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Looking back at the older CW series, it's interesting to compare it to the newer one. On one hand, the older series did have more in the way of epic battles, and was not nearly as minamalist, although it did tend to go the other way into lunacy, and didn't have much in the way of characterization. The newer one, though, does have some interesting storylines, if the retarded battle droids let it down somewhat. What are your thoughts?

Tough call.

As Srelex noted, the old series had a more epic feel and scale, and it lacked the silly Jar-Jar and battledroids crap (but it was silly in its own ways). The new series has longer episodes, and I agree that it manages some occasional moments of interesting character development. The old series introduced Grevious and Ventress, and they've never been as bad ass in the new series. On the other hand, the new series has Bane, which evens things out in the bad ass villain department.

What might push the new series to number one is the magnificent animation of the settings and landscapes. That, and for better or for worse its closer to the style and atmosphere of the Prequels than the other series, I think.

I think that the old series is better simply because events of significance actually can happen. If you look at the new series, we already know the outcome of every single character of importance. There is no tension when we see Gunray captured, as we know that he will escape for Episode 3.

Also annoying was how useless Grievous was in the new series, all he seems to do is run away from the Jedi. The other major issue for me is how useless the Jedi are in this series, we see that a pirate hold his own against the chosen one in lightsaber combat, but Grievous cannot.

Then of course there is the fact that clone and battle droid are as effective as the plot demands. It seems that clones only are effective when in smaller numbers. Then there is the fact that battle droids engage in pointless antics much of the time and provide comic relief at the expense of being a credible threat.

Also regarding numbers, it seems that these battles are far too small for a Galactic War. We rarely seen battles with units larger than a battalion.

There is also the fact that Ashoka was introduced for no reason. In all of the previous continuity, Obi-Wan and Anakin were described as the go team for the Jedi order, operating together. Now that Ashoka was introduced, this does not work as well.

However despite all of these issues that I have with it, this series has produced several good episodes, especially in the second season. I really enjoyed the Mandalore arc and well as the recent Boba Fett arc. I also enjoyed the first episode of the Geonosis Arc even if it is rather bland to revisit Geonosis with all of the other worlds they could be fighting on.

Older one. It's more realistic and more epic, while the other one is dedicated for kids with Ash- I mean Mary Sue, a Grevious that is laughed at, and some very contradictory storylines. How can a pirate lord do better than Grevious in Lightsaber combat anyway? Why is there a Mando peace movement anyway>

Night_stalker wrote:Older one. It's more realistic and more epic, while the other one is dedicated for kids with Ash- I mean Mary Sue, a Grevious that is laughed at, and some very contradictory storylines.

Grevious's depiction is weaker than in the first series, I agree.

I have few problems with Ashoka, however. She was annoying early on, but she's actually gotten more likable and gotten some good character development. She is still a continuity issue due to her absence in Episode Three, though.

How can a pirate lord do better than Grevious in Lightsaber combat anyway?

Agreed. That was one of the most absurdly silly scenes in the entire show.

Why is there a Mando peace movement anyway>

Because most societies aren't one-dimensional, and actually have conflicting internal political and social movements?

The Mandalorian arc was excellent.

The new series is pretty jarring with it's horrifying tweeness of dialog vs the brutality of the war, and I find its direction and situations far more contrived (the immortal 'always four more clonies following us around).

TRR wrote:What might push the new series to number one is the magnificent animation of the settings and landscapes. That, and for better or for worse its closer to the style and atmosphere of the Prequels than the other series, I think.

OH, god, I could not disagree with you more. Just looking at the character models of the new series is enough to make my eyes bleed. Everyone looks like they are made of plastic. No, literally like they are made of plasticine and not flesh. Yes, the original had a similar design for the characters, but since it wasn't also trying to look like fake claymation and had smoother movements, it comes out looking a lot more organic.

Formless wrote: OH, god, I could not disagree with you more. Just looking at the character models of the new series is enough to make my eyes bleed. Everyone looks like they are made of plastic. No, literally like they are made of plasticine and not flesh. Yes, the original had a similar design for the characters, but since it wasn't also trying to look like fake claymation and had smoother movements, it comes out looking a lot more organic.

Reportedly, the stye of the new series was trying to emulate old Gerry Anderson puppet shows.

Formless wrote: OH, god, I could not disagree with you more. Just looking at the character models of the new series is enough to make my eyes bleed. Everyone looks like they are made of plastic. No, literally like they are made of plasticine and not flesh. Yes, the original had a similar design for the characters, but since it wasn't also trying to look like fake claymation and had smoother movements, it comes out looking a lot more organic.

Which is why I specified the landscape and scenery shots. I don't like the character animations either (though I doubt I detest them as much as you).

