Huge brain dump incoming - input welcomed here.

Please challenge any of this, I could really do with having this thoroughly tested.

So, I think we have four main audiences:

1. Those who want to get context for the Mandalorian
2. Those who want the best of the Clone Wars told in a complete way
3. Those who want the above, but not to miss key moments for any of the franchise’s big characters (whether or not they’re that good or important)
4. Those who just want everything except the absolute worst

Bear in mind the plan is still to edit episodes - sometimes with polish, sometimes more creatively - to bring them up to the best quality possible. The more important episodes will be allowed to consume less important episodes ‘for parts’.

Here’re the cuts I’ll therefore produce:

And here follows the current allocation of arcs to cuts - though this has changed a little since my reviews (in response to your feedback) and it may change again in response to your opinions and focused rewatching:

1. Mandalorian Cut

Focusing on Ahsoka’s most important moments, and everything to do with Mauldalore, plus highlights for Boba Fett and Sidious’ interest in force sensitive younglings. Importantly I don’t think this audience cares much about clones, Rex, Order 66, or other prequel elements or characters.

• Episodes highlighting Ahsoka’s journey/growth (I likely need to add to this from the lists below - please feel free to argue items upwards!)
  • Ahsoka’s introduction elements of the Christophsis arc
  • Cloak of Darkness (+ best of Lair of Grievous)
  • Storm of Ryloth (only this episode from the Ryloth arc, unless I can cut the whole into an episode focused on Ahsoka + Cham [sorry twi’lek kid])
  • Holocron Crisis
  • 2nd Battle of Geonosis (probably without Senate Spy)
  • Heroes on Both Sides
  • Hunted by Trandoshans arc
  • A Friend in Need
  • Ahsoka’s Fall arc
  • Martez sisters (heavily trimmed to focus on Ahsoka)
  • Siege of Mandalore
• Other episodes relevant to fans of the Mandalorian
  • Duchess of Mandalore arc
  • The Academy (but not the episode that leads into it where Padme investigates Mando schools’ soft drinks - boring!)
  • Boba vs Mace arc (but NOT the later Ventress and Boba story, because frankly Boba isn’t badass enough in that, and Mando fans want badass Boba I reckon)
  • Nightsisters arc
  • Return of Maul duology
  • Maul Piracy / Shadow Collective arc
  • Son of Dathomir audio comic

2. Quality Cut

Focusing on telling the best (in my subjective opinion but with community input) end-to-end story of the Clone Wars (if you’re seeking a TV style episodic experience). Importantly this one doesn’t care for including every beloved character just because they’re beloved - it’ll be built around the best moments and a cohesive experience.

• Everything from the above list
• Episodes featuring Ahsoka in a primary role (which may do with tightening/focusing up)
  • Assassin (though she has premonition/visions here, something we never see her receive again, so maybe not this episode, though we’re running out of Padme)
  • Citadel (I really need to review this again because apparently it’s good for both Ahsoka and Rex but I really don’t remember it this way)
  • Kadavo (I also need to review this again with an Ahsoka/Rex focus)
  • Onderon (Same, I need to review quite how much this adds for Ahsoka)
  • Jedi Younglings (Are they the stars or is Ahsoka? It’s cool to see her lead but we get that in other episodes. It’s fun but so removed from the rest of the show. And it’s yet another easy Grievous beat.)
• Episodes focusing on Rex, in particular his relationship with orders vs morality
  • Hidden Enemy (but maybe cut as a later ‘return to Christophsis’ episode, maybe cut with Cat and Mouse)
  • The Deserter
  • Umbara (tightened to focus on Rex)
• Episodes focusing on other Clones
  • Domino Squad arc (maybe wrapped around Ahsoka’s Christophsis intro like Smudger’s #1)
  • Order 66 arc (tightened)
  • Bad Batch (tightened)
• Other episodes that’re included because they’re great
  • Bounty Hunters
  • Rako Hardeen (one of the few arcs along with the Mandalore arc which really develops Obi-Wan beyond what we already know about him)
  • Yoda investigates Sifo-Dyas
  • Yoda investigates life after death (cut to make the more overt elements more of a vision)
• Other episodes that help tell the complete Clone Wars journey
  • Tartakovsky episode focusing on Anakin’s knighting and Ventress’ recruitment
  • Massacre
  • Senate Spy
  • Scipio (cut to focus on Anakin’s jealousy)

3. Continuity Cut

Those extra episodes that give extra context for existing key characters and context beyond just the Mandalorian and Prequels.

