TV Review: Clone Wars misses the “Point”
November 5, 2009
I’ve never lost sight of the fact that Star Wars is, at heart, for children. It’s space opera, it’s fantasy, it’s adventure with clear-cut heroes and villains and tidy endings. And with that in mind, I have kept watching Star Wars: Clone Wars on the Cartoon Network because it is a weekly dose of Star Wars fun.
At the same time, I am also aware that George Lucas drew on actual combat footage from World War II aerial battles to create the battle sequences in the original Star Wars films, which betrays a strange interest in realistic violence for a show about space cowboys with magic powers.
This week, the series aired Season 2, Episode 5, “Landing at Point Rain.” And I was a little disturbed. Maybe more than a little.
The show is rated PG for violence. It’s on Cartoon Network, in the evening. So in my mind, there should be a minimal display of real violence. It should be laser guns and robots falling down and spaceships going boom. At most.
But in “Point Rain,” there is so much more. And according to the show’s staff, the added carnage was very deliberate. George Lucas wandered in on the team and demanded a WWII D-Day-style invasion. I don’t know if you recall the opening sequence of Saving Private Ryan, which depicted the actual landing at Normandy, but it wasn’t exactly the stuff of children’s fantasy cartoons.
Several moments from this Clone Wars episode stand out in my mind:
- First, a Republic gunship full of troopers is flying down to the planet, under fire. We see the men inside, and one comments on the enemy attack. The gunship is hit and explodes in a ball of fire. Beneath the sound of the explosion, we hear a chorus of men screaming as we watch their burning bodies plummet to the ground.
- Second, a platoon of troopers engage a platoon of alien soldiers on the ground in a vicious firefight. The Jedi calls for flamethrowers. The troopers step forward and blanket the enemy soldiers in fire. The burning soldiers fall to the ground, writhing and flailing, as the Jedi hacks them to pieces and the troopers shoot them.
- Third, there are numerous running sequences in which troopers are crossing open areas under fire and are being shot down or blown up. Their bodies fall on screen as their comrades run past them.
- Fourth, two of the Jedi are playing a game. They are counting the number of enemies they kill in each battle, and the one with the higher body count “wins.” At the end of the episode, after these several graphic battles, they are still playing the game with no sense that it might be less than professional/appropriate/moral. (ETA: The Jedi with the most kills “wins” the respect of the other Jedi. Why can’t they respect the best leader who loses the fewest soldiers, instead of the best killer?)
Now, on the one hand, this is a degree of realism and tension that I really enjoy in a show. It’s what made the first two seasons of Battlestar Galactic so excellent. But Clone Wars is not BSG; it is a kid’s show. It’s a cartoon. And I think that a line has been crossed.
I admit, my concern about “Point Rain” derives in part from reading Karen Traviss’s novels, which remind us that the troopers are:
- Human beings. Despite their appearance, the troopers are not human-shaped robots.
- Slaves. As property of the Republic, these men have no rights or freedoms.
- Child soldiers. Clones age twice as fast as regular humans to be combat-ready sooner, so a 20-year-old solider is in fact a 10-year-old boy.
So, yes, I am disturbed at watching soldiers die, somewhat graphically, in a children’s cartoon, while the “heroic” Jedi knights banter and joke. And I hope I’m not the only one. I don’t expect all cartoons to deliver a stern-faced moral lesson “because knowing is half the battle,” but I don’t think it’s wrong to expect cartoons to stick to kid stuff. After all, they are for kids, aren’t they?
Entry Filed under: television. Tags: cartoon, clones, Jedi, Landing at Point Rain, Star Wars, troopers, violence, war.
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1.
MauiPotiki | November 6, 2009 at 1:31 am
I’ve always worried the whole Clone Wars series (the new one, rather than the last one). It sounds like they have sorta crossed a point with that episode.
The Jedi have always seemed a bit strange. I mean in the original movies, they were clear cut. There was the apitomy of noble in Alec Guinness, and then there was the ultimately evil of Darth Vader. Since then, Jedi have become a lot more muddied. I’m pretty sure it was the Clone Wars movie where Obi Wan did something and I instantly thought ‘ah … wait? Jedi wouldnt *do* that.’
