The adventures of the D-Squad were seen in a mini-series, through four episodes, during the fifth season of the Clone Wars. The specialty of the mini-series is that the traditionally yellow episode opening logo was blue to pay tribute to the squad, especially R2-D2, whose body color is blue. All four episodes start with this blue opening logo. This is not the first time the logo has changed color: in the last two episodes of Season 4 ("Brothers" and "Revenge"), the logo was red, only to the memory of Darth Maul.

S5/10 secret weapons
"Humility is the only defense against humiliation."

The motto behind the title is already thought-provoking. It referes to the sentence of the Bible humiliate yourself so that you won’t be humilated. Soon it will become apparent to us it is connected with Colonel Gascon, who points out the image of an extremely rigid, headstorng, selfish creature. Gascon's personality will be broken by his companions, especially the little pit droid, WAC-47, who is always holding an oblique mirror in front of the colonel, saying out things with unambiguous honesty, so eroding Gascon's pride, ultimately breaking the Colonel, whose personality will change a lot under the four episodes .

The Jedi High Council has devised a plan to capture a Separatist decoding module from within the vault of an enemy battleship. Since the mission involves a special level of infiltration capability, the Council has decided to employ a team of handpicked droids for the undertaking. Thus, several Republic droids are assembled in the Jedi Temple war room: the astromech droids R2-D2, QT-KT, M5-BZ and U9-C4, as well as WAC-47, an overenthusiastic and bumbling pit droid who promptly arrives late for the mission briefing by Master Windu because of a hearing mistake and thus does nothing to garner much confidence from the others. The mission is to be led by the diminutive Colonel Meebur Gascon, a highly esteemed strategist for the Grand Army of the Republic. Gascon, whose strict and no-nonsense attitude immediately is off to a wrong start with WAC's flippancy, wastes no time going through the finer details of the plan. He gives guidance to the droids, outlining the plan for every droid of his/her role after getting into the CIS cruiser to get the decoder to be brought back and, as a result of it, will be appointed as Brigadier General.
All this is done in a military, commanding style, in which it is felt that it is really the last thing, that is, the appointment is the main point for him. It is his old wish, the colonel gets soft when he comes to it, only mentioning his so-wished rank makes him an ethereal satisfaction. Droids are merely tools and replaceable objects for him, that he does not hide. He regards them as inferior things, but he also turns out to be problematic shy, considering himself inferior too. This is because of the fact that he is although humanoid being, a Zilkin, still feels inferior in the world dominated by humans. On the other hand, he is a tiny little creature, so he's ashamed of his height. For this reason, he takes on the face of the omniscient strategist and spells it with a dictatorial, command-minded attitude that the rest of the team should fear him at least, and execute his orders. It works in a hierarchical human world, but the droids are not afraid, they do not respect rank, but they logically say things that humans would not have done in dependence, so the conflict can be enveloped immediately.

Gascon takes the droid to the technician Dr. Gubacher, who outfits most of the droids with special gadgets for the mission. WAC, however, is exempted because he is to take the role of the pilot for the team, while M5-BZ has his memory core is removed so that Gascon can use him as a disguise and rolling command platform. This name is immediately attached to the green R4, namely as it is the command center. Gascon also calls him as Brick head but does not say its real name. He does this with the other droids, QT-KT is Little Red Riding Hood because of the pink color and feminine programming, the orange R5 becomes Flat Head, and the one-eyed Pit droid was called Cyclops with a noble simplicity. (These referres to the Hungarian dubbing!) Interestingly, R2-D2 gets no nickname, Gascon respects him, and in some situations, R2 is able to set himself up to the Colonel, periodically taking control of decision-making situations. Obviously, Anakin Skywalker’s droid is above the team, in knowledge and toolbars. In fact, he does not really need to be upgraded, but dr Gubacher takes out the side engines deployed by Anakin, and they return a similar but stronger model, recognizing that Anakin has done a great job with the small droid with a personality.

