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March 6, 2020
Star Wars: The Clone Wars finished its original run in 2014... but there was a problem. The series was left unfinished, never connecting with the events of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith as was originally intended. Although we knew from the feature films what became of Anakin, Mace, Obi-Wan and Yoda, there were huge gaps in the canon's mythology. For example, what happened to Ahsoka? Or Captain Rex? How did Palpatine actually engineer the final days of a his takeover the of Republic? Then two years ago Disney announced that it would right these long held wrongs by producing a final season of The Clone Wars for broadcast on its Disney+ streaming channel.
As of this writing, I haven't watched the final season because I decided to work by way through all the Star Wars properties in chronological order. Having now reached the midst of season three of The Clone Wars, I remember why I admired the show so much during its original run. And why today it remains a rare gem for a franchise that struggles with mediocrity. I intend to write more about this later, but for now I thought I'd dust off my original 2010 review of The Clone Wars. Here is it:
Having just finished the first season of animated series The Clone Wars, I sat back and felt strangely sated, like I had been very hungry and just ate a particularly good meal. It was an unusual feeling for me as a Star Wars fan. I suppose the last time I felt truly satisfied from sitting at the Star Wars dinner table was in 1983 after watching Episode VI in the theaters. Years went by before another good meal was offered. I had to pick at the bones of The Ewok Adventure and The Battle for Endor, only to become violently ill afterwards.
(Who knew that Ewok is like blowfish — if you don’t prepare it correctly, it’s toxic.)
Then the second movie trilogy was introduced and I stood in line for hours for the first seating, only to stagger out of the theater, holding my stomach and wondering why I kept eating when I knew it was going to regret it later. The subsequent meals were better, I thought. Hell, Revenge of the Sith was downright palatable. But did I ever feel really sated? No. I hadn’t.
Have I extended this food metaphor far enough? Okay, I’ll stop. If you’ve read this far, I’m going to assume you are a Star Wars fan or I probably would have lost you at the blowfish analogy. I’m also going to assume that you know what I’m talking about... that feeling of being, well, unsatisfied.
I have some friends who insist that George Lucas hasn’t produced anything worthwhile since Raiders of the Lost Ark and never will again. That’s not a fair assessment for a man who’s done as much to innovate motion pictures as anyone else in history. And I’m not just referring to Star Wars. Let’s not forget how it was Lucas’s companies that raised special effects, sound effects, costumes, puppetry and the very mechanics of film to a whole new level. Star Wars is just a part of that tapestry, albeit an important part for fans.
And this is why I am going to give The Clone Wars some props here. Frankly, I wasn’t impressed by The Clone Wars movie that preceded the television series and I appear to be in good company. Rotten Tomatoes ranks it as the poorest received Star Wars incarnation ever, far behind even The Phantom Menace and the aforementioned Ewok TV movies. As such, I wasn’t enthused when the half-hour series premiered on the Cartoon Network two months later. In fact, I avoided watching it. I think I only caught two of the episodes during their first run, but over time I had more and more people coming up to me and asking if I had seen the most recent installment. These were other Star Wars fans and they appeared, well, enthused. When the show finally hit Netflix in DVD form, I relented and watched the entire series. And, to my delight, I felt sated.
There is a phenomenon among humans that we often tend to judge someone by their first accomplishment. If someone’s initially brilliant, we expect brilliance one-hundred percent of the time. Likewise, it their premiere is poor, we never forgive them and find ways to deride everything else they do. But come on! Even Leonardo da Vinci had some crazy-ass ideas and he was a genius! Seriously, read a book on him sometime if you don’t believe me! I’m going to give George Lucas some credit and say that I think The Clone Wars series is pretty darn good.
What makes it work is its simplicity and brevity. It’s a half-hour of intense escapist excitement, occasionally mixed with a little morality play. It doesn’t try to be anything earth-shattering and honestly it shouldn’t even try. I don’t expect philosophy or poetry from the Venture Brothers or Aqua Teen Hunger Force, so I’m not going to expect it from The Clone Wars. I’m going to appreciate that the series has limited appearances of Jar Jar Binks, plenty of space and lightsaber battles, and rotates the main characters to keep things fresh. I’m going to avoid getting on my soapbox about how the first gay character in the Star Wars universe (Ziro the Hutt) is a disheartening stereotype. I’m going to avoid commenting on those critics who derided how Ahsoka "Snips" Tano is a bad example for younger viewers due to her halter top and knee high boots. I’m going to marvel at how Lucasfilm seems to have revolutionized animation through the amazing digital artistry of the series. And I’m going to sit back and enjoy the show.
Besides, if it’s a poor episode (and there have been a few), well, at least it’s only thirty-minutes long.
March 6, 2020
Star Wars: The Clone Wars finished its original run in 2014... but there was a problem. The series was left unfinished, never connecting with the events of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith as was originally intended. Although we knew from the feature films what became of Anakin, Mace, Obi-Wan and Yoda, there were huge gaps in the canon's mythology. For example, what happened to Ahsoka? Or Captain Rex? How did Palpatine actually engineer the final days of a his takeover the of Republic? Then two years ago Disney announced that it would right these long held wrongs by producing a final season of The Clone Wars for broadcast on its Disney+ streaming channel.
