Newsreel
A terrorist threat! Moralo Eval, mastermind of a Separatist plot to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine, has been captured by Republic forces. But even with the criminal behind bars, rumours swirl in the underworld of Coruscant that Moralo's plot has already been set in motion... With precious time running out, the Jedi Council hatches their own plot to keep the Chancellor safe….
- When they say the “Jedi council” Well, they actually mean three Jedi masters, basically Obi-wan, Yoda, and Windu, the mastermind.
Main episode
The episode starts off on the ‘suburban’ streets of Coruscant. Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano are walking along with Obi-Wan Kenobi who, out of the blue, states that the council is holding an emergency session. As Anakin grumbles over a forthcoming lecture, a sniper sets up on a nearby roof. Red blasterfire shoots down at the Jedi, yet this time no one is hurt. Behind cover, Obi-wan asks, surprise in his voice “Where’s that fire coming from?” (Yeah, like he can’t see) Ahsoka sees the sniper and Anakin hatches a plan.
The Jedi move to encircle the attacker, but Rako (the bounty hunter) loses them in the cluttered rooftops. Kenobi hides behind a corner near the sniper’s position and a dizzying drop. When Anakin comes more-or-less into view, Obi-wan recklessly ducks out only to get shot in the chest and fall backwards off the roof. Anakin, pissed, rushes after the triumphant bounty hunter while Ahsoka tends to Kenobi. Rako Hardeen jumps on his speeder bike and throws a smoke grenade in Anakin’s way.
- Honestly, I haven’t seen smoke grenades much in star wars, that’s because they fly speeders not drive cars, yet, R2-D2 did use his smoke maker in the previous episode. Overall, it was a good implementation of it.
Back where Obi-wan had fallen, Anakin runs up to see Ahsoka holding a dead obi-wan, Anakin shouts his master’s name several times, so loud that I can imagine Palpatine sitting in his office and smirking to himself “Good Anakin good, you’re falling to the dark side, good….”
Later that night, the Jedi and Kenobi’s friends hold a funeral for him in the temple. No they didn’t burn him, they laid him on some kind of platform, covered him with some kind of cloth, and lowered him into a vault in the floor. During the funeral, most people were more-or-less composed, but Anakin – though he hadn’t said a word – was extra furious and Satine was crying. Of course it is no secret to us the viewers that Obi-wan is alive, in fact Anakin kills him in ‘A New Hope’ for playing this prank on him. But of course the characters in the episode don’t know that, and that is how it must be for the plan to succeed.
- I can see why they didn’t want to burn Obi-wan, because they needed him to be alive, and a fake manikin wouldn’t have burned realistically, nor would it have deceived Anakin.
- Satine (Obi-wan’s ‘girlfriend’) was present at the funeral, hmm, so she must have either a teleporter, a class -0.1 hyperdrive or some other way of getting all the way from Mandalore to Coruscant it like 3 hours.
- Ahsoka was wearing a hood, don’t you think that the Jedi clothes makers would have to make custom hoods for her, after all she has her head tails which alter the shape of the head? Just imagine what Shaak Ti’s hood would be like J
Later Yoda and Mace are walking down the hallways of the Temple discussing if what they did was the best option, they walk up to a makeshift surgery room were Obi-wan is sitting alive and well. During his encounter with the sniper, he was wearing a bullet-proof vest, and also took a vital sign suppressor to fake his death. How did he know you ask? Well the Jedi actually hired Hardeen for the job.
- Though, when did Kenobs take the suppressor, while falling? Nah, when he landed? Nah, Ahsoka was watching him. Maybe he took it while hiding behind that corner?
For phase II of the plan a 2-1B medical droid shaves off Kenobi’s beard and hair, while Mace briefs him on his target: Moralo Eval, a bounty hunter on full-time employment by Count Dooku. The sith’s plans are to abduct the Chancellor at an upcoming festival on Naboo. Though Eval is in prison, reports indicate that the kidnapping plot is somehow moving along. Obi-wan’s role is to gain Moralo's trust and obtain the details of the plan.
As a strait deal had been tried and refused by the criminal, Kenobi must go undercover: as the man who ‘killed’ him.
To achieve the look of Hardeen, (a Jedi in a regular prison would raise suspicions) Obi-wan undergoes a creepy facial transformation which leaves him looking exactly like Rako Hardeen.
In the depths of Coruscant, Rako is spending his night in a bar – celebrating his first Jedi Kill. A rabbit droid approaches him with a message – his employer has arrived with his pay. In the back room of the bar, he faces Obi-wan, albeit with Rako’s own face. The Jedi asks Hardeen for one more favour – his clothes.
