Star Wars: The Clone Wars was a massively important contribution to Star Wars movies and TV shows. For one, The Clone Wars really laid the groundwork for this franchise to include TV shows in addition to movies—something that was very new at the time, especially in terms of canon. Now, Star Wars shows are a critical part of the franchise. In addition to that, some of Star Wars’ best characters were either introduced or significantly fleshed out in the show.
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Ahsoka Tano, for example, wasn’t introduced in the show; she was introduced in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie. Even so, this show came to define her character and be pivotal for integrating her into the larger narrative. However, The Clone Wars also became essential to better understanding Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, as the story dove so much deeper into his character. It’s perhaps for that reason that the show managed to pull off one perfect Vader Easter egg that many fans missed.
Anakin’s Clone Wars Armor Was A Subtle Nod To Vader
As some Star Wars fans have recently pointed out, Anakin’s Clone Wars era armor in The Clone Wars mirrors Darth Vader’s suit, which is a brilliant way to subtly nod towards the fact that, by the time The Clone Wars began, Anakin was sadly already well on his way to falling to the dark side. After all, as charming and funny as Anakin is in the show, this comes after his slaughter of the Tusken Raiders in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.
It would have been all too easy for The Clone Wars to be too heavy-handed in setting up Anakin’s eventual fall, especially because that was part of what the show needed to accomplish. A major complaint about Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith was that Anakin fell too quickly, and The Clone Wars was a significant opportunity to fix or at least improve this. Sure, there are times that Vader’s breathing can be heard or there are more overt signs, but more often than not, the show did so in ways such as this one.
The Clone Wars Significantly Improved Anakin’s Story (And The Prequels)
Looking back on the impact The Clone Wars has had on the larger Star Wars franchise and particularly the prequel trilogy, it really is impressive how much the show accomplished. A major aspect of this impact is the extent to which the show fleshed Anakin out as a character, particularly in terms of his fall. Arcs like his jealousy over Rush Clovis, for example, showed just how flawed he was for years, even beyond what the prequels showed.
Likewise, Ahsoka’s introduction and her eventual departure from the Jedi Order made Anakin’s loss of faith in the Jedi make so much more sense. Countless Star Wars shows since then also owe their beginnings to The Clone Wars, from Star Wars: The Bad Batch and Star Wars Rebels to Ahsoka and even Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord.
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