The program opens with a Republic army commander and his associates swiftly strapping on weaponry and armor, preparing for an imminent battle. The commander is giving orders to the pilot of a small transport carrier on how to properly maneuver past a circumference of droid defenses. For as we all know, without a cool head and the right plan, anything may turn this rescue mission into something more deadly than necessary, in a mere instant. The commander has only a dozen troops with him… and even though his orders smartly guide the ship over droid defenses, you can sense that the urgency and insistence in his voice knows something that we, the audience, do not.

Meanwhile, Jedi Ki-Adi Mundi is in a fight for his life. Weary of one-on-one saber combat for some unknowable amount of time, his clothes are torn to shreds, and anyone with a keen eye can see that his strength is almost entirely gone. Ki-Adi Mundi is knocked down and loses his light-saber, and is suddenly no longer a respected and feared Jedi, but a powerless being about to be sliced to bits in the eyes of the cold, heartless, unrelenting villain that is General Grievous. It is here that we first meet one of the Jedi's most feared enemies.

The army commander and his troops, now searching the area, in an unspoken instant find the defeated Jedi and his adversary, towering menacingly. There is a pause: the Jedi relieved, Grievous curious, and the rescuing soldiers, perhaps… afraid? Everything has stopped, and for a moment, nobody moves.

And to think that this only the first three to five minutes of chapter twenty-one of Star Wars: Clone wars from Cartoon Network and Lucasfilm. What follows this scene, which I'll get to in a bit, is a ridiculously beautiful display of action and suspense, as the battle between the troops and Grievous blazes on. But most importantly, congratulations to director and producer Genndy Tartakovsky for once again bringing to life (in animation) the cinematic, theatrical, and dramatic franchise that is the Star Wars universe.

Like others whom are fans of animation and/or Star Wars, I've grown quite fond of the Clone Wars series. To me, these animated shorts have made the franchise much more personable, by immersing me into the intricately painted yet assuredly dangerous worlds and realms of science fiction in a medium that I can identify with. I know of individuals whom had thought nothing of animation until Clone Wars hit the airwaves of Cartoon Network, and as such attitudes turned more willingly towards appreciating the medium, I think this is evidence of the fantastic efforts given by the show's creators in their bringing to our living rooms galaxies that for such a long time, were only far, far away.

Episode/Chapter 21 begins with action, mellows out with some drama, and concludes with a moment of an almost mythical caliber of suspense. The action scene in the beginning, with the troopers trying to shoot Grievous is insane. The troopers have pistols, shot guns, grenade launchers, and a mini-gatling gun, all of which are fired upon Grievous in an effort to rescue the Jedi whom was staring death in the eye. The action itself breaks with a dramatic pause when the commander and his troops find General Grievous. For the next few minutes, viewers are entreated to a visual spectacle that goes well beyond words.

Grievous flees the oncoming fire of lasers with an outstanding agility; leaping and dive-rolling, and hiding here and there behind the shipwreck junk and tech-rubble of the environment. Like an old-school side-scrolling game, General Grievous dodges the fire of the troops with rapid ease.

The heavy fire-power does nothing but enhance his will to fight however, as can be witnessed not only by Grievous' managing to kill some of the soldiers in the short battle, but also through a later fact: that Grievous has already killed anumber of Jedi, while critically injuring two others.

Very early General Grievous artwork.