The squad gets a wonderful CIS Sheathipede class shuttle to sneak into the big crusier. This ship creates their separatist appearance, because there are also similar droids there. The series “Rebels” also attempted to operate with this ship, the dying series had used a lot of Clone Wars things and characters to send life in the Rebels series, with little success, for example, such a great CIS shuttle became the second ship of the group, with the ID of Ghost two or whatever. But Ahsoka, or Gregor who's first appeared in these four episodes, served this purpose namely pushing Rebels' slow chariot ahead with CW characters. In a strange way, the Thrawn trilogy which was deleted from the canon, also gave a character, namely Admiral Thrawn, he was also introduced for this purpose, surely we were shocked by the fact that thex first truncated the trilogy, saying that it was no longer exist, and then the dying Rebels brought back its protagonist, the great strategist Thrawn. Well thought-out concept... Okay, forget the Rebels now.

So with this space shuttle they infiltrate the CIS vessel. But when Colonel Gascon tries to slice open one of the sealed doors with the "Command center", he accidentally plugs M5-BZ's arm into a socket that does not open anything but has current in it, so the astromech droid gets a huge electric shock and crashes. Gascon loses his disguise and does not know what the next step is, and soon turns out he does not really can or likes to improvisate. Also, he's not as big a strategy mastermind as he says. WAC-47 immediately speculates that Gascon is not a "highly trained field strategist," as he claims himself, has no real field experience, and sees this mission merely as a point of his own career. Of course, the colonel is back and he argues with Cyclops, who, unmoving this mockery in many ways, first calls him a map reader, then calls him Dwarf, and then calls him conceptually corporal, taking a serious part in the humiliation of Gascon (see the motto). At first Gascon always remembers WAC that he is a Colonel, not a Corporal, but at the end he does not say anything to him, he gets used to it.

He tries to save his honor, but mostly he keeps praising himself and scolding the droids. After getting the decoder at the end of the episode, he says, for example, that my first action, my first success, a brilliant plan I invented, it must be recognized. While to the droids he just says, who knows, maybe you can still become a fair soldier once. He does not say thanks for anything even if he is saved or if they help him, he wants to preserve his pride, he tell them that "this time there was no special problem with teamwork." His Calvary is somewhat amusing and somewhat instructive. Gascon choses the more difficult way in the intrusion. In the meantime, he poses as a commander, boastful, stuck up, even posing on the orange R5 head as Napoleon.

But when they try to get out of the CIS ship with the decoder, there will be a beautiful scene, they go back for the burned out BZ, saying that we will not leave anyone behind. The damaged R4 is pulled out of the cruiser by the team, not leaving him behind. This noble gesture will be gratituded multiply times later! First, when the small team is escaping with the CIS ship in an asteroid icestorm. On board the ship they repair their green companion, so BZ is already in use during the meteor storm. One meteor hits the engine so the ship just drifts. The droids go out into space with self-evident courage, without Colonel Gascon's orders, to repair the engine. We see a wonderful scene, two droids with their own body covers R2-D2 who is working on the damaged parts! They are in front of a few meters and are calculating the flight path of drifting asteroids. If an ice block flies so that it might hit the working Artoo, they whistle for him. In that case they and R2 move sideways a little bit, the ice meteor flies away and they return to their original position. Beautiful scene. Meanwhile, Colonel Gascon has been terrified in the cockpit window and looks helplessly at the death-assertiveness of the small astromechs. His fate is in the hands of underestimated robots, replaceable objects. The droids successfully complete the repair, the ship starts buzzing. But an asteroid then brushes off QT-KT from the wing. He flips helplessly out in space, but U9-C4 fires his harpoon quickly and catches him. But QT-KT takes him with her. Two of them are quickly caught by R2-D2. The servos of the little droid are writhing, smoked, trying to keep their companions, but slowly he slides down, and eventually they pull R2 down with them into space. Then comes BZ, the rescued green astro, who has not left behind, and who keeps them with his own harpoon. Riding his powerful sideengines, R2 draws this little droid train back to the wing of the shuttle, where they tirefully magnetize their legs and gratefully return to the safe interior of the CIS spaceship.

