In early 2013, Lucasfilm announced that The Clone Wars would be "winding down".[4][5] Thirteen episodes comprising a new sixth season were made available in the U.S. for streaming on Netflix, along with the entirety of the series, beginning March 7, 2014.[6] A project known as The Clone Wars Legacy adapted unproduced story arcs into other formats, such as comics and novels.[7] The series was revived for a seventh and final season of 12 new episodes, which premiered on Disney+ on February 21, 2020.[8][9][10]
The Clone Wars received mostly positive reception at first and later acclaim from critics and became a significant ratings success, becoming one of Cartoon Network's highest-rated shows during its initial run. The series was also nominated for numerous industry awards, including the Daytime Emmy Awards and the Annie Awards.[11][12]
Star Wars: The Clone Wars is set during the prequel trilogy era, in the period of three years between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. The series focuses on the eponymous conflict between the Galactic Republic, which is supported by the Jedi Order, and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, a movement organized by the Sith LordCount Dooku to unite numerous planetary systems seeking independence from the Republic, against it. Unbeknownst to the galaxy, Darth Sidious, Dooku's secret master, is the one pulling the strings of both sides, as part of his master plan to eliminate the Jedi and gain enough power to create a new governing state under his rule.
The series was initially conceived as an anthology, with episodes sharing few narrative connections, but later seasons feature story arcs that span several episodes. The protagonists are various characters from the live-action films, including Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padmé Amidala, Yoda, and Mace Windu, as well as new characters created for the series, such as Anakin's Padawan learner Ahsoka Tano, and various clone troopers who are given distinct personalities, like Captain Rex of the 501st Legion. The antagonists are typically members of the Separatist Alliance, though numerous episodes also focus on crime lords, bounty hunters, and Force-sensitive characters (Sith or just dark side users) who are not affiliated with the Separatists.
Synopsis
Season 1
Season one focuses on various battles fought between the Republic and the Separatists, and their efforts to convince more planets and races to join them. The main antagonists are Count Dooku, his informal apprentice Asajj Ventress, and the cyborg commander of the Separatists' droid armies, General Grievous. There are also several episodes that do not focus on the conflict with the Separatists, but rather other aspects of the Clone Wars.
Season 2: Rise of the Bounty Hunters
Season two features both one episode-storylines, and a few arcs that span between two and five episodes. This season focuses heavily on bounty hunter characters, with one story arc featuring Darth Sidious hiring Cad Bane to steal a holocron from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant that will help him locate Force-sensitive children, while another deals with Boba Fett beginning his bounty hunter career and, alongside a group of more experienced mercenaries, seeking revenge against Mace Windu for killing his father. Other major story arcs focus on the planet Mandalore, which took a neutral stance in the Clone Wars and whose pacifist leader, Duchess Satine Kryze, is targeted by both the Separatists and the Mandalorian terrorist faction Death Watch; and the Jedi leading Republic forces in an assault on the main Separatist battle droid manufacturing facility on Geonosis.
Season 3: Secrets Revealed
Season three begins to feature several story arcs that focus on the development of certain characters, such as Anakin, who is led to an ancient Force realm alongside Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, and learns more about the nature of the Force and his role as the Chosen One; Ahsoka, who defies Anakin's orders to join his team in a mission to break a Jedi Master out of a Separatist prison, and must later lead her own team of captured Jedi Padawans when they find themselves hunted by Trandoshans; and Ventress, who is betrayed by Dooku on the orders of Sidious, returns to her Nightsister clan on Dathomir, and tries to exact revenge on her former master through his new apprentice, Savage Opress, who ultimately turns on both Ventress and Dooku to follow his own path. Season three is also more diplomatic in nature, with many episodes in the first half of the season focusing on the role of the Republic Senate in the Clone Wars, and how different races and planets are affected by the galaxy-wide conflict, as well as the Republic's efforts to help them.
