adopting the survivor as his right-hand man and (it seemed) his heir.
But blood, as it turned out, was thicker than the Dark Side of the Force. We all saw Anakin Skywalker redeemed, the Emperor cast down, and the galaxy saved.
Who needs a lightsaber? That was not the end of the story, though—not as it was being told to us. Wrapping back around to the front of the six-episode arc, George Lucas promised to tell us the incredible back-history of Star Wars, filling us in on all the dark secrets and misguided heroics that brought us to the edge of domination by evil.
Episode I re-introduced us to a young Obi-Wan Kenobi and an even younger Anakin—just a boy with incredible control over the Force. It also brought on stage a number of other Jedi Masters, including a merely-venerable Yoda and the powerful voice of the Jedi Council, Mace Windu. Episode II jumped ahead just enough for Anakin to grow up into a young hotblood, and now the final scene was set for the Clone Wars, as Jedi powered up light sabers and co-opted the Clone Army in a last desperate struggle to keep the Republic from falling. And, here, Lucas turned us on our heads again. The Clone Army looked much like the Stormtroopers of later episodes and was portayed (for the time being) as a force for good and hope and a tool of the Jedi. How did we ever come to the dark path where this story began?
Starting the game as Mace Windu, the most senior Jedi, you actually fight your way through the final act of Episode II, racing to the arena in time to save Obi-Wan and Anakin and then fighting to escape Geonosis. The Clone Wars have begun, and as you move from world to world in this epic (and doomed) struggle, you finally get an idea of what the other team has been saving up for all this time.
I have GOT to get me one of these!
From Geonosis, you head out on a tour of five more Republic worlds, including the Wookie homeworld of Kashyyyk. Very soon, you are playing the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi, struggling against the increasing odds, and then young Anakin Skywalker, who races forward with the torch, carrying it to the world of Thule for the final assault. With the emphasis placed on passing along responsibility to younger and younger Jedi, you begin to get the idea of how desperate the charge has become. And, you knowwhat cruel fate awaits the young man who will become Darth Vader …
But, caught up in the good fight, you actually might forget that for a moment, thinking that there truly is hope. Perhaps the future can be changed. After all, always in motion is the future. You can't let a little thing like destiny—and pre-released movies—get in your way. So, you struggle onward in the story, always at the fore of the Clone Wars, which will someday be referred to in passing by older, sadder Jedi Knights.
Lasers blast, droids and walkers topple, and the clones march on, and on, and on.
