To Catch a Jedi

"Never become desperate enough to trust the untrustworthy."

- Moral

"To Catch a Jedi" is the nineteenth episode of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series' fifth season. It aired on February 23, 2013.

Official description
"The fugitive Ahsoka escapes to the criminal depths of Coruscant."

Plot summary
Following Padawan Tano's escape from the Republic military base, she rides on top of a freighter to to the lower levels of Coruscant. Knowing that she has been betrayed by many and is wanted by the Republic, Tano begins her desperate search to prove her innocence.

Meanwhile, at the Jedi Temple, the Jedi High Council holds an emergency meeting to decide the best way to find Tano. While most on the Council believe that she is guilty of the crime, her master Anakin Skywalker and Jedi Master Plo Koon are doubtful of her guilt. Therefore, Grand Master Yoda sends Skywalker and Koon to find Ahsoka. While Master Mace Windu feels that Skywalker should not go due to emotional attachment to his Padawan, Master Obi-Wan Kenobi strongly supports Skywalker being a part of this mission. General Skywalker is dispatched with a team of 501st Legion clone troopers led by Captain Rex and Master Koon is dispatched with a team of Clone shock troopers led by Commander Wolffe into the underlevels to find Tano. Each team rides on a Republic Police Gunship.

Following Tano's escape into the underworld, the Coruscant Security Force is just getting word of the fugitive Jedi. While travelling through the underworld, Tano contacts her friend, fellow Jedi Padawan Barriss Offee. After a brief conversation, Offee tells Tano that she will investigate from her end and tells Tano to find a different means of contacting her. Tano then breaks her comlink and bargains with a homeless Gotal drinker for his cloak.

Tano boards a train and hides from the police who are requesting passes as the train progresses. At the next stop, Tano tries to exit but is caught by some guards who were preparing to board the vehicle. She engages them in hand-to-hand combat, paying close attention to ensure no one is killed. She then opens the door and dives onto a nearby platform, annoying a local Coruscanti citizen.

However, her time for rest is short when she is spotted by three guards near the platform. She jumps into an elevator, which malfunctions as a result of the police firefight, causing the elevator to drop at a rapid pace. Tano takes with her an unidentified Twi'lek child, and the child helps her to stop the elevator. She thanks the child and quickly moves on.

After walking for some time, Tano is attacked from behind by the now bounty hunter, Asajj Ventress, who wants to turn her in for the bounty on her head. After discussing with Ventress and comparing the similarities of their betrayal, Tano makes a deal with Ventress. If Ventress helps her find proof of her innocence, Tano will request a pardon for Ventress from the Galactic Senate. As Ventress agrees, the two are seen by a ship looking for Tano. Ventress leads her to a hall and turns on a force field. Before they escape, Tano stops to look at her master who ran up to the force field. Ventress, laying her hand on Tano's shoulder, tells her that they need to leave.

The two then travel to Ventress's home, a beaten structure in the underlevels, and Tano contacts Offee via a public holographic system. Offee tells Tano about a warehouse where Letta Turmond obtained the nano-droids on Level 1315. Tano thanks her and then begins to leave with Ventress.

As the pair make their way towards the warehouse, they are ambushed by a squad of clones who had used a probe droid to find their whereabouts. Tano tries to reason with the clones but Ventress is ready for a fight. With no success in negotiating, Tano engages in a fist-fight, temporarily incapacitating the clones or rendering them unconscious. Ventress uses her lightsabers to disarm the troopers and then remarks to Tano that this is her new persona.

Finally reaching the warehouse, Ventress departs, reminding Tano that she still has her half of the deal to hold up. As she leaves, a small creature similar in style to Tano throws a shadow which spooks Ventress. While her guard is down, she is attacked by a cloaked, Force-wielding assailant. She is rendered unconscious, and the assailant takes her lightsabers and helmet.

Meanwhile, Tano investigates the warehouse. Suddenly, the mysterious assailant attacks her and engages her in a duel. Tano is under the impression that Ventress has reneged on the deal as she fights the assailant. Tano steadily loses, until the assailant uses the Force to push crate after crate of supplies at her and her lightsaber becomes momentarily stuck in a pole after she attempts to stab the assailant. She is pushed against a stack of crates, causing her to drop her lightsaber as she desperately tries to defend herself, until she is Force pushed off the platform. Falling below, she sees a box of nano-droids just as a squad of clone troopers arrive. Before she has a chance to explain, she is knocked out by a stun blast fired by Commander Wolffe.

Skywalker and Master Koon quickly arrive and see the crates of nano-droids. On they way back to the temple, Skywalker contacts Master Yoda and briefs him and the rest of the council on the capturing of Tano. Koon and Skywalker remark that there is still much to be seen and they still ponder if Tano is the one behind the attack, or if the plot goes deeper than the Jedi know.

Cast

 * Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano
 * Nika Futterman as Asajj Ventress and a Twi'lek child
 * Matt Lanter as Anakin Skywalker
 * Meredith Salenger as Barriss Offee
 * Dee Bradley Baker as the clone troopers and a police officer
 * Terrence Carson as Mace Windu
 * James Arnold Taylor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Plo Koon, and a police officer
 * Tom Kane as the narrator and Yoda
 * Stephen Stanton as Admiral Tarkin and a police officer
 * Dave Filoni as Spots Podal
 * Brian George as Ki-Adi-Mundi
 * Catherine Taber as an Aleena
 * Robin Atkin Downes as an alien

Behind the scenes
The episode was named for the 1955 Alfred Hitchcock film To Catch a Thief.

Spots Podal and the Rattataki alien played by Robin Atkin Downes were not specifically identified in the episode itself, but they were identified in the trivia gallery for the episode on the official Star Wars site. The same trivia gallery also elaborates that the action in the episode covered Coruscant levels 1312 and 1315.