REVIEW: Clone Wars Season 7 Episode 10 The Phantom Apprentice

The Clone Wars Season 7 Episode 10, The Phantom Apprentice, gives us some great insight into the events to come. The Siege of Mandalore is underway. We all know what is coming but watching it unfold is what the fans are anticipating. This episode does not disappoint! It begins to uncover how Order 66 was planned and how it will be executed. We also learn some key information and see tie-ins to Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, which is already in motion.

Brief Synopsis

The Phantom Apprentice opens where the last episode left us, with Maul and Ahsoka facing off. Maul doesn’t know her and tries to dismiss her as a worthy opponent. Maul hints that the Jedi and the Republic will no longer be in power soon. Ahsoka asks him who will be in power and he responds with Darth Sidious. Ahsoka’s face says it all, she goes from having an intense ready to fight face to worried and a little scared. She doesn’t know who Darth Sidious is but she knows it can’t be good if he is in power.

After an altercation with the clone troopers, Maul manages to capture one named Jesse. Maul lets it slip to Jesse that clone troopers were bred for combat and that was part of the plan. Shortly after Maul has a fight with Ahsoka. Ahsoka shows off her stellar lightsaber battle moves. In the end, Maul is captured by the clone troopers and we are left with the groundwork for Order 66 in place. All that is left is for us to see how to plays out and any more details that will be unveiled. 

Key Information Revealed

The Clone Wars season 7 episode 10, reveals the beginnings of Order 66. Maul gives away some key information throughout the episode. We learn Maul planned the siege of Mandalore to lure Obi-Wan and Anakin to Manadalore so he could kill Anakin. Anakin is the key to everything and Maul wanted to kill him and stop him from becoming his Master’s new apprentice.

This episode uses the name Darth Sidious for the first time, and there were several tie-ins to Revenge of the Sith sprinkled throughout the episode. We learn that Obi-Wan and the Jedi Council know of Darth Sidious and that he is the puppetmaster behind the Clone Wars. Sidious has been playing both sides the whole time. We also know that Count Dooku has been killed by Anakin while they were rescuing the chancellor. Obi-Wan also tells Ahsoka that Anakin cannot come to help because he is observing the chancellor and reporting on his findings. Ahsoka is shocked that Anakin is spying on Palpatine because he has been such a good friend and mentor to him. 

Maul has a quick meeting with 3 syndicate leaders of Crimson Dawn. It’s a brief scene but one of the leaders is Dryden Vos. He tells them to go into hiding because what the audience knows as Order 66 is coming soon. 

Overall Thoughts

Clone Wars Season 7 Episode 10, The Phantom Apprentice, was a great episode. It contained a lot of information about Order 66 and the surrounding events. Some of it I knew about and some of it was new. I enjoyed all of the tie-ins to Revenge of the Sith as it made the series feel much more connected to the films than it has in the past.

I have mixed emotions about the series coming to close. I want to know what happens but I know once I do that series will be over. It’s like one of those movies where the director shows you the end at the beginning and the rest of the movie is the details of how the ending happened. We all knew going into the series that it will end with Order 66 and we already know some details from movies, books, and comics. But we don’t know all the details from the perspective of these characters. This series has allowed a lot of gaps to be filled. I am looking forward to May 4th when we have a conclusion.