Kristin Baver is a journalist who loved science fiction before she could even write her own name. (Seriously, she was a card-carrying member of the Star Wars Fan Club when she had no other real reason to own a wallet.) Now she gets paid to pen stories and book reviews, interview fellow fans, writers, and other interesting people, and aspires to one day craft a Boushh disguise and join the ranks of the 501st Legion.







To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and the all-new episodes coming thanks to #CloneWarsSaved, we’re undertaking a full chronological rewatch of the five original seasons, The Lost Missions, and the theatrical release. We’d be honored if you would join us and share your thoughts on the award-winning series.

33: “Weapons Factory” (Season Two, Episode 6)

“No gift is more precious than trust.”

Synopsis:

Anakin, Ahsoka, Luminara Unduli, and her Padawan, Barriss Offee, lead a mission to destroy a droid factory on Geonosis. While the masters act as decoys diverting a group of super tanks, Ahsoka and Barriss infiltrate the plant via a labyrinth of catacombs beneath the city.

Analysis:

Together, Ahsoka and Barriss are ready to make the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good, destroying the plant while almost certainly dooming themselves to death by suffocation, buried far below the surface.

But, hand in hand, they never lose hope. Ahsoka has faith that her master will not leave them for dead, and she’s right to believe in Anakin and his legendary levels of attachment and bullheaded perseverance despite dismal odds.

The two young Padawans are perfect foils for each other: Ahsoka, prone to recklessness yet also adept at pivoting when a plan fails and devising a new, unconventional solution, has learned much from her master, while Barriss is more measured like her calm and even-keeled mentor, a studious learner who is thorough in planning and preparedness.

As a team, these qualities allow Ahsoka and Barriss to overcome the odds and not only fulfill their mission to destroy the factory from the inside out but continue working together even after they’re buried alive.

If this is your first time watching the series, you’re in for a shocking and fascinating arc for the friendship forming here between Ahsoka and Barriss.

But knowing where Barriss is headed makes some aspects of this episode stand out more sharply, sometimes subtly in the dialogue, like when dependable Barriss utters two simple words as they venture into the catacombs, where sleeping enemies lie: “Trust me.”

Intel:

It’s hard to make out, but the nose art on Luminara’s gunship shows a clone trooper giving Count Dooku the boot.

What did you think of the episode? Tell us in the comments below and share on social with #CloneWarsRewatch!

Next up: Come back next Thursday when the undead come to the defense of Geonosis in “Legacy of Terror.”

Associate Editor Kristin Baver is a writer and all-around sci-fi nerd who always has just one more question in an inexhaustible list of curiosities. Sometimes she blurts out “It’s a trap!” even when it’s not. Want to talk more about The Clone Wars? Hop on Twitter and tell @KristinBaver what you thought about today’s episode.