Suvudu Universe

Following the premiere of Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Netflix, supervising director (now executive producer for Star Wars Rebels) Dave Filoni shared a heartfelt thanks with the fan community. As a sign of gratitude, Dave revealed never before seen sketches from the last TCW writer’s conference. To hear more about the writer’s conferences and an account of Dave Filoni sketching, check out Rebel Report‘s interview with Clone Wars writer Brent Friedman.

Although this era has come to an end, Dave continues to be hopeful about the future. After all, the future is always in motion.

While we weren’t able to tell every story in the Clone Wars era, there is plenty to look forward to. Every day there are amazing new Star Wars stories being developed here at Lucasfilm. I guess my intention here is to encourage you all to dream, to imagine, not just what these stories might have been, but what the possibilities are for other new stories which have never been told before. And maybe the person who tells those stories will be you.

Since Dave is fond of fan theories, I believe it is time to break out the thinking cap and figure out what sort of plots revolve around these exquisite works of art.

Season 5 Boba Fett/Bounty Hunters Sketch
Credit: Dave Filoni, Lucasfilm.

Given the two vibrant suns in the background, the setting is Tatooine. The known characters present are Boba Fett, Cad Bane, Bossk, and Embo. It is unclear whether that is C-21 Highsinger in the far back on the left, since Highsinger had a radiating spokes headpiece. Highsinger was also seen in concept art for Star Wars 1313, so I would imagine this to be him. My go-to-girl for all things Boba Fett mentioned that he might have had a modification.

The second unknown character appears to have either spiky hair, a very elaborate headdress, or head-tresses. I also get the impression that this character is female. I am basing this on the fact that “she” appears to be leaner and slightly curvier than Boba. I also see a female because it would be nice if this small gang was not a complete boy’s club.

The next thing that stood out for me was the fact that Boba has longer hair, similar to the style he had in season two’s “Death Trap” when he was younger. However, the last time we saw him, he was slightly older with a buzzed haircut and personalized armor in season four’s “Bounty.” Perhaps the design conceived for Boba in “Bounty” was not finalized by the time Dave sketched away this season five concept. Otherwise, we would have seen a different hairstyle in this sketch closer to what we saw in season four.

Additionally, Boba is clearly wearing Mandalorian armor. When “Bounty” first aired in March 2012, Dave Filoni stated, “We decided not to put Boba Fett in his iconic Mandalorian armor in this episode. Rather than use his father’s armor, which would still be a tad big for him, we gave him his own unique helmet and armor. It’s a step towards who he will become, but to get to the final famous look from the classic films, he will need to get some help…” Are Cad Bane and the rest of the bounty hunters the “help” Dave was talking about?

Dave Filoni with Greg Berger, Dee Bradley Baker, Gwen Yeo, Anna Graves, Daniel Logan, and Corey Burton. (Source)

Speaking of bounty hunters, back in July 2012, Dave posted a picture on his Facebook with various voice artists, including Greg Berger, Dee Bradley Baker (Bossk), Gwen Yeo (Cato Parasitti), Anna Graves (Sugi), Daniel Logan (Boba Fett), and Corey Burton (Cad Bane). Matt Michnovetz had written a bounty hunter arc, which Dave had confirmed at Celebration Europe II. The arc also involved appearances from Hondo and Dengar, according to Michnovetz on Twitter. Could the settlement in the background behind Cad and Boba be a mass gathering of bounty hunters? Hondo knew Jango Fett, so I am sure others also knew him prior to his passing.

Whether there was one or more planned bounty hunter arcs, it remains unknown. I believe this sketch, the Mandalorian armor quote from Dave Filoni, and the voice cast photograph are all connected, all possibly building the foundations of the four episode arc written by Matt Michnovetz.

Transitioning into season six, we have the Wookiees on Kashyyyk. Although most fans in the community believe this means that season six would have been close to the events in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, I think we are still not there yet. Based on the detailed accounts of Celebration Europe II from Into The Garbage Chute, I believe these sketches may reflect the early stages of the Jedi Council forming a relationship with the Wookiees.

