FILMEDGE PREVIEWS THE CLONE WARS EPISODE 3.20 'CITADEL RESCUE' — AIRDATE 03.11.11

After their ship is destroyed, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi must find a new means of escape from the Citadel. They lead the freed prisoners — including the Republic's Captain Tarkin — across the planet's perilous landscape as Plo Koon commands a Jedi armada through Separatist defenses in a daring rescue attempt. It's the thrilling conclusion to a three-part CLONE WARS storyline in Citadel Rescue airing at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT Friday, March 11th on Cartoon Network.

As Kenobi's rescue mission reaches a crucial moment, Anakin Skywalker cautions Tarkin against arguing with Master Piell and the wisdom of Jedi counsel in these dangerous times. Yet Tarkin is smugly assured that his military career has a valuable and powerful ally in Chancellor Palpatine who has become Tarkin's political benefactor. Of course, STAR WARS fans will recognize the ironic foreshadowing of this personal disagreement between Anakin and Tarkin, given how Skywalker eventually becomes enslaved by the dark side under both the Emperor's and Tarkin's command. While Anakin knows Palpatine better than Tarkin, EPISODE III quickly proves that Skywalker and all the Jedi were deliberately blinded to the Chancellor's devious political motives as the disguised Sith lord. A truly dehumanizing, dark fate await both Anakin and Tarkin as events unfold.

For Stephen Stanton, assuming the iconic role of Tarkin — made famous by Peter Cushing in STAR WARS: EPISODE IV A New Hope — was not a responsibility to be taken lightly. Using the first STAR WARS film as a starting point and a foundation, Stanton immersed himself in the legendary actor's filmography and early TV work, while at the same time dissecting the character for clues to Tarkin's personal trajectory.

"Peter Cushing's original Tarkin was the epitome of someone who had succumbed to the dark side. [He] is that quiet, elegant, grandfatherly kind of villain that you want to believe in with all your heart. And when you do, he turns on you with a smile and says 'You're far too trusting' — and then destroys everything that you hold dear," says Stanton. "But since I don't believe anyone is born evil, I approached the younger version of his character from the standpoint of a career military man who fervently believes that what he is doing is the right thing. That gave me a certain amount of latitude to ask questions of the character — like, what was he like before he embraced the dark side? On one hand, I am using Peter Cushing's voice and performance as a template, so I want to keep the essence of what he did. But on the other hand, I'm creating the voice of a young Tarkin — who no one has heard before. I think these new episodes challenge our ideas of who Tarkin was in A New Hope more than it reflects his character and what we know about him at the end of his days."

Accused of "holding Vader's leash" by the captive Princess Leia in EPISODE IV, Tarkin has the distinction of being the one Imperial officer with some authority over the menacing Sith Lord. He commands Vader with haughty impunity, publicly dressing down the master of the Force. According to Stanton, that relationship had to start somewhere.

"The relationship between Anakin and Tarkin — and ultimately Vader and Tarkin — is what is being explored now in THE CLONE WARS," he says. "Who exactly is this Grand Moff and why is he able to exert control over Lord Vader? It was never fully explained in the films, but we're getting some hints of how it all might have started. For myself as a viewer, I think Tarkin recognizes a kindred spirit in Anakin. It's the choices they make and why they make them that will determine their destination. How their story evolves should be quite interesting."

FilmEdge once again enjoys how THE CLONE WARS continues to enfold the STAR WARS movie mythology into this excellent animated series to expand its relevance and deeper dramatic meaning, especially during this third season which now hurtles toward its climactic finale. What may have seemed diverse or unexplored elements in the feature films are being mined and combined to reveal fascinating new angles and insights into key characters in the Saga with Anakin in the forefront. Even better still, THE CLONE WARS also strives to shed light on the massive, galaxy-wide deception created by Palpatine. As this political subterfuge is revealed in greater depth and scope, the Jedi Council and Knights look less and less "stupefied" by Palpatine's eventual betrayal of the Republic, and more like deliberately exploited victims of his power-grab plot. In short, the Jedi were not ineptly unaware of Palpatine's true nature, rather they were purposely kept distracted as generals in the Republic Army during the Clone War and so kept isolated to undermine their ability to stop the Chancellor until it was too late. Of course, Anakin's own troubling possessiveness and fear of losing his loved ones also facilitated Palpatine's rise to ultimate power until Skywalker's selfishness became his and the galaxy's downfall. This is good STAR WARS stuff, fans, so don't miss an episode as Season Three's exciting finale draws near!

The Jedi may prove victorious in freeing their prisoners from the Separatist Citadel prison, but have they encountered an even greater potential foe to the Jedi Order and peace in the Republic? Find out this week in Citadel Rescue on STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS, airing 8:30pm ET/PT Friday, March 11th on Cartoon Network.