FILMEDGE PREVIEWS THE CLONE WARS EPISODE 3.16 'ALTAR OF MORTIS' — AIRDATE 02.04.11

Before the Jedi can leave Mortis, Ahsoka Tano is taken captive in an attempt to entice Anakin Skywalker to join the dark side. Meanwhile, the mysterious Father tries to prevent a disastrous showdown between his children which would upset the increasingly precarious balance of the Force. Two potential destinies become clear in Altar of Mortis, the second chapter of a three-part CLONE WARS storyline airing at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT Friday, February 4th on Cartoon Network.

THE CLONE WARS certainly took a dramatic turn in Force mythology during last week's episode Overlords, in which we learned about the secret family of Force-wielders who inhabit a hidden world which acts as a conduit of the Force's power and magnet to those who feel the Force. So it's no doubt that the troubled Jedi Master, Anakin Skywalker, was inevitably drawn to this nexus of the Force — and indeed was lured there by this trio to test if Anakin truly is the Chosen One destined to bring balance to the Force itself. While the aged figure of The Father attempts to control his children in isolation, The Son proved restless to increase his influence with the dark side of the Force through Anakin, while The Daughter resisted her brother's nefarious plots to gain power in the universe. Ever conflicted by his emotional attachments forbidden by the Jedi code, Anakin struggles to survive and stay true to his mission in the middle of this supernatural sibling rivalry. Yet can Anakin's will power deny this unexpected opportunity to discover if he is indeed the Chosen One, and if he finally embraces that destiny, which path will he choose to best fulfill what he thinks is his purpose?

Perhaps it's no coincidence that such a choice is reflected in the career of a voice talent in this intriguing CLONE WARS story arc? STAR WARS gaming fans will recognize the voice behind The Son who entices Anakin to join him in the dark side of the Force: no stranger to the Star Wars universe, Sam Witwer has previously given his likeness and his voice to Darth Vader's secret apprentice in LucasArts' Star Wars: The Force Unleashed videogame series. Witwer returns to "a galaxy far, far away" to portray the Force-powered Son in THE CLONE WARS — and while his Starkiller embarked upon a journey of redemption, Witwer is finally able to give himself fully to the dark side.

"The character of the Son has very similar motivations [to the Emperor]," says Witwer, "You have the Son, who's the dark side of the Force, you have the Daughter, who's the good side of the Force, and then you have the unifying Father, who's the balance between the two. The Son believes that the balance is skewed and that he should have more influence – and if he could have more influence, the galaxy could be a better place. For that reason it is chiefly important for him to get his hands on Anakin and influence him as fast as he can. My character, the Son, absolutely targets Anakin."

This last comment by Witwer has huge implications on Anakin's own character arc, since it reveals that Anakin was manipulated in his role as the Chosen One outside of Palpatine's influences by this strange family on Mortis. In effect, Anakin is now forced to confront the moral ambiguity and temptation to power the Force presents to all those who sense and use it, and that he alone must make this crucial, fateful choice for himself by himself. Despite his altruistic Jedi training and the evil influences of Palpatine, being the Chosen One truly sets Anakin apart from all such moral boundaries and decide for himself who he will be and how he will shape the galaxy in his own life. This new element introduced in this three-part story arc rightly, cleverly puts Anakin center-stage in his own tragic downfall. No longer is he just a duped pawn of the secret Sith Palpatine, tricked into falling to the dark side of the Force by a ruthless politician, but instead Anakin's own pride and selfish yearning for power to protect those he loves cause him to lose his family, his soul and indeed the entire galaxy.

Even if Anakin resists the temptation before him on Mortis, is he strong enough to save his padawan Ahsoka Tano from a similar fate in the clutches of The Son? Fans know that Ahsoka doesn't appear in EPISODE III as a Jedi Knight, so what will be her fate in these years of THE CLONE WARS series before REVENGE OF THE SITH? Does her destiny influence the morality of Anakin's actions and dangerously volatile emotions as witnessed in EPISODE III?

Leading up to his eventual fall in that feature film, not only does the good side/bad side conflict between The Son and Daughter externalize Anakin's inner turmoil over his use of the Force for good or evil, but this revelation shows Anakin that the Force can be sensed, conducted and used beyond the parameters set by either the Jedi Order of the Sith Lords themselves. Jedi and Sith are two interpretations, two philosophies about how to embrace and live with the Force by two very different factions in the galaxy — but does Anakin's experience with the Force-wielders give him the idea that he might forge his own path, his own destiny, his own embodiment of the Force as the Chosen One? Does this encounter spark Anakin's desire to use the Force for his own personal mission of fulfillment, above the restricting concepts of Jedi and Sith? We all know that Anakin eventually fails his solemn duty as a Jedi Knight in his quest to obtain more power only Sith can achieve, freeing himself from the moral constraints of the Jedi Order only to become enslaved by his evil Sith master Palpatine. But prior to that fall in EPISODE III, is this the moment when Anakin first gets the secret idea that he can rise above such interpretations of the Force to become its master alone as the Chosen One?

If this scenario plays out, Anakin's new insight into the conflicted nature of the Force may prove a theory long suspected by a generation of STAR WARS devotees who have spent years questioning the deeper meanings of its mythology: that being discovered and trained by the Jedi as the Chosen One was the worst thing that could happen to Anakin Skywalker, but it was also inevitable and truly a fate he could never escape. Between his apparent conception by midi-chlorians as a living manifestation of the Force's will and his troubled training as a Jedi padawan torn away from his mother's love, this impending cycle of destruction and rebirth in the galaxy, this tragic fall from grace and final selfless redemption unavoidably had to play out through the life of Anakin. While his own actions were the cause of his personal tragedy, he also was the instrument through which this life-cycle in the galaxy unfolded. STAR WARS, in all its forms and formats, remains a very personal story of life, death and renewal told on a galactic scale — no doubt this is how George Lucas' fantastic mythology has captured the hearts and imaginations of fans for over three decades and counting, for his story is both personally relevant and universally shared across all cultures and ages.

Once again, Lucas, supervising director Dave Filoni and their creative team prove that THE CLONE WARS is genuine, new STAR WARS adventure through and through!

Currently starring as vampire Aidan in Syfy's Being Human, Witwer enthusiastically embraces his place as a burgeoning icon of genre entertainment. But despite being so entrenched in the darker, adult aspects of supernatural mythologies, his heart remains far, far away.

"CLONE WARS is continuing to push the limits of what's possible in STAR WARS," he says. "It is the best kids show ever made. Ever. I take it very seriously. What I love about this Mortis story is that it is all of the Star Wars movies wrapped up into three CLONE WARS episodes, and completely mythological. It's going to be something that's really exciting."

Will Anakin succumb to temptations to embrace the dark side of the Force, or will he stand true in his duty as a Jedi Knight to protect the galaxy from evil and destruction? Find out as this three-part story arc continues to unfold in Altar of Mortis on STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS, airing 8:30pm ET/PT Friday, February 4th on Cartoon Network.