Season 4: Battle Lines
In season four, one story arc focuses on the 501st Legion, who must act independently for the first time. This is due to them having to be under the control of Jedi general Pong Krell. He is revealed to be a traitor and manipulates them into killing each other, forcing the clones to capture and execute him. Other story arcs feature Obi-Wan faking his death and going undercover as a bounty hunter to thwart a plot to capture Chancellor Palpatine; Ventress abandoning her Sith ways and becoming a bounty hunter after the Separatists' massacre of the Nightsisters; and Savage finding his long-lost brother, Darth Maul, who seeks revenge against Obi-Wan for his defeat over a decade prior.
Season 5: Death and Destruction
Season five features five main story arcs. In the first one, the Republic helps a group of rebels from Onderon, led by siblings Steela and Saw Gerrera, liberate their planet from Separatist occupation. The second arc focuses on a group of Jedi younglings who, after completing their path to becoming Padawans, have to prove themselves by rescuing Ahsoka from pirates. The third arc revolves around a team of droids who, while undertaking a mission to intercept an encrypted Separatist message, encounter an amnesiac former clone commando and must help him recover his memories to escape the planet they have been stranded on. The fourth arc deals with the return of Maul, who joins forces with Death Watch and other criminal syndicates to take over Mandalore and exact revenge on Obi-Wan. The final arc features Ahsoka being framed for bombing the Jedi Temple, and having to prove her innocence while on the run from the Republic. Though she is ultimately cleared of the charges against her after Anakin captures the real culprit, Ahsoka elects to abandon the Jedi Order, leaving Anakin devastated.
Season 6: The Lost Missions
Season six consists of four story arcs: clone trooper Fives investigating the premature activation of Order 66 in a fellow trooper's mind, and discovering the truth about the inhibitor chips implanted in each clone's brain, only to be silenced by Palpatine before he can expose it; Padmé trying to help her old flame Rush Clovis expose the corruption in the Intergalactic Banking Clan, which causes tensions in her and Anakin's relationship when he learns about her secret mission and intervenes; Jar Jar Binks and Mace Windu rescuing the captured Queen of Bardotta from a cult headed by the Nightsisters' former leader, Mother Talzin; and Yoda embarking on a journey to learn more about the nature of the Force after he is visited by the spirit of the late Qui-Gon Jinn.
Season 7: The Final Season
Season seven consists of three story arcs. The first one is focused on Captain Rex's character, as he, Anakin, and a team of clones with genetic mutations rescue ARC Trooper Echo, previously believed to have been killed in action, and defeat the Separatists on Anaxes with his help. The second one focuses on Ahsoka, who befriends sisters Trace and Rafa Martez and helps them settle a debt with the Pyke Syndicate, while trying to conceal her Force powers because of the sisters' hatred of Jedi. The final arc, which is set concurrently with Revenge of the Sith,[13] depicts the Siege of Mandalore, a battle that had been referenced in previous Star Wars media. Ahsoka reluctantly returns to the Republic to lead an assault alongside Rex and Mandalorian warrior Bo-Katan Kryze against Maul's forces on Mandalore in hopes of capturing him. Unbeknownst to them, Maul has foreseen the fall of the Republic and the Jedi Order, and Darth Sidious turning Anakin to the dark side, and hopes to prevent these events by killing the latter. After Maul is captured, Sidious executes Order 66, causing Ahsoka to be attacked by her own clone troopers, whom she is hesitant to kill. She manages to restore Rex's free will, and releases Maul to cause a distraction, but he ends up disabling the ship they are on. All three ultimately escape, with Ahsoka and Rex later burying the clones who died in the ship's crash, and going their separate ways. The final scene of the series shows Darth Vader finding Ahsoka's lightsaber among the ship's wreckage some time later, and leaving with it in silence.
