logo Sign In

Star Wars: The Clone Wars To Return With New Episodes — Page 8

Author
Time
 (Edited)

Filoni gets huge props for giving us stories that support ROTS so much better than it could ever stand on its own. It definitely helps shift the perspective from “one day things were fine and a few days later everyone was dead” to “the entire galaxy was ready for a governing and power shift, and it’s the events of ROTS that really just push it over the edge.”

With Clone Wars finally complete, it feels like we have a solid setup for the movie.

Author
Time

DominicCobb said:

Cthulhunicron said:

So padme is supposed to already be 8-9 months pregnant when we first see her in ROTS?

Yes and I believe this has always been the case.

But does this make any sense? If she was that pregnant, would her reveal be necessary? Wouldn’t Anakin know when he picks her up during that spinning hug he gives her? Could they even do that safely with her in that condition? Can anybody explain this? If George’s intention was that, yes, ROTS is set over the course of about a week, then I don’t see the need to blame The Clone Wars for this as I initially was. If not, well, I’d like somebody to explain all this weirdness to me or at least let me know who’s to blame.

Author
Time

SWOTFAN25 said:

This was truly a special Star Wars experience for me. I’m part of the clone wars generation of star wars fans. I saw the original animated film in theaters on my 8th birthday. That was my first star wars film on the big-screen. I’m so incredibly proud of this show. It was utterly spectacular. This series has done the prequel films so much justice I cannot even explain. I showed my brother the entire series this month and we finished it off by marathoning the last 4 episodes. The loveable characters become so deep and grow so much throughout the show, and to see the finale was something truly unprecendented. I couldn’t believe the depth of storytelling, the amazing sense of dread, and how much it all felt like a film. Thank you George, and thank you Dave Filoni.

After all the years of people loathing the prequels, this show solidifies for me that those stories deserve respect. This is timeless, and required viewing for any star wars fan.

This was the comment I was looking/hoping for after just having watched the final 4 episodes having not grown up with the show at all or really the prequels. I still didn’t have the true emotional reaction fans will in terms of characters like Rex and Ahsoka, but I followed along just fine. I’ve also learned to love Revenge of the Sith enough to respect it and the prequel era as it was interpreted. Truly must be validating for prequel fans to see such specific references given that really make the finale a RotS companion piece and for it to be so respected in that way. In a way the quality of the finale and its link to those events are really inviting fans to revisit now with a new perspective which was exactly what Filoni had in mind.

“The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force.” - DV

Author
Time

Decided to start the series from the beginning. Four episodes in. Preface and review tomorrow.
No, my account hasn’t been hacked. 😉

Forum Moderator
Author
Time

Looking forward to it but I have a suggestion. I highly recommend watching it in chronological order instead of the original airing order. George Lucas was heavily involved with the first half of the series and he had a habit of telling the stories out of order. So watching it in airing order can be really confusing because one week someone will have died and then the next they’re just fine. It’s really odd.

Also, the first season is really rough. They hadn’t figured out what the tone should be and leaned heavily in a childish direction. With the chronological order you get some decent later season episodes dispersed between the early ones and it really helps with the tone.

Here’s a link to the chronological order list.

Forum Moderator
Author
Time

Well that’s frustrating, especially since I watched it in whatever order Netflix had it over the last few years. I’m slowly finding out that MANY tv shows are or were not originally aired in the correct order and have been transposed to streaming services in the incorrect order too.

Case in point: I started watching the 90’s X-men cartoon on Disney+ and just discovered that it’s WAY out of order. Luckily I caught it in season 1 and have found a proper lost online so I’ll be able to watch the important stuff in proper order. Which is really important for multi-part story arcs.

Author
Time

With Clone Wars, it’s not a case of the show being aired out of “correct order” - the fact the show jumped around in time was intentional in the early seasons (as Tobar pointed out), as it was closer to an anthology series than a narrative arc. That “anthology” idea got phased out later in the show, but the “correct” order is the one you saw on Netflix.

I’d honestly suggest sticking with that order myself, if only because you get to see the show grow into itself, as opposed to having a later, more polished version of the show inserted into the early, still stumbling version of itself. I think that makes the experience of watching the show more jarring, in fact. Same reasons I don’t think the “Machete Order” or any viewing order of the films other than chronological works, really. Same principle that makes the Special Editions an incongruous and not-very-well-liked viewing experience: retroactively trying to fit new things into older things just highlights the difference in tone and execution, and calls the wrong kind of attention to itself.

