Warning: This recap contains spoilers for the Star Wars Rebels episode “Ghosts of Geonosis.” Jump into hyperspace and away from this page if you haven’t watched the episode yet.
Saw Gerrera’s been through hell. We first met him in Star Wars: The Clone Wars when Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano went to Saw’s home, Onderon, to train him, his sister, and other militia members in guerrilla tactics. The Onderonians used the techniques to fight the Separatists, but Saw lost his sister, the Empire eventually took hold of Onderon, and the galaxy more or less went to hell. Saw took it personally. We witnessed his extremism in action in Rogue One, and his harsh methods were on full display in the latest Star Wars Rebels episode, “Ghosts of Geonosis.”
The two-parter is set roughly two years before the events of Rogue One and A New Hope. Saw looks fitter and doesn’t sound more machine than man yet. Forest Whitaker reprised the role and made the younger Saw come across as slightly more sound of body but only on the fringes of being sound of mind. Desperation and bitterness seemed to rule his actions and bleed through every decibel of his communications. I mean, he partially blames the Jedi for the downfall of the Republic. This isn’t a guy who lets go of grudges.
Saw was on Geonosis investigating the sterilization of the planet. He’s convinced the Empire conducted some sort of secret activity there, and he’s right. The Death Star was built in the orbit of Geonosis. The Ghost team was sent by Bail Organa and Commander Sato to help Saw and his crew, and when they arrived, they saw that all the scaffolding and construction debris present the last time they were near Geonosis (in season two) was gone.
The plot continued to thicken. Kanan, Ezra, and Chopper found Saw (his team was killed) and learned the rebel was tracking a single remaining Geonosian. I have to say, the bug is rather adorable. It’s not words I imagined saying about a Geonosian, but animation can do wonders in the category of making weird aliens cute. With that important observation out of the way, let’s discuss how this is the point where Saw showed his rash and unkind behavior.
Sure, the bug–dubbed Click Clack by Ezra–caused problems for Saw. He apparently maintained and operated the battle droids responsible for killing Saw’s team. Click Clack isn’t innocent. However, Saw immediately took a bad cop approach, despite the fact Click Clack was clearly afraid. It wasn’t a deliberate interrogation decision; it’s how Saw works. At least, that’s the impression I got.
Fortunately, Ezra rose to the occasion. He showed kindness. I was proud of Ezra for continually being compassionate while Saw was ready to throttle Click Clack for answers. Could you imagine if Saw was Force-sensitive? I believe he would turn to the dark side if he thought he could help the greater good with the power he’d wield. Saw was even indifferent when they all learned Click Clack was trying to keep a queen egg safe; he was trying to prevent the extinction of his entire race.
And hey, not to mention Click Clack told them what they wanted to know. Saw and Ezra asked what the Empire was doing on Geonosis and Click Clack drew a picture of the Death Star. Of course, without context, as Rex put it, the drawing in the dirt looked like a circle inside another circle. They couldn’t have known what Click Clack meant, but the whole scene still made my insides cringe.
My gut continued to twist when Saw broke his deal with Kanan and tried to kidnap Click Clack and the egg. He was only concerned about getting answers and showed no regard for the methods used. Saw’s blind to how this makes him like the Empire he’s battling. Worse, he didn’t listen to the pleas of those around him.
They ended up mistaking Click Clack’s crude drawing for the Imperial symbol, which they found deep below the surface on poison gas canisters. The poison is what caused the sterilization of the planet. The Ghost crew tried to take canisters as evidence of the Imperial’s wrongdoing–the Senate needs hard proof, apparently, and not just images–but the Empire interfered. A light cruiser arrived on Geonosis. It didn’t gain the upper hand on Hera or the rest of the team, but it did cut the rebels’ mission short. And yes, I hoped the captain of the Imperial ship was Rae Sloane, too. She was listed as Captain Brunson.
Ultimately, Saw came around. He realized Click Clack deserved a chance to rebuild, as everyone screwed by the Empire does. I’m thankful Saw had an epiphany, but boy, it took him long enough. I can’t pretend to imagine the trauma coursing through Saw’s brain and heart, but I also can’t pretend his actions are the solution.
One last note. Sabine gets a bonus point for this line: “Stupid sand. It gets everywhere.”
What did you think of Saw? Drop to the comments and tell me your thoughts about his Rebels introduction.
Images: Disney XD
