Star Wars Animated Film Collection

Overview: After nearly ten years of fan editing as a hobby, I find myself in possession of a complete series of serialised cinematic style cuts of the various Star Wars animated series. I’ve recently begun to share these and have been getting great feedback from friends, family and viewers on reddit. So, I’ve decided to release the lot.

This project includes:

-9 films covering “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”
-3 films covering “Star Wars: The Bad Batch”
-4 films covering “Star Wars Rebels”

Intention: I’m not at all a fan of episodic, self contained, mission of the week stories. I like my content meaningful, and fully serialised. All 3 of these shows have excellent A plot, but a lot of filler and childish moments. My edits focus on the A plot and key character arcs, the darker, more emotional and lore based elements with care for what will pay off and reward viewers watching the films as part of a series that enriches Star Wars as a whole. I retain some of the lightness and humour, as it contributes very much to character development. But I aim to reduce “kiddy” or “over expositional dialogue”. “The Clone Wars” Season 1 for instance has a terrible habit of every character saying the same thing twice in a row, two different ways, without taking a breath. I find it impossible to watch unedited.

Format: All the films are in 1080p MP4, HEVC, AAC 5.1 and HDR. Highly compressed versions on max quality.

How to watch: All edits are posted on the Fanedit Network

Simply search “Galadantien” and email me at “galadantien@gmail.com” with subject line “REQUEST:” plus the title of the edit exactly as listed in the database. e.g. “REQUEST: The Bad Batch Film Trilogy”. Done right you’ll get an automated reply. I also respond to PMs on reddit. Unsure how often I’ll check here for the same.

As with all fanedits, you need to have an active Disney+ subscription or own home media copies of the relevant seasons to watch.

The Clone Wars Saga:

Background: Many years ago, Smudger9 made the first Clone Wars tv to film edit. Ultimately, Smudger lost his work due to hard drive failure and was not able to complete the series. But by the release of his 3rd film, I had started work on my own edits. Becuase of this, my series began almost ten years ago, as a continution of Smudger’s, and as something I never intended to share. But after the lovely feedback for my Rebels films, I decided to release my complete animated tv-to-movie set.

Intention: My series aims to create a more serialised and cinematic, adult experience of the series. I’ve achieved this by focusing on the best received, and most impactful episodes in terms of character development and worldbuilding while using the more serialised arcs to create cohesion and momentum across the series.

Character Focus: Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Maul and Savage, Asajj Ventress, Mandalore, Barriss Offee, Yoda, Cad Bane, Boba Fett, Grievous, Palpatine, Tarkin, Rex, Echo, Fives,

Film 1: Army of the Republic (2 hours): Smudger9’s original film upscaled and restored with Topaz, featuring numerous nips and tweaks to improve what I saw as lingering dialogue and pacing issues. This film covers the Siege of Christophsis and the Rookies training arc, bringing them together for the Battle of Kamino. A fitting way to begin the saga, and introduce most of the key characters.

Film 2: A New Threat (2 hours 6 mins): Again, Smuder9’s work upscaled with additional edits. This time I’ve revised more aggressively. Originally this film featured “Cloak of Darkness” intercut with the first part of the Young Boba Fett arc, and “Lair of Grievous” leading into the “Malevolence” Trilogy. I find “Lair” and “Rising Malevolence” guilty of the atrocious dialogue and poor pacing that made early Clone Wars episodes feel like they were made for children. So I’ve trimmed both these segments considerably. This created more than enough space to restore “Lethal Trackdown”, the missing final episode of the Boba Fett arc, which many commented felt sorely missing from Smudger’s original.

Film 3: Legacies (2 hours 14 mins): Originally Smudger’s 3rd film “Children of the Force” took this slot in my collection. But I never liked the Ryloth arc, for the same reasons I don’t generally revisit anything from CW Season 1. So I eventually made my own film inspired by it. As it stands now, the edit starts with Ahsoka’s first mission as a general in “Storm of Ryloth”, the Cad Bane arc, with “Hostage Crisis” and “Holocron Heist” mixed together as Smudger did, and concluding with the Second Battle of Geonosis and “Brain Invaders”. This creates a strong focus on Anakin and Ahsoka’s growing bond and partnerhsip throughout the film.

Film 4: The Lost Jedi (2 hours 4 mins): In my version of film 2, Boba is captured. In my verison of film 3, Cad Bane is captured, and does not escape again. Ahsoka has also had her crucial early character growth by this point. So it seemed the perfect to time to revisit all three. This film covers the Rako Hardeen bounty hunter arc, and “Padawan Lost”. The film sees Anakin struggling with the potential loss of both his master and apprentice at the same time.

