So because of the nature of this series, I almost decided that I wouldn't review it. This is due in part to the production order of the series having different stories with some sets of episodes carrying a story arc.
Doctor Who and its spin-offs have been doing that for years, but with them you get a sense that there is a continuous story there. But after much debate with myself, I decided that yes I will review
Star Wars: The Clone Wars because like each of the trilogies, it is a series that a generation of fans have grown up with. Unfortunately I wasn't in the age group that the series was targetted towards, but I came to enjoy the series more when it was released in its entirety on Disney+ which includes the exclusive final season. Now you all know my thoughts about the film and while I will admit that the CGI wasn't great in the film, it actually works tons better in the series I find. So with that, let's take a look at the war that changed everyone's view of the Jedi, bought back and introduced some fan favourite characters and showed how powerful the Dark Side is at its peak:
2003 Series
So before we look at the series, let's take a trip down memory lane and look at the first series about the clone wars. The series isn't very long and most would actually call it a miniseries if nothing else. It aired on Cartoon Network and became the reason why
Samurai Jack finished its original run with the story being unresolved until the final season aired not too long ago. In other words, this series was made by Cartoon Network legend Genndy Tartakovsky and most people actually liked it. I mean it was the first time any kind of Star Wars thing spent more time developing its characters than any of the films released at the time and it was and still is great. Of course because of the new series, its now considered non-canon and therefore part of the Legends timeline. But for what it is, it was well animated, well-developed and put the prequels to shame in terms of actual character development and things that we as fans actually want to see. 9/10
Season 1
Now onto the canon series. So as you watch the series, it becomes apparent that the episodes are not in chronological order and are instead in production order. This has divided fans as most like the order the show has it play out while others like everything to be in the order according to the timeline. I personally have no issues with the order as most story arcs in the series do play out in a set of episodes and are not left unresolved until much later on. So the first series focuses on the efforts of the Republic and the Separatists as they try to gain the allegiance of various planets and star systems to their respective causes during the war. In this series, a Republic group consisting of Anakin (voiced by Matt Lanter), his padawan Ahsoka (voiced by Ashley Eckstein) and her mentor Plo Koon (voiced by James Arnold Taylor) lead a desperate attempt to destroy a Separatist ship capable of wiping out an entire fleet of ships. R2-D2 goes missing which leads to Anakin trying to find him when his replacement turns out to be unreliable. Uneasy alliances are made and more. Well we all know the film gave a rocky start to the series and the first season is a bit rocky in itself. But while I have been critical of the CGI, it actually does look pretty darn good when compared to most other full CGI cartoons. A very decent first season to what would become a great show that proves once and for all that not all the things from the prequel era of Star Wars are bad. 7/10
Rise of the Bounty Hunters
As the name implies, this season spends a particular focus on bounty hunters in which the Sith recruit many of them to steal objects and intel while also finding some enemies for them to take down aside from the Jedi and the clones. Meanwhile Republic forces form an assault on the primary battle droid manufacturing facility. Plus Boba Fett (voiced by Daniel Logan) plans his revenge on the one that killed his father. The second season I find to be a slight improvement over the first paticularly with its focus being on bounty hunters who are otherwise just simple background characters. I also like that there are some more action packed moments this time among other things too. 8/10
Secrets Revealed
So this season sees Ahsoka in some newish clothing that I guess came to be because of negative reception to her near half naked look before. We also see her along with Anakin and Obi-Wan battling demons that hint to a future where the dark side is the greatest threat. Plus a surprise appearance from a young Tarkin (voiced by Stephen Stanton) and some background information of a Sith lord that was believed to have died so many years ago. This series really is all about secrets being revealed. It certainly lives up to its name and after two OK seasons, this is the one where things really start to go towards the favour of the fans. That is with some information around the existence of one Darth Maul (voiced by Sam Witwer) and some other good things too. 8/10
Battle Lines
