A/N: There are no spoilers to the main Amazing Race Star Wars fanfic in this story that introduces the teams at a somewhat tardy time.
Disclaimer: I do not own either Star Wars cartoon portrayed here, nor do I own the rights to The Amazing Race.
Meet the Teams
"Twelve new teams, coming together to compete for a one million credit check in the 10th season of The Amazing Race in our far away galaxy, our tin anniversary," host Dexter Jettster introduced the latest season of The Amazing Race. "Nine other groups of eleven to twelve teams have competed for the million, and now, it is the turn of some legendary heroes from the Clone Wars, as well as some fledgling Rebels against the Galactic Empire, to race around the galaxy in the adventure of a lifetime."
(In the background, twelve teams of two stand with smiling, eager faces, cheering, ready to begin the race at any time. Dexter started introducing the teams.)
"Ahsoka Tano and Lux Bonteri," said Dex, "Clandestine friends and fighting partners, fighting for freedom in the guise of smugglers."
"During the Clone Wars, when I used to be a Jedi, my best friend and some of my Jedi Masters betrayed me in a very cold, uncaring way," said Ahsoka, "Feeling all alone except for my Master, Anakin, I left the Jedi Order and became a common person, though I retained my Force powers."
(Footage shows Ahsoka having adventures with Lux Bonteri on Onderon, and of her standing trial in a Republic military court, until Anakin saved her life by bringing in the real criminal, her friend, Barriss.)
"I've been as supportive of Ahsoka as I can be," said Lux, "I like her more than anyone else I've known, except for my late mother. When we work together, which we usually do, we can be unbeatable, even by stormtroopers, and we believe that's going to serve us well in this Race."
Ahsoka smiled at him. "That's right. Just let traitors like the Imperials, or Barriss, near us now. We're gonna win this race!"
Dex continued. "Sugi and Embo, bounty hunting partners with a conscience, as well as plenty of slick and skillful moves that they're more than ready to execute this season."
"This is my kind of adventure when we're not bounty hunting," said Sugi. "We've seen so much of the dregs of the galaxy, and this time we're going to get to see some of the cleaner elements of galactic society, all the way to 1st place! We have an advantage over most of the other teams because our masculinity is elite, and our masculinity is going to outrace even the Jedi racers, right Embo?"
"Ton kwah!" said Embo.
(We see Sugi and Embo, along with Seripas and the deceased Rumi Paramita, helping out people throughout the galaxy, including on Felucia, for a good fee.)
Dex: "Lagos and Soniee, best friends and former Mandalorian cadets at the Royal Academy of Government on Mandalore."
"We're good friends not only with each other," said Lagos, "but also with another cadet named Amis, and Korkie Kryze, the nephew of Duchess Satine Kryze, the best leader Mandalore has had to date. We'd like to make Korkie and Amis, not to mention Satine and her sister Bo-Katan, proud of us by winning this wild and crazy Race! Of course, I'm aware that Satine and Bo-Katan are a team too, but if we win, they'll be proud of us, and if they win, vice versa."
(Lagos and Soniee as adolescent girls with Amis and Korkie, cleaning up corruption on Mandalore with Ahsoka, and attempting to save Satine from Darth Maul as young adults. There's also a scene of Soniee fiddling around with technology.)
"I have a lot of experience with technology," said Soniee, "and I just love tech stuff! There's bound to be a lot of techno material around the galaxy on this Race, though I admit that some planets may not have so much of it, and maybe my talent with using and fixing machines will serve us well, one nut and bolt at a time!"
"One nut and bolt at a time!" agreed Lagos. They both grinned.
Dex: "Garazeb Orrelios and C1-10P, or Zeb and Chopper, for short. Two grumpy Rebels with a very dysfunctional, yet cooperative relationship with each other."
"As long as Chopper here doesn't get in my way," said Zeb, "and we can both work like real partners, we're gonna dominate this Race! Ha! Ha! Ha!"
"BLEEP-BOOP-BEEP! BEEP-BEEP-BOOP!" said Chopper.
"Never mind Chopper," said Zeb, "He's always cantankerous and pulling pranks."
(We see Chopper giving an electric shock to Zeb and another Rebel named Ezra onboard the freighter the Ghost. Chopper fled, beeping cockily, with Zeb and Ezra in hot pursuit.)
"They say that sometimes the least likely team to win turns out to be the winning team," Zeb continued, "And that's certainly what Chopper and I are, unable to get along and always trying to look better than each other."
"BOOP-BEEP-BOOOOP!" said Chopper, pointing one of his little arms downwards as if in a thumbs down.
Dex: "Asajj Ventress and Barriss Offee, Dark Side of the Force practitioners, former enemies, now part-time partners in dark side activity."
