Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Rookies Rewatch

December 7, 2016 7:03 AM - Season 1, Episode 5

The return of Domino Squad finds the Clones stationed on a remote listening station which happens to be crucial to the defense of the planet Kamino. When the Separatists launch an attack, it's up to Domino Squad, under the command of Captain Rex and Commander Cody, to protect the invaluable piece of galactic property.

Episode Information!

"Rookies" is the fifth episode to air in The Clone Wars, but ninth in the chronological viewing order. For more about the episode, check out the episode guide!

Official Synopsis

"The best confidence builder is experience." Alone on a distant outpost, clone officers Rex and Cody must inspire their rookie unit to believe in themselves to stave off a droid commando invasion

Trivia!

• The fauna of Rishi included a re-use of the neebray manta model, the fourth so far for the series. Versions have previously appeared in "Ambush," "Shadow of Malevolence," and in the feature film, "The Clone Wars."
• The drop-pods used in the episode echoed the deployment system used in The Empire Strikes Back to deliver probe droids.
• CT-327's identifying number uses the very common digits 327 - which appear often in the Star Wars saga.
• One can spot Twi'lek model pinups in the background in the work station in this episode.
• The holographic VJ host of the music broadcast is a BD-3000 droid, nicknamed a "Bettie Bot."
• The aurebesh on Hevy's detonator screen translates to, "Atte Rul3z Some Text."

Next time on the Clone Wars!

The next episode in the chronological viewing order is "Downfall of a Droid," which is episode six of Season One.

posted by Atreides (3 comments total)

Excellent work on this chronological rewatch.
I don't have anything enlightening to add, I just wanted to say that i appreciate the efforts!
I'll try and watch some episodes and engage better when I have the time.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 4:21 AM on December 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

Hey, thanks for the note! I figured at the worse, I can lay down the tracks for people to catch the next rewatch train. ;)

This episode, in my own rewatch, is one of the first major indications that Clone Wars was going to approach the subject of war seriously. In it, troopers whom we had already gotten to know by name in a previous episode, are killed, some randomly, and in the case of Hevy, through self-sacrifice. The show makes a firm point for the entirety of its run regarding the value of Clone Trooper lives by identifying them as individuals, giving value to their lives, and occassionally, taking them. Out of Domino Squad, only one member actually survives, and that's after enduring a hellacious experiment. It's something to think about.
posted by Atreides at 10:48 AM on December 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

This one made me question whether I should be letting my kids watch this show! They weren't sure if Hevy actually died, so maybe that's mildly good? Meteor showers that turn out to be droid attacks have immediately joined the play scenarios. Kid quote: "Why does Grievous always escape?!"
posted by medusa at 6:29 PM on November 28, 2020