Fear is a disease; hope is its only cure.
Senator Padmé Amidala is called back to her home planet of Naboo after the Naboo Royal Security force shoots down a tactical droid and its battle droid escort in the hills not far from Theed. The tactical droid is destroyed during an attempt to interrogate it, but an insect found in the chassis of one of the battle droids points to a certain swamp. While investigating, Padmé and Jar Jar come across a Gungan herdswoman named Peppi Bow, who has some animals that died after drinking from the river leading from that swamp. They enter the swamp and discover an underground lab built during the Trade Federation occupation, but are captured by Dr. Nuvo Vindi and his battle droids. Dr. Vindi has, with funding from the Separatists, resurrected the infamous Blue Shadow Virus, which is feared for being able to infect any species in the galaxy. And he's made it even more deadly by engineering an airborne strand. He's built dozens of bombs for releasing the virus in important spaceports across the galaxy.
Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka arrive on Naboo with their clone troopers and assault the lab. After a fight, Dr. Vindi is captured and prevented from unleashing the virus. It's over... or is it?
Tropes:
- As You Know: During Dr. Vindi's discussion with the captive Padmé, the latter provides a lot of exposition about the Blue Shadow Virus that both parties already know, but the audience don't (namely, it's a deadly virus that no lifeforms are immune to and that was eradicated from the galaxy centuries ago). Justified somewhat in that she's trying to emphasize just how dangerous the virus is in order to talk Vindi out of using it, but of course, Vindi already knows how dangerous it is and simply doesn't care.
- Big Damn Heroes: Obi-Wan saving Ahsoka by breaking through the ceiling and onto the mooks.
- Big Electric Switch: Vindi has one in his lab which activates an electrocution device.
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: Vindi refers to the eradication of the horrendously deadly Blue Shadow Virus as "murder" and refers to viruses as the highest form of life in the galaxy, considering "so-called superior lifeforms" (i.e.: sentient beings) a plague spreading the disease of war across the galaxy. The Visual Guide
also indicates that he felt the countless deaths caused by the returned virus would bring peace to the universe. - Bomb Disposal: A unit of clone troopers that specialize in this are brought in to defuse Dr. Vindi's virus bombs.
- Bookshelf Dominoes: Jar Jar starts one of these with shelves full of droid parts while flailing about in pain because his tongue is stuck in part of a disassembled astromech droid.
- Call-Back: The secret lab was built during the Trade Federation occupation of Naboo a decade before.
- Chekhov's Gun: The last virus bomb, which Vindi gave to his personal droid.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Keep an eye on Dr. Vindi's LEP droid.
- Cold Equation: Obi-Wan states that it is preferable to limit the virus to infecting Naboo alone over it spreading throughout the Galaxy.
- Delicious Distraction: While the tactical droid is being interrogated, Jar Jar gets distracted by an insect (that Gungans eat) coming out of a cavity in one of the battle droids. The insect proves to be a vital clue, however.
- Desperate Object Catch: On several occasions, characters jump to catch vials of the virus before they hit the ground or a wall.
- Elaborate Underground Base: The secret lab is shown to be quite expansive, particularly on the briefing hologram.
- Faint in Shock: Jar Jar faints in relief when the last bomb is deactivated, prompting Rex, Ahsoka, and Padmé to turn and stare.
- Foreshadowing: A throwaway line from Padmé states that relations between the people of Naboo and the Gungans is tense despite the two peoples living in harmony after the Battle of Naboo. Come 3 seasons later, we find out the reason why...
- Forgot About His Powers: On several occasions, Vindi throws a vial (or vials) of the virus at Anakin or Obi-Wan, who run or jump to catch it, even though they're both Jedi with telekinetic powers. Ahsoka, on the other hand, uses her TK effectively to drop a thermal detonator on a hatch without triggering the pressure alarms leading to it. Possibly justified in that Vindi also keeps them pinned under fire and it's easier on their part to physically catch the vials rather than using the Force and risking their concentration getting broken resulting in the vial being dropped.
- GPS Evidence: A bug that Jar Jar finds in one of the astromech droids is used to help narrow down the location of the Separatist lab.
- Grenade Hot Potato: Vindi starts throwing vials of the virus as weapons, forcing the Jedi to catch them before they hit the ground and shatter.
- Hazmat Suit: Padmé and Jar Jar wear them, as they don't yet know whether the virus is airborne or not.
- Herr Doktor: Vindi sports a slight German accent.
