Season 2 Episode 18

“Choose what is right, not what is easy.”

Desperate to turn the tide of a fierce battle on Malastare and win a strategic alliance with the Dugs, Chancellor Palpatine orders the Jedi to drop the Republic’s newest super-weapon, an untested electro proton bomb. Unfortunately, the bomb’s blast awakens an ancient and fearsome Zillo Beast, a monster of legendary size and ferocity. Now the Jedi must contain this deadly creature despite the interference of the bloodthirsty Dugs, who have their own agenda.

The Zillo Beast Commentary, Mash troopers, Preview and starwars.com Episode Guide.

Concept Art and Trivia

This episode is, in ways large and small, an homage to the classic Godzilla movies. The creature and its name is the most obvious nod to the Japanese monster movie star. Smaller details include the names the painted designs on the helmets of the clone bomber pilots, Goji and Rod, that suggest the likenesses of Godzilla and Rodan.

The tactical droid leading the droid army has a symbol on its chest to represent the Oxygen Destroyer which killed Godzilla in the original 1954 movie.

When the Zillo beast first surfaces, it tramples a clone trooper who emits a peculiar scream. That scream is tradition of sorts in Star Wars — a sound effect affectionately called “the Wilhelm.” It’s a decades-old audio recording of a very distinctive scream that has become a “pet sound effect” to many sound editors. It appears in dozens of movies, including all the Star Wars features.

Concept art of gunship nose art “BOOT GUNRAY”

Concept art of the Zillo blaster stun cannon tank

The electro-proton bomb (called the ion bomb during production) is covered with Aurebesh lettering: official red print say such things as “CAUTION ION DETONATOR” and “CODE SWITCH DESIGNATOR” while a hand-scrawled notation on the fin says “THIS IS FOR YOU DOOKU.”

Concept art of a Dug soldier mounted on an insectomorph.