'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' Is The Best Animated Series And Here’s Why
Many vividly recall the rocky launch of the Clone Wars movie back in 2008, scoring only 5.9/10 on IMDb and 18% on Rotten Tomatoes. There was a general displeasure about the storytelling and new characters, unlike the fan-favorite 2003 Clone Wars television series. Most people were pessimistic when it was announced that a new Clone Wars animated series would be launched right after the movie. However, with seven seasons of spectacular content released over more than a decade (including the six-year gap between seasons 6 and 7), Star Wars: The Clone Wars had become the best animated series in the Star Wars universe. Below are the main reasons why:
1. Filling The Wide Content Gap Between Episodes II and III
Attack of the Clones ended with Yoda narrating that "the Clone Wars" has begun, while the beginning of Revenge of the Sith jumped straight into the action of the Battle of Coruscant towards the very end of the war. Without the Clone Wars series, most would perceive the cinematic jump between the two movies to be too abrupt and out of place. However, with a myriad of themes ranging from battles across the galaxy between the Republic and the Separatists to skirmishes in the Outer Rim systems and the underworld, the series packed the storytelling vacuum between the two movies (22 BBY- 19 BBY) with amazing content.
RELATED: The 5 Most Brutal Battles Of The Clone Wars
2. Humanization Of The Clones
Clone troopers, the muscle of the Grand Army of the Republic, were introduced into the Star Wars cinematic universe in Attack of the Clones as skilled identical mass-produced soldiers. Wearing the same white-clad armor, the clones were regrettably presented as cannon fodder and lacked individuality. This was still the case when Revenge of the Sith came around with color markings denoting no more than different battle units (except for some known characters with dialogue such as Commander Cody).
This changed dramatically when the Clone Wars series aired. Clones were no longer just numbers, but men with various personalities. Some were by-the-book troopers that strictly adhered to protocol, while certain legions and battalions, on the other hand, were more liberal with their fighting style, generating interesting dynamics among the army of Jango Fetts. Clones donned colorful armor with personalized markings reflecting their individuality, and gave a much stronger sense of brotherhood through dialogue and teamwork when fighting off hordes of battle droids. This was particularly highlighted in the Umbara arc of season 4, in which ARC trooper Fives famously stated that clones are "not a bunch of unthinking droids" and "must be trusted to make the right decisions." Even Yoda recognized the individual character of clones back in season 1.
"Clones you may be, but the Force resides in all life forms."
3. Highly Engaging Character Development
A key element of Star Wars' success is in detailed and convincing character development. Just look at Luke Skywalker's growth from an over-confident Jedi-to-be in The Empire Strikes Back to the wise Jedi knight in Return of the Jedi. Delightfully, the Clone Wars series was no exception.
One of the best and most successful character developments in the series was undoubtedly Ahsoka Tano, the young Padawan that was first introduced as a brash and cocky youngling in the 2008 movie. Being fully aware of the audience's negative reactions towards the new character, the Clone Wars writers took their time in setting out Ahsoka's journey of personal growth through learning the consequences of disregarding orders (substantial casualties caused by her ego in “Storm over Ryloth”), respect and humility (stark contrast with fellow Padawan Barriss Offee in “Weapons Factory”), and patience (a lesson from the seemingly sluggish Master Tera Sinube in “Lightsaber Lost”), just to name a few.
Also included in the series was a "darker" form of character development for Anakin Skywalker, of which the series laid the foundations for the Chosen One's discontent with the Jedi Council and gradual fall to the dark side. The audience witnessed his struggle to contain his anger and emotions when people he cared about were put in danger, as well as the hypocrisy and concealment attitude that the Council took towards him. This was particularly exacerbated by the Council favoring politics over defending his Padawan Ahsoka's innocence in a bombing allegation in which she was framed. This incident led to her departure from the Jedi Order, and sowed the seeds of resentment in Anakin.
4. Return (Saving) Of Fan Favorites
The Clone Wars series was also highly favored for bringing back fan favorites that lacked development and substantial storylines in the previous movies. The most notable example would be none other than Darth Maul, the Sith warrior that was thought to be dead after his defeat by Obi-Wan in The Phantom Menace. Not only did he reappear as the ferocious warrior he was first known for, the writers also dedicated multiple story arcs outlining his struggle for power in the galaxy in the Clone Wars era. He eventually rose as a third power through conquering Mandalore and the underworld, and was only temporarily stopped by the intervention of Darth Sidious. The creation of the Shadow Collective as a criminal empire also inspired future intertwining storylines, such as the connection to Crimson Dawn in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
5. A Poetic Ending Leading Into Episode III
Following the apparent end of the series in 2014, fans were most ecstatic when it was announced that The Clone Wars was saved and eventually returned with a seventh and final season in 2020. Aside from the Bad Batch arc (which gave birth to the spectacular Bad Batch series in 2021), and the relatively mundane Martez sisters arc, the final arc brought both delight and tears to fans with a beautifully produced tragic end to the series.
Starting with the action-packed siege of Mandalore and the reappearance of Darth Maul, the tone of the last two episodes took a dark turn as the dreaded Order 66 was portrayed in-depth from the perspective of Captain Rex's 332nd Battalion and Ahsoka Tano. Further unraveling the horrors of the clones' inhibitor chips, and Ahsoka saving Rex, the last episode “Victory and Death” marked the end of an era with a stunning shot of the Venator crash site and graves of the fallen clones on board, panning to a halt at the helmet of ARC trooper Jesse. The battered Republic insignia on the helmet poetically indicated the tragic end of the Clone Wars.