Author
Time
 (Edited)

Tobar said:

Looking forward to it but I have a suggestion. I highly recommend watching it in chronological order instead of the original airing order. George Lucas was heavily involved with the first half of the series and he had a habit of telling the stories out of order. So watching it in airing order can be really confusing because one week someone will have died and then the next they’re just fine. It’s really odd.

Also, the first season is really rough. They hadn’t figured out what the tone should be and leaned heavily in a childish direction. With the chronological order you get some decent later season episodes dispersed between the early ones and it really helps with the tone.

Here’s a link to the chronological order list.

No doubt, there are some childish directions. Good news if they pull away from that. More good news, looking at your chronological list, it looks like the first four aired episodes (all I’ve watched so far) are sequential so I have minimal catching up to do. I started at Ambush, season one, episode one.

My preface and thoughts at the start;

As some of you may or may not know, I’m unfamiliar with all things Prequel. I saw Phantom Menace in the theater in '99, thought it was stupid, and jumped from the franchise. I remember almost nothing from it. I never saw the second two prequel films, nor have I seen anything from the vulgar SEs of the Original Trilogy, save for a few screencaps. After decades of hearing Lucas belch easily provable lies, I just couldn’t take any more of his inability to write or direct. Boundless universe - one small story.

I took the advice of a friend and started The Clone Wars animated series. To be sure, it is rife with Lucas and the Prequels. I knew that going in. He really is a one-note writer. The names may be the most telling of his juvenile mind; Grevious, Tyranus, and Sidious are the bad guys and their ship is the Malevolence ? Honestly, what’s next? - General Infectious and Lord Famine striking from their base on Pandemica to fight the rebels?

“Jesus, George, it’s a wonder Star Wars was ever born”

Vitriol out of the way. There is no shortage of members on our board who love the series and recommend it. I’ve resisted for obvious reasons. So here I am several years later, jumping in. My friend, as well as two co-worker Star Wars nerds kept telling me how great this final season is. That piqued my interest and I decided to make peace with the Prequelness. Being unfamiliar with the Prequels, there are a fair number of characters I don’t know. I recognize a few (e.g., the droid made out of bone and the woman with the long neck). I’m assuming the steampunk character is from the films also. I’ll get it as I go.

I’ve watched the first four episodes and I’m not hating it. As assumed, it’s VERY Prequel, but I can see the appeal. The animation is interesting and the characters are for the most part engaging. This seems like much more the way Lucas should have continued the franchise. This perfectly fits his visual-first, story-second style of storytelling. I’m assuming there will be plenty of twirling colors and rolling ships as we go. He always had people battling with light sabers with the ridiculous behind-the-back twirling. Honestly, those battles would be over the moment an opponent put their arm behind their back to do some sort of elbow twist and spin.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5f/05/02/5f05024b95954b52400137476ff20c44.gif

I can see myself completing the entire series because I’m genuinely curious about the characters and story. I’ll probably watch one on my lunch break in just a few minutes, as well as a couple more late tonight. They’re short episodes and not terribly deep. Just the sort of thing to watch before falling asleep. Even though that may sound like a slight, I don’t mean it as one. I just mean that they’re easily digestible as a way to decompress at the end of the day. Very much like Beware The Batman, which I also love and own all the episodes.

  • edit -

Funny that the soldiers on the remote base have some Vargas girls on the wall. 😉

Forum Moderator
Author
Time
 (Edited)

Broom Kid said:

With Clone Wars, it’s not a case of the show being aired out of “correct order” - the fact the show jumped around in time was intentional in the early seasons (as Tobar pointed out), as it was closer to an anthology series than a narrative arc. That “anthology” idea got phased out later in the show, but the “correct” order is the one you saw on Netflix.