Film 5: Balance of the Force (1 hour 58 mins): This film mixes the Ventress Season 3 arc with the Mortis arc. The heroes are present in the opening battle with Ventress before receiving the mysterious signal that takes them to Mortis. By the time they escape, Ventress has taken on Savage Opress, and they become involved in her attempt to assassinate Dooku. This “dark side” arc is one of Clone Wars best and longest. Smudger’s final released film (his no5) covers this arc in a single film. The first cuts for my films 4-8 were completed two years before this dropped, and I have not seen reason to change my approach. By splitting the arc across multiple films, my aim was to create a more serialised narrative momentum, carrying viewers from film to film. This allowed for some of the best isolated arcs (like Mortis) to be used, without the series feeling so episodic and disconnected. A cliffhanger ending sets up the next film.

Film 6: Allegiance (2 hours 13 mins): Beginning with the massacre on Dathomir, this film continues it’s focus on Asajj Ventress and Savage Opress as he searches for his brother. Ventress has a full and powerful arc here, losing her home on Dathomir, becoming a bounty hunter, and ultimately, fighting with Obi-Wan against Maul in the climax. This film also features the Citidel arc, once again allowing the heroes to have a side story, before weaving into the primary narrative for the climax.

Film 7: Eminence (1 hour 58 mins): Maul and Savage are on the run as Obi-Wan pursues. This film uses a flashback structure to cover the key points of the Dutchess of Mandalore arc, establishing Mandalore and it’s place of neutrality in the war, introducing Death Watch, Satine, Bo-Katan and Pre Visla. While in the present, Maul joins with Death Watch and establishes his Shadow Collective. The flashbacks are structured in such a way to compliment the present day storyline, adding emotional depth and intrigue for a strong focus on Obi-Wan and Mandalore. The film climaxes with “The Lawless”.

Film 8: Destiny (2 hours 18 mins): Combines the “Wrong Jedi” and Yoda’s Journey arcs from Seasons 5 & 6. Effectively, this covers the two endings to the Clone Wars before it was revived for Season 6 and then again for Season 7.

It is a tragedy that the “Dark Disciple” and “Son of Dathomir” arcs were not animated and completed, as both feel essential to the complete picture of this show and my series. But thankfully we did get what follows…

Film 9: The Phantom Apprentice (2 hours 16 mins): Combines Ahsoka’s “Tales of the Jedi” arc with the end of the “Ahsoka’s Walkabout” arc with the “Siege of Mandalore” and some of Barriss “Tales of the Empire” arc. It’s an incredibly strong character piece for Ahsoka, and I’ve found, the ideal way to introduce viewers who’ve never seen the animated content to her before going into the newer Disney+ shows. I honestly think this is some of the best Star Wars content ever made, and watching this, followed directly by my 4 Rebels films is my personal favourite serialised Star Wars viewing experience (as well as the perfect lead-in to watching “Ahsoka” Season 1.

Star Wars Rebels Quadrilogy:

So “Star Wars Rebels” is my favourite Star Wars property. It has all the best elements of the Prequels and OT with genuinely likeable characters, rich arcs, new lore that respectfully builds on the history of the franchise and does major world building.

Rebels gets a bad rep for changing Clone Wars beloved animation style and following the Disney acquisition, as well as many episodes with a lighter tone in season 1. But I encourage any Star Wars fan to give these a go. I have screened these 4 edits, following my CWE9 to many a fan who didn’t enjoy Rebels much, or who isn’t a fan of animation, and they all gained a deep appreciation for Dave Filoni’s work, and said they felt they had gained a much deeper understanding of Star Wars as a brand and interconnected story.

The Star Wars fandom is very divided. But I feel these films carry a narrative momentum and knit together the best elements of all Star Wars many sub-categories and fan groups. It’s more important than ever now, I feel, that people have the chance to enjoy the best of these projects, as Lucasfilm position Dave Filoni and these narrative threads at the center of their upcoming projects with “The Mandalorian and Grogu”, “Ahsoka Season 2” and Dave Filoni’s untitled (Heir to the Empire-esque) film, which seems positioned to conclude the Thrawn versus the New Republic arc, hopefully with appearances from many beloved characters across the fandom.

