Warning Spoilers for the Episode “Phantom Apprentice” are below

Lucasfilm may have just created one of the greatest Star Wars stories in the new canon. Whether you prefer the books, movies, or comics I think that “Phantom Apprentice” is one of the greatest if not the greatest episode in the entire Clone Wars TV Series. With expert pacing, constant tension, a beautifully written story and great dialogue, I now have a measure on which to judge the next two episodes going forward.

”Phantom Apprentice” starts off right where last week’s episode left off. Ahsoka is confronting Darth Maul who is disappointed that he didn’t lure Obi-Wan and Anakin, yet has instead been delivered Ahsoka instead. Maul has long been a favorite of mine ever since his re-introduction to the story way back in the end of season 4. Seeing him rise from his broken state of mind to be nursed back to partial sanity by his brother Savage Opress was thrilling and intriguing. Seeing that story and his obsession with revenge continue in this episode was brilliant to say the least.

After Maul escapes into the sewers he kidnaps Ahsoka to force information out of her, in order to learn as much as he can. He learns why she left the order and what she has been through as a Jedi, Maul is so crafty and manipulating he nearly convinces Ahsoka to join him on his revenge against his old master Darth Sidious. Ahsoka wonders what his grand plan is, and Maul reveals his need to lure and kill Anakin. She doesn’t believe him and goes in for the capture.

This leads into a beautiful lightsaber duel between the two. Having the whole fight be motion capture with original Darth Maul actor Ray Park added a more detailed and smooth combat sequence. In fact, this is easily one of the smoothest animation scenes I have ever seen. From the subtle music of the moment, to the crescendo of the climax, the battle raging outside helped capture the intensity of the fight between them.

This episode brought a lot of tension too, as it coincides with the events of Revenge of the Sith. After a conversation with Obi-Wan Via hologram, Ahsoka learns that Count Dooku has been killed. Obi-Wan is being sent to Utapau and served for General Grievous while Anakin has been tasked with spying on Chancellor Palpatine. This started a ticking time bomb for the episode’s story as the countdown to order 66 is nearing. The clones could turn at any moment and that was a scary thought.

One thing that caught me off guard was just how early they finished the liberation of Mandalore. The episode ends with the capture of Maul and the end of the war, sooner than expected. I don’t know how long Ahsoka will stay on Mandalore after this, but there are at least two things the next few episodes have to cover. The first is the most obvious order 66 and the second is the escape of Maul.

I loved every second of this episode to the point that I have watched it three times. Each time I watch, I notice more small details in the animation. Having the smaller movements and details like ankles and more advanced martial art type moves, made the moment just a little more special. It helps that the episode is lighting fast.

“Phantom Apprentice” had just about everything you need to make a great Star Wars story. It has deep characters, intensity, and the ability to make characters we love fall into a grey area that really tests the character’s world-view. This episode set a standard that the last two have to follow and maybe even improve upon.

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Star Wars: The Clone Wars

10

Score

10.0/10

Pros

• Maul makes a Sinister and impressive villain
• Detailed animation
• Lighting fast
• Thoroughly engaging pacing
• Small details uncommon in animated fight scenes