THE CLONE WARS: TWISTED SISTER!

She was the Dark Side assassin with a thirst to destroy the Jedi, then, once abused and left for dead by her former master in Count Dooku, became the loner, the adept bounty hunter for hire, before finding an all-new purpose and love for one of the race she had once sworn to destroy. Asajj Ventress's arc across the span of THE CLONE WARS animated series and its spin-offs proved an extremely satisfying one for her creators and the worldwide fanbase, and now her final adventure, alongside the rogue Jedi Quinlan Vos, returns via UK paperback this month, courtesy of ARROW: Christie Golden's well received, fast paced tale of love, danger and redemption adapted from never-completed series episodes: Dark Disciple.

Check out our original review here: STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: AFICIONADO REVIEW: 'DARK DISCIPLE'

Get hold of the book here: Star Wars: Dark Disciple: Amazon.co.uk: Christie Golden, Katie Lucas: 9781101884959: Books

AFICIONADO REVIEW: 'DARK DISCIPLE'

Two of a kind? Asajj Ventress and Quinlan Vos team-up for STAR WARS: DARK DISCIPLE- an unproduced THE CLONE WARS story now making an impact in novel form.

STAR WARS: DARK DISCIPLE

By Christie Golden

Based on unproduced episodes of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS

Foreword by Katie Lucas

Available now from CENTURY PUBLISHING


Reviewed by Scott Weller


Enough is enough.

Truly appalled by the latest murderous act specifically masterminded and wrought by their once friend, Count Dooku in a war against the Separatists that seemingly looks unending, Master Yoda and the Jedi Council take a momentous and far-reachingly dangerous decision to assassinate the corrupted Dark Lord of the Sith and end his reign of terror across the galaxy. But who to send on the mission? Only someone experienced or touched by the nature of evil and the Dark Dide of the Force will surely be accomplished enough to destroy his insidious power. One who knows Dooku, his methods, motivations and potential weaknesses. Someone who has faced him in combat and almost defeated him: his once Sith assassin now exiled bounty hunter Asajj Ventress!

A mission to kill! Asajj Ventress duels her old master, Count Dooku.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend is the old adage for this latest adventure from STAR WARS author Christie Golden, as she adapts eight ground-breaking unmade episodes from the axed way before its time THE CLONE WARS series- Dark Disciple, a tale which would effectively being back popular Expanded Universe hero and Outer Rim-based occasional rogue Jedi, Quinlan Vos, in a striking way far removed from his prior seen devil-may-care efforts with Obi-Wan Kenobi tracking down the fugitive Ziro the Hutt. Very much the maverick, beyond anything seen with Qui-Gon Jinn, and with more than the roguish dare and happy scoundrel Han Solo-ish touch about him, Vos is the perfect choice to recruit the beautiful but deadly Ventress into the Jedi's most daring and ultimately out of character by necessity plan. Undercover as a bounty hunter he soon becomes her sparky rival, her concerned and passionate lover, then her enemy, as the adaptation unfolds efficiently and speedily over its highly readable 336 pages. Developed behind the scenes by writer Katie Lucas- who saw her potential for character growth across the series run, and whom she shared a certain amount of creative kinswoman-ship to, Ventress has come a long way since those early bitter days taunting and fighting the Jedi she once swore to annihilate. Falling from grace with Dooku and abandoned to death, she has had to survive by any means necessary now that her beloved Witch Sisterhood of Dathomir have been annihilated, whilst her more recent, often irregular activities and life as a bounty hunter has seen her in a far more melancholy and reflective mood. But that doesn't mean her instincts and Force potential have dried up- far from it- especially when she recognises what her new friend and lover Vos is up to, and whom she strikes up the perfect, almost empathic partnership with. Over the course of the planned eight episodes split across Season Seven or Eight, it would have been interesting to see how this unique relationship of trust, anxiety and violence would have been realized in the animated episode medium, especially as the story moves into dark betrayal and shocking revelations. On the printed page it certainly works well, and not in the MILLS & BOON tradition when it comes to STAR WARS! Things here will surely not end well!

Early teaser artwork for DARK DISCIPLE showing the new-look Ventress.