Here I present each season of Rebels as as single film, 2 hours - 2 hour 45 mins in length respectfully.
All these films attempt to present the narrative in it’s most adult way. Some music additions are made to enhance key moments, especially in Film 4. Each has been frame by frame adjusted to a more traditional cinematic 16:9 format to match other Star Wars releases.

Film 1: Spark of Rebellion - Focuses on Ezra joining the Ghost crew, world building for the early rebellion, the Inquisitors, and places Ezra and Kanan’s relationship as master and apprentice at the center. This film I feel has the exact vibe of “A New Hope” and “The Force Awakens” - fun, fast paced, funny, moving, full of classic hero’s journey elements, found family, underdogs versus oppression. It has it all. Original trilogy fans I’ve shown love this one best, and that’s saying something. I could sit down and watch it any time.

Film 2: Twilight of the Apprentice - Focuses exclusively on the Jedi and Sith conflict. Vader, Ahsoka, Kanan, Ezra, the Inquisitors, Maul. It’s a much darker entry than most animated Star Wars, and I feel the antidote to anyone who was put off by Rebels season 1. Epicness personified. Ezra’s parents are said to be dead in season 1 in a big reveal that then turned out to be a lie. Season 2 then effectively went down the same road later, so in my edits the initial reveal in film 1 was the truth.

Film 3: Step Into Shadow - Was a challenge and has gone through several revisions over the years. The focus is on Thrawn and the Ghost Crew steadily becoming part of the wider rebellion. But season 3 had so many solid disconnected arcs, my challenge was to weave the best of them in in a way that still felt like a film structure. I feel I have succeeded. Maul’s arc is here, as is his wonderful final confrontation with Kenobi. The traitor "Fulcrum” arc is also here, with its wonderful inside look at the Empire (although I must confess, Kallus development and overall arc in these films is severely cut back by necessity with only the broad strokes present). Sabine gets the dark saber and goes to Mandalore, but much of her journey is tangential to the rest of the story. Ezra’s dark side arc is also here in full. His character journey across these four films is truly one of Star Wars best. While side stories introducing Leia, Wedge and Mon Motha were necessarily cut from this season, the latter is still featured in a way that sets up the various rebel cells coalescing on Yavin for Film 4.

Film 4: The World Between Worlds - Opens in the middle of the action in the rebellion on Mandalore, giving us a vital connection to Bo Katan, and the upcoming Purge that are key to the narrative in The Mandalorian (this connective tissue is also amazing if you start your binge with “The Phantom Apprentice” which focuses on The Siege of Mandalore). The liberation of Lothal is the focus, after we spend some time on Yavin 4, and enjoy moments with Mon Mothma, Saw, and get situated in the time period and it’s implications for the characters and the rebellion. Those “Rogue One” connections were too good to miss. The focus on Lothal is investigate Thrawn’s TIE Defender program, the Loth wolves, Hera’s assault, the beautiful consequences and aftermath, and the temple dig site (as well as the film’s namesake, The World Between Worlds). The film concludes with the Liberation of Lothal and the events that directly setup Ahsoka Season 1 - or your preferred fanedit, thereof.

The Bad Batch Trilogy:

“The Bad Batch” usually disappointed me with its paper thin plots and season arcs that generally teased developments that came too late, and meant too little. But yes, it’s was beautifully animated, sometimes moving, and it’s core cast have become beloved by many. So here as usual, I sought to take the A plot line and core character arcs and present them in a cinematic (and adult) format. And after being very dismissive of the show, these edits, I enjoy very much.

Character Focus: Omega, Crosshair, Hunter, Emerie and their relationships with one another. This is the emotional core of the story, and where we see the most development.

Plot focus: The squad’s evolution from soldiers to chosen family. Crosshair’s betrayal and redemption. Project Necromancer, the fate of Kamino and the phasing out of the clones in favour of the stormtroopers.

Major changes and omissions: All self contained missions are omitted. Action for action’s sake is cut (most episodes revolve around a basic setup, action and conclusion). If none of this directly informs what comes next, it’s gone. Most of season 2, including any work for Cid is omitted.

Film 1 includes season 1 and 2 content. Film 2 season 2 and 3 content. And film 3, all season 3.
Each film is an entire story arc and intended to be satisfying in and of itself.

Even exciting cameos like Cad Bane and Fennick in season 1 are cut. Both thankfully appear in season 3 content where their contributions actually advance the A plot line. Side characters like Phee and yes, Cid, are present, but require the audience to infer or fill in some of the blanks. Sometimes the opening crawls assist with some exposition here. No different than most background supporting characters in the main saga.