I’d honestly suggest sticking with that order myself, if only because you get to see the show grow into itself, as opposed to having a later, more polished version of the show inserted into the early, still stumbling version of itself. I think that makes the experience of watching the show more jarring, in fact. Same reasons I don’t think the “Machete Order” or any viewing order of the films other than chronological works, really. Same principle that makes the Special Editions an incongruous and not-very-well-liked viewing experience: retroactively trying to fit new things into older things just highlights the difference in tone and execution, and calls the wrong kind of attention to itself.

For me, I’ve never liked the idea that we have tell everyone new to the show to watch it off some strange chronological order from online, instead of just the normal way which we all got along perfectly fine.

It’s very rare for this to occur and I think it’s more of an annoyance to have to consult some online “chronological cut” rather than just using the release order. It’s not that hard to recognize an episode is supposed to be a prequel to an earlier episode. They often establish it very clearly in the intro and expect you to already care for these characters.

Maul- A Star Wars Story

Author
Time

The way I feel is that if you know the chronological order exists, you might as well do that, but yeah the truth is there’s not much of a compelling reason why you need to. I also don’t think the quality of the show differed that much over the years but that’s another conversation.

Author
Time

I actually kind of prefer season 2 and parts of season 1 to chunks of the later seasons. Every later arc ends up being 3-4 episodes and a lot of them don’t really need to be. The highs are higher, but unlike in season 1 and 2 the show doesn’t move on from its lows fast enough.

I think this is why a lot of people suggest a specific viewing selection or order to those who want to get into it, so that they can skip all the bad or buy into the show easier off the bat. But the show’s batting average is a lot lower than watching its best in isolation would have you think.

My other Clone Wars hot takes:

  • Domino Squad were barely characters, Fives is the only notable one
  • The changes to Anakin’s character make him a more boring character than his film counterpart
  • Umbara arc didn’t stick the landing, nor did it need to be its 4 episodes and its entertainment value is 90% just being cool and fun not “dark or deep.” Not the show’s best.
  • Its at its best when it knows it’s a fun kids show
  • The action in this show can be too long and mind-numbing to watch at a certain point
  • The show did not make me care more or less about the prequel Jedi to make me any sadder about their deaths in ROTS
  • I always really liked Ahsoka
  • The Martez sisters were better than 85% of the stock characters used throughout the original run, and the Bad Batch

Andor: The Rogue One Arc

Author
Time
 (Edited)

My other hot takes:

  • 80% of the show is action scenes that never end
  • Obi-wan, my favorite prequel character, has a permanent stick up his ass and I don’t like it
  • Anakin is less whiny than his film counterpart, which is great, but still written unevenly
  • Ashoka didn’t become tolerable until Rebels
  • Padme is severely underutilized
  • Maul is a completely different character than in TPM
  • I didn’t like the ending very much (even though I liked the episode and the last arc in general)
Author
Time

NFBisms said:

My other Clone Wars hot takes:

  • Domino Squad were barely characters, Fives is the only notable one
  • The changes to Anakin’s character make him a more boring character than his film counterpart
  • Umbara arc didn’t stick the landing, nor did it need to be its 4 episodes and its entertainment value is 90% just being cool and fun not “dark or deep.” Not the show’s best.
  • Its at its best when it knows it’s a fun kids show
  • The action in this show can be too long and mind-numbing to watch at a certain point
  • The show did not make me care more or less about the prequel Jedi to make me any sadder about their deaths in ROTS
  • I always really liked Ahsoka
  • The Martez sisters were better than 85% of the stock characters used throughout the original run, and the Bad Batch

I’ve found a nice place to post these hot takes.

Just joking around. I respect your opinions. 😉


Join us in the OT.com Discord server!

Author
Time

NFBisms said:

  • The changes to Anakin’s character make him a more boring character than his film counterpart

Then why are you changing Anakin’s film character to be more in line with the TV show?

My preferred Skywalker Saga experience:
I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX

Author
Time
 (Edited)

burn on me i guess?

StarkillerAG said:

NFBisms said:

  • The changes to Anakin’s character make him a more boring character than his film counterpart

Then why are you changing Anakin’s film character to be more in line with the TV show?

Because I like TCW more than the films and think that its characters deserve to have a finale that works for them better than the theatrical film.


I guess to clarify:

I definitely like Filoni/Matt Lanter’s portayal more, in writing and acting. I mean, I wouldn’t have made my edit if I didn’t feel that way, if I didn’t think the prequels shat the bed as far as connecting to the OT and making us like or care about the characters anyway.