The Romulan Republic wrote:

Formless wrote: OH, god, I could not disagree with you more. Just looking at the character models of the new series is enough to make my eyes bleed. Everyone looks like they are made of plastic. No, literally like they are made of plasticine and not flesh. Yes, the original had a similar design for the characters, but since it wasn't also trying to look like fake claymation and had smoother movements, it comes out looking a lot more organic.

Which is why I specified the landscape and scenery shots. I don't like the character animations either (though I doubt I detest them as much as you).

Oh. Well, scenery is just window dressing to me anyway. Its a nice touch, but its the characters you have to look at and pay attention to all the time. They are the focus of the story. So if the characters fail, everything fails. Its like a train wreck: you just can't take your eyes off it no matter how pretty the landscape.

I tend to prefer the older series. I loved the art design for the most part (Yoda, Padmé, and Windu being noteworthy exceptions) and MUCH prefer its Grievous.

Still, I love the way Anakin is portrayed in the new series. You get a glimpse of it in the old series after Anakin is knighted, but the new series really shows you Anakin the Hero. You need to get a lot of that to makeup for the Prequels' Anakin the Whiny Brat. Anakin had a great rage force choke in the old series, but he gets a "mind tricks? I don't need mind tricks to get you to talk!" in the new series.

The old one. Because it showed what a bad ass mother fucker Mace Windu was.

Duh, consider who is his actor. SAMUEL L JACKSON does not mess around when it comes to acting!

Eh? He doesn't even say anything. The 'actor' is the animator.

But you know that animator made sure he was bad ass cause he knew, he knew that if he didn't, Samuel L Motherfucking Jackson would come and pimp hand slap that animator for making him look like a bitch.

Doesn't sound likely to me. He's later shown kinda-sorta crushing Greivous and then letting go for... some reason. Not very hardcore.

Agent Fisher wrote:

The old one. Because it showed what a bad ass mother fucker Mace Windu was.

Am I the only one who lols at all the lines battle droids in the background just standing and gawking all the time?

I also laugh at that one Season 2 scene in the microseries when Yoda is meditating only for an entire Seperatist invasion force to show up right outside the Jedi Temple with no warning.

That scene's also in the Labyrinth of Evil novel, although the fleet is still in orbit and barely visible when he realizes there's a problem.

Unlike most I cannot stand the original Clone Wars, it lacked sympathy. So what if all the characters are more bad ass? They are so much more bad ass than in any of the movies that I seriously can't even consider them the same. The new one does have moments where I simply cannot care, aka Jar Jar. But it treats the world as a whole with a lot of care.

As for the animation, the old one is grotesque but the new one is not even as stiff as the prequels. The are just so many more stories that can be told in the new that the old just simply could not. Like Boba Fett and his transition from kid to killer.

Are you saying the media constrains the stories that can be told?

Personally, the silent professional clone troops in the first series were great stuff. Whole episodes of well-armed, coordinated soliders shooting things? Not a single bit of teenservice or eye-rollingly horrible dialogue? Clearly the show didn't care enough.

Stark wrote:Are you saying the media constrains the stories that can be told?

Personally, the silent professional clone troops in the first series were great stuff. Whole episodes of well-armed, coordinated soliders shooting things? Not a single bit of teenservice or eye-rollingly horrible dialogue? Clearly the show didn't care enough.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfVVXX2fz30
Better is Chapter 3 of the micro series which has exactly two lines of dialog yet goes far to establish the clones as soldiers and excellent ones at that. Yes it has dual wielding Sgt Clone Clone but asides from that it's done much better than any of the Clone Wars series battles I seen. The rest of the microseries is hit or miss but for three or four minute shorts they are excellent.

Yeah, the more character-centric ones are silly (especially the snow planet stuff), but the clones are great. I love the skill and resourcefulness shown, right down to 'rappel in firing from the hip to save the silly Jedi' and 'blow that tank the hell up' all without childish language or the other lameness that is all over the newer show (any scene between anakin and his port-a-hole being basically unwatchable).

If they made the new one have the epic battles and scale the old one had, with more serious characterization and them being able to make up their minds as to whether the clones are uber soldiers or crap shots (sometimes in the same scene) would probably be ideal,

My main issue with the original one was all the Force Wank to the point where Galen Marek would feel inadequate, if jedi where half as powerful as the ones in the microseries they wouldn't have even needed the clones in the first place on Geonosis.

The Link Agent Fisher provided is a perfect example of that...

I do find it funny how people seem to think the new series somehow contradicts the ICS numbers, but they say that about the movies and pretty much everything else as well.

The old series was just quick commercial-like shots of Jedi and Clones fighting and Force-wanking all the way through. It was only with the third season (in particular the cave vision) that actually had some time for character interaction. Which is what the new one has more than enough time to do, but with varying results.

I liked the Obi-Wan/Mandalorian arc, and the final part of the bounty hunter trilogy. Reason being that mostly non-movie characters were in the lead roles, which is what this series should have focused on from the get-go.