After the relief mission to Aleen is completed, R2-D2 and C-3PO attempt to report in to Padmé via hologram, but are interrupted by a Separatist attack and forced to abandon ship. However, instead of utilizing an escape pod, the two droids commandeer a Y-Wing. Split up from Commander Wolffe and Republic allies, the duo attempt to navigate their way back home.
Tropes:
- Accidental Murder: In an attempt to prevent R2-D2 from causing an incident with the Patitites, C-3PO tries to shut him off... and promptly knocks him over on top of the Patitite ruler Hay-Zu, squashing him flat.
- Alien Blood: After flattening Hay-Zu when 3PO knocked him over, R2 sports a large turquoise bloodstain on his front for the rest of the episode.
- Always a Bigger Fish: The pirate ship that captures 3PO and R2 runs into a Separatist dreadnought soon afterwards, which casually destroys it by using it as target practice. Shortly thereafter, the dreadnought is ambushed by a Republic fleet and also brought down.
- And There Was Much Rejoicing: Hay-Zu clearly isn't exactly a kind or just ruler, and suffice to say, the Patitites are hardly broken up over his death. In fact, they're so grateful they fix the droids' ship, then ask C-3PO to be their new leader.
- Asshole Victim: The pirates who force droids to fight to the death are blown into space by Separatists.
- Big Little Man: The Pattitites initially seem to be comparatively normal-sized, but after they leap out and start attacking C-3PO and R2-D2, they are quickly revealed to be only a few inches tall.
- Breather Episode: This episode, along with the previous one, is a lighthearted romp compared to the fourth season's otherwise serious stories.
- Call-Forward:
- On two separate occasions, C-3PO and R2-D2 find themselves on a ship whose main reactor is shutting down, just as they do at the start of A New Hope. On the second occasion C-3PO even exclaims "We'll disintegrate for sure!"
- 3PO's abilities as a storyteller are brought up twice, first at the start of the episode when he relates to Padmé the events of the previous episode, and again at the end when he starts to tell Wolffe about this episode's adventures. To judge by Wolffe's reaction, he hasn't yet learned to narrate with sound effects like he will in the future.
- Conveniently Close Planet: Pattitite Pattuna and Balnab, which seem to be in the same star system. The first one just happens to be in the immediate vicinity of Adi Gallia's vessel when the droids leave it, and when they take off from there Balnab is convenient conveniently close enough to reach with a small ship at sublight speeds.
- Cool and Unusual Punishment: To go along with his rather downplayed (and trollish) sense of humor, Plo Koon ducks out on 3PO's incipient story of the droids' adventures, delegating the task to Wolffe.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Grievous decisively defeats Adi Gallia, quickly wiping out her troops, capturing her and destroying her ship.
- Death by Falling Over: A variant — the diminutive dictator Hay-Zu is killed when C-3PO accidentally knocks R2-D2 onto him.
- Falling into the Cockpit: Although R2 may be experienced in flying smaller ships, C-3PO certainly is not, and the audience is treated to a bewildered protocol droid "piloting" a Y-Wing. Points for literally tumbling into the cockpit initially as well!
- Fantastic Flora: Pattitite Pattuna is dominated by tall trees topped with a pair of perforated, shell-like leaves, floating clusters of reddish lumps trailing long roots into the air, and wide fields of "grass" with stems dotted with pink, lilac and blue globes.
- For the Evulz: This is the entire motivation of the Separatists for attacking the pirate vessel. Once notified of the existence of a nearby spaceship that is possibly being used by pirates, General Grievous instantly snarls "Use that ship for target practice! Open fire!" Granted, the crew was made up of pirates and they certainly deserved it, but the Separatists don't bother confirming this before shooting or take into account any possible innocents aboard.
- The Gadfly: When he, Adi Gallia, and Commander Wolffe catch up to R2 and 3PO, Plo Koon suggests that 3PO recount his adventures to Commander Wolffe, knowing that this will exasperate the clone officer.C-3PO: Yes, Commander Wolffe. How have you been, sir? We have been on quite an adventure.
Plo Koon: Well, I'm certain Wolffe would love to hear about it.
Wolffe: Uh, a-actually, sir... - Glowing Flora: Pattitite Pattuna is home to grass-like stems studded with glowing blue, lilac and blue berry-like structures, as well as clusters of glowing red globes floating through the air.
- Gory Discretion Shot: We are not shown what was left of Hay-Zu after R2 fell on him — the episode just shows Artoo falling onto him, large strings of turquoise slime when Artoo is righted, and the other Pattitites looking down towards the camera while grimacing.
- Guy in Back: Played With. R2-D2 may be in the Y-Wing's GIB position that astromechs occupy, but he does the actual piloting and shooting since C-3PO knows nothing about either.
- Lilliputians: The Pattitites, in a direct homage to the Trope Namer, are minuscule humanoids small enough to fit in a human-sized being's hand.
- Ludicrous Precision: C-3PO, in his typical fashion, at one point comments that he has 1.723% charge left.
- The Man Behind the Curtain: At one point, the droids are captured by a group of natives on the planet Balnab, who have an oppressive ruler who commands them in the form of an intimidating hologram. R2 quickly discovers that the hologram is a fake being operated by a group of pit droids and exposes them.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Played for laughs; C-3PO attempts to form a democracy amongst the Patitites, except that they all like the three candidates. This leads to a comical fight not only between the three candidates, but the remaining Patitites as well, leading C-3PO and R2-D2 to exit stage left.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Adi Gallia and her clone troopers escape from Separatist custody before Plo Koon and company arrive to rescue them.
- Shout-Out:
- The leader from the first planet that the droids come across physically resembles recurring Droids enemy Sisse Fromm, albeit scaled down, and 3PO and R2 are tied down by the Pattitites in manner very similar to Gulliver being tied down by the Lilliputians. In addition, the reaction of the Pattitites when 3PO accidentally knocks R2 over onto their leader, killing him, is rather similar to the Winkies after Dorothy melts the Wicked Witch of the West.
- The second planet has a great and powerful hologram that commands the denizens there, only for the deception to be exposed.
- To carry through with the Gulliver's Travels theme (which also applies to a degree in how the giant hologram on Balnab dwarfs the droids): the shot of the pirate ship cruising in above the drained R2 and 3PO is rather similar to the island of Laputa—ironic, since in the original novel Laputa saved Gulliver from pirates—and after they get blown out of it into space and make it inside the hangar of the Separatist ship, the ranks of simple-minded battle droids there certainly have a few things in common with the Yahoos.
- Space Pirates: The droids are picked up by a band of pirates after they run out of power — so they can be used in droid pit battles.
- Spoof Aesop: Fitting for a galaxy full of Royals Who Actually Do Something, this episode presents democracy as falling to in-fighting and violence... immediately.
- Tempting Fate: No sooner does C-3PO claim to have frightened the Pattitites off than they suddenly leap out and attack.
- Wacky Wayside Tribe: The episode follows 3PO and R2 running into a series of exotic planets and peculiar societies and dangers, such as a tribe of lilliputians, a group of primitive warriors being led by robots posing as a god, and a band of pirates.
- Waking Up Elsewhere: After running out of power, the two droids are salvaged by pirates. Their wake-up after being recharged is not pleasant.
- You Kill It, You Bought It: After C-3PO accidentally knocks R2-D2 onto Hay-Zu, the Pattitites want to make Threepio their new leader due to him having killed the previous one.
