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The Clone Wars Episode Guide: Altar of Mortis
Episode No.: 60 (Season 3, Episode 16)
Production No.: 311 (Season 3, Episode 11)
Original Air Date: February 4, 2011
“He who surrenders hope, surrenders life.”
Written by Christian Taylor
Directed by Brian Kalin O’Connell
Cast:
Matt Lanter as Anakin Skywalker
James Arnold Taylor as Obi-Wan Kenobi
Samuel Witwer as Son
Adrienne Wilkinson as Daughter
Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano
Lloyd Sherr as Father
Tom Kane as narrator
Synopsis: Before the Jedi can leave Mortis, the Son takes Ahsoka captive in an attempt to entice Anakin into joining him to use their combined strength to overpower his Father and Sister. To this end, the Son casts Ahsoka under the spell of the dark side.
Meanwhile, the Father attempts to stave off a disastrous showdown between his children and maintain the Force’s increasingly precarious balance on the planet. Fearing that the Son may be unstoppable, the Daughter does the forbidden by taking Obi-Wan Kenobi to the Altar of Mortis, wherein is kept the Dagger of Mortis, a weapon capable of killing a Force-wielder. The Son steals the weapon, and attempts to use it against his Father to steal his power and end his rule, but the Daughter sacrifices herself, placing herself in front of the blade.
Returning Characters: Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Son, Daughter, Father
Worlds Visited: Mortis
Secrets Revealed
- The Son’s “prison creature form” has no proper name. Sam Witwer provided the voice for it as well.
- The look of the Altar was very much derived from the Wagner opera Siegfried. In it, Siegfried crosses through a ring of fire to find the valkyrie warrior Brünnhilde, who shall “work the deed that redeems the world.” This description could apply to the Mortis dagger, as well as to Anakin.
- The Son’s cathedral is an homage to the tower of Orthanc from The Lord of the Rings, the Two Towers, which was also a single dark tower set within a circle. “If you know The Lord of the Rings films you may notice that the tower itself resembles Saruman’s staff,” says Supervising Director Dave Filoni. Saruman was portrayed by Christopher Lee who also played Count Dooku in Episodes II, III and The Clone Wars movie.
- Though the Father is not depicted in a beast form, he does have wings.