So this series has a lot going on. R2-D2 and C3-PO (reprised by Anthony Daniels) go on a seires of misadventures when they become seperated from the clones protecting them. Anakin and Ahsoka go about trying to free a bunch of slaves. Count Dooku (voiced by Corey Burton) sets up a Hunger Games style event for bounty hunters in an attempt to have them go on a mission of great importance. Plus Maul finally reveals himself and sets about becoming the head of a crime syndicate thus posing as a potential threat to the war. While the other seasons there is a sense of trying to stick to a reoccurring theme, this series seems to want to do too much with very little structure. It may be to do with the episodes being released in production order, but despite this there are some good episodes in this one. Just a shame that the order is not all that great at least from my point of view. 8/10
Season 5
So now we come to the last season in its original run and there is a lot happening yet again. Maul continues to build his crime syndicate which attracts the attention of the likes of Obi-Wan Kenobi and even his old master Darth Sidious (voiced by the late Ian Abercrombie). Ahsoka assists Yoda (voiced by Tom Kane) in teaching younglings as they go about finding lightsaber crystals. R2-D2 becomes part of a group of droids known as D-Squad whose goal is to infiltrate a Separatist dreadnought to find an encryption module but becomes more than just that. And finally Ahsoka becomes wound up in a conspiracy of an attack on the Jedi Temple on Coruscant which makes her rethink about her role as a Jedi. As the final series in its original run, there are a lot of great things to come out of it. We finally see a lightsaber being created on screen, we see Maul finding a new calling as a leader of a crime syndicate and both R2-D2 and Ahsoka get far more character development than ever before. It shows that the show runners have learned while making the series and although those are just highlights, it really was for a while one of the best seasons of the show. A shame it had to end suddenly following Disney buying LucasFilm. 9/10
The Lost Missions
But of course it didn't end just yet as Netflix would go on to feature the entire series along with a 13 episode long sixth season. In a largely Ahsoka free season, clone troopers Tups and Fives (both voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) learn of a chip hidden inside them and try to figure out its purpose which leads into the Jedi having further doubts on the actions of Count Dooku and Palpatine. Meanwhile Padme (voiced by Catherine Taber) helps out an old friend turned enemy and Jar Jar (reprised by Ahmed Best) goes to help a planet overcome a deadly prophecy with reluctant assistance by Mace Windu (voiced by Terrence C. Carson). While all that is happening, Yoda travels to the furtherest parts of the galaxy with R2-D2 to learn the deepest mysteries of the Force which comes as a result of hearing the voice of a Jedi who has become one with the Force. It may not have its main protagonist this time around, but I will admit that it is actually a good series this time even though it's a shorter season (which seems to be common for most shows these days when they reach the end). Emotional at the beginning and the ending as we learn the Jedi and the clones could have indeed prevented Order 66 from ever happening. But then of course there wouldn't be
A New Hope now would there. 9/10
The Final Season
Four years later and with Disney's new streaming service, comes the long awaited final season that ties in very closely to
Revenge of the Sith. In this final season, Anakin and his clone commander Rex (also voiced by Dee Bradley Baker who voices all the clones) go on a series of missions with a group that call themselves the Bad Batch who are basically clones that have got enhanced abilites and different facial structures when compared to other clones. Ahsoka returns as we learn what she has been up to following her departure from the Jedi Order. And in a four part finale that has callbacks to the original LucasFilm logo and the score of John Williams, Ahsoka teams up with the Mandalorians and Rex's squad to finally capture Maul just as Order 66 is declared. The first two story arcs are both things that fans and the showrunners really wanted to do and they finally got that chance in this series. And I guess the final four episodes are basically
Revenge of the Sith but from Ahsoka's perspective. But you know what, it was always going to end somewhere within the events of that film so yeah. I also must say that some of the music in this season feels more like
Blade Runner than Star Wars and yet in the scenes you hear the music, it actually sets the stage quite well. I guess some parts of Star Wars work with other music than a John Williams sort. But anyway, a great final season and chronologically this will not be the end of Ahsoka's journey as that is left for
Rebels. 9/10
So that is that. As a series it gets better towards the end and people do really love it. I too enjoyed watching it as it gave much needed character development for many characters and gave us all a reason to still enjoy Star Wars when a film isn't out. So yeah definitley worth a watch regardless of which generation of fans you belong to. 9/10
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