My only regret in these edits is the build up to Crosshair’s turning on his superiors in season 2 had to be omitted. Instead we catch up with Crosshair in film 2 after a time skip where it’s explained that his loyalty has been tested, and we then see the consequences.

Film 1: Decommissioned: Laregly utilises episodes 1-3, the finale, and the buildup of the stormtroopers replacing the clones, and focuses on the Crosshair drama. Some of S02E08 is used for the finale. The glaring omissions here are Rex and Cad Bane. If you don’t know they were here, you won’t miss them. But if you watched the full show, you’ll likely remember them fondly.

Film 2: Shadows of Tantiss: Season 2 was a fail for me. So if you disagree and or are a big fan of this show, this one likely won’t be for you. We jump in at the end of the season, directly following up the first film’s Tantiss cliffhanger and bringing the isolated Crosshair storyline to the point he reaches out to his former squad. This film tells the complete arc of the batch learning about Tantiss, Crosshair’s imprisonment, Omega’s capture, and their escape together.

Film 3: Point of No Return: This film covers the remainder of Season 3, opening with Omega’s return to her squad, Crosshair’s reintegration into the fold, the investigation into Omega’s force sensitivity, and ultimate return to liberate those on Tantiss. Emerie’s arc is also here in full as a throughline and because its some of the strongest content in this show. Rex and the bounty hunter arcs are also included in some capacity.

Enjoy, and love to hear feedback and discussion.
May the Force be with you, always.

Sent some mails, curious to see what you did to Bad Batch and especially rebels. Condensing that show into 4 movies seems like a pretty tough challenge.

Rebels actually translated very well into one film per season because the show is fully serialised, with some filler, rather than episodic arcs like
clone wars, or only lightly serialised like bad batch. The rebels edits are actually among my fav Star Wars films to rewatch now thanks to how well they translate into my preferred format. More details in the OP.

I’ll add details on Clone Wars to the original post soon as we approach the release. Suffice to say the green episodes are the focus throughout:

Darn good questions. Ahsoka’s turning points are really “Storm Over Ryloth” and “Jedi Lost” so both are used in the first half of the series to develop her. Before that she is very much treated as a supporting character with key scenes under Anakin, Luminara and Plo. Her more annoying moments are largely trimmed.

I’ve attempted to serialise episodic arcs by accompanying them with another arc that fits thematically and follows on from film to film, creating momentum. Characters that don’t feature in one part of that are able to move into the self contained arc and then back into the other, usually for the climax. In a couple cases I have hybridised scenes to blend two plot lines more directly.

As with all my Star Wars animated edits I’ve had to pick which characters and elements stand out most to me. A good example of a great arc I’ve cut is Umbara because it’s too self contained. I don’t feature Onderon and Saw, or Lux Bonteri in my CW films either, although I’d like to have. Saw is featured in both my Bad Batch and Rebels edits though which is more than enough.

Character focus is really the trio and Yoda, Ventress and Maul with spotlights for reoccurring characters like Bane, Boba, Tarkin, Barriss, Grievious, Echo & Fives, Bo Katan, etc.

The audio levels seem unbalanced.

Started the Bad Batch 1 and the Star Wars Medley almost blew my ears off, then when it transitioned into the episode the sound was way too silent.

Feedback for BB1:

I do like a lot of the choices in this edit. The way the training room sequence from ep1 was cut around was super elegant. The time jump also worked quite nicely.

The edit does not establish why Omega is in the cell. By adding that scene back in Lulu would also get established.

Right before the time jump, after Crosshairs assignment, a scene could be added of the Batch meeting Rex in Cids bar. (implying that they are there to meet Rex) This would set up the events after the timejump nicely.

I think a more direct establishing of Cid would be great. A scene of the Batch getting rewarded for a successful mission and getting the next one after the time jump could work wonders. (edit: this could maybe also be used to show that AZ now hangs out at the bar, so this is properly set up for movie 2, when AZ is the whole reason to return to Cid)

The ending scene is a good fit thematically, but it could do with some setup. Maybe it could also help to cut the reference to the footage being taken from Ramparts Venator. If that line gets cut, the implication could be that it is the recording of the batches ship.

BB2 Feedback:

I think the Crawl can be a bit more vague. Should be enough to mention that the Batch is laying low. Phee does not need to be introduced by name here.

In the same vein, it should be enough if the crawl says that Echo and Rex are off together.

Also, showing the attack of Rex and Echo on that convoy and extracting the data would be a good, action filled start to the edit. And it would establish the stolen data a bit better.

