Episode: The Clone Wars 3.09 – “Hunt for Ziro”
Original Air Date: November 12, 2010
Screencaps from The Clone Wars Screencap Gallery.
Quinlan Vos! ‘Nuff said!
Continuing with the theme of new episodes taking place in a non-linear way, “Hunt for Ziro” reveals to us that the events of the last episode, “Evil Plans,” tie directly into the season one finale “Hostage Crisis.” Cad Bane was looking for the Senate building plans to stage his hostage crisis in that episode, and now Ziro is in the company of his fellow Hutts. Unfortunately for him, the Hutt families do not have his interests at heart — only their own.
On Mal Hutta, Ziro’s freedom is cut short as the families lock him up to prevent him from talking. The fact is that Ziro possesses a diary of all the Hutt Clans’ dirty little secrets, and when the council of Hutts threatens to kill him, he reminds them that his death will ensure those secrets end up in the hands of the Senate.
Meanwhile, Obi-Wan sets off in search of Ziro with Vos. For those not familiar with the extended Star Wars universe, here’s a quick bio of the episode’s guest star, Quinlan Vos. Vos is one of the only Jedi to not begin his training in the Jedi Temple. Born on the planet Kiffar, Vos possesses psychometic powers (he can divine knowledge from items that he touches) that are boosted by his Jedi abilities. As a result, his people felt that he was destined to become a Guardian of their planet and did not permit him to leave. Jedi Master Tholme decided to train him there on the planet. Eventually, however, Vos’s parents died and he went on to the Temple to receive formal training.
It’s likely this upbringing that helped make him a bit more cavalier than other Jedi, an attitude which Obi-Wan labels as “crazy” before Vos drops in on a gunship. I have to admit, at his first appearance, Vos comes off as a bit of a laid-back party guy — the Ernie to Obi-Wan’s Bert. Meanwhile, back on Mal Hutta, Ziro is released from his new prison by an old flame, with whom he makes his attempt to get off of the planet.
And this brings us to one thing that bugs me about this episode — Ziro, his girlfriend, and his mother all have the most horrible Southern accents. In fact, when Ziro visits his mother to borrow a spaceship for his escape, she takes on the appearance of a morbidly obese woman living in the swamp. Being Southern myself, it’s like nails on a chalkboard to watch these scenes.
Obi-Wan and Vos display more of their differences as they meet with the Hutts. While Obi-Wan attempts diplomacy, Vos cheekily accuses the Hutts themselves of springing Ziro. While Obi-Wan calms things down, Vos picks up an object we saw Ziro holding earlier, and through his psychometric powers learns that the renegade Hutt was there after all.
So begins the pursuit of Ziro, as the Hutts send Cad Bane to retrieve him just as the two Jedi make their attempt. However, Ziro’s escape is thwarted not by either party, but from someone he least expected. Bane and the Jedi arrive too late to do anything about it, but end up fighting each other anyway. Bane gets away, and Jabba is in possession of the holo-diary with all the family’s secrets.
This was a good episode for me, but it could have been better. I honestly thought cultural stereotyping was done after Episode I, but I was wrong. Everybody on Mal Hutta except for the council of Hutts is portrayed like a redneck. Further, while it’s great to see Quinlan Vos in-continuity, he seems more like a stand-in for Anakin than his own person. He essentially plays the role of the hotshot, leaping before he looks and breaking in doors before knocking. Still, I liked the episode and finally seeing one of the most awesome Jedi in the Order strut his stuff. It would have been nice to see him be a little darker, though.
Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
About the Author
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has this to say about John Rabon:
John got started on the path to geekdom thanks to his brother's collection of comic books and Star Wars toys but was cemented into the geek class forever when LeVar Burton took Reading Rainbow viewers on a backstage tour of Star Trek: The Next Generation. A love of Monty Python soon followed, and it wasn't long before he was starting to collect his own comics. The rest, as they say, is history. But really, who are they to say something?
Since discovering the BBC some years ago, John has become an obsessive Anglophile. In fact, he even likes the food they serve over there! As such, some of his favourite programmes include: Doctor Who, Primeval, Coupling, QI, The Mighty Boosh, The IT Crowd, and Shaun the Sheep.
Upon choosing a university, John enrolled in the University of South Carolina, which was nice enough to give him a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and a Master's in Teaching. Feeling that he hadn't been put through enough academic torment with student teaching, John decided to enroll in law school at Campbell University.
Hobbies, when he can find time for them, include: writing, video games, reading, and wasting time in the pub.