While the early Star Wars movies have mature moments and themes, younger audiences can still appreciate them. After all, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi features the cuddly creatures known as Ewoks that help the Rebellion take down the evil Empire. Older fans may not love the Ewoks, but they don’t have to focus on them because there are lightsaber fights and dogfights in space to keep them busy. It’s harder to block out the noise when watching Star Wars cartoons, though, because they’re completely geared toward children, with the powers that be hoping to use them to introduce a galaxy far, far away to kids around the world.
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Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures and LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, in particular, are hard to sit through without a kid being present. However, there’s one Star Wars animated series that goes to some pretty dark places. In fact, it features an arc that many consider to be the most devastating story in the franchise.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars Puts the Spotlight on the Republic’s Soldiers
There is so much going on in the Star Wars prequel trilogy that it’s hard to keep up. The Jedi are so busy dealing with the return of the Sith and the threat of the Separatists that they don’t even think twice when a mysterious army falls into their laps. The clones, which are created from the DNA of bounty hunter Jango Fett, prove to be capable warriors in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, helping the Republic win the Battle of Geonosis. The soldiers continue to prove their worth during Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, but there’s no time to focus on them because Anakin Skywalker’s fall to the dark side is all that matters. Fortunately, Lucasfilm doesn’t leave them hanging because it gives them a show all their own.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars, while still featuring characters like Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi, doesn’t push its soldiers to the background. Clones like Fives and Captain Rex appear in numerous episodes and get to tell their stories leading up to the tragic events of Order 66. Fives even gets close to revealing the plan that Chancellor Palpatine has for him and his brothers, but he’s silenced before the truth can come out. Going after the leader of the Republic isn’t uncharted territory for Fives, though, because he was there when the 501st Legion had to stand up to their superior.
Clone Wars‘ Umbara Arc Shows What Happens When the Wrong Person Is in Charge
By the time The Clone Wars Season 4 rolls around, the Republic army is a well-oiled machine. The next big task is to take the capital of the planet Umbara, but it’s not going to be a normal mission. Circumstances force Anakin to hand over command of the 501st to another Jedi, Pong Krell, who, by all accounts, is a stand-up guy. Captain Rex gets his men ready for the mission and tries to get on Krell’s good side. He has a bit of trouble, and it becomes clear that his new boss doesn’t like clones all that much. While the 501st’s Clones are used to Anakin treating them like friends, Krell takes a different approach, viewing them more like mindless droids.
Krell makes his disdain for his subordinates clear by creating plans that put them in harm’s way. When Fives and other clones disobey orders to help their brothers, Krell orders them to be executed, which shocks Rex. Things don’t get any better for the captain when Krell reveals that insurgents are about to attack them using Clone armor, and it turns out to be a lie. The Jedi pits two groups of clones against one another, killing many in the process. Without any other choice, Rex sets out to arrest Krell, who reveals that he’s done with the Republic and wants to get Count Dooku’s attention.
Watching Rex wrestle with the fact that he’s responsible for killing some of his brothers is rough. However, what the Umbara arc is really trying to say is that people with power can abuse it at the drop of a hat. Despite the clones giving their all for the Republic, some still view them as fodder that’s no more important than a dismantled battle droid they step over on the battlefield.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars is streaming on Disney+.
How do you feel about Star Wars: The Clone Wars‘ Umbara arc? Do you think it’s one of the darkest moments in franchise history? Let us know in the comments below!
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