Whenever anything post-Revenge of the Sith hits a big milestone then I really do wonder where the time goes. Today marks 15 years since the release of The Clone Wars theatrical movie, and while it’s safe to say that reviews were mixed at best for this release, who would have predicted that it was the dawn of a new era of Star Wars storytelling that captivated fans worldwide and kept the saga alive while live-action theatrical films went into hibernation for a decade.
In this piece and in celebration of this landmark day we’re going to take a look-back at six of the most memorable stories from seven seasons of the show. For many, this show also holds a special place in their hearts as it stands as the last piece of Star Wars that George Lucas had direct involvement in before selling Lucasfilm to Disney. It’s impossible to include just single episodes as the show really did make use of story arcs and spread stories across three or sometimes even four episodes.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane and also remember how this show impacted the saga as a whole.
THE RETURN OF DARTH MAUL
Let’s kick start with a bang. Maul’s return had many heads scratching and turning but after a mere few minutes of screen time fans collectively were enthralled by the once slain Sith apprentice back for more blood. Deliciously voiced by Sam Witwer and featuring wonderfully crafted writing for the character, Maul achieved new levels of cult status thanks for his appearances in the show. Maul returned in the season 4 episode ‘Brothers’ as he was discovered by his brother, Savage Opress, on the planet Lotho Minor where he is half Maul/half mechanical spider and he remained a fixture on the show until its end. The notion to bring Maul back was of course that of the creator himself. Lucas just couldn’t let Maul die. He went on record saying that he regretted killing him off so early in The Phantom Menace and Lucas briefly floated an idea to bring Maul back in Episode III in the role that later went to General Grievous. We now know, thanks for subsequent interviews for the Archive book series, that Lucas even wanted Maul to be the lead villain of his sequel trilogy. Thanks to The Clone Wars; Maul has gone from ‘really cool bad guy’ to a character of great depth, pathos and an example on the suffering of the human condition as a character comes to terms with his real place in a galaxy far, far away.
A CLONE CONSPIRACY
It wasn’t until the season one episode ‘Rookies’ where the clones really took centre stage and the series shifted into high-gear. The clones were some of the most well-written and compelling characters the series saw. Such unique personalities did they develop that when a clone was killed, we, as the audience, really felt it. Rex quickly became a fan-favourite and there are simply too many others to name without offending someone who has their idea of who the best clones were. For me, it’s testament to the characters that for many times over the seven seasons the clones didn’t need Anakin or Obi-Wan in the foreground but they easily carried the episodes by themselves. None more so than in the season 6 ‘Conspiracy’ story arc when a group of clones discovered the ‘inhibitor chip’ that would ultimately lead to Order 66. In the episode, Clone Trooper Tup killed a Jedi Master on the battle field and is escorted back to Kamino by Rex, Fives and others to investigate what happened. During this arc we also were treated to some much-needed Shaak Ti screen time. From a storytelling standpoint, we know what’s coming. We know that Order 66 is destined to be carried out but we’re still rooting for our heroes to find the chips and get them out of their heads as soon as possible. Of course, at the end of the episode Palpatine makes an appearance to pull the strings some more and set the stage for Episode III. It was stories like this, that played with story beats, which had us on the edge of our seats and becoming more emotionally invested in the saga as a whole.
THE MORTIS ARC
Where do we start with this? These episodes are arguably THE most famous to come out of the show’s entire run. Lucas was heavily involved with these episodes from the get-go and his fingerprints can be seen all over it. The arc consisted of three episodes; ‘Overlords’, ‘Alter of Mortis’ and ‘Ghosts of Mortis’. We find our trio of heroes Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka Tano as they crash on the mysterious planet of Mortis and from there they meet three pivotal characters; the father, the son and the daughter. This story arc is a beautiful storytelling metaphor and the simplest breakdown for the characters was always this; the Son represents the Dark Side of the Force, the Daughter represents the Light Side of the Force and Father represents the Balance of the Force. When the Son kills the Daughter we, as the audience, can take this to mean the Dark Side of the Force is growing ever-stronger and killing the light slowly as Palpatine grows stronger and the Jedi continue to lose their sight. When the Father dies, this is an analogy of how the balance of the Force has truly been lost as a new war looms over the galaxy and the Sith are a short time away from enacting their revenge. These episodes also saw the return of Pernilla August as Shmi Skywalker and the legendary Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn. There is another possibility of course that each of the Mortis characters could be assigned to our heroes. The Son represents Anakin, the Daughter is Ahsoka and the Father is Obi-Wan…ever the negotiator to try and keep the balance. Our heroes would never remember what happened to them on Mortis but one thing would remain; the Moria that would continue to follow Ahsoka from this point forward. Her Guardian, her protector, her destiny.
