Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 3 episode 9 review: Hunt For Ziro

3.9 Hunt For Ziro

“Love comes in all shapes and sizes” reads the opening quote from the latest installment of the Star Wars spin-off. But the love from aficionados in this particular tale is undoubtedly engendered by the appearance of fan favourite, Quinlan Vos.

Vos, for the uninitiated, is an unorthodox Jedi who popped up in the background during The Phantom Menace (though not named as such), and then received some attention from Dark Horse Comics. This led to old Georgey Boy Lucas taking an interest, and name-checking him in Revenge Of The Sith.

And now, here he is doing his thing – generally pissing off Obi Wan (though, in truth, not too difficult, this being his ‘square’ years before he became a cool hermit). If Han Solo were a Jedi, then he would definitely be in the mould of Quinlan Vos.

But, the main ‘star’, if you like, of Hunt For Ziro is the front ‘woman’ for the Max Rebo Band, Sy Snootles (yes, I thought she would have died with rest of the band on Jabba’s Sail Barge too, but there we go). Snootles, as it transpires, has a thing going on with Ziro, hence the opening quote.

If you think that this is an odd couple, then your odd-o-meter will raise sharply at the phrase “I love you from the bottom of my fluid sac.” Sheesh, I guess people stopped thinking of the children some time ago. Matters are made slightly worse by the awful voice The Clone Wars‘ producers have given her – a bit like a kooky twelve year old.

Thankfully, the twists and turns involving her character render these facets all the more interesting. Though not, perhaps, as interesting as the bizarre interspecies relationship witnessed onscreen. In the words of Olivia Newton-John, they get physical. Cripes.

Highlight of the episode goes to the incredible set piece at the end featuring an admirably cinematic face-off between bounty hunter Cad Bane (who’s got a few Boba Fett-style moves on the go), Kenobi and the aforementioned Vos. The Jedi are taken to their limits and, in fact, bested by the Spaghetti Western-style bad boy.

Hunt For Ziro is very much a game of two halves: one featuring comedic, and inappropriate antics with Sy Snootles (and a song whose performance owes much to the opening of The Temple of Doom), the other a typical Star Wars-y tale of brotherly man-banter, but brothers in the end nonetheless.

The Clone Wars again demonstrates that variety is the spice that keeps the show so dynamic and worth tuning in for every week.

Read our review of episode 8, Evil Plans, right here.

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