That said we all know it’s not purely a case of TCW’s writing just being better. They deliberately approached Anakin as a mash-up of Han/Luke when he wasn’t really that in the movies. And it works!

But on some level, I feel like retconning him into a classical ideal hero-type does away with what little about the original portrayal that did work for me. I don’t quite know how to articulate this atm because it’s like 2am where I am, but it’s almost deliberately dumber. In a lot of ways it’s Anakin as a crowd-pleasing Marvel character. The concessions made for his character do the opposite of flesh him out.

Wooden acting and campy writing aside, I think something that was unique about Hayden’s Anakin was that he was pretty feminine-coded: he was sensitive and softer spoken, he cried, he wore his heart on his sleeve. Unlike the stoic male hero informed by morals and action, his story was defined by his emotions. Interestingly enough his arc is pretty much a Heroine’s Journey. I think that’s fascinating stuff.

Sure, Anakin can come off as a bit of an entitled brat - but within an institution deliberately depicted as cold and dispassionate. I do think him being nine in TPM (and “too old” at that age) was a calculated story decision, and with the two other films, it paints a picture of a good heart discouraged by conservative moral authority - a boy made to conform to the masculine ideal of unemotional and pragmatic. He’s robbed of healthy outlets for emotions he has, which pushes him towards worse influences and shapes his worldview in unhealthy ways.

By emphasizing how young and repressed he is, there’s just a lot more going on; discussions about masculinity and those expectations, how that can skew perspectives in an upbringing, how war certainly doesn’t help - and how all of that interplays with indoctrination and dogmatic faith. For kids, it’s a lesson about how logical detachment and unemotional thinking is overrated - in a world that so often wants us to “control your feelings,” turning boys into unfeeling social monsters and looks down on women for what’s normal in any human. In a franchise about the virtues of love and family, I find that this take on Darth Vader is fitting. It’s more mature and intriguing than just a failed hero’s journey. It just mostly doesn’t work within our expectations or how he’s described in the OT. (and execution lmao) But maybe that’s the point. Like Luke, we romanticize that classical hero ideal but the prequels aim to demonstrate that its applications may be more harmful than good. Anakin represents that and the fandom backlash to his whininess is kind of poetic in a way.

The show tackles the failings of the prequel Jedi in a similar way, but more politically than psychically.

It all gets confused though because TCW Anakin is well-adjusted and relatively wise. He has a balance between his emotionality and the Jedi’s expectations and he’s treated like an endearing maverick for it. He never cries (even when he thinks Obi-Wan fucking dies), and his past? He doesn’t want to talk about it. His “inner darkness” is vague, manifesting itself as macho-man anger issues, or even just random. Alone, he’s just a good guy whose bad tendencies one day dictated his actions in a big way. It doesn’t improve the prequel character, it simplifies him and his circumstances. Considering them the same character only serves to make him more weird and uneven.

But he’s more likable! I certainly would rather watch him. The changes are for the better, but are imo more boring.

TLDR; Let Anakin Cry More 2020

Andor: The Rogue One Arc

Author
Time

A thought as I work my way through the series - and I don’t want to make too big a deal of this: I Am Digging This! And no, that’s not the wine talking.
😉

I have a bit of a prequel cringe every other episode or so, but nothing that has diminished how interesting and engaging this is. As I said earlier, I made the decision to make peace with that and just watch & enjoy. This is much deeper than what I vaguely remember from Phantom. The voice acting is considerably better than the Lucas films. Hats off to all who voiced the characters.

I will say at the outset: It was primarily the animation that drew me in, but I’m finding myself quite interested in the characters and storylines. I did skip episode 8 because I saw in the info paragraph that is was a Jar Jar episode. Sorry, I’m just not there yet.

That would be a few episodes later when he’s a peripheral comic relief character. To be clear, he’s still childish relief, but he was somehow less offensive than the idiotic portrayal in Phantom. I think it was the voice actor or the writing. Probably both. Plus he was used sparingly.

It’s also much more adult than I expected. There is some brutal and decidedly violent killing. No blood, but the tone and execution leave little to the imagination.