Furthermore, if direct references to Crosshairs crime are taken out, it would be implied in this edit that Crosshair is just taken prisoner because he is supposed to be questioned about the whereabouts of his squad. Which means his portion of the Crawl can be omitted and we don’t have such a big thing happening offscreen.
Ideally, there would an “Intermission” short movie or something that has Crosshairs journey in it. But I think that goes a bit against your vision.

Nice notes, thanks. The second film’s crawl had a lot of exposition, I like your ideas to trim it down a bit. Crosshair’s arc would change a little for that omission, his implied reason for turning on the Empire would be their betraying him by imprisoning and questioning him, rather than their overall treatment of the clones. But ultimately the result is the same.

Your suggestions for additions to film 1 make a lot of sense to incorporate more of what viewers of the show like or know is going on bigger picture. For the most part, I’m happy letting the viewer fill in little blanks like that. Lord knows the main saga do it plenty. But establishing Cid somewhere before film 2 would be good. Honestly I hoped to cut her entirely but she has that one key scene in the second film, so I made do with the crawl 😂

The big thing this edit does right imho is to jump over most of season 2. While there are a few things I liked there, it is almost impossible to get around the Phee and Pabu introduction, which always messes things up. Looking forward to part 3 and the Rebels stuff.

Of the points I mentioned, I really think establishing Cid and AZ is the big one, although believe me I GET the urge ro get rid of her. xD

Totally. I screened these to someone who’d never seen the show, and explaining in the crawl that the Batch have settled on Pabu where they hope to transition away from the war and start a new life for Omega’s sake, worked just fine for them. The introductory scene on Pabu does a great job of sentimentally establishing time has passed and that the characters and their dynamics are evolving before the classic “trigger” event to break the new stasis and start the action comes in the form of Crosshair’s message.

Just finished BB 2 (had to pause yesterday).

It worked quite well, I especially Like that both movie 1 and 2 now end with the Batch facing Crosshair, but with almost flipped dynamics as to who is ready to forgive the other side. What I have not mentioned so far: The technical quality of these edits is also top notch

Got 2 more suggestions, 1 nice2have and 1 that I feel is needed for continuity:
It would be a nice thing to have the shuttle crash onscreen and not just mentioned in dialogue. It is awfully convenient that there just happens to be a shuttle crash either way, so this is more nice2have and I see the reason for cutting it, since the scene could be hard to place pacing wise.
The one thing that took me out of the movie was that we did not see Batcher being freed, but Omega still refers to his empty box. I think this could be fixed in 2 ways: Either the scene of Batcher being freed could be put in, or the direct reference to her Box being empty could be removed. (with the 2nd option implying that she just got let loose with all the other dogs.)

BB3 Feedback:

Very nice finale. Overall this edit is very good, has good pacing and works nicely. That is an achievement considering the source material.

A few suggestions that came to mind while watching:
Omega is told to stay on Pabu by all characters and then just comes with them anyway to the Snow planet.l without a reason given for it.

The cyanide equivalent hidden in the teeth is not etablished and never comes back. The reference to it in the interrogation scene can be cut without losing anything.

After Rex sees the target hologram of Omega, it cuts to the Batch waiting for Echo. (who was with them the last time we saw them) This feels a bit disorienting. Showing Echo leave or working with another timejump somehow might resolve the issue.

Adding the Batch attaching to the science vessel (very trimmed version) might flow better. Between Echo being onboard in Disguise and the Batches Ship being attached to that vessel it is really felt that something is missing here.

I really think these are super close to perfection. Now on to Rebels. 😃

You give excellent notes, Dimitrios.

My intent was that Batcher is simply out of her cage with the others and Omega didn’t expect it.

And re Echo I think it’s simply implied he’s been away following up on their investigation with Rex and his new buddies.

I’ll check back and reflect on what I’d like to address when I next have the source footage handy. I work with big pro res files, so unfortunately I don’t always have them ready to go.

Thanks again for watching and all your feedback ^_^ Rebels are my favs. Enjoy.

losthead said:

EDIT: Nevermind, didn’t read thoroughly

lol. Was just about to point you to the “How to watch” heading. Enjoy ^_^

nightstalkerpoet said:

A little confused. You reference quadrilogy, then in the automated reply email refer to 5 parts, and suggest starting with a part that isn’t there.

CW9 was included in that folder originally before I planned to release my whole series. Its been removed since it’s receiving updates along with some of the others before the upcoming release. I’ll adjust the text of that automated reply so it doesn’t confuse anyone else.

automated reply didn’t come for star wars the clone wars 9 movie series when I sent it.

