“The Path of the Young Jedi Arc” has some really good moments and is a solid arc overall, though it isn’t the strongest in the series. It does at least take the time to explore all of it’s characters and continues to treat Grievous as a valid threat, which is rare enough that I have to recognize it when it happens.
“The Gathering” was directed by Kyle Dunlevy and written by Christian Taylor who wrote the other three episodes in the arc. “A Test of Strength” was directed by Bosco Ng, “Bound for Rescue” by Brian Kalin O’Connell and “A Necessary Bond” which was directed by Danny Keller.
The story involves Jedi Younglings going to the Ice Caverns with Ahsoka to get their Kyber Crystal so that they can construct their lightsaber. After the younglings face their fears they are attacked by Hondo who kidnaps Ahsoka and from there they must rescue her as the Separatists arrive to get revenge on Hondo for kidnapping Dooku in the past.
The Pros: “The Gathering” – “The Gathering” is great, we see each individual Jedi face their fears. From Ganodi’s finding hope, Zatt learning patience, Byph learning courage, Petro learning compassion and Katooni with trust. It is a great arc and we see them demonstrate these skills later against the pirates.
Grievous and the Separatists – Grievous destroys Obi-Wan and Rex’s ship preventing them from saving the younglings and turns Hondo’s base into a Separatist stronghold. All he does in win in this episode and it is awesome. This is the Grievous we should have had from Day 1. Also Dooku shutting down Hondo is great.
Ahsoka – Ahsoka is the guardian and protects the younglings and guides them in their process of learning the force. She is firm and compassionate and never backs away from being a Jedi either as she is willing to work with Hondo who was holding her hostage and planning to sell her for money.
Hondo – Hondo is fantastic in this! In this you see he is a bit insane as he is willing to hold kids hostage even if he won’t kill them, but after he is beaten he acts as a mentor to Katooni and helps her build her lightsaber. He also helps the Jedi escape when he uses Slave I against Grievous.
The Cons: Huyang – Voiced by David Tennant, this droid felt underused and that he was just there for the guest voice and an attempt to have a C-3PO episode. What a wasted character…
This was a solid and enjoyable arc that did some good things with Hondo, Ahsoka and Grievous and even managed to explore younglings and not mess it up! Only issue was Huyang, which is a shame as David Tennant is one of my favorite actors.
Final Score: 8.6 / 10
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