Planned as major arc episodes of the series that would also bring specific closure to events and characters introduced way back from Season One, the story also features what would have been memorable appearances from the likes of the always loathsome General Grievous, once more in multi-lightsaber duelling action, and a now approaching the sequels attired Boba Fett and his small bounty hunter posse. Meanwhile, Count Dooku's evil-dom reaches new heights of depravity and viciousness once he is aware of Vos and Ventress's plans against him-his interactions with this unique duo of assassins proving particularly noteworthy during the book's concluding chapters. Thought by many Prequel haters as boring characters within the actual live-action films, our Jedi heroes of the animated series have been given far more thought-provoking and challenging material to explore, with added shades of grey layerings particularly given to Mace Windu (the main initiator of the assassination plan) and Obi-Wan Kenobi, the latter soon worried about the potential of Vos going astray to the Dark Side in Ventress company, as their time grows together in locating Dooku. Later in the book, seeing the influential likes of Yoda and Windu interact with their once enemy in Ventress proves an additional highlight and history-making moment for the STAR WARS saga- destinies crossed in a situation now making our noble warrior monks more vulnerable that ever, of which, despite their best intentions, they are now truly committed to travelling the road to their own self-destruction, soon enough cemented by the vengeance of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader and the manipulations of Darth Sidious.

AFICIONADO RATING. A very creditable adaptation from the well-selected for the task Miss Golden, further developing Ventress and her complex relationship with Vos, whose dark romance is a strong showcase for the author's talents but those of the series original writers (Katle Lucas, Matt Michnovetz and Dave Filoni ). With the success and overall acclaim for this novel endeavour, let's hope that we get more adaptations of unseen episodes of THE CLONE WARS Seasons Sevens and Eight for the future. We deserve them. 4 out of 5.

Get hold of STAR WARS: DARK DISCIPLE here: Star Wars: Dark Disciple: Amazon.co.uk: Katie Lucas, Christie Golden: 9780345511539: Books

Telling the Untold in Dark Disciple | StarWars.com

OUT THIS MONTH: 'DARK DISCIPLE'

In war, there's an old saying: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend". Just how true that is will soon be discovered by one-of-a-kind Jedi Knight Quinlan Vos when he's paired up with the lone wolf and former Sith Padawan, Asajj Ventress, in a mission to assassinate the dreaded Count Dooku, as the duo's unproduced eight-episode arc for THE CLONE WARS animated series comes to printed realisation via author Christie Golden: Dark Disciple, out next week in UK hardback from CENTURY PUBLISHING.

Here's the cover blurb:

Based on unproduced episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, this new novel features Asajj Ventress, former Sith apprentice turned bounty hunter and one of the great antiheroes in the Star Wars galaxy. 


The only way to bring down the Sith’s most dangerous warrior may be to join forces with the dark side.

In the war for control of the galaxy between the armies of the dark side and the Republic, former Jedi Master turned ruthless Sith Lord Count Dooku has grown ever more brutal in his tactics. Despite the powers of the Jedi and the military prowess of their clone army, the sheer number of fatalities is taking a terrible toll. And when Dooku orders the massacre of a flotilla of helpless refugees, the Jedi Council feels it has no choice but to take drastic action: targeting the man responsible for so many war atrocities, Count Dooku himself.
 
But the ever-elusive Dooku is dangerous prey for even the most skilled hunter. So the Council makes the bold decision to bring both sides of the Force’s power to bear—pairing brash Jedi Knight Quinlan Vos with infamous one-time Sith acolyte Asajj Ventress. Though Jedi distrust for the cunning killer who once served at Dooku’s side still runs deep, Ventress’s hatred for her former master runs deeper. She’s more than willing to lend her copious talents as a bounty hunter—and assassin—to Vos’s quest.
 
Together, Ventress and Vos are the best hope for eliminating Dooku—as long as the emerging feelings between them don’t compromise their mission. But Ventress is determined to have her retribution and at last let go of her dark Sith past. Balancing the complicated emotions she feels for Vos with the fury of her warrior’s spirit, she resolves to claim victory on all fronts—a vow that will be mercilessly tested by her deadly enemy . . . and her own doubt.

Read the first sixty pages here: Dark Disciple%3A Star Wars

Look out for a review on AFICIONADO in the not too distant future.

Get the book here: Star Wars: Dark Disciple: Amazon.co.uk: Katie Lucas, Christie Golden: 9780345511539: Books

THE CLONE WARS: JEDI TEAM-UP

Obi-Wan Kenobi and maverick outland infiltrator, Jedi colleague Quinlan Vos, make their way to Nal Hutta, and an eventual confrontation with Cad Bane, in a scene from Season Three's enjoyable, off-beat adventure, Hunt for Ziro.