2.
ruzkin | November 6, 2009 at 2:13 am
I understand your concern, and some of those scenes do stand out as a little too graphic for young children’s viewing… I guess we have to draw the line at what qualifies as a “young child” and a “child.” The difference between the two is pretty startling these days, and a kid can go from blissfully absorbing and believing in Disney cartoons to enjoying high-violence films in only a few years. I know that at age six I was still terrified by Land Before Time, but by age eight my favourite films were Jaws, Alien and Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Perhaps it’s inappropriate of CN to be broadcasting this particular show in a children’s timeslot, but the opportunity also exists for it to be used as a bridging show – a cartoon that uses a canon accessible to children while also introducing some higher, darker concepts – the idea that war is a pot-luck instead of a story of heroes and redshirts, and that the main characters aren’t always painted in straight shades.
As for cartoons being for kids… depends on the director and the intent, I guess. Don Bluth has been using the medium of kids cartoons to disguise some pretty dark concepts for decades now, and all of his movies seem to stand out in the memories of my friends as those that had the greatest impact on their childhoods. I’m not sad at all that cartoons are growing up again. I think they’ve spent far too many years being willfully stupid.
3.
Joseph Lewis | November 6, 2009 at 8:41 am
@ruzkin,
I am definitely open to having more mature shows for kids. There is clearly a lot of room for improvement with many cartoons, although I also think that many children’s shows today do a good job of educating while entertaining. And I love the Don Bluth cartoons from the 70s-80s (Secret of NIMH, Last Unicorn, etc.). But I think this Clone Wars episode wanders deep into the “mature” territory without giving the younger audience a map.
If the Jedi had served as the moral tour guides of the realistic battlefield, that would be fine, even praiseworthy. I would be okay with the violence if the “heroes” were offering mature commentary on it. But they’re not. They are playing around, cracking jokes. I can’t help but feel that the net effect is that violence and death are okay as long as “heroes” are having fun.
This is, in fact, exactly what is wrong with America today in regard to war. We have soldiers dying in Iraq and Afghanistan, but we don’t hear about it, don’t even suffer higher taxes so they can have the armor they need. We sacrifice nothing while they sacrifice everything.
And that’s wrong.
4.
ruzkin | November 6, 2009 at 7:44 pm
Having not seen any of the CW cartoons, I’m pretty ill-equipped to decide how far this ep deviates from their usual standard… but from what you say, I completely agree. The ep sounds like a great opportunity to educate kids about the real senselessness and tragedy of war, and having it instead devolve into battle-quips and a kill-score competition between the Jedi is a massive waste. Possibly even damaging.
5.
dailypop | November 6, 2009 at 7:42 pm
A franchise that features bodyparts getting cut off or people cut in half has issues with the appropriateness of material right from the start. Episode IV, II and III attempt to show a level of realism by making a comparison to actual historic war campaigns.
Episode I is a glorified fairytale in comparison, war looks like a fun day at the park.
Star Wars is also a franchise that is targeted at kids through videogames and toys. However, much of those tie-ins are collected by adults. Do kids even buy action figures anymore??? Even the cartoon, while on the Cartoon Network, is rather sophisticated and deals with issues as sophisticated as warfare and to an extent morality.
BUT… the enemy is depicted as faceless gibberish-spouting aliens or goofy droids. This either greatly hampers any real attempt to make a statement on war or frees the animators from any real responsibility since the deaths are of identity-less clones or faceless enemies.
It’s a lose/lose situation. Either the cartoon is graphically inappropriate for kids or it is not smart enough for adults. As a viewer, I am willing to forgive Lucas’ apparent limitations in judgement and think that the animators are trying to tell great war dramas within the parameters of a cartoon. I know that I would not let my kids watch it without talking about the reality of war.
6.
dailypop | November 6, 2009 at 7:44 pm
I second the accolade for Don Bluth’s films. Children’s movies were once well written and well-animated. Now they’re just dross.
