Spoiler warning! We are going to be giving you all the spoilers for Star Wars: The Clone Wars Episode 7, “Dangerous Debt,” so if you’re not caught up with the show, stop reading, get on Disney+, and enjoy.
The Story So Far…
Last week in The Clone Wars, Rafa gets hired for a transport job and recruits Trace and Ahsoka to help her. Once they get to Kessel, Ahsoka learns that the sisters are going to be transporting unrefined spice to Oba Diah, a planet run by the notorious Pykes Crime Syndicate. Fearing for the sisters’ safety Ahsoka tries to convince them to take the spice where it can be used for good. Rafa pushes back and during their argument, Trace decides to jettison the spice into space, leaving the trio with very little options. With no shipment to deliver, they try to deceive the Pykes with a little Jedi mind trick, but as they try to escape they’re surrounded by patrol ships.
RELATED: Here’s last week’s recap if you missed it!
“Who you were does not have to define who you are.”
We find the trio in a prison cell on Oba Diah. Trace laments their situation but Rafa is quick to remind her that it was her decision that got them there. Ahsoka, in turn, reminds Rafa that she was the one who took the job. Not one to back down from an argument, Rafa reminds everyone that all they had to do was deliver the spice and the job would have been done. Ahsoka points out what the Pykes would have used the spice for, and that those ruined lives would be on their heads. Rafa refuses to accept that responsibility, but Ahsoka is adamant that she would not have allowed the sisters to make that deal. Rafa sarcastically calls her a Jedi because of her “high ideals,” and for a second Ahsoka considers telling them the truth about her past. She decides against it and for good reason: the Martez sisters have a history with the Jedi.
Taking us back to the very first season of The Clone Wars, specifically Episode 22, “Hostage Crisis,” Rafa tells Ahsoka the story of how Ziro the Hutt, with the help of Cad Bane, escaped the prison on Coruscant. Rafa and Trace watched as the Jedi tried to recapture Ziro, but in the chase Bane fired a shot on a cargo transport, knocking it off course. As the transport headed straight towards a landing platform, the Jedi tried to steer the ship away and it ultimately crashed it into the portal wall…and into the Martez’s home. Their parents died, but not before they got Rafa and Trace to safety. As we known Ziro ended up escaping anyway, but the destruction was devastating. Later, Jedi Master Luminara Unduli (we assume) went to the sisters and said they had a choice and that the Force was with them. Nothing more, nothing less. Since then, Rafa and Trace have had to look out for themselves, while steering clear of the Jedi and everyone else.
The Family Business
At that moment Pyke guards come and take Rafa away. Leading her to an interrogation room, a torture droid stands ready to get information by any means necessary. Rafa does her best to try to talk her way out of it, even going so far as to blame the people on Kessel for scamming them. Unsurprisingly, her fast talking doesn’t work.
Back at the cell, Trace admits that she only helped Ahsoka because that’s what her mother would do. Trace knows and understands that their way of life isn’t the most lawful one, but under these circumstances, they were left with no choice. “It’s how it is,” she reasons.
An unconscious Rafa is returned to the cell. Trace, visibly upset at the sight of her sister, demands answers. After pushing one of the guards, they grab her and take her to the interrogation room where the torture droid asks where the spice is. For a brief second you think that Trace is going to tell the droid what happened to it, but instead she pretends to faint. The momentary pause is enough for her to grab a guard’s weapon and shoot all the droids in the room.
The Great Escape
Running out of the interrogation room, Trace and the droids run past Ahsoka and Rafa. Ahsoka seizes the moment to discretely use the Force to open the lock on the door. Grabbing Rafa, the two of them head out to find Trace.
Trace does her best to keep the droids away, but she is quickly caught. As she is thrown up against a cell door, two prisoners asked her to let them out. With some effort, she opens the door and the two prisoners come to her rescue. She uses the diversion to run away…and straight into Ahsoka.
The three of them run and gun their way through the prison until they find the door to an open platform. A brief standoff happens, but with a perfectly aimed shot, Trace blows up a fuel cell (Wilhelm scream!) and they run away down a bridge. The bridge begins to retract but not before Rafa gets over it. Trapped with the droids, Trace makes an attempt to jump the bridge. Seeing that she won’t make it, Ahsoka uses the Force to subtly push her to safety. In that moment, Rafa believes that Ahsoka won’t make the jump and tries to pull Trace away, but Ahsoka does. “That’s not normal,” Rafa observes, but there’s no time to discuss it. The trio continues to run.