On December 5, 2011, a full-length feature cut of one of the Season 3 trilogies of episodes (the one composed by "Nightsisters," "Monster," and "Witches of the Mist") was released for download on iTunes as an uninterrupted movie[17] that was previously shown at selected screenings in 2010. The three episodes were written by Katie Lucas, who had previously written the Season 1 episode "Jedi Crash" as well as the Season 3 episodes "Sphere of Influence" and "Assassin." A repeat of season one aired in "decoded" episode format. Each installment contained unobtrusive text windows giving supplemental information about the characters and events playing out on screen.[18]
The series was cancelled in March 2013, after the conclusion of its fifth season, as a result of The Walt Disney Company's acquisition of Lucasfilm and the decision to remove most Star Wars Expanded Universe works from canon. Despite this, The Clone Wars was one of the few pieces of Star Wars media to remain part of the new continuity established by Disney, and a sixth season was released on March 7, 2014, on Netflix, along with additional media, such as comic books and novels, based on unfinished story arcs that would have been included in the season. On July 19, 2018, Lucasfilm announced at San Diego Comic-Con that The Clone Wars would return with 12 new episodes in a seventh season to be released on Disney+.[9] A trailer for the season was released on April 14, 2019, at Star Wars Celebration Chicago. On August 23, 2019, series creator Dave Filoni announced at the D23 Expo that it will be the final season.[8][10]
On March 17, 2014, in recognition of the release of the complete series on Netflix, StarWars.com released the official chronological episode order for the first six seasons; this was later updated to include links to the episodes on Disney+.[19]
At April 2005's Star Wars Celebration III, George Lucas announced that "we are working on a 3-D continuation of the pilot series that was on the Cartoon Network; we probably won't start that project for another year."[21] Lucas hired Dave Filoni after having seen episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender he had worked on.[22][a] By July 2005, pre-production had begun on the series, according to Steve Sansweet, head of Lucasfilm fan relations.[23] Sansweet referred to the series as "the next generation of the Star Wars saga, a cutting edge 30-minute, 3-D computer-animation series based on the Clone Wars that take place between Episode II ... and Episode III." Sansweet described the look of the new series as "a melding of Asian anime with unique 3-D animation styling." Primary production took place at the Lucasfilm Animation facility in Singapore.[24]
According to another statement by Sansweet, "Lucasfilm Animation will be hiring a total of about 300 digital artists and others in both California and Singapore locations to produce not only the series but animated feature films in the years ahead." He said about the series, "to get the series underway, Lucasfilm Animation has hired key production and creative talent to lead the development of its first animation project." Sansweet has said that "a large component of the future of Star Wars and Lucasfilm is CGI animation."[citation needed]
Lucasfilm Animation used Autodesksoftware to animate both the film and the series. The Maya3D-modeling program was used to create the highly detailed worlds, characters and creatures.[25]
Character designer Kilian Plunkett referred to the character designs from Genndy Tartakovsky's original 2003 Clone Wars series,[26] and animators reviewed designs from the 2D series when creating the animation style.[27]
In 2007, Rob Coleman divulged that one episode was complete, with 15 more in production, and that he was going to direct five of the first 22 episodes. He revealed that the reaction from licensees was very positive, and that the final assembly of shows was done at Skywalker Ranch.[28]
Speaking at PaleyFest on March 3, 2007, Lucas revealed that the series would be episodic, and as such would not focus on Anakin Skywalker's story; with episodes dedicated to clone troopers and other characters.[29] Lucas revealed further information in a fan interview,[30] including a new character named Ahsoka Tano, over 100 episodes and a possible appearance by Boba Fett. The first trailer for the series was released on the official Star Wars website on May 8, 2007.[31] In an interview in the September 24, 2007 issue of TV Guide, Lucas confirmed that 39 episodes of the series had been completed.[32]
On April 8, 2007, Ain't It Cool News reported that musician Eric Rigler had recorded music for the series.[33] Rigler disclosed that each planet in the Star Wars galaxy would have its own theme music. The episode Mr. Rigler performed on was based on Bulgarianmusic and played on Uilleann pipes. Kevin Kiner composed the original score for each episode.
