Hey there, Rebelscum fans! This week on the site we’re sinking into the under levels of Utapau with an exploration of the pivotal moment in Revenge of the Sith where Obi-Wan duels General Grievous and suffers through Order 66. Check out our “Expand Your Mind” article to learn about the sequence’s relevance to the overall Star Wars canon, but stay tuned throughout the week for more articles, insights, videos, and merchandising content.


The Utapau sequence shed more insight on Obi-Wan's relationship with Commander Cody. The Clone Wars and the subsequent Expanded Universe works would flesh out the role of the clones and their individuality, but in the films we only see brief glimpses of individual characters. The only character that was truly fleshed out was Commander Cody, Obi-Wan’s second-in-command who led the 212th battalion.


Temeura Morrison’s likeness was used to capture the countless clones that are seen on screen in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith through CGI, but with Cody he gave a real performance. We see hints of Obi-Wan and Codys’ relationship and their camaraderie, which of course would be expanded upon further in The Clone Wars. Obi-Wan is kind to his commander and banters with him in the same way that he does with Anakin.


Like much of Star Wars, Cody’s roots are in classic science fiction serials. Cody is named after the iconic film serial hero Commando Cody, the sky marshal of Earth who is also known as “The Rocket Man.” Commando Cody actually looks pretty similar to what Lucas would design with the clone armor, as he has a rocket jetpack and protective face mask. George Wallace portrayed the early film hero in 1952’s Radar Men From The Moon, and Judd Holdren took on the part in 1953’s Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe. The design of Commando Cody would be a major inspiration for the comic book and film adaptation of The Rocketeer.


The Clone Wars developed an interesting relationship between Cody and the 501st leader Captain Rex. In many ways, their relationship mirrors that of Obi-Wan and Anakins’ dynamic. While Rex is headstrong and doesn’t always do things by the book, Cody is more formal and follows his commands to a T. Cody once again has only a brief role in the 2008 feature film Star Wars: The Clone Wars during the battles on Christophsis and Teth, but he was much more fleshed out within the series.


In “The Hidden Enemy,” a prequel episode that takes place before The Clone Wars movie, Cody and Rex team up in a buddy adventure in which they search for a spy amidst their ranks who has been feeding tactical secrets to Asajj Ventress. They discover that the traitor is actually a clone, and eventually much track down the vengeful Sergeant Slick. It’s a fascinating look into clone psychology that shows the reverence that the other clones have for Cody.


Not only did The Clone Wars flesh out Cody, but it gave more insight into the entire 212th battalion. The episode “Innocents of Ryloth” explored the 212th battalion’s efforts during the Ryloth campaign and introduced Cody’s top soldiers Waxer and Boil. These two would continue to play an important role in the war effort throughout the series.

What do you think, Rebelscum fans? Have you ever watched any of the classic Commando Cody adventures? Are you a bigger fan of the 212th or the 501st? Let us know in the forums, and as always, may the Force be with you!

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