In Season 6, The Clone Wars planned to return to Kashyyk, and show more of the planet. George Lucas had worked with Dave Filoni on the concept of giant lizard monkeys that the Wookiees ride around on the giant trees of Kashyyk. Filoni treated the audience to a brief clip seeing these creatures in action (strictly no recording was allowed!). It was a rough animatic with temporary sound, no animation of the scene was actually completed. It showed the Wookiees and Clones riding these giant lizard monkeys, who are then attacked by other freaky creatures. The lizard monkeys hide while the Clones and Wookiees fend them off.

Dave Filoni also revealed that the plan was to show Yoda on Kashyyk, establishing a bit of background to the line, “Good relations with the Wookiees, I have.”

“Giant lizard monkeys.” The creature depicted with the Wookiee rider is pretty big. Wookiees stand more than two meters (more than 6 feet) tall. As pointed out by Jason Ward of MakingStarWars.net, Chewbacca was 7’3″ and he was short for a Wookiee, while Tarfful was 2.34 meters (7’6″). It appears that the creature itself is double that size at 4 meters (or taller). A bolstyngar stands at the same height, and it has very similar features to Dave’s rendition, specifically the ears and three-digit paws.

The Wookiee pictured on the right is Tarfful, the Chieftain of Kachirho and an old friend of Chewbacca. According to the caption, he is speaking to the trees, perhaps seeking guidance from the thing Wookiees treasure most. Wroshyr trees were native to Kashyyyk and made up the foundations of Wookiee civilization. Whether he was seeking guidance or simply praying to his surroundings, it would have been fascinating to see a spiritual side to the Wookiees.

As quoted above, this sketch may be referring to an arc where Yoda or other members of the Jedi Council establish or restore a relationship with the Wookiees, which would later evolve into an alliance during the Battle of Kashyyyk.

Season 6 Echo Sketch
Credit: Dave Filoni, Lucasfilm.

Back in late January 2013, James Jawa of Club Jade presented to the fan community a Q&A session that took place following the USO premiere screening of “Eminence.” During that segment, Dave Filoni was asked to clarify some confusion surrounding Echo’s death. As Dave always does, he naturally tip-toed around the crux of the matter. “Maybe in a future episode, I don’t know, we’ll see. You never know. He was in a big explosion–anything could have happened. Maybe he could have been safely thrown 200 yards,” he explained.

Whether the distance was 200 yards or not, Dave finally revealed that Arc Trooper Echo is alive! We last saw Echo in “The Citadel,” and even though the explosion did not claim his life, he might have suffered permanent damage. A skillful someone must have found and repaired him, since there is evidence of cybernetic arms and legs as well as a cyborg augmentation to the head. The latter structure is reminiscent of Lobot‘s cyborg headband. If Echo had suffered brain damage, the implant could help with enhancing reasoning and other mental capabilities. The model used by Lobot, however, limited his personality. Would Echo suffer from memory problems or loss of identity?

Back in November 2013, Clone Wars writer Brent Friedman confirmed that he worked on an arc “about a team of experimental clone commandos.” In light of Dave Filoni sharing these sketches, fans took to Twitter to ask Brent Friedman about Echo, “I know the plans for Echo because I wrote that arc. But if and until Dave ever reveals more, the secret dies with me.” Clone commandos are different from ARC Troopers. It would have been intriguing to see who else was part of this experimental team. Gregor, perhaps? (Thanks to ShaakTi1138 in the comments section below for highlighting this bit of information.)

Although I am happy Echo lives on in season six, his reappearance is equally depressing in light of the events that transpired in “The Lost Missions.”

Season 6 Montage Sketch
Credit: Dave Filoni, Lucasfilm.

The moment I saw this season six montage featuring Darth Maul, Quinlan Vos, Count Dooku, and Darth Sidious, it immediately reminded me of a comic book cover. Earlier this year, Dark Horse announced a new Star Wars mini-series comic book centered around Darth Maul and four unaired scripts from Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The May 2014 solicitations provided the following description for the first issue of the series, “Getting cut in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi and being rejected by his former Sith master Darth Sidious isn’t going to defeat Darth Maul. In fact, it only makes him mad enough to take on the galaxy–with an army of Mandalorians!”

