Analysis Of Individuality In 'Shadow Of Malevolence'

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On the flip side, General Grievous repeatedly demeans and even destroys members of the droid army he commands. While Yoda greatly respects each individual clone and tries to unlock their potential, Grievous takes an opposite approach to handling his droid army. In the episode “Shadow of Malevolence,” a battle droid with poor aim misses a shot at the enemy. In response, Grievous destroys this unfortunate battle droid with a single punch. When Count Dooku sees Grievous destroy this droid, he says: “Those droids are expensive. The Jedi are never that harsh with their clones,” to which Grievous responds: “Hah! The care these jedis show for their troops is a weakness.” Dooku and Grievous see their droids in terms of numbers, not as individuals.
This episode features a small unit of rookie clones stationed at a space station deep in space. The rookie clones find the assignment boring. The more experienced clones assure them that protecting this base is crucial to winning the war. Every clone in the episode looks different. They have different hair styles, different hair colors, different scars on their faces, different facial hair, and different uniforms. The veteran clones tease the rookies, calling them “shinies” because of how shiny their armor is. They imply the dirtier the armor, the more experienced and respected a clone becomes. This is one of the ways the clones get individualized, some have been in more battles than others, and the experiences they have in those battles shapes their personalities. Later in the episode, a battalion of clones attacks the base. One of rookie clone troopers nicknamed “Hevy” directly disobeys his superior, sacrificing himself to kill the battalion of droids and save the other clones. The single clone makes a difference by using his own free agency to save his friends. This portrayal of clones is quite different from that in the prequels. When Obi-Wan first sees the army in Attack of the Clones, the alien Lama Su in charge of making the clones tells him that “they are totally obedient, taking any order without question.” So, The Clone Wars takes an entirely different
Like the stormtroopers in the original three Star Wars films, the battle droids small talk with each other and display some basic personality traits. In one episode, as a jedi is about to slay a droid, the droid cries out: “But I just got a promotion!” Grievous and Dooku, as previously mentioned, do not value the individual droids at all. Grievous destroys several more of them in the series, and Dooku sees them only in terms of money spent. However, by giving the droids at least a basic amount of individuality, scenes in which they get killed have at least a slight emotional impact on the viewer. They become more than just factory made replicas. Since they do in fact have some individuality, scenes in which Grievous rules them with fear have a purpose. Those scenes show how Grievous suppresses and ignores the individuality of his troops. In contrast with the jedi value of clones, this creates the same good versus evil dichotomy from the original Star Wars films. Individuality serves an important role in the Star Wars films and television shows, however, the messages regarding individuality seem to vary in the different series. The prequels suggest individuality leads to death and the dark side, whereas the originals and The Clone Wars suggest just the opposite, that individuality creates freedom and

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