Five Reasons to Watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Star Wars: The Clone Wars was a 2008 animated TV series directed by Dave Filoni. The show lasted for seven seasons with a total of 133 episodes and one film. Its story takes place between the events of Episode II – Attack of the Clones and Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Hence, the story of both the series and film follows the events that happened during the Clone Wars.
Moreover, the show became one of the most beloved Star Wars programs. It was so successful that it laid the foundation for many of Disney’s Star Wars shows. It was able to accomplish this by reigniting the fandom. In addition, The Clone Wars showed the world that there is a demand for Star Wars content. Thus, I highly recommend you to watch both the series and the film. And to further entice you, here are five reasons to watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
World Building
One of the main reasons Star Wars is so popular is because of its world-building. George Lucas created a fantastical universe to tell his story. Majestic worlds, extravagant aliens, and wonderful science fiction technologies proliferate Star Wars. The Clone Wars series is no exception to this. Hence, Dave Filoini and the crew were able to explore new planets, aliens, cities, and technologies in the series.
Season four of the series is a great example of this. In the season, Padmé and Anakin travel to the aquatic world of Mon Cala. You may be familiar with the planet because it is the homeland of the Mon Calamari people. These were the people who built the ship for the rebellion during episodes V and VI. Famous among the Mon Calamari people is Admiral Ackbar. He was the one who uttered the famous line, “it’s a trap!” in episode VI. There Anakin and Padmé must help prevent a civil war between the Mon Calamari people and the Quarren. Thus, I am happy that The Clone Wars gave more attention to new worlds and alien species. Especially for the ones that were sidelined in the films.
Character Development
In addition to world-building, The Clone Wars made many character developments. Because one of the critiques given to episode III is its awkward character developments. Like why did Anakin suddenly turn to the Darkside? Here the show gives more depth to these developments. One of those instances is the Jedi council habitually neglecting Anakin. And this fueled the mistrust that led him to betray the Jedi council.
Keynote here is Obi-Wan’s bounty hunter story arc in season four. During the story arc, the Jedi council faked Obi-Wan’s death to infiltrate a criminal organization. But the council did not inform Anakin about the plan because they did not trust him. This event sowed the seeds of Anakin’s doubt about the Jedi Order.
New Characters
The Clone Wars brings a lot of new characters to the story. Asoka Tano, Cad Bane, and Hondo are among the most popular examples. And all of them provide a new perspective on the Star War universe. Asoka shows the life of a Jedi Padawan during the war. On the other hand, Hondo gave us a glimpse of being a space pirate in Star Wars. While Cad Bane gave us more screen time on Star Wars bounty hunters.
I would like a special mention to the clone troopers. Because you might think they are all the same, but you would be wrong. Dave Faloni and the crew did a fantastic job of individualizing the clones. They made the clones look, act, and speak differently from one another. Thanks to this, you will fall in love with the myriad clone trooper in the series. Captain Rex, Fives, Heavy, and 99 are some of the clone troopers that will amaze you.
Epic Battles
Epic Battles. What else should I say? If you love the battles in the films then you will like The Clone Wars. The show has numerous battles that will blow your sock off. The Second Battle of Geonosis in season two is a great example. The Jedi Order is returning to Geonosis to stop the droid factories on the planet. Hence, what ensued is a massive planetary invasion which is akin to old war films like A Bridge too Far. While the series also has creative battles like the underwater battle in season 4. There a battle erupted underneath the water of Mon Cala against the Mon Calamari people and the Quarren.
Mature Themes
The Clone Wars is an animated children’s show. But, it does not shy away from presenting mature themes in its story. Themes of death, war, duty, individuality, politics, and morality are common in the show.
Clone trooper Cut Lawquane is a good example of this. Because Cut deserted the clone army and then had a family. This presents a difficult ethical dilemma for the Jedi Order. Since Cut symbolizes that the clones have free will and are conscious beings. This falls contradictory to the initial perspective that clones are just tools of war. As such, some clones see themselves as a slave only born to serve and fight. So, the question now is whether it is morally right for them to continue using clones to fight their war. Does the greater good of the galaxy warrant their use of the clone army? And what will happen to them after the war is over?
Personally, this is my favorite aspect of the show. It forces you to see Star Wars from a new perspective. And it shows you the darker side of Star Wars. Hence, if there is one reason for you to watch The Clone War then this is it.
