Release Date: October 3, 2008

Cast: Matt Lanter, James Arnold Taylor, Ashley Eckstein

Director: Dave Filoni

Our Score: A

“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” is widely regarded as the best Star Wars animated series. These regards do not come without merit. The show has an IMDB rating of 8.2 out of 10 and has a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The show has a seven season span and is set between Episode 2 and Episode 3 of the movie franchise. It was originally intended for 5 seasons. When this format led to loose ends in the series, Netflix created its own season with 13 episodes. The fan-base still begged for more of their beloved show. Fortunately, Disney+ answered there plea, exceeding our expectations for the series

“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” has several major points that historically have and still do make the series a great watch for all Star Wars Fans. The first is the humanization of the clones. The clones are soldiers of the Galactic Republic Grand Army that were made through cloning, not genetic birth. Within the prequel movies, the clones were portrayed as a non-essential group of proxy men, who became heavily overshadowed by the showman-like nature of the Jedi. These clones were shown in masses, like ants, leading people to understand their significance as such. When they died, it did not seem as an important moment within the films. This is where the series excels; it highlights military themes such as PTSD, rank, insubordination and desertion while tackling the meaning of the clone’s true purpose. The series often included episodes where clones were an integral part of completing the mission, sometimes the only part. We got to learn their names and their struggles. If they died, this moment was important as these characters were ones we had grown to like and identify with. They were viewed as people, not mindless soldiers that continuously followed orders.

“The clones are a large focal point of the show. It is fitting that the finally highlights the humanity of the clones in an excellent way,” freshman Brian Matute said.

Another strength of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” is how its puts importance on the minor details. Many of the battles in the show are only referenced to in the comics. These battles are heavily emphasized, though, sometimes taking up three to four episodes at a time. The battles have a sense of meaning as well, portraying their results as consequential. The personal comradery among many of the stories’ main characters is well told. Whether it be between Anakin Skywalker and Ashoka Tano or just clone to clone, the story shows more than the hollow dramatic shell that encases many of those i the prequels

The final season of the series is all of these things and more. The story is well established and continues to grow towards the penultimate event of Order 66. Towards the middle of the series, the series plotlines become a bit tedious and drawn out. However, they end up making sense in the long run as Ashoka’s justification for her actions become clearer.

“It is nice that we are able to see more of the events leading up to Order 66. Those last few moments were intense and the gut feeling of dread was impossible to shake,” freshman Tristan Balbin said.

The simple presentation of the final season is well put together. The animation is fluid, the writing and voice actors deliver the story in a perfect way and some of the final scores are downright haunting. These elements and more make “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” one of the greatest animated series of all time.