7.
Sanders251 | November 8, 2009 at 1:35 am
What’s the matter with you people?!
It appears you all are offended by some action packed cartoon with some blasters. I dont even see the series, but i am really srprised by this reviewer’s opinion, even more with the replies. I mean its wrong for kids to watch their heroes in action just as most of the videogames they play, and all the news they can see in a daily basis, but i don´t see anyone complaining about ALL the cartoons out there which lack of valors, where there´s no concept of family or friendship, the real important things that a kid should grow up with. Instead, you terribly judge this cartoon that emphasizes these matters and when some “mature” content, as you all name some blaster shooting and “killing” robots, you all act as being offended by the creators.
If I had to forbid my son of watching any cartoon it would be the other 70% you silently agree with. You may want to rethink your absurd critics
8.
Joseph Lewis | November 8, 2009 at 3:11 am
Sanders, this post critiques an episode of a children’s show that was deliberately designed to mimic graphic World War II battles, with no ethical commentary.
And in fact, many people do complain on a regular basis about violence in cartoons, video games, and other media. Many of them are parents, like me. If you don’t see people complaining, then you aren’t paying attention.
Your comments make little sense. You admit that you haven’t seen the show, but you claim that it emphasizes “family and friendship” (it does not). Despite the fact that I described in detail the scenes of people dying, you claim I am offended by “blasters and killing robots.” Please read more carefully.
We as parents have every right to complain when a show that we trust to entertain our children suddenly changes its content or message. I’m not offended by “killing robots,” I’m offended by immoral “heroes” leading men into violent deaths and then joking about it.
In the final scene of the show, the Jedi with the most kills “won” the respect of the other Jedi. Why do they respect the person who does the most killing? Why not respect the person who loses the fewest soldiers under their command?
Lastly, I do not “silently agree” with any offensive show, as you claim. The reality is that, as a human being, I do not have the time or inclination to complain about everything I find offensive. And there is nothing “absurd” about criticizing the media, especially since it has proven incapable of criticizing itself.
9.
Sanders251 | November 8, 2009 at 5:17 am
Glad to see your reply, and all of this made me have a look at the mentioned episode and I can see the problem in this ep. is the way they address the competition as “killings” as it is clearly seen that all they do is destroy machines and a few big bugs. I undesrstand your concern about this particular issue but I think that kids wouldn’t need to see it as you do, and if so, it can be properly explained.
I personally don´t think the series have gone across that “line” or are missing the “point” of cartoons as they should be. I still think this series, from the episodes ive seen and the concept around it, that they do appoach the kids with very valuable lessons such as friendship, partnership, perseverance, leadership, hope, justice, even though my comment was more an approach to the lack of these or any valors in other cartoons, which is, at least for me, a big plus in the mentioned show.
Also lets not forget its a PG that airs, in some places, actually late for young kids to watch.
And the ones that see the show maybe are just seeing their heroes being heroes as they are intended. You and I grew up with Star Wars, and I never saw troopers being murdered cruelly, or never saw immoral issues in Vader/Luke, Luke/Leia relationships or a too-revealing bikini in slave Leia. I just saw a good sci-fi movie with heroes and villains. And as I grew up I began to look at the movies in a different perspective and that is why they are movies for every generation, because each take what they see at the time. Maye this show is also intended to be like that.
Anyways mine is just an opinion just as yours is, I do understand the polemic around this particular episode, all I say is it may not be as bad as it seems.
10.
dailypop | November 8, 2009 at 10:09 am
Sanders, you really need to see this episode before either defending it or lashing out at those who have seen it and are critiquing it. Otherwise your posts have no real merit as you are talking about everything BUT the very thing the article and responses are addressing.
11.
dailypop | November 8, 2009 at 10:18 am
On the subject of the ‘contest’ between Anakin and his Padawan, the characters actually do address this. Obi Wan doesn’t think it is healthy and Ki adi Mundo just plain doesn’t ‘get’ it.
