The Clone Wars Rewatch: Rafa’s “Dangerous Debt”
Opinions // DECEMBER 17, 2020
Ahsoka must face a harsh reality about the cost of the war.
To celebrate the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Disney+, we’re undertaking a full chronological rewatch of the five original seasons, The Lost Missions, and the theatrical release. We’d be honored if you would join us for the weekly #CloneWarsRewatch — you can watch this week’s episode on Disney+ now — and share your thoughts on the award-winning series.
124: “Dangerous Debt” (Season Seven, Episode 7)
“Who you were does not have to define who you are.”
Analysis:
The sorrow of the Martez family brings the cost of the war into sharp focus for Ahsoka Tano. The former commander of the Grand Army of the Republic certainly saw her share of tragedy in the field, but the sisters present fresh evidence that the Jedi, while striving to do good, left a wave of unintentional damage in their wake.
For the orphaned sisters, the psychological wounds include an “us versus them” mentality. Rafa is intent on protecting what’s left of her family and she’ll stoop to whatever means necessary to make it happen. She doesn’t care about the community around her, the people who might get hurt as a result, or anything else standing in her way.
“You can’t profit from other people’s suffering,” Ahsoka tells Rafa as a stern admonishment to her plan to move unrefined spice for credits without worrying about what it might be used for.
And yet…the Republic that Ahsoka fought for isn’t so different. Sure, the end result could be freedom, peace, and justice. But at what cost? In the war, the Republic saw the Separatists as their enemy and innocents caught in the crossfire were simply casualties for the cause.
In the case of the Martez parents, the Jedi made a choice. They saved a group of civilians, but couldn’t protect every last one. Ahsoka, however, intends to do better. And in striving to help the sisters, she exemplifies the best of the Jedi morals. At “Skywalker Academy” she learned an awful lot about doing what’s right no matter what it takes.
Intel:
We’ve seen the story of the Martez family from a certain point of view in the past. The parents died during the prison escape of Ziro the Hutt, as seen in “Hunt for Ziro.”
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Next up: Come back in 2021 when The Clone Wars Rewatch continues with “Together Again.”
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Associate Editor Kristin Baver is a writer, host of This Week! In Star Wars, and all-around sci-fi nerd who always has just one more question in an inexhaustible list of curiosities. Sometimes she blurts out “It’s a trap!” even when it’s not. Want to talk more about The Clone Wars? Hop on Twitter and tell @KristinBaver what you thought about today’s episode.
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