Category: Films

from StarWars.com:

After their ship is destroyed, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi must find a new means of escape from the Citadel. They lead the freed prisoners — including the Republic’s Captain Tarkin — across the planet’s perilous landscape as Plo Koon commands a Jedi armada through Separatist defenses in a daring rescue attempt. It’s the thrilling conclusion to a three-part Clone Wars storyline in “Citadel Rescue” — airing at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT Friday, March 11 on Cartoon Network.

For Stephen Stanton, assuming the iconic role of Tarkin — made famous by Peter Cushing in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope — was not a responsibility to be taken lightly. Using the first Star Wars film as a starting point and a foundation, Stanton immersed himself in the legendary actor’s filmography and early TV work, while at the same time dissecting the character for clues to Tarkin’s personal trajectory.

“Peter Cushing’s original Tarkin was the epitome of someone who had succumbed to the dark side. [He] is that quiet, elegant, grandfatherly kind of villain that you want to believe in with all your heart. And when you do, he turns on you with a smile and says ‘You’re far too trusting’ — and then destroys everything that you hold dear,” says Stanton. “But since I don’t believe anyone is born evil, I approached the younger version of his character from the standpoint of a career military man who fervently believes that what he is doing is the right thing. That gave me a certain amount of latitude to ask questions of the character — like, what was he like before he embraced the dark side? On one hand, I am using Peter Cushing’s voice and performance as a template, so I want to keep the essence of what he did. But on the other hand, I’m creating the voice of a young Tarkin — who no one has heard before. I think these new episodes challenge our ideas of who Tarkin was in A New Hope more than it reflects his character and what we know about him at the end of his days.”

Accused of “holding Vader’s leash” by the captive Princess Leia in Episode IV, Tarkin has the distinction of being the one Imperial officer with some authority over the menacing Sith Lord. He commands Vader with haughty impunity, publicly dressing down the master of the Force. According to Stanton, that relationship had to start somewhere.

“The relationship between Anakin and Tarkin — and ultimately Vader and Tarkin — is what is being explored now in The Clone Wars,” he says. “Who exactly is this Grand Moff and why is he able to exert control over Lord Vader? It was never fully explained in the films, but we’re getting some hints of how it all might have started. For myself as a viewer, I think Tarkin recognizes a kindred spirit in Anakin. It’s the choices they make and why they make them that will determine their destination. How their story evolves should be quite interesting.”

Tarkin’s not the only familiar face making his Clone Wars debut; airing on April 1 at 8:00pm ET/PT, the one-hour season three finale features a special appearance by everyone’s favorite furball, Chewbacca the Wookiee!

from StarWars.com:

An immense, fur-covered warrior whose tremendous strength and ferocity are matched only by his loyalty and compassion, Chewbacca the Wookiee is one of the most universally beloved characters from the entire Star Wars Saga. He will return to a galaxy far, far away in the thrilling, one-hour season finale of Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Friday, April 1st at 8pm e/p on Cartoon Network. See a clip of the episode here!

It was actor Peter Mayhew who defined the character in the live-action Star Wars films, and the Clone Wars crew felt his involvement in the series was integral in capturing Chewie’s spirit. The 7’3″ actor was brought to Skywalker Ranch to advise the team tasked with bringing the legendary character into the animated galaxy of The Clone Wars.

“[Supervising Director] Dave Filoni said my participation in creating Chewie for the series was essential,” says Mayhew. “He told his artists to study the way I walk, my mannerisms and demeanor. He said, ‘To understand Chewie, you need to understand Peter.’ We also went into the Lucasfilm archives and studied some of the original Chewie costumes to make sure the details were carried over into the animation.”

“Bringing Chewie to The Clone Wars is very special for us, and it wouldn’t be right without Peter’s involvement and blessing,” says Filoni. “Peter and Chewie are one and the same; he brings so much of himself to the character and it was important for us to capture that. Otherwise, it just wouldn’t feel right. Having his input was great; he was able to add all the little mannerisms and details that he knew from living with Chewie for more than three decades.”

In addition to advising the team on Chewie’s look and feel, Mayhew was also asked to contribute to the character in a whole new way: recreating his iconic growl.

“The Chewbacca sounds were sourced from the same bank as the original films, but Dave Filoni and Matt Wood thought it would be nice to get a small sample of my voice mixed in,” says Mayhew. “This goes back to everyone at Lucasfilm feeling that they needed me to portray the character in every way possible. After so many years of being asked to do the growl for fans, I’ve found that I’m actually quite good at it. I’m absolutely thrilled to be part of the series. The animation is amazing, and they really captured the essence of Chewie. As soon as I saw it I said ‘that’s it. He’s there. That’s Chewbacca.'”

Chewbacca will make his Clone Wars debut in the one-hour Season Three finale, airing on Friday, April 1st at 8pm e/p on Cartoon Network.

from StarWars.com:

Led by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, an elite rescue team attempts to free a captive Jedi general from an impenetrable Separatist prison. Deep within enemy territory, The Citadel is surrounded by droids and run by a sadistic warden determined to prevent anyone from breaking out — or in. Our heroes stage an action-packed forced entry to “The Citadel,” the first chapter in an explosive three-part storyline — at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT Friday, February 18 on Cartoon Network.

“This arc is basically classic Star Wars; we focused on the things that I really remember loving about the Saga from when I was a kid,” says Dave Filoni, supervising director of The Clone Wars. “In the Mortis trilogy, George wanted us to explore some ground that’s never really been covered in Star Wars before. And now with the Citadel arc, we’re going back to some of those essential, classic conventions that have always made Star Wars so fun.”

Action-packed and filled with nods to the live-action saga, the Citadel trilogy finds its heroes behind enemy lines — using an unusual infiltration tactic that fans of the original trilogy will recognize as a twist on a classic Star Wars scene. With the heroes encasing themselves in carbonite to slip past The Citadel’s impenetrable security, the episode explores quintessentially familiar ground in decidedly unfamiliar ways.

“There are a lot of references packed into these episodes,” says Filoni. “Even the basic break-in idea parallels the Death Star rescue from Episode IV. It was really fun to do our version of that, but it’s definitely not the only thing that will feel familiar — though we’ve put our own spin on everything. This whole arc allowed us some fun opportunities to pay homage to the Star Wars that we all fell in love with when we, the older fans, were kids. Pretty much everyone on the crew is a fan, so it’s been fun to revisit some of those classic elements in The Clone Wars.”

Another familiar element come in the form of a classic Star Wars villain — introduced here on the side of the Republic! First appearing in Episode IV as the Imperial officer bold enough to “[hold] Vader’s leash,” Grand Moff Tarkin (now just a captain) will have his fateful first meeting with Anakin Skywalker in this week’s Clone Wars adventure.

“Tarkin was tricky,” says Filoni. “We had to capture his essence, while also aging him down appropriately. Peter Cushing is such a distinguished actor, and Tarkin is such an iconic role. He fills the room with his presence and, aside from the Emperor, he’s the only character who ever orders Vader around. So getting him right was very important to us, because his introduction to Anakin is an important one. And they’ve got a fun relationship that’s been very interesting to explore.”