THE CLONE WARS- THE COMPLETE SEASONS ONE TO FIVE: Out now on Blu-ray and DVD.

"THE CLONE WARS" SEASON THREE. SWA's TOP FIVE EPISODES. NO 4: "HUNT FOR ZIRO"

Love on the run! Ziro the Hutt and Sy Snootles escape Nal Hutta in HUNT FOR ZIRO.

As the Third Season of THE CLONE WARS makes its mark in Blu-ray and DVD sales across the world, our countdown of the top five episodes of that year continues with Number Four: the light hearted but surprisingly action packed adventure HUNT FOR ZIRO, set within the murky climes of the Hutt empire, where love and hate share a very fine line indeed when you're a Pa'lowick!

Here are five reasons why this episode makes the deserved grade...

1. Strong storytelling balance. Effectively making fine use of characters and locales from both sides of the STAR WARS saga coin- this was by miles one of the best early episodes of an easily noticeable unbalanced start to Season Three- HUNT FOR ZIRO contains a very strong mix of comedy, drama and adventure locked down in a far more audience pleasing way than it had been in several prior poorly conceived tales set on Mandalore. Steve Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle's wide ranging, busy chase story was quite original, providing fans with compelling moments as it moved from planet to planet on the kind of epic scale that STAR WARS deserves in any format its realized in. Also, most importantly, it effectively made fine use of the series continually building animation strengths in terms of scale, backgrounds and character inter-action.

Loose lips! The return of musical entertainer Sy Snootles!

2. Sy Snootles. She may have been one of the least expected characters to make her way from the Classic Trilogy into the Clone Wars universe, but her return to the saga soon proves most welcome, infusing the show with some much deserved fun and showing us a whole new dark side femme fatale to her personality by story's end. Building further on her vocal versatility within the series, Nika Futterman-also the seductively evil Asajj Ventress- is a superb choice to play Snooty, whose on-screen visual entrance within the episode comes with a terrific song and dance number that more than pays a few nods to Kate Capshaw's Willie Scott in the opening of INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM. From then on, she gets to manipulate some very dumb Gamorrean guards and frees her ex-lover Ziro the Hutt from his prison on Nal Hutta so that they can run off to Teth and retrieve a vitally needed diary of dangerous information on the Hutt clan. It's at that point that Sy reveals her true colours and surprises the audience as someone you certainly don't want to cross, in an unexpected and classic moment for the series.

3. Nal Hutta. Finally, we get to explore the weird and wonderful world of the Hutts: its swampy landscape and the darkly humorous crime cartel empire/motive rationales of the creatures themselves-beings who mix their love of entertainment as easily as ordering their victims to death! And, as briefly introduced in the previous Threepio and Artoo tale Evil Plans, we now get to fully see a wide and distinctive vaiety of THE GODFATHER/Italian gangster visually inspired monsters, too (even down to one of them bearing the fine facial caricatures of Marlon Brando himself!). Though probably the grossest of them all has to be Ziro's mother, Mamma the Hutt-truly one of the most outrageous creations yet seen in THE CLONE WARS-even more so than Ziro first was in the series feature film pilot. So effectively brought to life on-screen was Mamma, covered in horrible symbiotic bugs (Ugh!) and flies, with a deep androgynous voice, that I felt visibly repulsed on first viewing and almost thought I could smell her vile pores even off screen when she talks to Obi-Wan about where Ziro has escaped to. Kudos to LUCASFILM ANIMATION's inspired team on bringing to life such a memorable, if repellent, creation...

Obi-Wan and Quinlan Vos meet the Hutts.

4. Quinlan Vos. This almost Han Solo-esque figure of the Jedi Order, first seen in the DARK HORSE COMICS, provides a welcome breath of fresh air with his introduction to the series, not only for the viewers but the shows writing staff as well, who surely wanted to add a bit more variety in the way they wrote for the members of the all so very serious keepers of the peace. Here was a Jedi not only looking and behaving differently than expected, despite retaining their incredible skills and abilities, but also possessing a healthy heart and a sense of humour. A veteran of battles, skirmishes and infiltration within the Outer Regions, this story gave Vos some great sequences to partake in, whilst his interactions with Obi-Wan Kenobi on both Nal Hutta and Teth are lively fun. Here's hoping he comes back for more episodes in the not too distant future-wouldn't it be great to see him and Obi re-teamed and taking on the returned Darth Maul next spring?!