"I don't normally participate in races," said Asajj, "But I want to show the galaxy that even someone who practices the dark side can win a big prize. It's about time the false Jedi were exposed as the hypocrites they are!" She smiled.
(Footage of Asajj dueling various Jedi, especially the legendary Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. Then it cuts to Barriss as a prisoner, confessing to her crime of blowing up the Jedi Temple and framing her friend Ahsoka for it.)
"My actions of killing some innocent people and framing poor Ahsoka were foolish and stupid, I know that now," said Barriss, "But I'm no longer convinced that the Jedi are the heroes of the galaxy, either, and if Asajj and I can win this race, which I think we will, I intend to use the money to discredit the Jedi Order by more legal means, without the accursed Empire's help, of course. The galaxy will soon see that I was the true wise one at the end of the Clone Wars."
Dex: "Ezra and Sabine, friends, youngsters, and fledgling Rebels against the Empire, with one training to be a Jedi, and the other to be the most artistic anti-Imperial warrior."
"I wanna show the good people of the galaxy that even the smallest kid can change the fortunes of the future," said Ezra, "It's a real pleasure to be in this Race, and to do it with my sweet friend, Sabine." He put an arm around Sabine. She gently shrugged it off while making a face.
"Really, kid?" she said. "Nothing gets past you, does it?"
(Ezra is shown demonstrating ways he can use his budding Force powers to help his friends, while Sabine is seen spray-painting a TIE Fighter wing and then setting a paint bomb over it, after toying with some dim stormtroopers.)
"Ezra may be a little weird sometimes," said Sabine, making Ezra make a face, "But he's a good Rebel, and without him, I don't know where we'd be now. He and I are gonna take this Race to its limits and beyond, and when it's over and we've won, we're gonna take those credits and-"
"We're gonna take them and use some of the money as a nice nest egg for Sabine and me to settle down together!" said a grinning Ezra.
Sabine gave him a sarcastic laugh.
"I don't know where you get your delusions, laser brain," she said smoothly. Then she picked up where she left off. "We're gonna take those credits and spread them around the galaxy for charity to so many needy worlds, including Lothal, and if there's any left over, that's going to Mandalore to finance the replacement of a lot of Imperial garbage, like the Imperial Academy there."
"I was gonna say that too, Sabine," insisted Ezra.
Dex: "Echo and Fives, two surviving clone ARC troopers from the Grand Army of the Republic, and best friends, too."
"We're an unstoppable fighting force," said Echo, "And we fight for the Republic, not the Empire!"
"Truth, justice, and the Republic way!" said Fives.
(We see holofilm of Echo and Fives training on Kamino, and then fighting on the Rishi moon, Kamino again, and Lola Sayu, sometimes alongside their late clone brothers, Droidbait, Cutup, and the legendary Hevy.)
"We're not stormtroopers," said Fives, "We ignored Order 66. Palpatine always was a little suspicious to us. We proved our mettle as Republic soldiers in the Clone Wars, and we weren't about to become part of an upstart government that perverted the ideals of the Republic."
"I consider us to be juggernauts," said Echo, "If we were strong enough to resist the pull of the Imperial Army, then we can take anything this Race throws at us. We're gonna win."
Dex: "QT-KT and WAC-47, better known as Qutee and Wack, heroic droids, smitten with each other, or at least Wack is, and pals with the famous R2-D2. They were once part of the famous D-Squad during the Clone Wars with Artoo, M5-BZ, U9-C4, and Colonel Meebur Gascon."
"You could say that we are a scrappy little team, Qutee and I," said Wack, "We are droids, but we are also war heroes, we are cute, we are little, and we really pack a punch. Qutee and I are such a lovable couple, and I think that our competitive styles complement each other perfectly."
"BEEP! WHISTLE! BEEP! said Qutee.
(Qutee and Wack are shown having a good time fighting for the Galactic Republic in the Clone Wars with the rest of D-Squad and the disgruntled little Colonel Gascon.)
"Oh yes," said Wack, "And when we win, those yummy credits are going to make a whole family of droids for the survivors of D-Squad to make friends with! Of course, I will not forget the special bond between the two of us, Qutee!" He patted her on the back of her dome.
"RASPBERRY! BEEP, BEEP, BEEEP," said Qutee.
Dex: "Cad Bane and Robonino, dirty, scheming bounty hunters with a lust for money and the spirit of a couple of classic outlaws!"
"Usually, I prefer to do real, ordinary bounty hunting jobs for my living," said Cad Bane, "But when I heard that the winning prize was one million credits, it was too good to pass up. I don't know what Robonino and I are in for here, but real bounty hunters conquer anything that gets in the way of their bounty!"
