I’ve heard more than one person compare “The Clone Wars” to “The Empire Strikes Back,” basically saying that this is “Star Wars” at its finest. In addition to the similarly high quality, it’s interesting to note that both “The Clone Wars” and “Empire” were largely made by people other than George Lucas.
Straight from Lucas
Watch the DVD or web extras from the series, and it’s usually Dave Filoni or Kilian Plunkett giving insight into the episode. And I’m currently savoring J.W. Rinzler’s coffee-table tome, “The Making of The Empire Strikes Back,” and the overwhelming impression is that Lucas was busy building a company while Irvin Kershner was busy making a film.
A case can certainly be made that — with the obvious exception of the movie that started it all — “Star Wars” is better when Lucas is more hands-off. However, I wouldn’t want him completely out of the picture. If that were the case, we wouldn’t have gotten the best character on “The Clone Wars”: Ziro the Hutt.
I get the impression that Ziro, who was mostly the creation of Lucas, isn’t widely beloved by fans — certainly not to the degree of a Cad Bane or a Boba Fett — but to me, he was the breakout star of the 2008 “Clone Wars” movie.
When we first meet him, we see that he looks like a Hutt — but what’s with those neon tattoos!? And he moves like a Hutt — but what’s with that lispy Truman Capote-esque voice (provided by the versatile Corey Burton)!?
Also, Ziro behaves like a Hutt, always looking for ways to swing situations to his advantage. However, Ziro is less scary than his nephew Jabba or his brother Zorba. He’s selfish and scheming, and not exactly bumbling, but rather endearing.
Technically he’s a bad guy, but I root for him. Yeah, he tried to have Padme killed in the movie, but because there was little chance of that actually happening, I don’t hold it against him.
A Hutt with heart
It sounds like I’m making excuses for Ziro, but “The Clone Wars” paints a universe where a Hutt can’t not be a Hutt. Double-crossing and murdering and grabbing power might as well be in the Hutt genes. But, as we see in Season 3’s “Hunt for Ziro,” this Hutt cares for his mom (the hilariously disgusting, slug-covered Mama the Hutt) and his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Sy Snootles.
Granted, Hutts can have family bonds (we saw that Jabba cared for his offspring in the “Clone Wars” movie), but can you imagine Jabba settling down with a steady girlfriend? Of course not: He prefers an ongoing series of slave girls who he can feed to his rancor monster when he tires of them.
Ziro loves Snootles, and of course, that’s what allows her to get close enough to shoot him in the back, steal his book of secrets and land herself a steady, paying gig as the lead singer of Jabba’s house band.
Biologically speaking, Hutts have big hearts; Ziro figuratively does as well. Even in a Hutt package, it’s hard to dismiss this character’s humanity. When Snootles gunned down Ziro, I was surprised (although I shouldn’t have been; “Hunt for Ziro” is a recognizable femme-fatale noir plot) and saddened at the death of this cartoon character.
As it turns out though, “The Clone Wars” has only gotten stronger as Season 3 has gone on, largely because of the introductions of new characters (Savage Opress, Even Piell, Tarkin, and in the April 1 one-hour season finale, Chewbacca).
The deep roster has given the writers the confidence to kill off great characters if that’s what the story calls for. I’ll miss Ziro, but as a well-written, completely realized character, I can’t deny that he went out on top.
So there’s my top 10. Agree? Disagree? What were my biggest snubs? Share your own top 10 list in the comment thread.
Main image: Lucasfilm