Star Wars: The Clone Wars Volume 2 - Clone Commandos

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… the saga continues, and here returns to DVD in a new collection of episodes from the Dave Filoni’s popular spin-off animation series, The Clone Wars. Incidentally, the above title scroll is not featured in the show - instead replaced by a perplexing Pathé news-style voice-over opening - but it makes for a nice, if clichéd, introduction to the review, so there you go.

The episode selection is a little curious, as the first show on the disc, early episode Rookies, seems detached from the three-part saga from later in series one. Comparatively, though, Rookies (co-written by George Lucas) is the strongest of those included, so maybe it was a wise addition.

Following the learning process of a group of new clone troopers as their Rishu moon base is invaded by advanced commander droids, Rookies features a few moments of funny dark humour interspersed with a strong storyline and slight character development (as much as a clone trooper can develop as a character, at least).

The three-part Ryloth siege storyline, however, is a little trite and lacks a good narrative arc between the episodes. It starts off reasonably well with Storm Over Ryloth, which sees General Anakin and his Padewan, Ahsoko, plot a clever attack against a Federation ship, following an earlier botched mission. Innocents Of Ryloth, however, gets a little too cutesy - clones Waxer and Boil stumble upon a child in a desolate village and protect the little one, as they try to find the rest of the inhabitants. Liberty On Ryloth, meanwhile, begins strongly with moments of Battlestar Galactica-lite politics, as Mace Windu plays the diplomat between a tribe leader and a galactic senator, but is undone as Deus Ex Machina, I mean Anakin, saves the day.

With the complete Clone Wars series one available very soon on DVD, it is hard to see the point of the Clone Commandos collection. For one thing, the clone commandos only feature prominently in two of the episodes. And those looking for an introduction will be better served by earlier collection, A Galaxy Divided. The dubious episode selection and lack of extras only serve to exacerbate the feeling that this disc is a bit of a cash-in job.

Nonetheless, for those who can’t wait a few more weeks for the complete set, Clone Commandos is a mixed bag of episodes held together by the consistently high production values, strong action scenes, and other classic Star Wars traits – wipe cuts and occasional cloth-eared dialogue. “There’s hope for you yet Rookie.”