- Instantly Proven Wrong:Vindi: (Maniacally laughing) Yes! The bomb's going off and we're all going to die! HAHAHAHAHA-! YES! YES! DIE![Vindi's detonator goes offline, signifying the bomb has been deactivated. Vindi looks at it in shock, clearly confused.]Vindi: Oops. What happened?
- Large Ham: Vindi is incredibly loud and energetic throughout the episode, but it's at its most obvious when he discusses the BSV, where he slips into full-on Chewing the Scenery.
- Luck-Based Search Technique: Jar Jar stumbles over a branch and falls onto what turns out to be the opening of the Elaborate Underground Base.
- Mad Scientist: Dr. Vindi is this in spades, complete with exaggerated German accent. There's really no other way to describe someone who willingly and enthusiastically resurrected an incredibly dangerous disease and made it more dangerous. He also considers the past eradication of the virus to be "murder", even though viruses are not actually sentient.
- Male Gaze: Padmé's firm buttocks gets subjected to these camera shots.
- Morally Ambiguous Doctorate: There exists a university out there that granted Nuvo Vindi a medical degree. Then again, it's possible he only went off the rails after graduating.
- No Biochemical Barriers: The Blue Shadow Virus is feared because it can infect any species. It raises certain questions about the morality and sanity of the Separatists (whose leadership is composed of living beings) in being willing to bankroll the virus' recreation.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Jar Jar has this reaction when Peppi Bow attacks him and pulls off the helmet of his hazmat suit. He only calms down after Peppi assures him that the virus isn't airborne.
- Padmé and Jar Jar have this reaction when Dr. Vindi reveals he's perfected an airborne strain of the Blue Shadow Virus.
- Vindi reacts with surprise and some fear near the end of the episode, when the clones defuse the last bomb before it detonates.
- Omnicidal Maniac: Vindi seems perfectly willing to kill everything with the virus, including himself. His reaction to learning the bomb containing the virus is about to go off? Maniacal laughter as he happily declares that everyone is going to die.
- Put Down Your Gun and Step Away: Vindi holds Padmé and Jar Jar hostage, threatening to electrocute them to death, in order to get Anakin and his clone troopers to surrender when they enter the main control room. Of course, no one but Anakin and Padmé know just how literal the trope name fits in this instance...
- Rapid-Fire "Yes!": Vindi seems to have this as a Verbal Tic. Of particular note is his reaction to Padmé noting that the Blue Shadow Virus was eradicated centuries ago; he exclaims "Yes!" about twenty times in a row before adding that he's resurrected it.
- Revealing Cover Up: The lab accidentally leaked some of the Blue Shadow Virus. Some droids went out to clean it up, but got captured, leading the Republic to hunt for the lab.
- Sadistic Choice: Attempted by Vindi. He re-activates the electrocution device Padmé and Jar Jar are strapped to and then flees, with the stated intent of forcing Anakin to choose between stopping him or saving the hostages. Anakin saves the hostages in about twenty seconds, and by the time he catches up to Vindi, he's already being confronted by Obi-Wan, who came in through a separate entrance.
- Shout-Out: The shots of Vindi yelling about the murder of the Blue Shadow Virus, with his face framed by electric sparking things, appears in black and white thanks to the angle and the lighting. It's straight out of Hammer Horror. The spots on his face even evoke Christopher Lee's appearance as The Creature in The Curse of Frankenstein.
- Skewed Priorities: After destroying the droids guarding Padmé and Jar Jar and deactivating the torture device they had been strapped to, Padmé quietly suggests that next time, he should disable the torture device first.
- Tempting Fate: When Obi-Wan and the bomb squad find the room with the virus bombs:Clone Trooper: This looks like the bomb room.
Obi-Wan: Yes, but luckily they appear inactive.
[Vindi remotely activates the bombs, and they start counting down]
Obi-Wan: I spoke too soon. Get these deactivated, now! - Title Drop: The title of this episode is said by the characters several times.
- Tongue Trauma: While chasing the insect, Jar Jar gets his tongue stuck in an astromech dome, whose gears promptly pull his tongue in.
- Wait Here: Ahsoka tells Jar Jar to wait outside while she goes to infiltrate the lab on her own. Obviously, this is not gonna stand for long.
- Water Source Tampering: Unintentionally, some of the virus leaked into the local water source, leading to a herd of animals dying after drinking from the river. Presumably they cleaned it up.
- What's an X Like You Doing in a Y Like This?:Dr. Vindi: What's a lifeform like you doing in a swamp like this?
Padmé: I was about to ask you the same question. - You're Insane!: Padmé's reaction to Vindi when he reveals his Evil Plan.