The Grand Plan
Making their way into the city, Rafa is astonished that the Pykes are so eager to kill them. Ahsoka knows that the Pykes have their reputation to maintain and they will not let them leave the planet. Rafa comes up with two-part plan: the sister will distract the guards while Ahsoka opens the gate into the city. Ahsoka gets to work inside the control room, using her Jedi fighting skills to easily handle the four guards within. Looking outside, she sees that the sisters are in another shootout with two guards. Using the Force, Ahsoka pulls the two guards out into the open and Trace takes them down easily.
Once they’re in the main city, Trace sees her ship. As she runs off to get a better look, Ahsoka shares her concern about Trace to Rafa. As they’re talking, a beggar asks them for credits, but Rafa shoos him away. Continuing their conversation, Rafa wants to know why Ahsoka is so interested in helping them, and to Ahsoka it’s just a matter of helping people in need. The sentiment reminds Rafa of her mother.
A New Ally?
With the Silver Angel docked on a platform above them, Trace tries to come up with a plan to get to it. Rafa doesn’t want to make the effort, knowing that they have little time before they’re found again. Trace refuses to leave her ship, but Rafa convinces her that their lives are more important than her ship. Unfortunately, the beggar from before has identified the trio to handful of Pyke guards, resulting in another chase through the city.
Running through crowds of people, they pass by a robed Mandalorian who turns to look at them before going the opposite direction. Ahsoka, Trace, and Rafa find a speeder but before they can get any speed, they are shot down. Rafa and Trace fall to the ground and are captured by the guards. From high above them, three Mandalorians observe the situation. The first one comments that Ahsoka looks like the Jedi she met on Carlac (The Clone Wars Season 4 Episode 14, “A Friend in Need”) . This identifies the woman is Bo-Katan Kryze, Satine’s sister. Another Mandalorian, Ursa Wren (judging by her voice), shares her concern that Ahsoka might compromise their mission, but Bo-Katan doesn’t necessarily agree. They decide to keep their eyes on Ahsoka, in case she might of some use to them.
RELATED: Read up on all Star Wars: The Clone Wars Recaps!
Back to Square One
Trace and Rafa are brought to a hologram of Marg Krim who explains to them the gravity of the situation. They know Ahsoka is still out there, and they plan on capturing her to get information about the spice shipment. As the Pyke guards get ready to execute the sisters, Ahsoka flies in on a forklift and starts firing. Chaos and gunfire ensues and for a moment it looks like they’re going to get away this time. But of course, the Pykes brought reinforcements, and the trio is captured one final time.
In their cell, a persistent Rafa tries to make another deal with Marg Krim. But Krim only wants one thing: his spice. Reflecting on their predicament, Rafa apologies to Trace and Ahsoka for taking the job and the three are left to wonder what’s going to happen next.
Overall
Real talk here, these Ahsoka episodes are really good. I’ve been reading the comments about these episodes on social media and it seems like people have been unhappy with the direction these episodes have gone. They consider them filler and with only 5 episodes left, I can understand their frustration, but I would agree to disagree with those opinions. We have gotten used to a lot of action in The Clone Wars, but Ahsoka’s story goes beyond the things she did as a Jedi. She left the Order for a reason, and right now she is coming into her own through these personal experiences. The Martez sisters provide a much needed “real” perspective of what’s happening in the world outside the war.
The backstory Rafa gave was tragic and necessary. It shows Ahsoka that the Jedi are also responsible for the suffering of others, directly or indirectly. In some small way even Ahsoka is responsible for what happened to their parents, as it was her’s and Anakin’s actions that lead to Ziro’s capture.
The appearance of Bo-Katan and Ursa Wren can only mean one thing: we’re now getting into the Siege of Mandalore story arc that so many viewers have been waiting for. I think there’s one more episode with the Martez Sisters, but I won’t be surprised if Bo-Katan and her people play a bigger role in Episode 8.
Next week is another chapter in the adventures of Ahsoka and the Martez sisters in Episode 8, “Together Again.” Will we be seeing Anakin and Ahsoka reunite soon? We’ll find out soon enough!
A new episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars is released every Friday at 12am PST on Disney+.
- Gift Guide: Video Game-Inspired Cookbooks - February 27, 2024
- Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week: JIM JIMENEZ - June 23, 2022
- Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week: BECKETT MARINER - September 15, 2021