• Everything from the above list
• Bounty
• Mon Cala arc
• Mortis (heavily cut to make it much more of a vision and far less explicit)
• (This section is fairly light for now, but I need to review especially those Ahsoka episodes from the above section again)

4. Complete Cut

Everything but the absolute worst. A full run-through in a sensible order but skipping the episodes which are both unnecessary and hard to watch.

• Everything from the above list
• The remains of the Ryloth arc (if there’s enough left after I change it to focus on Ahsoka/Cham [as episode 1 of 2])
• Cat and Mouse (if I don’t cut it into Hidden Enemy or the Ahsoka intro episode)
• Malevolence (though I’ll review it again for Ahsoka)
• Dooku Captured arc
• Crash on Maridun arc
• Trespass (though need to review for Rex focus)
• Zillo Beast
• Grievous Intrigue (unless I borrow this for Ahsoka’s intro episode like Smudger)
• Lightsaber Lost (a really flat solo Ahsoka episode)
• Corruption on Mandalore (unless I can cut its best bits into The Academy)
• Pursuit of Peace / Senate Murders (unless I can do something creative with Padme)
• Mercy Mission / Nomad Droids
• Missing in Action (if I can make it its own thing independently of the Droids in the Void arc)
• Tartakovsky Nelvaan episode
• Crystal Crisis
• Tartakovsky Palpatine kidnapping episode

5. Chopped up to use elsewhere

The episodes which have had scenes or other elements used elsewhere, so watching them might cause the viewer to notice duplicated scenes or content.

• Lair of Grievous (cut into Cloak/Lair)
• Supply lines (all that can’t be reworked into an Ahsoka/Cham cut of the Ryloth arc)
• R2 Captured arc (if I can use the one good element of it, where data is pulled from R2 by Grievous and he reveals that Anakin never reset him, in some other arc, otherwise this is merely not recommended)
• Evil Plans (in concert with the R2 Captured shots to show R2 getting captured in a different way)
• Shadow Warrior (discusses Grievous and a trap, good material to use in a Cloak/Lair polish cut)

6. Not recommended / not going to be included in any cut / not going to be polished up to quality standard

Hard to watch episodes which I’m not even going to wrap up nicely.

• Huttlet Crisis (cut entirely from original movie, leaving only Ahsoka’s intro)
• Ambush
• Bombad Jedi
• Blue Shadow Virus arc
• Sphere of Influence
• Ziro arc
• Droids in the Void arc
• The Disappeared

Therefore, the edits I should make, in rough priority order, should be:

1. Intro/outro tests
2. Full pipeline demo (probably Cloak/Lair + shots from Blue Shadow Virus + scene from Shadow Warrior)
3. Ahsoka intro episode (whether mixed with Domino squad arc or something else)
4. Something with the Domino Squad arc if I don’t wrap it around Ahsoka’s intro
5. Ryloth: Focused on Ahsoka/Cham
6. Geonosis: Intercutting Legacy of Terror / Brain Invaders (basically stealing from Smudger directly)
7. The Academy: Incorporating best scenes from Corruption on Mandalore
8. Martez Sisters: Focusing on Ahsoka
9. Citadel: Focusing on Ahsoka/Rex/Tarkin
10. Umbara: Focusing on Rex
11. Kadavo: Focusing on Ahsoka/Rex (and the Anakin slavery angle)
12. Onderon: Focusing on Ahsoka/Steela/Saw
13. Order 66: Heavily tightened
14. Scipio: Focusing on Anakin’s jealousy
15. Yoda’s Quest: With the force planet less overt, more of a vision
16. Bad Batch: Focusing on emotional beats
17. Some sort of Padme episode, or her content added to others? She’s not well served at all.
18. Mortis: Made less overt, more of a vision
19. Missing in Action: Make this its own thing split from the horrible Droids in the Void arc
20. All others merged into arcs + credits + polish pass (though probably do these throughout)

And finally - my short term to-do list (non-technical items)

• Stick all of the above in my new order which better paces around Mauldalore and Ahsoka’s growth
• Take a solid look at Ahsoka’s arc in chrono order, and refine the lists on this basis
• Take a solid look at Rex’s arc in chrono order, and refine the lists on this basis
• Think about Padme in the quality cut - is she well served? Can I do anything about this?
• Think about how best to land the opening. Is it just a trimmed Smudger’s #1 with the cold open? Or is it something where Ahsoka’s more of a feature throughout?