Revival (episode)

"Strength in character can defeat strength in numbers."

- Moral

"Revival" is the premiere episode of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series' fifth season. It was released on August 24, 2012 at a special screening at Celebration VI, prior to its premiere on September 29, 2012 on Cartoon Network.

Official summary
"Fueled by vengeance and rage, the newly reunited brothers Savage Opress and Maul spread terror and violence across the galaxy. As the Sith brothers forcibly recruit Hondo Ohnaka and his pirates, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Adi Gallia chase them down, leading to a deadly confrontation."

Synopsis
Having pillaged various Outer Rim worlds, Maul and Opress infiltrate a space station in orbit over Cybloc. They overpower its droid guards and discover a safe filled with money. Whilst Opress is absorbed by their new wealth, Maul reminds him that it is only a means to an end in their cause of destroying Obi-Wan Kenobi. He also asserts his authority as master over Opress; citing the Rule of Two. Opress had hoped that as brothers the two would abandon the traditional Sith hierarchy and angrily challenges Maul to combat. Maul easily overcomes him and pins him to the floor with one of his robotic legs. The two brothers then travel to Florrum where they lure a group of Hondo Ohnaka's Weequay pirates aboard their ship by posing as a derelict and then bribe them into their service. Two of Ohnaka's captains readily join; a third is executed before Ohnaka via hologram when he expresses doubts about the betrayal. The brothers prepare to attack Ohnaka's base to claim it as their own.

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Adi Gallia arrive at the station and are briefed by a cargo shipper about the raid, who also states that the perpetrators are travelling on his ship to the Sertar sector. Gallia wonders what would draw the Sith there, to which Kenobi replies that it is where Florrum and Ohnaka are located. They proceed to the planet and contact Ohnaka with whom they form a temporary alliance against his treacherous men and the Sith brothers.

Maul and Opress begin their assault on Ohnaka's base but are diverted from the attack when the Jedi land and engage them. A fierce duel ensues, but while Kenobi manages to hold his own against Maul, Gallia is overpowered and slain by Opress, who charges her with his horns before running her prone body through with his lightsaber. Kenobi lets out a angry cry and knocks Opress to the ground. Maul blocks an attempt to kill him. With their side's numbers growing thin, Kenobi and Ohnaka are forced to retreat into the pirate base. While Ohnaka's loyal men prepare an ambush, Kenobi draws the brothers away from the pirates; instructing them to collapse a section of the tunnel with explosives to separate himself and the Sith from them. Ohnaka readily agrees and Kenobi proceeds to face the pair with both his own lightsaber and Gallia's. After a fierce battle, Kenobi is able to injure Opress's knee with a kick before severing his arm. This prompts Maul to break off the fight and retreat outside. Once outside, they encounter their pirate allies and attempt to rally them for a renewed assault. Ohnaka, however, has reconciled with his men after ambushing them and demonstrating that the Sith have no loyalty to them. They now intend to plunder Maul and Opress's ship and open fire on the brothers; forcing them into full retreat. Maul loses one of his cybernetic legs in the escape and is then carried by Opress. Despite this, the brothers still manage to reach their ship and take off when Maul delays the pursuing pirates and Kenobi by toppling the Jedi's shuttle from a plateau to cut them off. One of the pirates manages to disable one of the fleeing ship's engines with a rocket launcher and, suffering from his injuries, Opress instructs Maul to leave him behind. Both brothers, however, manage to barely escape the doomed vessel aboard an escape craft before it plunges back to the planet's surface.

Kenobi and Ohnaka proceed to search the wreckage- Ohnaka for salvageable wealth and Kenobi for evidence of Maul and Opress's deaths. Ohnaka and his men recover the safe previously obtained by the Sith but no trace of the brothers is found. Ohnaka concludes that they must have been vaporised in the crash but Kenobi remains unconvinced; noting Maul's return despite the severity of his injuries on Naboo. Back on Coruscant, Kenobi and the Jedi convene a meeting with Palpatine in which the Chancellor dismisses Kenobi's fears about Maul; reasoning that the Separatists pose a far greater threat. Yoda agrees with the Chancellor; cautioning Kenobi that his fixation on Maul is a personal matter. He reassures him, however, that if the Sith brothers reappear, the Jedi will be ready to oppose them. As they leave the office, Palpatine is shown to smile whilst seated at his desk behind them.

Cast

 * James Arnold Taylor as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Pirate #2
 * Sam Witwer as Darth Maul
 * Jim Cummings as Hondo Ohnaka and Warehouse Supervisor
 * Matt Lanter as Jiro and Lead Deputy
 * Clancy Brown as Savage Opress
 * Angelique Perrin as Adi Gallia
 * Tom Kane as Sabo, Narrator and Yoda
 * Terrence Carson as Large Pirate and Pirate #1
 * Ian Abercrombie as Chancellor Palpatine

Continuity
"A War on Two Fronts" was originally scheduled to be the premiere episode of Season Five, but the premiere was changed to "Revival" as announced at San Diego Comic Con in July 2012. "Revival" was released at Celebration VI on August 24, 2012, at a special screening prior to its premiere on Cartoon Network.