Cat and Mouse

"A wise leader knows when to follow."

- Moral

"Cat and Mouse" is the sixteenth episode of Season Two of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series. It aired on March 20, 2010 in the UK and on March 26 in the US. It serves as a prequel to all the other episodes.

Official description
''Obi-Wan and Anakin must deliver supplies to Christophsis while the planet is under Separatist control. They encounter Separatist Commander Admiral Trench and get more than they bargained for.''

Plot summary
On the surface of Christophsis, Bail Organa conferences via hologram with Anakin and Admiral Yularen; Separatist forces are on the verge of overrunning his position, and his resources, food, water and munitions, have all but run out. Unfortunately, the hologram is cut off, while Anakin and Yularen desperately try to salvage their own losing battle against the Separatist space blockade around Christophsis. The enemy flagship Invincible bears down on the Republic fleet: the Separatist commander, Admiral Trench concentrates his fire on the smaller Republic supply ships. As Anakin prepares to launch a full attack, another Republic Jedi cruiser, the Negotiator, commanded by Obi-Wan emerges from hyperspace. At the insistence of Obi-Wan (saying that he has a new toy) and Yularen, Anakin reluctantly orders a retreat to behind Christophsis's moon; Trench allows them to go, surmising that they will be back.

Crossing over to Obi-Wan's cruiser, Anakin discovers his old Master has brought a new weapon with him: a heavily armed stealth ship equipped with a powerful cloaking device. Obi-Wan insists his new mission is not to engage the Separatist fleet; instead Anakin is to use the stealth ship to sneak through the blockade and deliver supplies to Bail on the planet. Meanwhile, Admiral Yularen, doing some research of his own, notices something on the enemy flagship; a strange emblem that he recognizes in horror. Catching up with Anakin as the Jedi is about to depart, Yularen explains that the symbol is the personal crest of the infamous Admiral Trench. Anakin is surprised, since history tells Trench perished at the Battle of Malastare Narrows. Yularen, who fought at the battle, relates the known facts: Trench had been in command of a corporate fleet blockading Malastare and his tactics had been deadly enough to thwart the Republic fleet sent against him; Yularen comments that he lost many good men and the Republic fleet barely managed to survive. Only when a Jedi-led task force arrived did the tide of battle turn. It was assumed that Trench went down with his ship, but the tactics used in the earlier battle and the appearance of Trench's symbol makes Yularen believe his old enemy has returned.

Undeterred, Anakin takes off with the stealth ship, accompanied by Yularen as a volunteer. Meanwhile, Trench, uneasy that the Republic fleet has not resumed its attack and learning there are still pockets of Resistance holding out on Christophsis, dispatches several Hyena-class bombers to the planet surface, in the hope of luring out the Fleet. Narrowly avoiding a collision with the bombers, and after receiving a message from Obi-Wan regarding Bail's peril, Anakin decides to attack Trench's ship, since he sees it as the only chance of helping the Senator and keeping Trench's attention on them than the planet. De-cloaking to attack, the stealth ship fires torpedoes, only for them to explode harmlessly against the Invincible's shields; but the stealth ship manages to re-cloak before Trench counter-attacks. Trench orders a barrage of laserfire, but Anakin skillfully avoids it. Trench's tactical droid tells him that they missed, but trench states that they have learned that a Jedi is the pilot, since no clone is that skilled to avoid that many lasers. Trench sends out an open broadcast, commending Anakin's bravery and daring, but warning he has faced and beaten ships armed with cloaking devices before, and that unless they retreat, he will destroy them as well and that Christophsis and her resources will soon join the Separatist Alliance.

Anakin contacts Obi-Wan, who explains that Trench's war record confirms his threat: he has defeated ships with cloaking devices before, but mostly in cruiser to cruiser engagements. In all previous cases, Trench used tracking torpedoes to destroy the enemy whether or not their ship was cloaked. Since none of the ships Trench has faced before were as small as the stealth ship (since ships this small don't usually have a cloaking device), Anakin guesses that Trench locks the torpedoes onto an enemy ship's magnetic signature. On board the Invincible, Trench's tactical droid calculates that the Jedi will not turn back as the admiral suggested. Trench agrees, stating that a stealth ship could have slipped past the blockade, but this Jedi chose to attack instead. Sensing a way to use this against him, Anakin attacks again; the stealth ship's torpedoes are again ineffective, but this time Trench is able to lock onto the stealth ship's magnetic signature and fires tracking torpedoes, despite his tactical droid's warning that doing so requires them to lower the ship's shields.

With the torpedoes behind them, Anakin flies straight at the Invincible. Realizing his mistake too late, Trench orders the shields be raised, but they are still re-charging. As Trench watches in horror, Anakin flies the stealth ship past inches from the Invincible's bridge; accepting defeat, Trench closes his eyes and awaits his fate. Seconds later, the tracking torpedoes slam into the bridge, killing Trench and destroying the Invincible.

With Trench destroyed, Obi-Wan and Cody launch a new attack on the leaderless Separatist fleet, while Anakin and Yularen pilot the stealth ship down to Christophsis and get the supplies to Bail Organa and his men. In the battle's aftermath, Senator Organa thanks Anakin. Then, Yularen expresses both concern and admiration for Anakin's daring, if unorthodox, tactics.

Cast

 * Matt Lanter as Anakin Skywalker
 * Tom Kane as the narrator and Admiral Yularen
 * Dee Bradley Baker as the clone troopers and Admiral Trench
 * James Arnold Taylor as Obi-Wan Kenobi
 * Phil LaMarr as Bail Organa and the tactical droid
 * Matthew Wood as the battle droids

Behind the scenes
It is the sixteenth episode of Season Two. Like also the sixteenth episode of the first season it is also a prequel to the series and the Clone Wars movie. Chronologically, it takes place before all previous episodes of The Clone Wars (followed by The Hidden Enemy), hence Skywalker and Yularen getting to know one another for the first time.

When Bail Organa contacts Obi-Wan for assistance, he ends with the line "Help us, General Kenobi, you're our only hope", mirroring his adoptive daughter Leia's use of the line in the events of A New Hope.