Mace and the disguised Kenobi apprehend the bewildered Rako, and question him – as expected they don’t get much from him, but that isn’t necessary – all they need is a sample of Hardeen’s voice. When done with him Mace uses the Force to send Rako into a deep sleep. Obi-Wan swallows a (apple sized) vocal emulator that transforms his voice into a pitch-perfect imitation of Rako Hardeen’s. He then dons the criminal’s clothes, ready to step into his role.
- How did that thing fit in Obi-wan’s mouth?
- And how is he breathing?
- Main thing is not to go to the toilet with that thing, or he’ll lose his voice.
Anakin and Ahsoka arrive at the bar – Yoda has informed them that Obi-Wan's killer has been found there. (Convenient, right?) Seeing Anakin’s drawn lightsaber the bartender points the Jedi to the back room where Rako is asleep, drunk.
Ahsoka: “Is he dead Master?”
Anakin *growls*: “He’s about to be!”
Anakin angrily yanks Rako to his feet. "If it were up to me, I would kill you right here!" he growls. "But lucky for you, the man you murdered would rather see you rot in jail." Soon after Anakin delivers Rako to the Republic prison (previously seen in the episode “Assassin”) and says “Let me know if he is any trouble, I’ll be happy to straighten him out.”
In the prison mess hall, Obi-wan proves to be “tough enough” jabbing a fork into a Karkarodon, claiming that the shark would be a nice change to the rations, and generally acting rather arrogantly, like a true criminal one might say. (Maybe he wanted revenge after the Zygerian mess?) This behaviour attracts the admiration of several convicts and Moralo Eval himself.
Eval: “So Hardeen, why did you kill the Jedi? Was it for money, or for revenge?”
Obi-wan: “I don’t know, I guess I was bored.”
In the cell block (which looks kinda like the senate hall) Kenobi finds himself sharing a cell with Eval, a sign of how influential he is. (Hmm, I wonder how he did it…) Moralo recruits Kenobi and is about to divulge the plan of the kidnapping when the room’s third occupant is revealed.
Cad Bane sits up and stops Eval, demanding double his fee if Kenobi is to come along. Bane and Obi-wan dislike each other from the start, and Moralo, seeing the rivalry between the two, asks the guard to move Obi-wan to another cell.
The next day at the prison's gym, Obi-Wan ‘kicks’ Bossk off a bench and retrieves a hidden comlink. (How the heck did the Jedi manage to hide it their) Kenobi makes contact with Yoda and Windu and briefs them on Eval. The Jedi masters are surprised to discover that Bane is working with Moralo, and Yoda hints that Obi-wan might abort, but he decides to shadow the criminals.
- Interesting how no one noticed Kenobs on the comlink
- When Kenobi reported in, he used the name ‘Ben’.
Returning to the dining room, Boba Fett decides to take his chances with Hardeen, Obi-wan defeats the youth but Bossk literally knocks two of the guards’ heads together and steps in. The fight quickly snowballs into a prison riot, overwhelming the shock troopers.
- Boba was captured at the end of Season Two when he was going after Windu.
- Fett says to Obi-wan “You owe be something Hardeen” well, Hardeen killed Kenobi not Mace, and Boba was after Mace. How does this work? Well, it was part of Bane’s plan to get the doors open, as the guards would ask for reinforcements.
- During the riot, many prisoners escape, including Boba and Bossk, as a source says that Fett and Bane will work together in the future.
- In this episode Bossk is sticking up for Boba, I wonder what happened by the time of Empire to stiffen their relationship?
- The Clone shock troopers went down rather easily, *snort*
The clone shock troopers place the prison on lock down … but that doesn’t really help. In the corridors of the lower levels, Obi-Wan catches up with Moralo and Bane. Eval decides to take Hardeen along with them, as “A Jedi Killer might be useful.”
Bane’s plan is to use the morgue, but as the door code has been changed, Obi-wan decides to “hotwire” it. When he senses that the others can’t see him, he uses the force to open the lock. A minute later, the clone techs send the coffins down to the crematorium. There, three of them show vital signs. When the techs open the crates up, they are attacked be Moralo, Cad, and Obi-wan, though Kenobi managed to grab a gun, he didn’t shoot anyone with it, which further raised Bane’s suspicions.
- That was a lame excuse “My blaster jammed”, yet it would’ve been wrong for a Jedi to kill innocent republic personal. (They were innocent before Order 66)
- Yet, Obi-wan could’ve used the ‘stun’ setting or the ‘fry, don’t quite kill’ one.
The criminals steal a Trandoshan slave ship and fly away from Coruscant. Eval is impressed with Rako, maybe Hardeen – eh, actually Kenobi – will play a part in his plot after all.
- The slave ship was owned by a Quarren which is funny.
- In this scene, Kenobs takes a socker, again physical abuse at OB1 this season.
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So overall, I'd put this up with the Citadel episodes from season 3, and I'd rate it 9.236/10.000
And Remember, The Force, and Commander Nikitikin will be with you, always (as long as you read the blog that is...)
