Although Star Wars began as a movies-focused franchise, Star Wars TV shows have become increasingly important. In fact, with a nearly seven year gap between Star Wars’ most recent movie, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and its upcoming movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu, the franchise has really come to depend on TV shows. While many of those (including some of the most successful) have been live-action, such as The Mandalorian and Andor, Star Wars has also produced some incredible animated TV shows.
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Of the animated shows, Star Wars: The Clone Wars is arguably the overall best, which is interesting given it’s the show that George Lucas was involved in prior to Disney’s acquisition of Star Wars. Even after that transition, though, Star Wars has continued to have brilliant animated shows that comprise some excellent episodes of television. Here’s a roundup of the 10 best animated episodes in all of Star Wars.
The Cavalry Has Arrived
Star Wars: The Bad Batch really doesn’t get enough credit. The Clone Wars spinoff show focuses on the titular group of misfit clones, all of whom have some sort of distinctive trait compared to their clone counterparts. The show is underrated in part because it did so much to humanize the clones even more and reveal how they struggled during the Dark Times.
However, the show’s best episode is its finale, “The Cavalry Has Arrived” (rivaled only by the season 2 finale, in which Tech has his devastating death scene). In addition to being well-written, this final episode of the series gives the Bad Batch crew something nearly unheard of in Star Wars movies and TV shows: a happy ending. This was especially deserved by the clones, who had been through so much from the moment they were created, and it really was the perfect conclusion to their story.
The Lawless
The Clone Wars is heavily focused on Anakin Skywalker and his fall to the dark side of the Force, particularly how his previously unknown Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, influenced that fall. However, Obi-Wan Kenobi also has several crucial storylines in the show, including the shocking revelation that he, too, once had a love interest, the Duchess of Mandalore, Satine Kryze. Satine has several important episodes, but the best overall is “The Lawless.”
Sadly, this is the episode in which (former) Darth Maul and Death Watch take control of Mandalore and Maul gets revenge on Obi-Wan by stabbing Satine to death in front of him. While brutal, the episode is beautifully done, and it’s instrumental in understanding Obi-Wan and his motivations in the prequel trilogy—particularly why he doesn’t report Anakin’s obvious romantic relationship with Padmé to the Jedi Council.
Jedi Night
Star Wars Rebels was Disney Star Wars’ first animated show, and considering how big a risk the show was, it should really be more celebrated than it is. The show revealed that one of the survivors of Order 66, Kanan Jarrus (formerly Caleb Dume) went on to train a Jedi apprentice, Ezra Bridger, in the Dark Times—and Kanan ultimately proved to be one of the best examples of what a Jedi should be in the entire franchise.
One of the best episodes of Rebels, however, is sadly when Kanan Jarrus dies. In the episode, “Jedi Night,” Kanan sacrifices himself to save his team, and although it’s truly painful to watch, it’s a beautiful episode of television and is the perfect conclusion to his story.
The Jedi Who Knew Too Much
Ahsoka Tano’s Jedi journey is among the most interesting in Star Wars, and that isn’t just because she’s the Padawan of the literal Chosen One. Her story actually becomes much more interesting in “The Jedi Who Knew Too Much,” one of the best episodes of The Clone Wars. In it, Ahsoka is framed for murder, and she ends up going on the run.
While this is just the beginning of this fascinating arc for Ahsoka, it’s a great episode of the show, as it reveals not only just how skilled and powerful Ahsoka had become but also shows a different side to the Jedi and the Republic—one that sets the stage for the downfall of both.
The Wrong Jedi
Ahsoka’s departure from the Jedi Order is one of the most important moments in Star Wars, particularly when it comes to Anakin’s fall to the dark side, and the episode “The Wrong Jedi” does an excellent job of depicting not only how brutal this exit was for all involved but also how corrupt the Jedi had become (and how it affected Anakin’s perception of them, making way for his turn in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith).
In particular, watching the Jedi Council try to twist the narrative and say this had been Ahsoka’s Jedi trial after abandoning her and putting her at risk of being put to death by the Senate was infuriating, and it’s clear that Anakin feels the same way. This also revealed Anakin’s feelings of wanting to leave, which was likewise illuminating.
Shattered
The only Ahsoka arc that is better than her eventual exit from the Jedi Order is her arc during the events of Order 66. This certainly includes the episode “Shattered,” in which Ahsoka has to fight for her life with the clones she had once been so close with, following Palpatine’s declaration of Order 66 and the activation of the clones’ inhibitor chips that forced them to kill the Jedi.
In fact, another animated show made this even better in retrospect, as Tales of the Jedi revealed how Anakin’s training had directly prepared Ahsoka for such an attack, allowing her to survive. Additionally, while Order 66 has obviously always been horrifying, there was something particularly affecting about seeing Ahsoka’s beloved clone troopers turn on her.
Victory and Death
“Victory and Death” is the final episode of The Clone Wars, and despite it being incredibly difficult to stick the landing of a multi-season show—and, notably, one that exchanged hands to Disney for the final season—The Clone Wars absolutely pulled it off. This episode showed how Ahsoka survived Order 66, which ended with her needing to bury dozens of clone troopers who had lost their lives during the ordeal.
The episode also ends with Darth Vader discovering Ahsoka’s lightsabers and silently holding them, which is the closest audiences get to seeing Vader grieve Ahsoka and acknowledge what she really meant to him.
Twin Suns
Although it’s clear that The Clone Wars consistently dominates other Star Wars shows when it comes to the best episodes in the franchise, Rebels had some of the very best overall, including “Twin Suns.” This episode saw the final showdown between Obi-Wan and Maul, after decades of the two going head to head.
What makes this episode especially brilliant is the way Maul dies. After so many years of Maul hating Obi-Wan and being determined to kill him, Maul dies in Obi-Wan’s arms—poetically, on Tatooine. This episode also reveals how far Obi-Wan has come as a Jedi, even while he is in exile.
The Phantom Apprentice
Maul and Ahsoka really are among the best characters in Star Wars shows (which is no doubt why Lucasfilm/Disney decided to bring Maul back yet again in Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord), and the second best episode of Star Wars animated shows proves it. In “The Phantom Apprentice,” which is also part of Ahsoka’s Order 66 arc, the two face off against each other, and it is among the very best lightsaber duels in the entire franchise.
In addition to how well-done the lightsaber battle is, though, this episode carries significant emotional weight for both characters. For Maul, he is grappling with the reality that he (and everyone else) was always expendable in Palpatine’s plan, as he always wanted Anakin as his Sith apprentice. Ahsoka, likewise, is having to confront the truth about Anakin, which becomes one of the most painful things she ever has to face.
Twilight of the Apprentice Part II
The single best episode of Star Wars animated TV shows is “Twilight of the Apprentice Part II,” which once again features Ahsoka. This episode, which is from Rebels, sees Ahsoka and Anakin/Vader come face to face for the first time since before Order 66 and Anakin’s fall, and it’s as painful as one might expect.
In fact, this is perhaps the closest audiences ever get to seeing Anakin’s conflict as Darth Vader on screen (something that is explored in much greater detail in the comics), even compared to his confrontation with Obi-Wan in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Vader utters one gut-wrenching “Ahsoka,” and then he returns to his full-fledged Sith self, telling Ahsoka she will die. Of all the episodes of Star Wars animated shows, this really is the very best.
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Courtesy of Toei Animation
