by Water War
May 27, 2013 in Episode Guides by Firebird
#67 Season 4 Episode 1
“When destiny calls, the chosen have no choice.”
When the king of Mon Cala is assassinated, talks break down between the Mon Calamari people and the Quarren, co-inhabitants of the aquatic world. To stop a civil war, the Republic sends Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker, but unbeknownst to them, the Quarren are already being backed by the Separatists. Now the Jedi must protect Mon Cala’s new leader, the young Prince Lee-Char, from the attack.
Water War Preview and starwars.com Episode Guide. Commentary for episodes 1 to 3.
Original Airdate: 16 September 2011
Writer: Jose Molina
Director: Duwayne Dunham
Concept Art and Trivia
The Mon Calamari and Quarren species were created for Return of the Jedi. The Mon Calamari design was developed by Phil Tippett for Admiral Ackbar and his fleet officers, and he named it after a lunch of calamari salad he had one day. The Quarren was originally a single alien for the background of Jabba’s palace called “Squid Head.” It was designed in a series of sketches by Chris Walas and Nilo Rodis Jamero.
The first source to establish that the Mon Calamari and the Quarren shared a planet was The Star Wars Sourcebook, published in 1987 by West End Games. Since then, stories of tensions between the two cultures have appeared many times in the Expanded Universe, quite memorably in the 2003 Clone Wars animated micro-series.
Captain Ackbar’s declaration “It’s an attack!” is an homage to his much quoted and parodied line in Return of the Jedi, “it’s a trap!”
The design of the Mon Cala city is meant to remind viewers of the Mon Calamari cruisers seen in Return of the Jedi. In fact, the Mon Cala towers are essentially landed and docked starship designs.
Prince Lee-Char’s name derives from “Charlie,” a nod to the famous animated mascot for a certain brand of tuna.
Kit Fisto’s gunship nose art features a cartoon of a bomb with Kit’s face on it, and written in Aurebesh underneath that, “Service with a smile,” a reference to Kit’s famous grin in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones.
Amazing animation in this one. 🙂
This was a unique episode and a well done premiere to start of season 4 with as well! Being it was the first underwater battle in StarWars and it was well done in animation as Roger said it made for a decent arc. Although some didn’t care for it. Me 7/10.
One of my favorite episodes. I was content with the time given to Kit Fisto. He shined in this one.
I actually missed this one we were traveling and when we got to our hotel I turned on the TV and no cartoon network noooooooooooooooooooooooo which was odd the year before they had it and the year after too it was also the same day my SW blu-ray arrived back home.
I’m still undecided on the episode order here. Should I have moved Shadow Warrior to before the Mon Cala arc? The trivia says yes, but then there are people saying that Tarpals is in the Mon Cala arc so it must come first. I guess I’ll have to wait until the episode guide arrives to find out.
I was called by Spider to come here?
I found this arc to be a good start to the wonderful season 4 probably give this episode alone a 8/10 the civil war between the Mon Cala and the Quarren made for some interesting scenes.