Summary (TL;DR)
The Republic is in hot pursuit of the Malevolence now that its ion cannon is destroyed. Seeking to preserve their warship, Darth Sidious and Count Dooku lure Senator Padmé Amidala and C-3PO to the battlefield to use them as bargaining chips. However, Padmé hides as a stowaway on Grievous’ ship while Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi launch a rescue mission. When our heroes discover that the Malevolence’s hyperdrive isn’t as badly damaged as they thought, Anakin sabotages the navicomputer. The Malevolence jumps into hyperspace and crashes into a nearby moon. Grievous escapes the Republic and evades Count Dooku after failing his mission.
In the last episode, Anakin Skywalker, his Padawan Ashoka Tano, and Jedi Master Plo Koon damage General Grievous’ warship, the Malevolence, preventing it from warping into hyperspace. Although they manage to save the medical station, Anakin loses some members of his Shadow Squadron in the process.
In the continuation of the story, Darth Sidious and Count Dooku arrange for Senator Padmé Amidala and her protocol droid, C-3PO, to board the Malevolence under false pretenses. Padmé believes she is heading for negotiations with the InterGalactic Banking Clan Supreme Executive, but in reality, they are using her as a bargaining chip to stop the attack against the Malevolence.
When the Senator arrives, she urges the Republic to continue their attacks on the Malevolence, regardless of her own safety. Anakin orders his ships to cease fire. Padmé is not content to sit around and wait for her capture. She rigs her ship’s engines to explode, hoping to take Grievous down. Unfortunately, the cyborg survives the blast and sends his droids to search for her and C-3PO.
Anakin, Obi-Wan, and R2-D2 embark on a daring rescue mission. Obi-Wan duels with Grievous, narrowly avoiding the cyborg’s deadly attacks. In the end, the group manages to escape the Malevolence just in time to watch it crash into the moon. Though Grievous escapes, his credibility is severely damaged. He cuts communication with Count Dooku as he is humiliated by the ship’s destruction.
The moral, “a plan is only as good as those who see it through,” shines in this episode. Anakin did not expect Padmé to be captured. He makes the obvious choice to save his wife. Everyone works together to rescue her and C-3PO. While they are unable to take down General Grievous, they do destroy the Malevolence.
In stark contrast, Count Dooku’s plans failed because the droids do not have the clever quick thinking skills that Anakin, Padmé, and Obi-Wan were using. We see in the episode how much of a struggle it is for them to think for themselves.
My Thoughts
I am grateful for discovering Clone Wars at this moment in time. With Artificial Intelligence (AIs) becoming increasingly prevalent in the tech industry, I feel fortunate to be experiencing the show in the midst of this AI revolution. Companies like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI have developed cutting-edge AIs like Bard, Bing Chat, and GPT, respectively. Instead of asking a question and receiving a list of links, I love asking a question and receiving a direct answer.
However, watching the events of “Destroy Malevolence” on Clone Wars has reminded me of the pros and cons of AIs. While they can certainly increase my efficiency, I spend time fact-checking and verifying their outputs. It’s a delicate balance. And let’s not forget that AIs are still limited in their abilities. They lack the ability to think for themselves, which is both a blessing and a curse.
Just imagine if the droids in Clone Wars were smarter and could think independently. Would they have obeyed Count Dooku and General Grievous? Would they have revealed the presence of Anakin and Padmé in the hyperdrive room? There was more than enough time for the droids to send an alert. The knowledge could have changed the outcome of the mission.
At the end of the day, “Destroy Malevolence” shines a light on an important message: a plan is only as good as the people or AIs carrying it out.