But in this storm, it is impossible to navigate, additional asteroids strike the ship, and an ice-stone hits the boat's cockpit, causing the window crack. We may have a feeling of Armageddon, when Freedom and Independence are flying in similar asteroid raids, which causes one to fall. They're slowly fall down, too. A crach landing must be carried out on Abafar. Gascon, of course, wavers WAC-47, why he is endangering the mission, what if Abafar is controlled by Separatists. WAC's response is droid-like, logical, and pure: I'm afraid our mission is already at risk... Even during the landing, he does not stop condemning them, saying "We have found ourselves in great trouble because of you astrodroids!"

When they land, they find themselves in a hot desert. Gascon would stay near the wreck of the ship to wait help there. He does not have any idea how or where to go, but he speaks out of it and declares that he will make a plan of detection from the planet from the crashed shuttle. That's the moment R2 gets bored of it and decides. He starts in the desert. Of course, Colonel Gascon is shouting that has somebody permitted you to go away soldier?! Artu does not answer him, he goes on. Gascon tells he does not tolerate disobedience. The rest of the droids are also running after R2. It turns out he has no authority now. WAC-47 will finish him: do not worry Colonel, then I'll take command and I will be promoted a Brigadier General. Gascon gets mad, and he answers just through his cold dead body. He runs after them and ask the question: If a droid could have led the mission, why would the Jedi Council have entrusted me with the leadership? WAC-47's answer is ice-cold droid logic, which does not take care the slowly decomposed colonel: You were the only one who fit to BZ's head.

When they get lost in the desert and Colonel Gascon runs out of his water, he gives up. He does not have too much strenght, but he is more exhausted in spirit. He lies on the ground and does not go any further. The four astros go on, they still have energy, but WAC stays with Gascon. They talk, and Gascon feels death. Suddenly, everything gets far away, including the brigadier title. No matter the hierarchy, self-fulfillment, career. Even the stupid war is far away. Who cares about the sublime goals, politics, the CIS-Republic controversy when you are thirsty and hungry dying in the desert of a planet? When there is only a Pit droid with him, who is likely to be witnessed his inglorious death? We see a wonderful picture: while lying on the ground, WAC talking to the colonel meanwhile Gascon sees himself in WAC’s optic. It is a wonderful match he sees himself in WAC's eyes, in the sense transmitted, and in really. As WAC-47 has held a mirror in front of him so far, he see himself reflecting in the little Pit's eye. In addition, WAC-47 is talking about droids who never give up. There is nothing like that in their program. They go as far as they can go. If they can, they improve the situation. If not, they'll try at least. But they do not lie down on the ground, waiting for death. Colonel Gascon's spiritual journey is now approaching tothe point that we call justification in our world or conversion. He think about his whole life. He think about how he was dealing with these little droids. And by the way, one of them stays with him in his final hours, and WAC even opens up his eyes, who he thought of and said a silly tin box. He feels peace in himself, with the world, his height, his destiny, his God. But it's enough for providence. It does not want his death, but he prepares help for the colonel. For me, it is a very sympathetic way to save the colonel, a large group of running birds come. The Colonel immediately realizes that perhaps it is the last chance to find the escape route. He catches one of the birds, snaps to its back. He also encourages WAC-47, but the cube is reversed this time, because now the little droid does not understand this, his program is not enough for that. He crouches into minimal position as the pit droids are used to. Gascon encourages him not to be afraid, the birds habe a program that is superior to the droid program. Superior then Colonel Gascon's training. The birds program is the program of life. With their divine instinct, through the miracle of living, they are perfectly aware of and perceive the magnetic fields that can not be sensed by us, so they can navigate perfectly from a great distance anywhere. In addition, they know where to find water and food. So WAC also catches a bird and the herd runs toward an oasis. Meanwhile, the bird feels the fear of WAC, so with his head he taps the little robot. The pit droid gently raises his little hand and gently strokes his head. This is a wonderful scene as the metal hand caresses a living creature cautiously, who is enjoying the touch of his new friend with eyes closed. And meanwhile, they transport them to the oasis where water splashes, helping the Colonel and the droid down from their backs. Gascon is happy to "rehydrate" himself from the "water of life".

