Note: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, Fandom will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
“General Kenobi…Years ago, you served my father in the Clone Wars. Now he begs you to help in his struggle against the Empire.”
For 25 years, fans speculated about the mythical Clone Wars mentioned by Princess Leia. George Lucas finally brought them to life in Attack of the Clones, but it fell to Star Wars: The Clone Wars to truly flesh out this era of the Star Wars saga.
Here are 10 times when The Clone Wars (Watch now on Disney+) shaped the history of Star Wars.
Asajj Ventress
Clone Wars puts Asajj Ventress front and center for the first time. Hacking and slashing her way through all challengers in the arena on Rattatak, Ventress earns the favor of Count Dooku, becoming one of his favorite living weapons against the Jedi. Although she comes off worst against Anakin in a climactic showdown, Asajj Ventress will remain a thorn in his side throughout the following seasons.
The Malevolence Arc (Season 1)
In Season 1 of the show, The Separatists have a new super-battleship, the Malevolence, commanded by General Grievous. After wreaking havoc on the Republic fleet, it’s up to Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padme to end the threat in spectacular style: Setting the burning warship on a collision course with the nearest moon, ending one of The Clone Wars’ most memorable space battles.
Death Trap (Season 2)
An undercover Boba Fett sets out to assassinate Mace Windu! Action aside, there’s also some character development taking place. Boba isn’t a soulless killing machine; he takes care to avoid harming innocents and reduce collateral damage, even while fixated on killing the man who beheaded his father. The conclusion of this quest for revenge set the stage for the enigmatic bounty hunter we’ll meet again in The Empire Strikes Back.
Ghosts of Mortis (Season 3)
On the planet Mortis, Anakin is shown a chilling premonition of what will one day come to pass. Padme choking; Obi-Wan crying out in betrayal; the Death Star obliterating Alderaan; and most ominous of all, the black helmet of Darth Vader. This sequence makes Revenge of the Sith all the more tragic, once we learn that Anakin had foreseen what was coming — and failed to stop it.
Clone Cadets (Season 3)
We saw the birth of the Clone Army on Kamino in Attack of the Clones, but didn’t get a lot of insight into the growth and training of Clone Troopers. This episode gives us a look at their version of boot camp, and shows that clones are not all the same — each has his own individual quirks and foibles.
Brothers (Season 4)
Maul is back … and he’s insane. Returning from his defeat at the hands of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, everybody’s favorite horn-headed Sith is now half-Zabrak, half-mechanoid, sporting a snazzy set of bionic legs. Gone is the cold discipline we saw in The Phantom Menace, replaced by a savage ferocity that portends extremely bad things for the Jedi.
Lawless (Season 5)
For Obi-Wan, Duchess Satine Kryze is the one that got away — the love interest for whom he would have left the Jedi Order. That only makes it all the more brutal when Satine is murdered right in front of him by Darth Maul. This was Obi-Wan’s greatest test of self-control. With the love of his life dead, it would have been easy for him to be consumed by a need for revenge and turn toward the dark side. Instead, he takes the high road. Years later, his Padawan will demonstrate what could have happened if Obi-Wan had given in to his emotions.
The Gathering (Season 5)
A major piece of Star Wars lore is the Kyber crystal, a source of great energy that can power anything from a light saber to the super-laser of the Death Star. This episode marked their first canonical appearance, establishing the concept that all Jedi must find their own crystal as a rite of passage.
Captain Rex
No Clone Wars list would be complete without a mention of Captain Rex. The grizzled clone officer was a firm favorite with fans, returning regularly throughout the series. Showrunner Dave Filoni hinted that Rex may have not only survived the Clone Wars, but also made it all the way to the Battle of Endor, fighting on the side of the Rebellion; in Return of the Jedi, a white-bearded old man bearing a definite resemblance to the clone captain can be seen storming the Imperial bunker alongside Han Solo…
Ahsoka Tano
Equally unforgettable is Ahsoka Tano, whose character arc from awkward Padawan to confident Jedi was a big hit with fans. The big question is, how does Ahsoka’s story end? We know that she survives at least as far as Rebels, but after that, only time — and Dave Filoni — can tell…
Disney+ is the only place to stream your favorites from Disney and more. Watch now!
