Chat corner 7: That face looks familiar

[annathecrow]

Welcome to this week’s chat corner!

 

Optional prompt

This week’s topic is “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” - the TV show, but not the other TV show (are you confused? Because I sure am!). Seven seasons, a bunch of comics and its own tie-in fiction - this is a canon in itself. What do you think?

 

Mod note

If anyone’s interested how the topics are chosen, I’m cycling between four categories: general themes, non-movie canon media, Legends content, and movies. Would anyone be interested in knowing the topic ahead of time? I currently don’t have a schedule, just a grab bag I pull stuff out of, but I could set one up and pin it in the comm.

Also, if you have an idea for a topic, I definitely take suggestions! Leave it here, send me a DM, comment on the Info post (those are still screened), whatever goes.

 

Comments

[annathecrow]

Here is The Dark Side post for this chat corner, should you need it.

[fleurviolette]

I started watching Clone Wars last year tho in the beginning I struggled with the first two seasons because of the pacing. Then I just hopped onto key or fan favorite episodes from later seasons. I did watch the final season in full tho.

I had a similar issue with Rebels and the Bad Batch, but despite that, still fun to watch. I do appreciate the lore and universe building through small details and references to the original trilogy and prequels.

Meanwhile the Clone Wars micro series is a forgotten gem. It’s different but the visual story telling is good!

[annathecrow]

Yeah, episode-hopping is my favorite way to watch the show, too. I'd highly recommend trying that to anyone who's interested in the show but can't get into it. IMO it's still somewhat designed with episodic watching in mind (as opposed to season-wide story arcs like modern TV often does), so it works pretty well that way.

[fleurviolette]

Ah, yes that makes sense. I’m used to watching shows with shorter seasons and episode lengths because it’s easier to watch than a show that was set up as episodic and weekly.

Hmm, for a topic suggestion, I’d like a thread where one can share the wildest Star Wars theories. Like for example, Jess Pava is the hidden “good” Skywalker and we had no idea!

[yourlibrarian]

Funny you should ask about it because I didn't even realize there was a separate micro series. We just finished watching that last week. It was...not great. When I saw it I wondered if it was created as a sort of pitch for the later 7 season series. It covered some of the same ground but in a different way. It also made it clear why the other series was SO much better in the way it approached the story (not to mention the inclusion of Ahsoka who was clearly not a part of the original story).

I can see why the "real" Clone Wars series is a sort of verse unto itself. To me it feels like the real Star Wars, even more so than the films because there is so much more world building and follow through.

[annathecrow]

One thing that occurs to me is that TCW is really "Star Wars" in the sense of a pan-galactic conflict. Not that the movies don't try to portray that as well, but it just really comes through in longer format.

(That's one of the things that personally trips me up - for a kids' show, it has a very mature topic at the core of it, and I don't always vibe with the way its portrayed. Then again, a war is hard to write, whatever the target age group and style...)

[yourlibrarian]

Yes, that's so true. In fact I said almost this exact thing in a SW meta last year, which was prompted by a very non-kidlike episode.

[extrapenguin]

I have a soft spot for TCW since that and Rebels were my first entry into "present-era" Star Wars (vs Old Republic stuff like KOTOR). In fact, my current WIP with its serious case of epicitis (20k and counting for something meant to be a quarter of that) is set during the Clone Wars. And features Ahsoka, who's one of my favorite additions to the Star Wars universe! She has a great character arc.

Would anyone be interested in knowing the topic ahead of time?
I like the surprise, but it's not that big a deal for me if someone else wants to know. I can just not look.

(As for topic suggestions: I think you could get some mileage out of the more recognizable locations, like Tatooine or Yavin 4, and alien species/governments/etc? Not that you'll be running out of things to talk about any time soon even on the current rotation.)

[annathecrow]

Ahsoka is great! Although her whole story kind of breaks my heart.

Also, condolences for the uncontrollable WIP. XD Or should that be congratulations? The fic I'm finishing right now blew up this way and it has been An Experience.

(Btw feel free to self-rec if you want!)

[extrapenguin]

Nothing quite like a good tragedy to make one all wistful and sigh-y! And want to write all the fixits.

The fic is ... not yet done, but hopefully soon? Maybe this month, with posting at the start of July. It still needs an ending and a beta round. But I will link once it's on AO3!

[annathecrow]

Oh, TCW, my beloved frustration. I'm the definition of "adult watches a kid's show, isn't happy". "why is [xy] like [that]??" Shush, Crow, go back to your taxes. XD

That said, I do like it a lot. It brought in a ton of interesting characters, and I really love the rough shapes of its stories (although sometimes it's just too damn heartbreaking for me, bless the fandom for all the fixits). That said, the exact implementation details are sometimes... vexing.

Also, I have to count myself as a honorary fan just by the sheer amount of fic I have read, oops.