Silly! Hilarious! Amazing! Three words I would use to describe the recently aired LEGO Star Wars: The Padawan Menace. Airing on Cartoon Network over Comic Con weekend and blending the lore of the Star Wars universe with the whimsical comedy of the LEGO Star Wars video games, The Phantom Padawan is a unique and bold vision that will certainly have its fans… and its detractors. While I can see why a lot of people will like the special, I can see a lot of others, especially those hardcore Star Wars fans, really disliking it. Personally, I thought the special was great, but it would be unfair of me to not list why some people may not have liked the series. 

Before I get to the good stuff regarding The Padawan Menace, let me first hit upon a few pieces in the special that may have those Star Wars fans a little bunched up about the special. One, be it what it is, it is overly silly. Somewhat to the point of being nauseating. Guess what though, that is the fun of having it done by LEGO. If those fans are not used to it by now because of the game series, this show won’t do much to change that. Two, it really does away with a lot of the continuity in Star Wars. Even though this special is set during the Clone Wars time period, characters from all points of the Star Wars TV and film franchises make appearances throughout the special. Three, even if those fans can look past the first two points, and they do enjoy what the LEGO Star Wars game series has done with the license, I have already read online that some people were upset that the LEGO Star Wars characters were talking. Are you bloody serious? That is actually a detraction for some people. Did they really think that the usual vocal sound effects found in the game series would really carry a half hour special. There is seriously no pleasing some people.

With that out of the way, let me tell you why I felt that this special will be unforgettable. One, it is silly beyond belief. When you have a field trip gone wrong, Vader refusing to take direction from George Lucas, classic Star Wars lines being altered to poke fun at the series and a surprise appearance by Admiral Ackbar - The Padawan Menace just went above what I expected in whimsical comedy and delivered on the level that some classic Looney Toons or Heckle and Jeckle cartoons used to be like. Throw away all the seriousness of the Star Wars franchise and just have fun was the motto behind this special. Two, while it may have been entirely childish in nature, I had fun with the voice acting in the special. Thankfully Yoda, C-3PO and Asajj Ventress all sounded as we have come to love them, but the Padawan cast and silly parallels of classic characters in the series really helped bring a tickle to the funny bone. Three, two lines in the special made the whole episode for me, and forgive me if this will spoil it for some of you, but they are just too awesome not to note. The first is during a fight on Tatooine and C-3PO appears from under some rubble holding two blasters and yells out “Say hello to my LEGO friends!” The second is when Admiral Ackbar makes his appearance and says… you know what? I won’t ruin that one for you. It is a classic. 

I know some people will have issues with the special - they will find things wrong with it and just bash it as they always do over the internet. But really, if you just have fun with it, which is the whole point of the special, you will see that LEGO Star Wars: The Padawan Menace is a smartly done homage to the Star Wars franchise. I really found nothing wrong with The Padawan Menace and thought that would make the target audience of the special, children and young teens, not like the special. When you take the whole special tongue in cheek, fans of the Star Wars series should have fun with it as well. Personally, I can’t wait to see another LEGO Star Wars special. It really was that good.