In the story, it shows just what the Jedi stated at the start of the war, that they are not generals. They are in touch with the forces of the universe and cannot fully understand what they are doing. in fact, what characters in the Star Wars prequels can?? We are without what I think of as the ‘human element’ that was represented by Han Solo in the first three films. All we have are these mystic Jedi Knights and clones bred for war fighting goofy robots. We do have Amidala but she seems so hastily constructed a character that even Lucas has no idea what she thinks. As a result, there are no characters who really react to the horror of the galactic war that rages all around them which prevents the story from being an emotional one except where the reaction of the audience is concerned. That may be why this episode comes off as so graphic in its violent content.
In the program, it attempts to soften the blow of the graphic violence in the series by making it a ‘game.’ Otherwise you’d be telling an intense story about war and all of its consequences which is really not appropriate for kids (in my opinion).
12.
Joseph Lewis | November 8, 2009 at 3:22 pm
I was just reflecting on the cartoons I watched in the 1980s: Transformers, GI Joe, Thundercats, Voltron, He-Man. There was a big battle in almost every episode of those shows, with lots of shooting and explosions. But here is the kicker: no one ever died on those shows, ever. (Not until the Transformers movie in 1986, anyway.)
And yet, at the time, those cartoons were under fire by critics and parents for being “too violent.”
Returning to the “game” between Anakin and his sidekick: All the writers had to do was have them decide, at the end of the show, that the game was inappropriate and they weren’t going to play anymore, and boom, you have a little shred of morality. But they don’t.
13.
dailypop | November 10, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Strangely, this is something that the Clone Wars cartoon has in common with the cartoons of our childhood such as GI Joe and Transformers. While no one died, it presented war as a grand (and fun) game that we too could take part in… even though Cobra was a ruthless worldwide terrorist organization. Thundercats was just odd so I won’t attempt to analyze that but Voltron was Japanese and therefore full of creatures and robots getting split in half in colorful explosions while the heroes cheered on. I’m not dissing it, mind.
Not depicting any death in war misses the point entirely and presents the thing as something that it is not. Why no parents groups caught onto this I don’t know (or did they?), but it greatly influenced the marketing campaign of the US Army years later who used MMORPG’s and such to attract recruits by presenting a fanciful image of adventure.
Given, the Clone Wars episode really drives home this disconnect between depicting war as realistic and the responsibility of conveying a message to children on the real horrors of war. I think that this occurs because the Star Wars franchise is classically of two minds, one is wistful and thinks that including Ewoks, Jar Jar Binks and cute robots is a must, the other is gleefully mimicking war films and trying to out-perform the realism and graphic impact of the combat on screen with each attempt.
Not to make excuses for the program, but more to try and understand the logic in creating it, I think that the following may be the case: The animators are very gifted and getting better each week, the scriptwriters too are composing some really thrilling stories. Then someone remembers that they wanted to make this for kids. To compensate for the end result being too intense for children, they air it late at night (pointless since anyone can TiVo or DVR the series and watch it whenever).
14.
Joseph Lewis | November 10, 2009 at 12:24 pm
I agree, the major problem with Star Wars (like many franchises from the 1980s) is that while they were originally created for younger audiences, they are now in the hands of adults who loved them as children (us). So while we love them for our childhood connection to them, we want them to appeal to our current adult sensibilities.
I for one would love a Star Wars TV show that was like Battlestar Galactica or Firefly, but that would clearly not be appropriate for kids. Maybe Lucas needs to declare a bright line between SW material for kids and SW material for adults: Content for kids should follow one set of guidelines and other materials should follow adult guidelines.
15.
dailypop | November 10, 2009 at 6:44 pm
“I for one would love a Star Wars TV show that was like Battlestar Galactica or Firefly, but that would clearly not be appropriate for kids. ”
I think that is the idea of the weekly live action series that he is working on. Lucas has stated that Battlestar is a major influence on the next Star Wars project.
16.
Joseph Lewis | November 10, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Yes, I’ve read that this is his intention, but I’ll believe it when I see it. I can’t help but worry that the man who created digital Tarzan and prairie dogs and Indy-in-the-fridge is unable to make a truly adult show.