Stuart Snyder, who oversaw Cartoon Network and other Turner Broadcasting System cable networks from 2007 to 2014, said he became interested in the new Clone Wars series immediately upon starting the job in May 2007. Snyder flew out to San Francisco, California to screen several episodes, and told Lucas the only place he wanted to see the show was on Cartoon Network. Snyder wished to create an action/adventure block of shows on Friday night in an attempt to rejuvenate Cartoon Network. Snyder expressed confidence that the shows would help boost ratings: "You catch me at a time where I have a smile on my face because of our internal results. I can say there's a little bit of bragging on the third quarter for us."[34]
Lucas considered excluding the "Young Padawans" arc from Season 5 and airing it separately from The Clone Wars as a feature-length pilot for a spin-off series that never materialized. The pilot movie was shown at Star Wars Celebration.[35] Seasons 6, 7, and 8, were in some form of production at the time of the show's cancellation in March 2013, shortly after Lucasfilm was purchased by Disney.[7][36]
Release
An online comic released alongside the series depicts story snippets between episodes.[37]
Broadcast
On August 31, 2008, a sneak peek of The Clone Wars was shown on Cartoon Network.[citation needed] The series premiered on October 3, 2008, at 9 p.m. on Cartoon Network. The Clone Wars on Cartoon Network is shown in a 16:9 (1.77:1) aspect ratio, cropped from its original aspect ratio (OAR) of 2.35:1 (as seen in the UK Sky Premiere screenings). The show began airing on their Adult Swim block on March 14, 2009, making the series the first Cartoon Network series to simultaneously air on both Cartoon Network and Adult Swim. The series also aired from January 15 to March 26, 2009, on TNT, making it the first form of animation to air on that channel in over a decade.[38]
The show entered an off-network syndication in 2012, and in the fall of that year Trifecta Entertainment & Media put it into barter syndication. on Weekends It aired on many affiliates on the Independent Stations as well as an affiliates of FoxMyNetworkTV and The CW (the latter network's CW Plus service also carries the program as part of its national schedule). The show has been taken off the air in off-network syndication since fall 2013 due to low costs and was not renewed for Season 2 in the 2013-2014 TV Season due to Disney's completed acquisitions of Lucasfilm Ltd In December 2012.
On March 11, 2013, it was announced that The Clone Wars would be "winding down" to focus on the Star Wars sequel trilogy and a new series, Star Wars Rebels. On February 13, 2014, Netflix announced that starting on March 7, 2014, they would begin the US distribution of the entire TV series, including some previously unreleased director's cuts, and the previously unaired new season dubbed "The Lost Missions".[6][39] The latter also became available for purchase on digital video stores, such as iTunes, in mid-2014.[40] The Netflix distribution of the series, along with the Blu-rays, included versions of some episodes with previously censored material. One of the most well-known edits was the removal of the character Ventress kissing a clone after she had stabbed him with her lightsaber.[41]
The show was removed from Netflix on April 7, 2019. For the revival and final season,[8] the remaining episodes of the series are exclusively available on Disney+.[9][42] The first episode for Season 7 was released on February 21, 2020, with the final episode being released on May 4 of the same year.[43]
Apart from the season-by-season videodisc sets, there were also three special DVD releases consisting of four episodes from a particular season that reflected a certain story arc or theme:
A Galaxy Divided, an early DVD release of the series which included the four season 1 episodes ("Ambush", "Shadow of Malevolence", "Destroy Malevolence", "Downfall of a Droid")
Clone Commandos, another DVD compilation that includes episode five "Rookies" as well as episodes 19 through 21 ("Storm over Ryloth", "Innocents of Ryloth" and "Liberty on Ryloth").
