 Desperate to turn the tide of a fierce battle on Malastare, Chancellor Palpatine orders the Jedi to unleash the Republic’s newest super-weapon — an untested electron bomb. Unfortunately for the heroes, the bomb’s blast awakens a fearsome monster of legendary ferocity. With a beast so large and so powerful that it poses problems even for the Jedi Knights, it is clear that sometimes size matters in The Zillo Beast, an all-new episode of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS airing at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, April 9 on Cartoon Network. Of course, the Jedi don't yet suspect a far more dangerous monster lurks in the shadows within the Republic's leadership itself.
Bothan spies at Lucasfilm have provided FILMEDGE with a high-res animation still and a sneak preview video of the Zillo beast below.
From STAR WARS stunning debut in 1977, before the film even got the subtitle Episode IV: A NEW HOPE, George Lucas' space faring fantasy gained fame and devotion among monster and makeup fans: Wookiees, Jawas, and a cantina full of bizarre alien species populated this new, exciting sci-fi galaxy. Updating the basic concepts of mythological underworlds, dragons and strange-looking allies encountered on the hero's journey, Lucas and his designers imagined an interplanetary menagerie of monsters which thrilled audiences for over three decades. THE CLONE WARS continues that tradition in this week's creature feature episode which unleashes a new alien behemoth threatening the Jedi, according to Dave Filoni:
“The format of the show allows us to do a lot of different things, and George came to us with the idea — basically — of doing a CLONE WARS take on Godzilla,” says Supervising Director Dave Filoni. “He knows I’m a big Godzilla fan, so it was a bizarre story meeting when he presented the idea. I was actually a little intimidated to take it on, because it presented such a production challenge; the model for the Zillo was so much bigger and more complex than anything we’d done before. This whole episode showcases a scope we haven’t really seen yet in THE CLONE WARS. It’s huge. Luckily, a giant monster in Star Wars isn’t that absurd. And we were able to add our own signature, because it’s the nature of the Jedi to want to subdue the beast rather than to destroy it — just as it’s the nature of the power-mongers to want to harness the Zillo’s power. The result is a lot of fun — big, destructive fun.”
Leading the Jedi against the beast is Mace Windu, one of the Council’s most powerful members — but also one of its most temperate according to the talented voice actor portraying the master knight:
“Mace is strong, but he’s also compassionate and fair,” says T.C. Carson, who voices Mace in THE CLONE WARS. "It presents a challenge when dealing with something as massive as the Zillo, because Mace has to weigh the beast’s life against its enormous potential for destruction. And the fact that he feels responsible for its awakening only adds to the burden. Mace is a smart guy, though, and he’s got some tricks up his sleeve — but I think the Zillo should have ample time to tear things up before Mace sets his plan into motion. This is a really fun episode.”
Monster appeal isn't the only point behind this week's episode: the awakening and potential exploitation of the Zillo beast underscores a power struggle which lies at the heart of the STAR WARS saga. Their ulterior motives hidden the dark deceptions of their true political agenda, once again Chancellor Palpatine and Count Dooku, secretly both Sith lords, manipulate events of the Clone War to their favor in destroying the Republic from within. Palpatine relies on the Jedi's respect for life and the Force to dissuade them from killing the Zillo beast, yet if left alive it may be used to destroy many other lives as a terrible weapon in the conflict. Since the Jedi do not yet knows Palpatine's true identity as a Sith lord bent on dictatorial rule of the galaxy, they continue being misused and betrayed by the Chancellor who uses their most noble instincts and beliefs against them.
Join FILMEDGE in watching galactic monsters of all shapes and sizes threaten peace and survival in The Zillo Beast, an all-new action-packed episode of THE CLONE WARS airing this Friday, April 9th at 9pm ET/PT only on the Cartoon Network. Preview this epically-scaled episode as Mace Windu and his clone troopers awaken a slumbering nightmare:
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