As I approach the end of the first season, I’ll say this: Clone Wars has been an extremely unexpected but pleasant surprise. I think I have four episodes to go on seasone one. I should finish up late tonight.

Forum Moderator
Author
Time

Anchorhead said:

I have a bit of a prequel cringe every other episode or so, but nothing that has diminished how interesting and engaging this is. As I said earlier, I made the decision to make peace with that and just watch & enjoy. This is much deeper than what I vaguely remember from Phantom. The voice acting is considerably better than the Lucas films. Hats off to all who voiced the characters.

I will say at the outset: It was primarily the animation that drew me in, but I’m finding myself quite interested in the characters and storylines. I did skip episode 8 because I saw in the info paragraph that is was a Jar Jar episode. Sorry, I’m just not there yet.

That would be a few episodes later when he’s a peripheral comic relief character. To be clear, he’s still childish relief, but he was somehow less offensive than the idiotic portrayal in Phantom. I think it was the voice actor or the writing. Probably both. Plus he was used sparingly.

Jar-Jar can be every bit as annoying in this show as in EP I. However, season 1, episode 12 shows the character at his least annoying and most competent, so I’d say that one is probably worth watching.

Author
Time
 (Edited)

Anchorhead said:

It’s also much more adult than I expected. There is some brutal and decidedly violent killing. No blood, but the tone and execution leave little to the imagination.

As I approach the end of the first season, I’ll say this: Clone Wars has been an extremely unexpected but pleasant surprise. I think I have four episodes to go on seasone one. I should finish up late tonight.

Well, you’re in for a treat then, as IMO the show really picks up in season 3. The first season is fun and all, but it has nothing on the following seasons.

Star Wars is Surrealism, not Science Fiction (essay)
Original Trilogy Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Beyond the OT Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Amazon link to my novel; Dawn of the Karabu.

Author
Time

LeperMessiah117 said:

Jar-Jar can be every bit as annoying in this show as in EP I. However, season 1, episode 12 shows the character at his least annoying and most competent, so I’d say that one is probably worth watching.

I just looked through an episode guide. That’s the episode I was referencing. He was tolerable. I think the animation helps too. He doesn’t look so idiotic. Like you said, he’s also not shown as a complete idiot.

Forum Moderator
Author
Time

Anchorhead said:

I just looked through an episode guide. That’s the episode I was referencing. He was tolerable. I think the animation helps too. He doesn’t look so idiotic. Like you said, he’s also not shown as a complete idiot.

Honestly, watching that episode almost made me forget how much I despise that character. So, props to Dave Filoni, director Justin Ridge & writer Julie Siege for making me hate him a bit less.

Episode 8, The Bombad Jedi episode can be tossed in the garbage can for all I care though, lol. Really bad episode.

Author
Time

Glad to see you’re enjoying The Clone Wars, Anchorhead. Hopefully you’ll consider Rebels afterwards as it also contains some of the best Star Wars since 1980 (Or 77 in your case).

The Clone Wars finale was incredible, so I’m glad you’re putting in the work to get to it (I have a hard time recommending the series to people because of the daunting task of sitting through some truly rough episodes, even if it’s worth it for the fantastic bits).

It’s nice that there’s still some good Star Wars these days.

Keep Circulating the Tapes.

END OF LINE

(It hasn’t happened yet)

Author
Time
 (Edited)

LeperMessiah117 said:
Honestly, watching that episode almost made me forget how much I despise that character. So, props to Dave Filoni, director Justin Ridge & writer Julie Siege for making me hate him a bit less.

Yes! That’s it exactly. He was a character in the episode, not the thing that made want to walk out of the theater.

Forum Moderator
Author
Time

Tyrphanax said:

Glad to see you’re enjoying The Clone Wars, Anchorhead. Hopefully you’ll consider Rebels afterwards as it also contains some of the best Star Wars since 1980 (Or 77 in your case).

I will for sure.

Forum Moderator
Author
Time

Anchorhead said:

Tyrphanax said:

Glad to see you’re enjoying The Clone Wars, Anchorhead. Hopefully you’ll consider Rebels afterwards as it also contains some of the best Star Wars since 1980 (Or 77 in your case).

I will for sure.

Awesome.

Keep Circulating the Tapes.

END OF LINE

(It hasn’t happened yet)