22. Hostage Crisis

In an attempt to force the release of the crime lord Ziro the Hutt from prison, bounty hunters seize control of the Senate Building and hold members of the Senate hostage. Cad Bane, the leader of the operation, with the help of bounty hunter Aurra Sing, issues his demands to Chancellor Palpatine, who has no choice but to meet his request. Unbeknownst to the hunters, Anakin is loose in the Senate building. Hostage Crisis received attention for it being the episode that contained the debut of Cad Bane. The episode was generally well received for its willingness to portray violence, but drew criticism for its inclusion of Ziro the Hutt, due to that character being seen as uninteresting and as an offensive LGBT stereotype. The effectiveness of the episode's portrayal of Anakin Skywalker was disputed among critics.