Why you should watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars · 4:09am Sep 18th, 2019
For those of you who kinda like the Star Wars spin-off movies and wonder, hmm, where can I find more of that kind of thing? Well, I'll tell you. It's in The Clone Wars. The Clone Wars is an animated TV show made for Cartoon Network. Might have heard of it. George Lucas produced the series, but it was made by people who didn't like the prequel trilogy and wanted to expand the world it was set in. You would not believe the kind of stuff that goes down in this show. Because it's an anthology series, you don't have to watch every episode in order, or even every episode in general. I've skipped the ones with Jar-Jar and other kinda pointless ones. But this series hits all the right notes in all the right places.
Anakin Skywalker is one of the show's greatest parts. Yeah, that Hayden Christiansen guy that you didn't like from the prequels. He's amazing here. He has emotion and internal conflicts and a desire to do things differently from how the Order does things. He has his moments of camaraderie with Obi-Wan, and it genuinely seems like the kind of person Obi-Wan would miss after the events of Episode 3. But he also has plenty of dark moments that really help show his ongoing progression towards the dark side. The only person more essential here would have to be his master.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is given the all-star treatment here. He's not only indistinguishable from the awesome movie versions, but he is given all the best story arcs. There's one where he fakes his own death and goes undercover as a bounty hunter to track down a plot to kidnap the Supreme Chancellor. Crazy, right? Well, he also has an ex-girlfriend that's the duchess of a powerful world, and the duchess is always under the threat of assassination by these Taliban terrorists called Deathwatch. And then there's the part where his arch-nemesis, Darth Maul, is brought back to destroy him.
That's another thing. Darth. Freaking. Maul. He's straight-up savage (no pun intended) with his single-minded intent to rule the galaxy as a powerful crime lord. And he intends to torture and humiliate Obi-Wan every step of the way. He's one of the greatest antagonists in the entire series. He appears around the end of season 4, but for the parts where he is, he shines!
The new characters are all stupid freaking awesome as well. Ashoka Tano is a Togruta Padawan introduced as Anakin's apprentice, and no, she isn't Robin to Anakin's Batman. She has entire story arcs as well. Like being captured by slavers who hunt her and other Jedi for sport, and they eventually get help from Chewbacca. Yes, that Chewbacca. Ashoka's last arc in the series are one of the best, well-rounded, well-written, and most fun episodes animation can offer.
Asajj Ventress is also an addition that shines even brighter than her bald head. She starts out as a dark apprentice to Count Dooku, but later on, she realizes that hatred isn't all there is to her identity, and she eventually figures out her own destiny.
And good glory, I could talk about the clone troopers forever. Captain Rex, Fives, Echo, Hevy, Hardcase, Dogma, Commander Cody, 99! Ugh! They're all so good! Each one has their own distinct personality, tailor-made by their voice actor, Dee Bradley Baker. I love it whenever the clones get to talk and we get a glimpse into how they think and how a soldier is conditioned by war. The clones are what really make the Clone Wars... the Clone Wars. They're not just mass-produced CGI, much how the troopers themselves aren't mass-produced clones of one man. Each has distinct personalities, and are human on the inside. And hearing them die on the battlefield as they're gunned down by enemy fire is heartbreaking every time.
That's another thing. The characters die in this show like it's going out of fashion. Jedi die. Clones die. Political leaders die. Droids get blasted to pieces. Clones are eaten alive. Ships catch on fire and the soldiers burn. Limbs get broken. People get impaled. You watch these people die every time, not happen offscreen or have an implied death. This is a dark show. Ideologies are challenged, wisdom is uprooted or validated. You really have to think about which side you support in any kind of ambiguous situation, like the infamous Umbara arc where Rex has to decide which ideology is more important: to protect his men, or to obey orders from his shrewd and temperamental leaders.
I loved this show, and I still do, and I cannot wait for season 7 to finally be released in 2020. When they announced in 2018 that it was coming back after almost three years, I almost wet myself. I was trembling. This show has no right being as good as it is. And so I urge you: if you haven't watched it, watch it. This "baby cartoon" on Cartoon Network is some of the best Star Wars media you will ever see.
I loved watching this show. Can't wait to watch the new stuff they'll be adding to it!
I love this show!
Star Wars Rebels is really good, too!
I loved it until it stopped airing on Cartoon Network. My favorite was Ashoka
I actually remember watching some episodes on a TV show called StickyTV or something, but I never could find a legitimate free place to watch more, unfortunately.
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Try Watchcartoononline. They've got plenty of cartoons and anime to try out.
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I know this is a bit late, but thanks.