Star Warsis known for many things. Outstanding world-building, great characters, and also fantastic action. Even with its low budget and indie sensibility,Star Wars: A New Hopegave us stunning space battles, gunslinger action, and of course the now-iconic lightsaber. With every following movie, the action (lightsabers in particular) became more and more elaborate, making us rethink what we thought we knew about the franchise. By the time the prequels arrived in the early 2000s, computer generated technology made possible the inclusion of massive armies, and Jedi knight who were more like space cops than monk warriors. But nothing changed our perception of what the action inStar Warscould be more than the micro-series that first gave us a glimpse of the war that ended the Republic and the Jedi:Genndy Tartakovsky’sStar Wars: Clone Wars.
Action That Emboldens The Jedi Myth
When we first meet old Ben Kenobi, he certainly talks with great esteem of the illustrious Jedi Order of old, but we don’t really get to see proper Jedi in their prime. The prequels made it clear that the Jedi were in decline, their ways lost, and the Order corrupted by politics. Sure, we saw Jedi display impressive fighting skills, but mostly during duels, not on the battlefield. And they certainly weren’t the stuff of legends.
Tartakovsky’sClone Wars—which aired on Cartoon Network from 2003 to 2005—was different. From the opening shot of the first episode, which gave us the silhouette of Master Yoda on a vast field riding on top of an armored kybuck, the show let us know this is an operatic view ofStar Wars. The Jedi of this micro-series were not warriors, not even myths; they were almost gods. This demonstrated Tartakovsky’s ability to take full advantage of the animation medium to tell stories that simply couldn’t be done in live-action.
Where the expanded universe of theStar Warsvideo games, books and comics have the Jedi demonstrate the ability to jump incredible distances and use “force dash,” the movies mostly shy away from visualizing these abilities. We only see a force dash when Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon escape from droidkas inThe Phantom Menace, and force jump during special moments, like when Obi-Wan bested Darth Maul or during his duel against Anakin. In live-action, these moments have to be specifically chosen so as not to break with the reality of the situation. But in animation, the suspension of disbelief is inherent in the medium.
Take for instancethis fight scenebetween Anakin and Asajj Ventress. What starts out as theStar Warsequivalent ofPredator, Ventress quickly stalks and kills Anakin’s entire clone squad and destroys his ship. But once the lightsaber duel begins, it’s like watching Superman fight against General Zod inMan of Steel. The two fight at incredible speed, running across a forest and then ancient ruins in the blink of an eye before taking giant leaps and bringing the fight to the top of trees or a temple. We hear what sounds like a speeding bullet as Ventress jumps across a long stone bridge in a single bound, before Anakin follows. It’s a fantastic way of showcasing just how powerful Jedi were, and why anyone would be afraid of facing them in the time of the Republic.
The only downside to the wayClone Warsportrays the Jedi is that every character in the movies looks incredibly weak by comparison, especially once we get to Mace Windu destroying an entire battalion of battle droids with only his fists.
Action With Perfectly Timed Rhythmic Editing
The prequel movies, speciallyAttack of theClones,told us that Mace Windu was one of the most powerful Jedi by the time of the war; after all he was played bySamuel L. Jackson. But sadly, in the context of the films, the character mostly stayed out of the action, appearing really only during Council meetings before popping up for a quick fight inAttack of the ClonesandRevenge of the Sith. Of course, where his prowess was mostly implied in the live-action movies,Clone Warsactually showed us why he became legend.
Taking a few cues from Tartakovsky’s other action-heavy TV seriesSamurai Jack,Mace Windu’s segment ofClone Warsis the Jedi Master at his most powerful, decimating hundreds of droids with a single swing of his lightsaber or a single force push. The real highlight of this micro-episode, though, is the editing. Resembling anEdgar Wrightfilm more than it does aStar Warsfilm, the episode’s action has a rhythm to it that picks up the pace as Windu runs through the droid-infested battle field, and slows down as he takes a step back to quickly catch his breath before continuing the onslaught.
This style of editing is very characteristic of Tartakovsky’s work, and is one thing that sets him apart from other animation directors. When I had the chance to speak with Tartakovsky last yearto discuss his latest show,Primal, the director mentioned that he approaches action with music in mind. “A good action sequence is really like a good musical sequence. There’s ups and downs, and there’s a natural rhythm. Even where it’s just sound effects and there is no music, it’s still rhythm and pacing."
In the middle of Windu’s fight against the army of super battle droids, a seismic tank attacks Windu and his clone troopers, and the Jedi’s lightsaber gets lose in the shockwave.Watchas he uses his bare hands to literally punch the droids to death. Though there is no dialogue aside from the occasional “Roger, Roger” of droids, and next to no musical score, the micro-episode feels as musical asa scene fromBaby Driver, as Tartakovsky and his team use the sound of metal crushing under Mace Windu’s punches, the blaster shots from the droids and even the seismic tank’s attacks to create a sense of rhythm, just as the editing changes the camera’s perspective so that we never see a single repeated shot. The over-the-top, god-level powers of Master Windu would not be possible to recreate in live-action, but the editing completely sells you on the legendary skills of the Jedi in animation.
Action That Isn’t Afraid To Slow Down And Be Quiet
Another thing that sets Tartakovsky apart from contemporary animation directors is his use of silence – especially during action sequences. Most shows and movies seem to take inspiration from Hollywood blockbusters or anime and have bombastic scores, one-liners and the sound effects of bullets or explosions fill the entire set piece. Tartakovsky, on the other hand, slows down right before a fight, and even during it, to let the action breathe and gain gravitas.
No episode portrays this better thanGeneral Grievous’ first appearance. When we meet him inRevenge of the Sith, he’s a feared, yet kind of silly villain with a loud breathing problem who gets easily defeated by Anakin and then by Obi-Wan. But inClone Wars, he’s a terrifying presence that brings to mind Michael Myers inHalloween.
The episode starts in the middle of a battle as droids close in on a crashed ship, before a white metal fist goes up in the air and all droids stop where they are. The music stops and the only thing we hear is a faint breeze, the dialogue of a handful of Jedi trapped by Grievous, and the General’s footsteps as he approaches his prey. The absolute silence, and the intercut close-ups of the frightened Jedi only aids in building dread, as the audience can only imagine what horror has the legendary Jedi in this state. By the time a Jedi character with a striking resemblance to Shaggy decides he can’t take it anymore and runs outside, it’s too late, and the only thing we see is Grievous dropping down on top of him, killing the Jedi instantly.
When I talked to Tartakovsky last October, he said “It’s always important to breathe in a sequence. We kind of build the action like a music sequence, and then we speed up or slow down accordingly.” Indeed, when Grievous finally takes out his lightsabers and fights the Jedi, he does so for a few seconds only before momentarily retreating to the shadows and waiting for the moment to strike again. Where some latter episodes of the micro-series would resort to George Lucas’s signature intercutting between several battles happening at once (which can interrupt the flow of one scene with the other), Tartakovsky lets his fight scenes play out fully. He momentarily interrupts the fighting to let the characters breathe, assess their own situation and prepare their next move. This serves only to make the punches and swings hit harder as we know there are grave consequences if they take one wrong step.
As moreStar Warsstories get released—and with thefinal season of theDave Filoni-ledClone Warsseriesdebuting on Disney+ this week—they’re bound to try and find ways to portray lightsaber fights in a manner that’s unique to audiences. But it doesn’t matter how big the budget is or how elaborate the choreography is, it’s unlikely we will ever see action inStar Warsthat is as good as what Genndy Tartakovsky’sClone Warsachieved seven years ago.