Senate Murders, DVD from Season 2 episode Senate Murders
Heroes on Both Sides, DVD from Season 3 episode Heroes on Both Sides
Pursuit of Peace, DVD from Season 3 episode Pursuit of Peace
Darth Maul Returns, a feature-length "director's cut" edited together from Season 4 episodes "Massacre", "Bounty", "Brothers" and "Revenge" and was initially available exclusively at Target.[54]
Reception
Critical response
The theatrical film that served as the premiere for the series was panned by critics.[55] The series began with generally positive reviews at first and over time the series achieved critical acclaim for its writing, emotional depth, lore expansion and voice acting. On July 11, 2008, television critics were shown a completed episode of the series. The Hollywood Reporter's called the footage "likely the most photo-realistic animated TV series ever produced."[56]
Season 1
On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 69% based on 16 critic reviews, with an average rating of 5.70/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "With an agreeably entertaining first season, Star Wars: The Clone Wars opens a fun, kid-friendly chapter of the franchise's sprawling mythology."[57] On Metacritic, the first season has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100 based on 9 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[58]
Slate gave the season a positive review and stated, "The new series aspires to the level of a virtual-reality game. That's both the source of its great visual charm and the key to its emptiness, which is too dull to get worked up about."[59]
Maureen Ryan of Chicago Tribune praised the season's "fine" complexity, but criticized its "byzantine" plot and lack of character depth, calling the result an "irritation or boredom".[60]
In 2009, IGN named The Clone Wars the 89th best animated series,[61][62] specifically praising the episodes "Rookies", "Cloak of Darkness", and "Lair of Grievous" as having some of the best storylines in the Star Wars Expanded Universe.[63]
Season 3
On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season has an approval rating of 100% based on 5 critic reviews, with an average rating of 8/10.[64]
Season 5
On Rotten Tomatoes, the fifth season has an approval rating of 100% based on 5 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.90/10.[65]
Season 6
On Rotten Tomatoes, the sixth season has an approval rating of 100% based on 12 critic reviews, with an average rating of 8.90/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Sophisticated storytelling and quality animation make the sixth season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars a fitting end to the series."[66]
Season 7
On Rotten Tomatoes, the seventh season has an approval rating of 100% based on 24 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.70/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Thanks to its beautifully animated action-sequences and its impressively layered storytelling, The Clone Wars' final chapter affirms its place as one of Star Wars' greatest entries."[67]
Ratings
Star Wars: The Clone Wars became the most-watched series premiere in Cartoon Network history. The series averaged 4 million total viewers in its debut, according to Nielsen Media Research. Cartoon Network said the Star Wars spin-off ranked as the number one channel among all major animated networks in the time slot among total viewers (the largest in the demographic for any premiere telecast of an original Cartoon series).[68] On July 23, 2010, at the San Diego Comic-Con, Craig Glenday, editor of the Guinness World Records, presented Star Wars: The Clone Wars supervising director Dave Filoni, CG supervisor Joel Aron, and lead designer Kilian Plunkett a certificate proclaiming the cartoon series "the highest rated sci-fi animation currently on television".[69]Tech Times said that, "while the Star Wars prequel films fail to make audiences care about characters like Anakin Skywalker, The Clone Wars succeeds."[70] During May 2020, following the release of the seventh season on Disney+, The Clone Wars became the most streamed digital original show in the United States.[71][72]
Outstanding Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for an Animated Program
Matthew Wood, David Acord, Kimberly Patrick, James Spencer, Danielle Dupre, Frank Rinella, Jason Butler, Andrea Gard, Margie O'Malley, Peter Lam, Cameron Davis, Brian Frank, Tony Diaz and Carlos Sotolongo
Won
Legacy
The animated series Star Wars Rebels (2014–2018) continues the story of some characters from The Clone Wars, including Ahsoka, Captain Rex, Maul, and Darth Vader, in addition to story arcs involving Mandalorians, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hondo Ohnaka, and Saw Gerrera.[73]Forest Whitaker portrayed Gerrera in the live-action film Rogue One (2016).[74] Some of these characters and elements are also featured in the live-action Disney+ streaming series The Mandalorian (2019–present),[73] which Dave Filoni executive produces. An upcoming live-action series focused on Ahsoka is being spun off from The Mandalorian, with Filoni co-developing.[75]
At the time of cancellation in March 2013, 65 more episodes were in development.[76] Thirteen of these episodes were finished to become part of Season 6: The Lost Missions,[77] but there were still additional arcs that were never released. In September 2014, StarWars.com released details of three story arcs from the unfinished episodes.[7] In 2020, an additional twelve of the unfinished episodes were finished and released on Disney+ as part of the show's seventh and final season.