As of this writing, I haven't watched the final season because I decided to work by way through all the Star Wars properties in chronological order. Having now reached the midst of season three of The Clone Wars, I remember why I admired the show so much during its original run. And why today it remains a rare gem for a franchise that struggles with mediocrity. I intend to write more about this later, but for now I thought I'd dust off my original 2010 review of The Clone Wars. Here is it:
Having just finished the first season of animated series The Clone Wars, I sat back and felt strangely sated, like I had been very hungry and just ate a particularly good meal. It was an unusual feeling for me as a Star Wars fan. I suppose the last time I felt truly satisfied from sitting at the Star Wars dinner table was in 1983 after watching Episode VI in the theaters. Years went by before another good meal was offered. I had to pick at the bones of The Ewok Adventure and The Battle for Endor, only to become violently ill afterwards.
(Who knew that Ewok is like blowfish — if you don’t prepare it correctly, it’s toxic.)
Then the second movie trilogy was introduced and I stood in line for hours for the first seating, only to stagger out of the theater, holding my stomach and wondering why I kept eating when I knew it was going to regret it later. The subsequent meals were better, I thought. Hell, Revenge of the Sith was downright palatable. But did I ever feel really sated? No. I hadn’t.
Have I extended this food metaphor far enough? Okay, I’ll stop. If you’ve read this far, I’m going to assume you are a Star Wars fan or I probably would have lost you at the blowfish analogy. I’m also going to assume that you know what I’m talking about... that feeling of being, well, unsatisfied.
I have some friends who insist that George Lucas hasn’t produced anything worthwhile since Raiders of the Lost Ark and never will again. That’s not a fair assessment for a man who’s done as much to innovate motion pictures as anyone else in history. And I’m not just referring to Star Wars. Let’s not forget how it was Lucas’s companies that raised special effects, sound effects, costumes, puppetry and the very mechanics of film to a whole new level. Star Wars is just a part of that tapestry, albeit an important part for fans.
And this is why I am going to give The Clone Wars some props here. Frankly, I wasn’t impressed by The Clone Wars movie that preceded the television series and I appear to be in good company. Rotten Tomatoes ranks it as the poorest received Star Wars incarnation ever, far behind even The Phantom Menace and the aforementioned Ewok TV movies. As such, I wasn’t enthused when the half-hour series premiered on the Cartoon Network two months later. In fact, I avoided watching it. I think I only caught two of the episodes during their first run, but over time I had more and more people coming up to me and asking if I had seen the most recent installment. These were other Star Wars fans and they appeared, well, enthused. When the show finally hit Netflix in DVD form, I relented and watched the entire series. And, to my delight, I felt sated.
There is a phenomenon among humans that we often tend to judge someone by their first accomplishment. If someone’s initially brilliant, we expect brilliance one-hundred percent of the time. Likewise, it their premiere is poor, we never forgive them and find ways to deride everything else they do. But come on! Even Leonardo da Vinci had some crazy-ass ideas and he was a genius! Seriously, read a book on him sometime if you don’t believe me! I’m going to give George Lucas some credit and say that I think The Clone Wars series is pretty darn good.
What makes it work is its simplicity and brevity. It’s a half-hour of intense escapist excitement, occasionally mixed with a little morality play. It doesn’t try to be anything earth-shattering and honestly it shouldn’t even try. I don’t expect philosophy or poetry from the Venture Brothers or Aqua Teen Hunger Force, so I’m not going to expect it from The Clone Wars. I’m going to appreciate that the series has limited appearances of Jar Jar Binks, plenty of space and lightsaber battles, and rotates the main characters to keep things fresh. I’m going to avoid getting on my soapbox about how the first gay character in the Star Wars universe (Ziro the Hutt) is a disheartening stereotype. I’m going to avoid commenting on those critics who derided how Ahsoka "Snips" Tano is a bad example for younger viewers due to her halter top and knee high boots. I’m going to marvel at how Lucasfilm seems to have revolutionized animation through the amazing digital artistry of the series. And I’m going to sit back and enjoy the show.
Besides, if it’s a poor episode (and there have been a few), well, at least it’s only thirty-minutes long.
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On select pages through this website, you will find book recommendations related to the article above. Click on a book to learn more about it or purchase it on Bookshop.org while you support independent booksellers and authors.
On select pages through this website, you will find book recommendations related to the article above. Click on a book to learn more about it or purchase it on Bookshop.org while you support independent booksellers and authors.
The Clone Wars have begun. With every world that joins the Separatists, the peace guarded by the Jedi Order is slipping through their fingers.
Following the destruction of the Jedi by Order 66, Ahsoka ventures off on her own and into a future filled with new dangers.
As the Clone Wars rage on, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine cunningly manipulates both sides for his own sinister purposes.
On the Outer Rim, Jedi Knights Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi have snuck onto Lanteeb — and now look oblivion in the eye. . .
The Clone Wars have exploded across the galaxy as Republic forces and the Jedi struggle to gain the upper hand over the Separatists.
A cunning financier-turned-warrior lays siege to the planet Praesitlyn which could pave the way for the toppling of the Republic.
This book covers 7 seasons of the Star Wars animated program featuring behind-the-scenes interviews, character profiles and episode guide.
Meet more than 350 incredible clones, Jedi, droids, bounty hunters, and a host of other characters from Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Ahsoka Tano and the Mandalorian Bo-Katan Kryze team up against Darth Maul in this graphic novel featuring full-color images and dialogue from the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Disney+!