Star Wars: The Clone Wars Characters
By: Harmony Wheeler |
Wednesday August 13, 2008 |
 |
Meet and greet.. |
| A long time ago… George Lucas created the Star Wars saga. The story began in 1977 and ended in 2005… or so we thought. The original films focused on the Skywalker saga, but now Lucas will retell a part of that story with a new focus, new characters, and a new style of story telling. Drawing inspiration from anime, manga, and Gerry Anderson’s Thunderbirds, the animated film shows what happened between Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. “We’ve never gotten to see the full breadth of the conflict,” said director Dave Filoni, a veteran of Avatar: The Last Airbender and numerous animation projects. “There’s a lot going on — heroes, villains, intrigue, adventure. It’s all part of the story we know, but it’s always been in the background. Until now.” “What’s fascinating to me is that there are people motivating these far-reaching events,” Lucas said. “Those individuals are so often overshadowed by the big picture, by the events themselves. We know what happens to the galaxy, but we don’t know exactly how it all came to pass. These are the stories behind the story.” In Star Wars: The Clone Wars, commercial interests are over-valued, the Senate is corrupt, and an ambitious politician named Palpatine is Supreme Chancellor. Count Dooku has formed a Separatist movement, persuading thousands of worlds to secede from the Republic. As Dooku draws the Jedi into a trap on the planet Geonosis, the Jedi use their own Clone army to fight off the count’s droid armies. The battle at Geonosis is only the beginning of a long war: the Clone Wars. The Jedi must fight to maintain freedom and restore peace to the galaxy. As this terrible conflict grows ever wider, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano and Padmé Amidala are swept into the turmoil of war while Count Dooku, Darth Sidious and Asajj Ventress stop at nothing to ensure the fall of the Republic. Using the animation as a tool as well as inserting a fun-loving spirit into the film, Lucas and Filoni highlight the heroism of characters and focus less on Skywalker’s forbidding destiny. Now a full-blown Jedi, Anakin must train his own Padawan, Ahsoka. “In the Star Wars films, there’s a tradition of someone being taken on an amazing journey and learning to become a Jedi,” Lucas said. “Luke was a farm boy swept up in the Rebel Alliance. Anakin was a little boy on Tatooine. In The Clone Wars, Anakin is no longer a Padawan. He’s a Jedi. So Ahsoka takes on that role of the younger person who is being taught, who adds the dynamic that a ‘student’ brings to the story.” Old and new characters appear in Clone Wars, voiced by Matt Lanter (Anakin Skywalker), Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka Tano), James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Dee Bradley Baker (Captain Rex), Nika Futterman (Asajj Ventress), Ian Abercrombie (Chancellor Palpatine), Corey Burton (Ziro the Hutt), and Catherine Taber (Padme Amidala). ANAKIN SKYWALKER A Jedi Knight whose exceptional Force abilities and rebellious nature will one day lead him down the dark path of the Sith, Anakin Skywalker is nonetheless an idealistic leader and a heroic champion of the Galactic Republic. Guided by a self-assurance that borders on arrogance, he is bold and aggressive, but as he’s matured, he has also learned that sometimes strategy and temperance can prove more effective than a flashing lightsaber. Even so, Anakin’s brash impulsiveness prompts Master Yoda to pair him with a new apprentice in an effort to help curb the young Jedi’s wild ways. As Anakin steps into the role of teacher, he finally sees the other side of the Master-Padawan relationship and recognizes the difficulties that he presented for his own former Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. “She makes a great counterpoint to Anakin — visually, in her personality, her attitude,” Filoni said. “She sort of drives him crazy, but he grows very attached to her, as you’ll see in the movie.” OBI-WAN KENOBI Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi is a peaceful soul, guided by an empathetic spirit even amidst the violence and devastation of the Clone Wars. He recognizes that there are often alternatives to fighting, and takes up arms only in an effort to defend the values and ideals of the Galactic Republic. Obi-Wan remains calm and level-headed in even the most dangerous situations, relying on temperance, discipline and dry wit where Anakin would default to violence. AHSOKA TANO Ahsoka Tano is a teen-aged Togruta girl assigned by Yoda to serve under Anakin Skywalker as his Padawan apprentice. Discovered as an infant by Jedi Master Plo Koon and raised in the Jedi Temple, Ahsoka is a devoted student of the Jedi ways, eager to prove herself to Master Skywalker. Headstrong and enthusiastic with a bubbling abundance of innocent optimism she rarely hesitates to express her youthful exuberance… though she has yet to learn the finer points of diplomacy and timing. Besides being impressed with the girl’s composure and Force abilities, Yoda hopes the responsibilities associated with having a Padawan will teach Anakin to behave with more Jedi-like patience and maturity himself. Straddling the chasm between Anakin’s impulsiveness and Obi-Wan’s staid deliberation, Ahsoka also brings her disarming wit to the front lines, often lightening the burden of war with a well-timed quip or an insightful jab. As a result of her rigorous education, Ahsoka tends to play most situations closer to the book than does her Master, but she’s quickly learning that sometimes there’s no substitute for a healthy dose of improvised derring-do. Despite her inexperience, she rarely hesitates to question orders and voice her own opinion, much to Anakin’s chagrin. “We always felt it was important to have a character whose temperament is somewhere between Anakin’s and Obi-Wan’s,” said Filoni. “Anakin will just jump in anywhere, while Obi-Wan wants to think things through before taking action. Ahsoka appreciates Anakin’s brashness but admires Obi-Wan’s patience and thoughtfulness.” ASAJJ VENTRESS Lithe and lethal, Asajj Ventress is the trusted assassin of the villainous Count Dooku, serving him from the shadows as he weaves his web of deception throughout the Clone Wars. Though she’s not officially a Sith apprentice, she has been well trained in the ways of the dark side, and can wield her twin lightsabers with surgical precision and deadly force. A lifetime of enduring cruel hardships has purged any compassion from her evil heart. Leading the cast are Lanter and Eckstein. Lanter has been featured in various television shows and recently starred in the third installment of the Cutting Edge movies as well as in War Games 2: the Dead Code. He stars in the upcoming Disaster Movie, as well. A regular cast member on the TV show Blue Collar TV, Eckstein is known for her roles in teen-geared shows including Phil of the Future, Drake and Josh, and That’s So Raven. Taylor, Baker, Futterman, and Burton all have experience in the voice-over field. Taylor, best known for providing the voice of the cartoon icon Fred Flintstone, fills in for celebrities when they are not able to do their own voice. He has also done voice-overs for video games. Baker has voiced characters for countless projects including Avatar: The Last Airbender, Codename: Kids Next Door, Phineas and Ferb, American Dad, and Happy Feet. Futterman has voiced hundreds of roles for movies, shows, video games and commercials. Burton’s TV animation voice credits span several popular Disney and Warner Bros. series, along with Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and various syndicated productions. His film work includes most Disney releases over the past two decades, including Moliere in Atlantis and Cap'n Hook in Return to Neverland. Star Wars: The Clone Wars arrives in a galaxy near you on August 15. |