Literature
Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir
A four-episode arc continued the story of Maul following the events from the season 5 episode "The Lawless", detailing his escape from Sidious; Maul regains control of the criminal Shadow Collective, and battles Dooku, Grievous, and Sidious.[78] The arc was adapted into a four-part limited comic book series, Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir, which debuted in May 2014.[7]
Dark Disciple
An eight-episode arc with Nightsister Asajj Ventress and Jedi Quinlan Vos was adapted into Dark Disciple, a novel by Christie Golden released on July 7, 2015.[7] The story follows Vos partnering up with Ventress, hoping to execute Count Dooku.[79]
Story reels
Two arcs consisting each of four episodes were released on the official Star Wars website for free in the form of complete animatics, albeit with unfinished animation as those episodes only went through the earliest stages of production. Both were fully voiced by the cast.
Crystal Crisis on Utapau
In September 2014, four unfinished episodes were released on the official Star Wars website. The arc took place on Utapau with Obi-Wan and Anakin investigating an arms deal involving the Separatists and a Kyber crystal. The arc also dealt with Anakin's feelings after the departure of Ahsoka.[7][80] It was also included in the season 6 Blu-ray.
The Bad Batch
The unfinished animatics for The Bad Batch, a four-episode arc, were screened at the Star Wars Celebration convention in Anaheim, California, on April 17, 2015.[81] Scripted by Brent Friedman, it is a four-part story arc focusing on a ragtag unit of clone commandos of the same name. The arc was subsequently released on StarWars.com for free shortly after on April 29, 2015. The completed episodes were aired as the first part of the seventh season.[82] A spin-off sequel series titled Star Wars: The Bad Batch which follows the titular clone trooper team premiered on May 4, 2021.[83]
Video games
Seven video games have been released, which are based on the style and character designs of the series.
Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars, released in March 2011 by TT Games for PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, PC, Mac, and Nintendo 3DS, which further stylizes the characters as part of the Lego Star Wars theme and is mostly based on the first two seasons.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars Pinball, a virtualpinball adaptation of the series' original run, released in 2013 as a purchaseable add-on for Zen Studios' Star Wars Pinball collection for most seventh- and eighth-generation home video game systems, computers and mobile devices.
Disney Infinity 3.0, released in September 2015 by Disney Interactive for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U, Microsoft Windows, iOS and Android, which stylizes select major characters from the show as action figures that become playable only via a toys-to-lifeNFC system. Each copy of the game comes with the playset, "Twilight of the Republic", which is an alternate storyline set during the Clone Wars era, along with two starting characters, Anakin and Ahsoka. Other characters from the show also appear, although most of them are not playable or are fought as bosses.
Characters and locations from the show have also appeared in the following Star Wars games:
Star Wars: Galactic Defense, a now-defunct tower defense game released on iOS and Android by DeNA, in which a number of playable champions include characters from the show. Several levels in the main campaign also take place on the planet Felucia, a major Clone Wars hotspot featured in some episodes.
Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, a turn-based RPG also released on iOS and Android by Electronic Arts, where some levels take place on planets depicted in the show (such as Dathomir) and a number of collectible, playable characters are from the show.
Star Wars: Force Arena, an online MOBA game released on iOS and Android by Netmarble, where an August 2017 update allowed players to recruit characters, vehicles and battle units from the series, as well as battle on planets like Felucia.
Star Wars Battlefront II, a video game available on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, in which players can battle on or directly above planets like Ryloth and Kamino, where some battles in the series were fought.[84] Wood, Taylor, Lanter and Burton also reprise their voice roles for four new playable heroes (General Grievous, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Count Dooku, respectively) being added to the game's third season in late 2018, themed after the Clone Wars.[85]
Notes
^Filoni initially thought the call concerning a job at the newly formed Lucasfilm Animation was a practical joke from one of his co-workers.[22]
