The Clone Wars
How is it that we’ve gone so long without talking about The Clone Wars? I fell in love with this series in 2008, because it was what salvaged my plummeting love of Star Wars after the prequel came out. Set up as a kids show, it told the story we wanted to know about all the other Jedi, and the clones, and order 66. And of course, a super rad padawan. 6 seasons of great story that you need to watch now if you skipped out on it before!
Set between episodes 2 and 3, the Clone Wars blessedly takes us out of Anakin Skywalker’s head, and more about what it was like being in the Jedi order during this time period. General Kenobi is frequently along with fly-boy General Skywalker, who at times feels more like Han Solo than the Anakin Skywalker we saw in episodes 1-3. There is zero gore as it’s a kid show, but people are shot right and left (clearly the story that hasn’t been told yet is what happened to people’s ability to aim a gun between the Clone Wars, and episode 4!) and there are large sweeping battle scenes on the ground and in space. It’s a kids show – as a reminder – and yet no one addresses the whole sale slaughter of clones right and left.
The padawan Ahsoka Tano serves to tell us stories about the Jedi order as she is still learning lessons along with the audience, but she also acts as the impetuous one when Anakin has to be the grown up Jedi saying “no” (which isn’t frequent). She also uses dual lightsabers and uses a reverse grip which is mesmerizing to see how on earth she doesn’t chop off her own arms all the time?
The clones are given monikers, and you learn to really care about them – and the voice actor deserves a medal to act out all these different people, and yet still make them sound somewhat distinct. Captain Rex, Marshall Commander Cody, Fives, and many more are not only shown carrying out the battle commands of the Jedi (peace keepers with military titles, hmmm) but stories also dig into more about the clones. For example, there is a small arc about a Jedi who comes in and tries to win a battle by (figuratively) throwing the clones at the front line, effectively commanding them to a suicide mission, and how to clones have to react to said orders. There is another arc about what the clones went through in training, and how the differentiate themselves. Lastly there is plenty of hints and confusion about the upcoming order 66.
So with interesting main characters, we are told some story arcs that we’ve all wanted to know that the prequel left us hanging with. There is more on young Boba Fett, the Sith villain Ventress who it takes a few seasons to get a back story but her betrayal is amazing to watch, the return of Darth Maul (and how unbelievably creepy that is), and waves of the Jedi trying to broker peace, failing, and fighting their way out. The Clone Wars is a war time setting, and while you care about these characters, it also leaves you wondering much about the peaceful Jedi (which is the end of season 5 with Ahsoka – my personal favorite of all the stories!).
The show unceremoniously ended with season 5, and had a 6th thrown on for good measure, but there was little in the way of closure. A few years later the cartoon Rebels came out which is set roughly 20 years in the future from Clone Wars – but that is a different review all together.
TL;DR
Watch The Clone Wars, it’s on Netflix and will make you care about Star Wars again in a way that the prequel tried to smash!
