Star Wars is generally considered to be a film franchise, but all that changed 18 years ago. George Lucas had long wanted to make a Star Wars TV show of his own; he initially toyed with a live-action series called Star Wars: Underworld, set between the trilogies, but eventually abandoned the idea because he realized it would be too expensive. So Lucas then switched his focus to a different medium, animation, and we saw the results in 2008 with the launch of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
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The first four episodes actually had a theatrical release, stitched together as an animated movie. Fan reaction was initially mixed, with some objecting to the introduction of Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan Ahsoka Tano, but it didn’t take long for the show to pick up. Now, 18 years later, we can honestly call The Clone Wars one of the most important projects in Star Wars history – arguably just as significant as any one of the movies.
The Clone Wars Stumbled At First, But Got So Much Better
The first seasons of The Clone Wars are a little rough around the edges, not least because of an anthology approach that skips around the Star Wars timeline with impunity (it’s confusing enough that Lucasfilm eventually published an official viewing order to help). But the stories gradually found their balance of light and dark, helped by giving viewers time to get to know the characters. Ashley Eckstein’s Ahsoka had one of the most enjoyable arcs, and morphed into a fan-favorite who’s still around today, arguably every bit as iconic as any film Jedi.
The Clone Wars may be an animation, but it’s delightfully mature on occasion. Far from being out-and-out heroes, the Jedi are complex characters who even commit war crimes during the Clone Wars, and we see the violence that war does to their own souls. The clones become much more interesting too, and we eventually learn they are not to blame for Order 66; a smart retcon transforms them into just another victim of Palpatine, manipulated by inhibitor chips implanted within their brains.
That isn’t the only retcon, either. Lucas used The Clone Wars to correct mistakes from the prequels, bringing Darth Maul back from the dead as a third party during the galactic conflict. Maul evolved into Obi-Wan Kenobi’s true nemesis, with a Mandalorian arc giving Obi-Wan a story that pushed him to the brink – and showed how very different he was to Anakin, when Obi-Wan refused to fall to the dark side because of grief. The stories get deeper and darker as the series continues, maturing with the audience.
The Clone Wars Have Become Crucial to Modern Star Wars
Disney initially canceled The Clone Wars after acquiring Lucasfilm, with Disney bosses eager to make their own mark on the franchise and reluctant to let a Star Wars TV show continue to air on a rival network. Instead, Disney commissioned Star Wars Rebels, but kept the same creative team – including Dave Filoni, Lucas’ Clone Wars protege. It didn’t take long for Rebels to evolve into something of a Clone Wars sequel, complete with the return of Ahsoka Tano. Rebels was probably stronger, but in large part because Filoni and his team had learned a lot from The Clone Wars.
Looking back, though, there’s a strong sense in which The Clone Wars set the groundwork for every single TV show that’s followed. The Mandalorian builds on Lucas’ vision of Mandalorian culture, The Book of Boba Fett builds on an unfinished Clone Wars arc, and Ahsoka stars a live-action version of Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan, now played by Rosario Dawson. Even The Acolyte riffs on Clone Wars, with its Force witches inspired by the Dathomiri Nightsisters seen in the classic Lucas show.
The Clone Wars returned for a final seventh season in 2020, generally considered one of the best Star Wars stories of all time, with the final four episodes concurrent with Revenge of the Sith and adding so many new layers to the film itself. This seventh series has now inspired not one but two spin-off TV shows, The Bad Batch and this year’s Maul – Shadow Lord, both set during the Dark Times of the Empire’s reign. It increasingly feels as though The Clone Wars just gets better every year, as yet more is built upon it.
Dave Filoni is Now Key To Lucasfilm’s Future
Dave Filoni himself has now become one of the most important figures in Lucasfilm. He’s stepped up as Lucasfilm co-president, taking ownership of creative direction while Lynwen Brennan handles the business side. That means there’s a very real sense in which the future of Star Wars itself is now defined by The Clone Wars; by the man Lucas brought on board for his animated series, and by the lessons Filoni learned from Lucas. Eighteen years on, The Clone Wars is not just the past of Star Wars, but it’s future as well.
Have Lucasfilm made the right choice with Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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