In this oasis they will find Gregor in the restaurant of Borkus, whom I have already written, please, who has not read his intro then read it, I will not write it again. Anyway,with the help of the ex clone, they acquire a ship, with that they can leave Abafar. Meanwhile, Gregor dies, Rhydonium barrels explode beside him, destroying everything in a giant radius, CIS droids and Gregor too. Colonel Gascon, struggling with his tears, says thank you for the sacrifice of the clone, and promised to bring his fame to the Republic and to preserve his memory. They dock with the shuttle in a Venator class cruiser. But the ship is a ghost ship. Hologram clones are everywhere. Finally they find some survivors. In order to make these four episodes consistent, the makers have decided that the survivors will be also droids. There are a Rabbit droid, a mouse droid, two gonk droids, and a Treadwell. The small team finds that the ship is being used as a moving bomb by the Separatists, it is full with Rhydonium, and the Seps want to torpedo it into a potent Republic target where Jedi, soldiers and politicians will negotiate. As Gascon wants to prevent them, they draw attention to themselves and find out that a squadron of CIS droids is on board. The commander droid sends a bunch of buzz droids after them. It's also interesting that buzz droids are chasing them, almost everything is droid in these episodes, but everything's so human. The cornered D Squad is rescued by BZ once again, but this time he will be lost. The small R4 opens an airlock through which the vacuum of the space sucks all the buzz droids and BZ. So their little companion who wasnot let behing when he was disabled, for the second time he thanked them that gesture, but now he's over. Colonel Gascon shortly, but he holds a mourning speech for a droid! Thanking him for his self-sacrifice, when he has never before said thank you for anything.

But the ship is flying fast in the meantime. There is no other choice but the detonator needs to be neutralized, but the commander droid takes care of it. While the others flee with the ferry they had arrived (though Gascon does not want to leave him back), R2 will stay there and self-sacrifice an early explosion to rescue the republic forces in which the separatists have almost torpedod this ship. Among them there are Kenobi and Anakin. When the ship explodes at a safe distance from the republic gather point, they are even shaken by shock waves. Gascon contacts them, tells them they have the decoder and disarmed the bomb, but it costed R2-D2's life. Anakin does not let him down, he does not want to lose his droid friend, so he sends out explorers to bring R2 back if they can. They soon find him, but in a horrible state, his torso has a huge hole, floating in pieces in space. Fortunately, his memory is intact. Anakin orders him planted into a new body, reuniting ith his old buddy, so the four episodes end with a happy end.

The final gag is also the merit of Gascon and WAC. The colonel gives a speech explaining that "I may be just a cartographer, but you're Arto the most brave droid I know! Droids, I am glad and happy to serve with you anywhere, anytime." WAC-47 answers that the Council has approved the D-Squad to remain under Colonel Gascon. We do not know that he's just testing the Colonel, or joking, or it was the truth, but it's certain that Gascon's face was frozen. All episodes of the quadrilogy show us human behavior models through dialogues and actions of droids. Droids are the heroes, droids are enemies, droids are survivors, yet all so human, instructive, funny, cute. WAC and Gascon's dialogues are dramaturgical wonders, choreographed content, all of which serve a perfect base to the character development of a deep-rooted hero, who ultimately changes his ways in exciting, interesting and instructive way.

 

Colonel Gascon

Colonel Gascon with the heros of the 4 episode

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 written by: Norbert Rostas