#82 Season 4 Episode 16

“Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.”

Fleeing across the galaxy with criminal fugitives, a disguised Obi-Wan, Cad Bane and Moralo Eval are tenaciously pursued by Anakin and Ahsoka, who have no idea they’re chasing their friend.

Friends and Enemies Preview and starwars.com Episode Guide.

Original Airdate: 27 January 2012

Writer: Brent Friedman

Director: Bosco Ng

Concept Art and Trivia

Rako Hardeen’s new helmet design that he picks up in Pablo’s pawnshop is based on an early Ralph McQuarrie Boba Fett concept. The helmet design was included in the McQuarrie Signature Series Boba Fett action figure released by Hasbro in 2007.

Also found in that pawn shop is a suspiciously-familiar looking rumpled fedora.

Moralo Eval’s armored chest-piece is the same design seen on General Veers, snowtroopers and Dengar in The Empire Strikes Back.

The Luxury 3000 space yacht that Hardeen uses is based on a design developed for Lando Calrissian’s Expanded Universe ship, Lady Luck. Though the ship model is very faithful to the illustrations, the cockpit interior had to be re-scaled to read better on the screen than it did in printed floorplans. Also, unlike Lando’s ship, this yacht does not have a hot tub.

Seen briefly shuffling their way through Bilbousa Bazaar is Gorga the Hutt, the monocle-wearing Hutt Council member. Later, a very tipsy Sy Snootles can be spotted being carried out of the saloon.

The design of the junker is based on the Hound’s Tooth design, created for Shadows of the Empire products back in 1996. “This suggestion actually came from George Lucas, who had evidently seen a die-cast toy of the vehicle,” says Dave Filoni. “As with most ship designs we inherit there is always the question of, ‘how do they get in and out of this vehicle, and where is the landing gear?'”

As Anakin and Ahsoka stroll into the saloon, in the patio in plain sight is a Trandoshan throttling a Bith.

Inside the saloon (right next to the Gotal that narrowly misses getting hit by a flying ax) is a poster advertising that Sebulba will be signing autographs on “Saturday at 10am.” Illustration by Polina Hristova.

In the script, the saloon bartender was only identified as an alien. Bosco Ng wanted to use an Ithorian in the role, but that created a complication in that Ithorians are not depicted speaking English. “Rather than re-shoot the scene, I designed a translator which the Ithorian wears,” says Filoni. “In the final sound design you can actually hear the Ithorian dialog in its native tongue, underneath the device’s translation.”

The Orondia station design is a type of location Dave Filoni has imagined since he was a child. “I always wondered where Vader went after the Death Star blew up. I pictured him flying to a remote moon where he landed on the surface and was greeted by Stormtroopers. It was a very gray bleak image in my mind.” Another inspiration cue was the truck stop/gas station from Toy Story.

Signage at the fueling station includes: Eat at Koe’s, Bounty Emporium: Always Open, Bounty Never Sleeps; Security Services; Speeder Sales; The Pilot’s Lounge (Live Band Every Night); Craft Repair and Maintenance; Repair Rack Droid Serv