This Star Wars Scene Remains the Closest the Franchise Ever Got to Horror

Star Wars has always had its fair share of thrilling moments, with some being scary enough that they could actually come from a horror movie. The many practical monsters that the heroes of the original trilogy face are particularly frightening. The Dianoga monster in the trash compactor from A New Hope, the predatory Wampa snow beast in Empire Strikes Back, and the fearsome Rancor behemoth in Return of the Jedi are all scary aliens, to be sure, but would you believe us if we told you one of the scariest moments from Star Wars comes from one of the animated shows?

Yes, while it’s true that the majority of Star Wars’ animated content is more geared toward younger audiences, they still have some serious bite to them at times. That’s abundantly clear in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a show that is repeatedly unafraid to take its darker subject matter seriously. Many times the award-winning series has explored the horrors of war, such as the complex and fascinating Umbara Arc, but sometimes the show ventured into more traditional horror territory. That statement rings true during the time when the heroes of The Clone Wars travelled into the deepest and darkest depths of Geonosis.

‘Clone Wars’ Channels Horror During the Geonosis Arc

One of the earliest arcs of Star Wars: The Clone Wars‘ second season is the Geonosis Arc. Here, the Clone Wars have returned to the desert planet of Geonosis — the place where the war started during the events of Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. For the first two episodes of the arc, “Landing at Point Rain” and “Weapons Factory,” it looks like it’s business as usual for our beloved characters. Here, Jedi war heroes Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter), Obi-Wan Kenobi (James Arnold Taylor), Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein), and more lay siege on the Separatist-controlled planet, which is still a crucial location for the Confederacy’s construction of its abundant droid army. It’s also the home base of a prominent Separatist leader, Poggle the Lesser (Matthew Wood), with him and his bug-like Geonosian brethren being fiercely loyal to Count Dooku (Corey Burton).

While the battle on the surface of the planet goes in the Republic’s favor, the depths of the planet harbor a much darker secret. This is where the third episode of the Geonosis Arc, “Legacy of Terror,” begins — an appropriate title for a terrifying episode. The Jedi are at a loss when Poggle the Lesser is seemingly nowhere to be found on the planet. Not only that, but Jedi Master Luminara Unduli (Olvia d’Abo) has gone missing, reportedly last seen searching for Poggle. This prompts Anakin and Obi-Wan to lead a search for the prominent Jedi council member, and neither of the experienced Jedi generals could have possibly prepared themselves for what awaited them underneath the planet’s surface.

The Geonosis Arc of ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ Turns Into a Full-Blown Zombie Movie

Image via Disney+

Anakin and Obi-Wan track Luminara to a mysterious (and remarkably creepy) temple, which is adorned with iconography that Obi-Wan believes is representative of the Geonosian Queen (Dee Bradley Baker) — a creature that is largely thought to be mythical. The signs that this isn’t the case soon become clear, as it doesn’t take long for Anakin, Obi-Wan, and their contingent of Clone Troopers (Baker) to run into a large group of unusual Geonosian warriors. The bugs were already scary enough in Attack of the Clones, but the zombified versions are even more formidable. Not even a blaster shot to the head or dismemberment with a lightsaber can kill the relentless foes.

Aesthetically speaking, these sections in the Geonosian catacombs are shot as if they came straight from a George A. Romero zombie film. Their sunken and lifeless white eyes of the creatures strike fear into the experienced battle-hardened heroes with minimal effort. There are even a few moments where they take part in some jump scares when they ambush two clones who unfortunately get separated from their squad. The brilliant creative decision to have the pathway be only illuminated by the Clones’ flashlights and Anakin and Obi-Wan’s lightsabers makes the dark catacombs feel even darker.

Eventually, the episode goes full Aliens when Anakin and Obi-Wan finally face the Geonosian Queen. Unlike her children, the Queen is capable of speaking basic English and seems remarkably intelligent. She reveals that the cause of the zombification process is brain worms that she lays. Once a host is infected (Geonosian or not), they become a slave to the Queen and do her unthinking bidding. In the end, Anakin and Obi-Wan are able to rescue Luminara, arrest Poggle, and bury the Queen. However, just like most horror stories, this seemingly easy defeat is only the beginning.

Ahsoka Eradicates the Brain Worm Infection in ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’

Image via Cartoon Network

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The end of “Legacy of Terror” sees Obi-Wan wishing he could get a sample of the brain worms to study. He lives to regret that because one does survive, and it infects an unwitting Clone Trooper named Scythe in the following episode, “Brain Invaders.” Here, Ahsoka and her new Padawan ally, Barriss Offee (Meredith Salenger), are tasked with leading a routine medical supply run.

Of course, Scythe just so happens to be one of the Clones assigned to the mission. Even worse, he brings a bunch of brain worm eggs and infects most of the Clones on board. This episode is more Invasion of the Body Snatchers and less Night of the Living Dead like the last episode. Here, we see the brain worms aren’t just capable of turning beings into zombies, but also controlling their thoughts to make them masquerade as the host’s normal selves. This leads to Ahsoka, Barriss, and the few Clones who haven’t been infected having to decide who is a friend and who is a foe. While few of The Clone Wars episodes dip truly into the realm of horror, the Geonosis arc is the perfect example of the genre-bending the series was able to do when the show was allowed to be creative.