Sky battle! On Teth, Obi-Wan confronts Cad Bane.

5. Jedi versus Bounty Hunter! One of the most exciting large scale action sequences of any CLONE WARS episode, but on a smaller and more intimate footing, as Quinlan Vos and Obi-Wan Kenobi take on the creepy Cad Bane (unnervingly voiced once more by Corey Burton-master of the STAR WARS animated villain speak!) and his robot servant Todo within the treacherous and geographically changing, and challenging, mountain climes of Teth (a fine planet from THE CLONE WARS pilot movie worthy of a return visit). It's a very cool, fast paced sequence of tense and suspenseful events, full of inventive hand to hand combat, lightsaber clashing, Force leaps and pushes, flame thrower discharges and blaster fire, in which we see Cad Bane continue to give as good as he gets-himself seemingly quite skilled with a lightsaber!- in the kind of combative ways superbly thought out and choreographed that I wish we could've seen Boba Fett do more of in the Classic Trilogy. Bane's flying droid pest/partner in crime, Todo, also proves a thoroughly rotten little douche bag, too- an equally tricky little customer to pin down in a fight. Here's to future Jedi/Bane showdowns, though whatever THE CLONE WARS writers/animators come up with next surely has a lot to live up to after what's been shown here!

Season Three of THE CLONE WARS is now available on Blu-ray and DVD from WARNER BROTHERS HOME VIDEO.

BIG LIPS SINK HUTTS!

Jail-breaker Ziro the Hutt gets some quality time with his girlfriend Sy Snootles in THE HUNT FOR ZIRO.

With her great introductory musical opening number (deliberately reminiscent of Kate Capshaw’s ANYTHING GOES from INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM), and a now revealed relationship with Ziro the Hutt, Jabba the Hutt’s prized singer/entertainer Sy Snootles turned out to be one of the true stars of THE HUNT FOR ZIRO episode of THE CLONE WARS shown last night in the US. The episode was a fun, fast paced tale of intrigue and action, and was also a fine introduction to a more audience friendly version of rogue Jedi Quinlan Vos, whose Han Solo-ish attitudes worked well with Obi-Wan Kenobi by the book intelligence. And what about that superb fight with Vos and Kenobi against Cad Bane, eh? This was the kind of action Boba Fett should have had in the Classic Trilogy!

In celebration of lippy Sy’s return here’s a classic shot of her best live action visual incarnation from the original version of RETURN OF THE JEDI. With thanks to Chris Baker for the image.

And here’s a link to the MTV released pop video for the original 1983 JEDI song from Jabba’s Palace, LAPTI NEK, put together by John Williams and his son, which includes the film's Second Unit director David Tomblin's footage of Jabba, and his den of dangerous acolytes, that never made it into the finished film:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iZFZRCCLIU

"THE CLONE WARS" COMING SOON: QUINLAN VOS

Created by writer John Ostrander and artist Jan Duursema, Jedi Master Quinlan Vos, the EPISODE I inspired Expanded Universe CLONE WARS comic favourite (later mentioned by name in EPISODE III by Obi-Wan Kenobi, though his on screen death during ORDER 66 was animaticed but never filmed (it fortunately exists in vosual form in the DARK HORSE 2005 comic adaptation)), is a Jedi who walks a dangerous path between the light and dark sides of the Force in his missions, and was once partnered to Aayla Secrura (who mentions him, but not by name, in THE CLONE WARS first season episode JEDI CRASH), and he'll soon be making his much anticipated first animated appearance in the hit show (presumably this third season- as they're using him on series promotional material currently (as seen in the above image). Intriguingly, Vos was to have appeared in the first season episode BOMBAD JEDI, alongside Jar Jar Binks, but he was dropped as the production team didn't have the budget to create additional new characters in the shows opening year). I think we can also assume that wherever Vos is in this new tale, Secura will be involved, too (who knows, perhaps she even gets a solo episode linked to his!).

More news on Vos and his episode (could it be linked to his Dathomir/ Witch Sisters upcoming plotline?) as and when we get it...

UPDATE - 1/11/10. Vos will be seen in Episode Nine of SEASON THREE - THE HUNT FOR ZIRO - alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi.