Last week, I discussed the way that some parts of The Clone Wars act as a way for Star Wars to venture out into homages of and tropes from different genres across film and TV. There are plenty more examples of that, and this week I'd like to continue that dicussion with just a couple more.
The first, and probably one of my favorite examples, is the Nightsisters as an exploration into horror. Specifically, Halloween-y occult and mystical horror. The Nightsisters are so fun, with their creepy green magic unlike anything we'd ever seen before in Star Wars, and their abilities beyond what we've seen Jedi or Sith able to accomplish. And to top it all off, they've even got zombies!
It's a season 1 episode, so not one that people always seem to remember, but I LOVE "Brain Invaders." For many reasons, not the least of which being how much it feels like a classic sci-fi horror movie. Our heroes our trapped on a ship with an unknown alien being that's basically picking them off, and they have to try to survive and keep it contained. It's almost Alien-esque, and I love it. Especially with the added caveat that this alien creature isn't just killing their comrades, but taking them over and using them for its own purposes. It's such a great episode, and one of the more memorable for me.
Usually, Rogue One is considered the Star Wars "war movie," and with good reason. But I also think that The Clone Wars does an excellent job at giving us great, big battles to see. Especially arcs like the Umbara arc or the Onderon arc, where we're really pulled into the military campaign and the problems that they have within their own ranks and strategies. While it's definitely not always the primary focus, there are definitely elements there for many parts of The Clone Wars that make for a great military drama.