For some reason, the home video release of The Clone Wars - The Lost Missions is yet to hit stores here in New Zealand. In light of this, it seemed that my recent trip to the US was a great chance to pick up the DVD set of the final episodes in this fantastic series. After a little bit of hunting I managed to pick-up a copy at a Target store in Houston for $29.99US ($40.86NZ).
These episodes really do show how far The Clone Wars has come in the last six years. While it began as a series aimed primarily at children, it soon gained a loyal fanbase of many ages. At its peak, the show demonstrated a story-telling ability that had no place being confined to a Saturday-morning television slot. This, combined with it's gorgeous animation, made The Clone Wars some of the best television hitting our screens.
For the most part, The Lost Missions maintained this incredibly high standard. It was great to get answers to some of our lingering questions concerning the prequels, particularly those surrounding Force spirits, Order 66, and Sifo-Dyas's role in the events leading up to the war itself. The Order 66 arc episodes were among my favourite - not only of The Lost Missions, but of the series so far. I'd always wanted to know how aware the clones were of the part they would play in the extermination of the Jedi. As The Clone Wars progressed I'd come to hope that they were completely oblivious to their programming. It was nice to have this confirmed.
The Yoda arc provided us with even more exploration of the deeper mythos of the Star Wars universe. As a big fan of the Darth Bane novels, it was great to see his character (and his role in the formation of the Rule of Two) given official canon treatment. The visit to Dagobah - and the Dark Side Cave that plays an important role in the events of The Empire Strikes Back - was also a nice addition. The mention of "Moriband" as the homeworld of the Sith came as something of a curve-ball. We're yet to see whether this is a flat-out ret-con of earlier Expanded Universe material, or if there is a way of making this fit with the current history of the Sith. As a stickler for continuity, my hope is for the latter. A number of planets have already served as some kind of homeworld for the Sith (Korriban, Ziost, Dromund Kaas) so this is still a possibility.
The Clovis and Bardotta arcs were, admittedly, among the weaker episodes of this run. Spending two of the final thirteen episodes focussing on Jar-Jar's love story may have irked some fans, especially when the fates of other major characters like Ahsoka and Maul were left unresolved. However, this is most likely due to the abrupt fashion in which production of the show was brought to an end. These episodes were never intended to be a finale for the series. Given this, the final episode of season 5 remains the most poignant and fitting farewell to the series. The Lost Missions are best seen as a bonus - a brief taste of what the crew had planned for a future that would never be.
This release contains three discs, and is packaged in an embossed cardboard slipcase that matches perfectly with the previous seasons' boxsets. As well as featuring all thirteen episodes from the season, the DVD set also contains a sixteen-minute behind-the-scenes featurette entitled "The Clone Wars - Declassified". It's a surprisingly earnest documentary that does a fantastic job of showcasing the strong bonds that formed between the crew of the show. You'll be hard-pressed to watch the final few minutes without feeling a slight tug on your heart-strings.