Mandalorians are pictured above and stand beside Darth Maul. Thus, it is safe to assume that the comic book will also have an appearance of Jedi Master Quinlan Vos. Although not witnessed in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Master Vos struggled with the Dark Side in the Expanded Universe, so much so that both Darth Sidious and Count Dooku demonstrated interest. If Vos fell from the path of the Jedi, have he and Maul been pitted against each other to see which will come out on top? Or maybe the Jedi Council tasked him with the job to infiltrate the Separatists as a spy?

Although I’m not all that familiar with the Expanded Universe, I am going to go ahead and say that Vos turned to the Dark Side. Certain events led him to use Force lightning on Count Dooku, which explains the smoke emanating from his body. As for why he is carrying Asajj Ventress? I have not the slightest clue. All I know is that I do not want to lose a fantastic female character like Ventress. She underwent a great transformation and character growth throughout the series, so it would be a shame to lose her. I know she was presumed dead after dueling Anakin Skywalker in the Genndy Tartakovski’s Clone Wars micro-series, but I wonder how her story deviated and landed her in the arms of Quinlan Vos instead.

As for the duel between Vos and Maul in that season six montage, it appears that both survived given their appearances in the season seven sketches pictured above. A cloaked Darth Maul on the right seems more at peace, for the lack of a better word, and dare I say…docile? To understand further on how he gets to this point, however, we will have to wait for the comic book series in May 2014.

We visited the Mon Calamari, the Quarren, and the planet Dac in the season four premiere during the Battle of Mon Cala, which resulted in the crowning of Lee-Char as the 83rd king of Mon Cala. On behalf of the Quarren people, Chieftain Nossor Ri pledged loyalty to Lee-Char’s rule. Perhaps, the alliance between the Mon Cal and Quarren had fallen on difficult times again, requiring a visit from Senator Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker. In his notes, Dave wrote “Tundra Dowmeia” and “Tikkes.” Dowmeia succeeded Tikkes as Mon Calamari’s Senator in 22 BBY. The presence of both characters further reinforces how much closer the events are nearing Revenge of the Sith. With Padmé’s involvement, the appearance of Lee-Char, and a Quarren senator present, we can assume that heavy political themes revolving around the state of the planet and the war would have been the focus of this episode/arc.

Season 7 Padmé Amidala Sketch
Credit: Dave Filoni, Lucasfilm.

In season seven, we would have visited Naboo. The first time we saw Padmé’s home planet in the series was back in season one when mad scientist Dr. Nuvo Vindithe went off the deep end and recreated the Blue Shadow Virus. We saw the planet again in “Children of the Force,” “Shadow Warrior,” and “Crisis on Naboo.” I wonder what new parts of Naboo Padmé and her speeder bike would have taken us. Perhaps, someplace where she would have inevitably gotten into some trouble. Maybe a marketplace where she would have been saved by an unidentified artist, as depicted in the short comic “The Artist of Naboo,” which was written and illustrated by Episode III concept artist Erik Tiemens.

The story follows an anonymous Naboo artist, who is captivated by the beauty of Padmé Amidala after a chance encounter. He begins using her as inspiration for his art which also leads to disturbing premonitions about her future, until he risks his life to save hers.

It would have been interesting to see Padmé address the early stages of the pregnancy during the series prior to her announcement to Anakin in Revenge of the Sith.

Season 7 Ahsoka Tano, Bo-Katan Kryze, and Jedi Council Sketch
Credit: Dave Filoni, Lucasfilm.

Last but not least, we have the season seven appearance of ex-Jedi Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan Kryze. According to the caption, Ahsoka appoints Bo-Katan as provisional (temporary) leader. Of what, though? Of Mandalore? What if something happened to Prime Minister Almec, who took over Mandalore with the support of Death Watch after the events with Maul and Pre Vizsla? It could be the case that Bo-Katan steps in and takes over Mandalore as a provisional leader. Ahsoka had visited Mandalore before, tasked with the job to teach the youth about the evils of corruption. Maybe she finds her way back there in an attempt to do good around the galaxy? It’s not a far-fetched idea. Although no longer part of the Jedi Order, she still possesses the kindhearted intentions to help those in desperate need. If Bo-Katan and Mandalore required assistance from the Republic, what better way to seek out that aid than through someone who formally served the Republic as a Jedi.

Although these are not the best theories, hopefully I put some interesting facts and questions on the table. Which one is your favorite sketch and what is your theory behind it?