JEDI MASTER KRELL
Pong Krell was a truly fascinating character and again displayed just how adult this show could get despite airing on Cartoon Network at the time. Krell was a Besalisk and a Jedi General but by the time of the Battle of Umbara there was much more going on beneath the surface. Krell had received a vision from the Force and that vision was the end of the Jedi Order and the Republic along with it. While Krell was not a Sith, it was his intention to prove himself to Count Dooku in hopes of being taken on as his new apprentice. Krell turned on the Clone Troopers and displayed an aggressive fighting style, none more evident than by tricking the Clones into fighting each other. Though he ultimately met his demise at the hands of Clone Trooper CT-6922, this story showed us that the beginning of the end of the Jedi was already being played out long before we joined the events of Episode III. The show did a brilliant job of playing with ‘heroes on both sides’ and asked us to really question our feelings about the Jedi. I remember as a child that it all seemed so simple. Jedi = good. Sith = bad. The answer is actually far more complex than that much in the way that the old EU and some of the new canon does a good job of fleshing out some of the Imperial Officers. Some of the agents of the Empire were just after a job. It paid. So they did it. The Clone Wars does a superb job of making us see the motives of characters like Count Dooku and others who left the Order and one question still remains; would Qui-Gon Jinn really have followed Count Dooku? Stories like Krell’s really get us to ask the big questions in the saga.
THE WRONG JEDI
Another massive story that is still talked about on the same levels of ‘movie event’ experiences. The closing episodes of season five were heart-pounding and gut-wrenching. Ahsoka took centre stage to deliver a knockout blow to our emotions. The fact that this show was animated but still managed to pull on our heartstrings is a massive testament to the creative team. We must remember, also, that this show was among the last of its kind. It followed the classic American style of television viewing whereby it began airing in September and would conclude each season anytime in the spring. Each season (well, 1 – 4) consisted of 22 episodes and aired weekly. This type of viewing was a big deal and vastly unlike streaming where it’s now common place for a whole series to drop all at once. (Disney+ seem to be the exception to this but still gone are the days of 22 episodes, now it’s on average 8 -10) By airing weekly, we grew over time as we invited characters onto the small screen for such a long period of our lives and over so many years. And so, by the time season 5 came to an end it was heartbreaking to see Ahsoka Tano leave the Order in such a tragic way. I still remember watching the closing scene for the first time. Ahsoka and Anakin on the steps of the Temple. As fans we knew what this would do to Anakin and it would be a further push to the Dark Side and at the time we did not know if we would see Ahsoka again. Iris out. No music over the end credits. It felt like a gut punch. This was the end…surely?
SIEGE OF MANDALORE
It was 2020 and we were in a lockdown. The days of COVID lockdowns blur together but not witnessing the final four episodes of final season of The Clone Wars. The Lucasfilm logo that we have come to love and know had been replaced by the original logo from the 70s. What the hell was going on? It felt special. We were not wrong. I said to a friend at the time that I would have happily paid to see these episodes on the big screen and for fans who attended Celebration 2022 they got to see this glorious story play out at a panel on the last day. Unlike Genndy Tartakovsky’s 2003 Clone Wars series which took us right into Revenge of the Sith, the genius that is Dave Filoni took us along with Revenge of the Sith, It was breath-taking. It became genuine MUST SEE television. How were they pulling this off? As the sequels had come to an end the Christmas before and left a sour taste in the mouths of some fans here was something that had us all united once again. Enough praise has already been lavished upon these episodes and I often return to them as a movie night viewing experience. I love that the series came down to two characters; Rex and Ahsoka. We rooted for them for many years and now as the tragedy of Order 66 was unfolding around them we watched through tear-ridden eyes as they realised it was all over. The light had dimmed. Darkness was rising. Friends were dead. I know some friends of mine who when doing a marathon viewing of the Skywalker Saga actually include these final episodes of The Clone Wars as a companion piece to Revenge of the Sith. Yes, it’s that good. It’s Star Wars at its finest. It’s a joy to behold.
The Clone Wars has grown from so-so movie to some of the most beloved stories the galaxy has ever seen. For some fans it’s their introduction to the saga. For some, it helped them love and appreciate the prequels a little more. For some, it’s their Star Wars. I, for one, wish it a Happy Birthday and as ever we have only thing left to say…
Dear George,
Thank you.
Love the fans x