(Footage of Bane running throughout the galaxy, killing and capturing people in his bid for riches, including his little hostage job in the Galactic Senate, is shown. Footage of Robonino doing the same stuff is also shown.)
"I'm not about to back down on this opportunity, either," said Robonino, "I'm sure things will catch us by surprise, but I can't imagine anything being too tough for the likes of us. Besides, it's fun leaving a lot of do-gooder teams behind in the dust."
"Yeah," said Bane, "A good bounty hunter, or a 'bad' one, always gets his bounty, no matter what he has to do to get it, and the other teams don't stand a chance."
Dex: "Satine and Bo-Katan Kryze, Mandalorian sisters, a pacifist former duchess and a Mandalorian Nite Owl, standing for different ideals in the roles of war and peace, and yet working together with the devotion siblings like themselves ought to have."
"I know the Imperial military is practically a quintillionaire government," said Satine, "They couldn't ramp up their military to such an infinite expanse without it. But Bo and I intend to win this strange but exhilarating Race so we can buy something on Mandalore back from the Empire, like the Academy, or the New Mandalorian government, maybe."
"My intentions are not as like Satine's as she likes to think," said Bo-Katan, "But I'm racing for the honor of the Nite Owls. Maybe we can emerge as the ultimate warriors in the galaxy." She smiled tightly.
(Meanwhile, we see film of Satine ruling Mandalore as its duchess with a fair hand, as well as Bo-Katan battling honorably with her fellow Nite Owls, both before and after the death of Pre Vizsla. We even see an unheard conversation between Satine and Bo-Katan when the Shadow Collective came to take over the planet.)
"Come now, sister," said Satine dryly, "Whatever happened to our compromise?"
"That you could have the throne back while I could fight wherever I pleased in the galaxy, being unable ever to come back to Mandalore?" said Bo-Katan sarcastically.
"The sarcasm of a soldier," said Satine.
"The delusion of a dreamer," replied Bo-Katan.
They looked at each other, and then they laughed. "We may not always get along," said Bo, "But when we're a team, which will be the case in this Race, our opposite views on life may help us win with the best of both worlds."
Dex: "Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla, the leaders of the fledgling Rebel Alliance, close friends, and one of the coolest teams in many viewers' opinions."
"We've got this down," said Hera, "We've got our feet on the ground, and we're rearin' to go."
"The other teams don't stand a chance against two of the most caring people in the galaxy," said Kanan. "It may seem funny, competing in a race for a million credits when more important problems and tasks are at hand in the galaxy."
(Kanan and Hera travel here and there and everywhere in the Outer Rim in the Ghost, bringing hope and strength to people who need it most, supported by their four fellow Rebels.)
"But this is a good way to see some of the planets and star systems that we haven't yet visited," said Hera, "And if we can learn some more things about the suffering people within the Empire, and win the million, we can use the money for charitable purposes and bring back comfort to a lot of homeless, starving folks."
"That's right," said Kanan, "The galaxy needs us. And I can sense that the Force is with us. We're going to win."
Dex: "Katooni and Petro, younglings and former Jedi Padawans, living together with their other youngling friends in a changed galaxy, looking for comfort."
"As the youngest team, along with Ezra and Sabine, we may not be the strongest, or the smartest," said Petro, "But we definitely are the scrappiest. More so than even the droids think they are."
"And we're gonna scrap our way to the finish line!" said Katooni enthusiastically.
"Yeah!" Petro agreed.
"We grew up under the grind of the Clone Wars," said Petro, "We became the Jedi Order's final generation of new Padawans, and we narrowly escaped Order 66 when the war ended and the Empire began. Now we live in hiding along with our fellow younglings and pals, Byph, Ganodi, Gungi, and Zatt, and we'd like to make things a little bit happier and more enjoyable in our exile."
(Katooni, Petro, and their four little friends are seen looking for their lightsaber crystals in the Crystal Caves on Ilum. Then we see them in their unexpected adventures with Ahsoka and Hondo Ohnaka.)
"Before the fall of our Order, we all searched for our personal lightsaber crystals deep within the sacred Jedi Temple on Ilum," said Katooni. "It was very enlightening for all of us. Then we had an exciting ordeal with the pirate gang of Hondo Ohnaka and General Grievous' Separatists. With help from Ahsoka, and later, Hondo, who turned out not to be such a bad guy after all, we made it through alive and well, and were proud to have our completed lightsabers. If we could handle something like that, then surely the two of us can do this race and win."
"Ganodi, Gungi, Byph, and Zatt are pretty confident we can win, too," said Petro. The children shared a giddy grin.
"Twelve teams, all with their own unique racing spirit, battling it out for the jackpot," concluded Dex. "Remember to watch The Amazing Race every Friday night, at 8 PM, Coruscant time, on the Imperial HoloNet. See you at the races!"
FIN
