Bombad Jedi

"Heroes are made by the times."

- Moral

"Bombad Jedi" is the eighth episode of Season One of the television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Official description
In this episode, Padme Amidala is sent by Chancellor Palpatine on a secret mission to Rodia to negotiate peace. On her way, she meets up with Onaconda Farr, Padmé's friend, whom she affectionately refers to as Uncle Ono. However, Padmé doesn't realize that Farr has joined sides with Nute Gunray. Gunray promised Onaconda Farr that if he joins sides with Gunray, Gunray will supply Farr with food and shelter for the people of Rodia. Meanwhile, Jar Jar Binks and C-3PO try to plan a way to save Padmé from Nute Gunray. Jar Jar disguises himself as a Jedi and tries to save Padmé. With a little help of a sea monster, Padmé is rescued and Nute Gunray is captured.

Plot summary
"Master Bombad, on behalf of the people of Rodia, I thank you. You're either the bravest or the most foolish Jedi I have ever met."

- Senator Onaconda Farr to Jar Jar Binks

Padmé travels to Rodia in an attempt to persuade Senator Onaconda Farr, whom she fondly addresses as Uncle Ono since when he had helped out her father, to keep his allegiance to the Republic. She brings along Threepio and Jar Jar, despite Palpatine's advice to rather take along a bodyguard force. But upon arrival, she learns that Onaconda has already pledged allegiance to the Separatists and Viceroy Gunray is delivering supplies as the Republic could not. Already, there are battle droids in his city. The droids lock Padmé up, manacled, as Gunray ordered as a precaution before he personally comes for her.

Jar Jar and Threepio get into even more trouble when droids come to arrest them. Though Jar Jar's bumbling with the magnetic crane destroys the droids, he also destroys their ship, ruining their chance to contact help. He puts on a Jedi robe Padmé had stored in the back closet (most likely belonging to Anakin), but droids spot them and everyone presumes he's a Jedi. Jar Jar manages to escapes to the water down below, where he promptly has to run from a marine monster, while Threepio is taken off to be scrapped. Word of a Jedi around gives Padmé an idea: while she bluffs the droids into thinking the Jedi has rescued her already, she slips out of her manacles, grabs a droid's blaster and escapes.

Padmé rescues Threepio but is dismayed to learn that the Separatists think Jar Jar is a Jedi. She tells Threepio to find a communication station to call for help. Meanwhile, Gunray has arrived in his shuttle, the Lapiz Cutter, and tells Onaconda that the supplies will be delivered after Padmé is executed. Onaconda tries to protest but Gunray insists, declaring that Rodia is under his protection now. Onaconda then realizes that he has made a bad mistake siding with the Separatists.

Jar Jar goes to rescue Padmé, only to be spotted and shot at. He again dives into the water as droids throw down thermal detonators and fire a rocket at him. While swimming away, he runs into the "boogie monster" he met previously, which swallows him up as the rockets are about to explode. Thankfully, the beast saves him thanks to its thick hide, and Jar Jar declares it his friend.

Threepio manages to send out a message before being captured. Gunray has a trio of droidekas line up to execute Padmé and Threepio when Jar Jar and the boogie monster burst up from the swamp. In the ensuring chaos, Gunray tries to get away, but his shuttle, the Lapiz Cutter, is pushed into the swamp by the monster and Padmé holds him at gunpoint. Onaconda appears behind Padmé, his own blaster at the ready, and Gunray orders the Rodian to shoot her. However, upon seeing Onaconda's expression, Padmé tells Gunray about their "little secret", that Onaconda planned to trap Gunray all along. Onaconda agrees that he is with the Republic, and places Gunray under arrest.

A Republic cruiser arrives with reinforcements to take Gunray away, while Onaconda thanks Jar Jar (whom he calls "Master Bombad") for his assistance. Palpatine, via holoprojector, promises supplies to Rodia. Onaconda asks Padmé if she can ever forgive him, but she replies that it is the Republic who should ask him for forgiveness. Far too often they forget that their most important allies are not always the most powerful.

Cast

 * Ian Abercrombie as Chancellor Palpatine
 * Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks
 * Dee Bradley Baker as Onaconda Farr, CC-1004 "Gree"
 * Anthony Daniels as C-3PO
 * Tom Kane as Narrator
 * Tom Kenny as Nute Gunray, Silood
 * Catherine Taber as Padmé Amidala
 * Matthew Wood as Battle droids

Behind the scenes
Quinlan Vos was originally slated to appear in an early draft of Bombad Jedi. He was to be working undercover and actually using his force abilities to make it look like Jar Jar was a Jedi. He was eventually cut, because at the early stages of production the studio didn't have the ability to include many new characters because of the time it took to create a digital model.

This is currently the only episode of season 1 to have Ahmed Best, the original voice of Jar Jar, in the said role, as BJ Hughes voices Jar Jar in "The Gungan General" and "Blue Shadow Virus." However, Ahmed reprises his role again in the season 3 episode "Supply Lines."

When Jar Jar is putting on the Jedi robe he says "Mesa eyeball stuck in da sleeve", yet the Jedi robe shown in the episode has no sleeves and looks more like Count Dooku's cape, minus the clasp. Also, when he emerges from the water, he puts it on quickly and easily.

Nute Gunray's arrival bears a heavy resemblance to Darth Vader's visit to the Death Star II in Episode VI. Both shuttles are escorted by two fighters that break off as the shuttle enters a hangar. Both Vader and Gunray emerge from the shuttle guarded by two soldiers to meet a subordinate and an array of grunts.

The Kwazel Maw design is based on Ralph McQuarrie's design for the Swamp slug creatures of Dagobah.

Notes and references
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