'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' Breakdown: The Details And History That Enrich "Together Again"

The eighth episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7 wraps up the story of Ahsoka and the Martez sisters as they try to escape the vile clutches of the Pyke Syndicate once and for all. In a stunning ruse, Ahsoka sends the Martez sisters away by selling them out and sending them off. She discovers a number of shocking truths about the Pykes and their operation and works to shut it down once and for all. There's a lot to peel back in "Together Again," so get ready.

The fact that Maul appears might be a bit of a shock to fans of The Clone Wars that haven't read any of the ancillary material. When last we saw him on the show was in season five, when Darth Sidious arrived on Mandalore to regulate. Sidious killed Maul's brother, Savage Opress, and captured Maul saying, "I have other uses for you." The events that freed Maul from Palpatine's clutches happened in a four issue comic book series from Dark Horse comics. It was the only "canon" comic Dark Horse was able to produce before the Star Wars license switched back over to Marvel. Based on four, un-produced episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, you can read it on Marvel Unlimited and you'll definitely want to before you watch more of The Clone Wars. The comic was adapted by Jeremy Barlow and the art team included Juan Frigeri and Mauro Vargas. Basically, Maul was bait for Sidious to capture or kill Mother Talzin and it worked. Sidious didn't count on Mandalorian Death Watch commandos loyal to Maul showing up and helping whisk him away in a Mandalorian Gauntlet Starfighter. It's similar to one he used throughout Star Wars Rebels as well and was eventually claimed by Ezra Bridger.You'll recognize another Gauntlet Starfighter in this episode, flown by Bo Katan as it whisks Ahsoka from Coruscant into the heart of the conflict on Mandalore.

One thing you might have noticed in this episode was an unexpected name drop from Maul. When Marg Krim and the Pykes are threatened by Maul, the club he wields against them is "Crimson Dawn." Crimson Dawn was the underworld group that he appeared to be the sole head of during the events of Solo: A Star Wars Story about a decade after the events of this episode.Enfys Nest told the tale of the beginnings of Crimson Dawn and their barbarism on the planet Savareen at the end of the film, she talks about how they cut the tongues from everyone in the village as a message. Seems likely this was something that happened prior to Maul's involvement.The dialogue in The Clone Wars implies that Crimson Dawn is already up and running and a piece of Maul's Shadow Collective. After the events of the next arc, it might be to Crimson Dawn (and maybe even Savereen?) where Maul goes to lick his wounds. It also raises the question about when Maul added Crimson Dawn to the Shadow Collective. It seems like it was something that will be retconned and they'll have joined during the initial events that allowed the Collective to take Mandalore, or it's something he accomplished on the way back to Mandalore after the events of Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir, we still don't know. All we do know is that this is a pretty interesting and significant tie to one of the most underrated Star Wars films. 

As we predicted last episode, this arc would lead almost directly into the events of the final story of The Clone Wars. Ahsoka decides to once again take up the life of a Jedi, in a manner of speaking, and leaves on a quest to help Bo Katan defeat Maul. This entire arc involved Ahsoka trying to come to terms with who she really is and this episode really hit home the idea that she's a Jedi, but the way Jedi are supposed to be. She hasn't lost her way like the rest of the order, like Bariss Offee or even Mace Windu. She left because she stuck to her ideals and wouldn't sell them out. And that's why she had to help the Martez sisters and that's why she has to leave with Bo Katan. She has to do what's right.

The best thing about this episode, though? Toongs from the Tund system! The workers that the Martez sisters steal the second shipment of spice from are of the same species as fan-favorite Ben Quadinaros. Quadinaros was the podracer at the Boonta Eve Podrace in The Phantom Menace who tried stringing four engines together to race. It didn't end well for him.His inclusion in The Clone Wars has always been a bit of a tease and Dave Filoni never seemed to take fans clamoring for the Toong seriously. Here's a behind the scenes clip of him laughing about the idea:

But here we are! It's not Quadinaros himself, but he's truly on the show in spirit, bringing smiles to the faces of fans like me.

It's interesting to think about who the title of this episode refers to. Does it refer to the Martez sisters, finally united once again as sisters without their problems? Or does "together again" refer to Ahsoka back in the fight in a Jedi-like way, pursuing an old foe? Perhaps it's both. In any case, this was a tantalizing finale for this particular arc of the show and brings us directly to the Siege of Mandalore next week. I can't even stand the wait. This is everything we've been waiting for.