I just watched your edit of Bad Batch season 3. My feelings are complex.

The first thing I want to get out of the way is Galadantien’s technical skills are impeccable. Every episode jump is seamless, and you’ll never hear any jarring audio cuts. The theatrical intro crawl is very much appreciated too.

What I’m unsure about is the pacing, feeling it’s way too slow, but also feeling like that’s just the way the real season was set up. At first I was apprehensive about starting things right after Omega and Crosshair had escaped the facility. However, I think leaving that in mystery, as well as the Rex cold open you used to start the movie with an action scene, shows you really thought deeply about what makes the George Lucas Star Wars movies feel the way they do and you ‘get it’. All those elements help make things feel like a movie and not like a bunch of episodes put together. Also, the time you gain from that allows you to include things that are mere fanservice and other editors announced they would cut, like Ventress, but that I delighted at seeing.

However, the choice comes with drawbacks. Rex’s opening scene would feel a bit random if it was the only one, so you include a second scene in which Rex announces he’ll contact the Bad Batch, but the viewer never sees this happening. I almost feel like only including the first scene would have been better.

Following the events of “The Return”, in which the team forgives Crosshair’s betrayal at the outpost on Barton IV, the story enters a BIG narrative lull. The heroes are searching for the villains, who are searching for the heroes, and neither one has leads or manages to progress. The pacing slows to a crawl, but in a different way than when the Bad Batch arrived in Pabu on season 2; there, the peace and almost music-less moments feel like an earned rest after the frantic S1. On S3 (I’m not singling out your edit, but the season as a whole) it feels like padding for time. As your edit runs 40 minutes longer than most other editors’ SW TV edits, I think this is where you could have cut many scenes. Among these - Rex’s second scene, Phee calling the Batch, the Batch meeting Shand (I know this sets up Ventress, but I feel her arrival is self-explanatory). The resulting effect of this was that at the halfway point of your cut, I stopped and continued later in a second sitting.

The second half is much better, as it’s essentially one uninterrupted sequence from Pabu’s raid to the end. However, you still could have cut some fat. For instance, you could have hidden the shot where Crosshair misses firing the tracker when Omega is being taken away, and then just show the Batch in the forest approaching Tantiss, skipping any scenes of Rampart. I know Rampart needs to be established for Nala’s death scene, but you could have introduced him when Hemlock visits his cell, and I would have been none the wiser.

In the final count, brutal honesty forces me to admit I enjoyed Kinglucent’s earlier Bad Batch edits more. But, since he never edited S3, and I didn’t see how you tackled the material Kinglucent already had, I can’t compare you guys. For all I know, you worked with the trickiest source material, and despite that, you added very cool title crawls that Kinglucent couldn’t. Thanks for your edit.

Martinkaworu said:

I just watched your edit of Bad Batch season 3. My feelings are complex.

The first thing I want to get out of the way is Galadantien’s technical skills are impeccable. Every episode jump is seamless, and you’ll never hear any jarring audio cuts. The theatrical intro crawl is very much appreciated too.

What I’m unsure about is the pacing, feeling it’s way too slow, but also feeling like that’s just the way the real season was set up. At first I was apprehensive about starting things right after Omega and Crosshair had escaped the facility. However, I think leaving that in mystery, as well as the Rex cold open you used to start the movie with an action scene, shows you really thought deeply about what makes the George Lucas Star Wars movies feel the way they do and you ‘get it’. All those elements help make things feel like a movie and not like a bunch of episodes put together. Also, the time you gain from that allows you to include things that are mere fanservice and other editors announced they would cut, like Ventress, but that I delighted at seeing.

However, the choice comes with drawbacks. Rex’s opening scene would feel a bit random if it was the only one, so you include a second scene in which Rex announces he’ll contact the Bad Batch, but the viewer never sees this happening. I almost feel like only including the first scene would have been better.

Following the events of “The Return”, in which the team forgives Crosshair’s betrayal at the outpost on Barton IV, the story enters a BIG narrative lull. The heroes are searching for the villains, who are searching for the heroes, and neither one has leads or manages to progress. The pacing slows to a crawl, but in a different way than when the Bad Batch arrived in Pabu on season 2; there, the peace and almost music-less moments feel like an earned rest after the frantic S1. On S3 (I’m not singling out your edit, but the season as a whole) it feels like padding for time. As your edit runs 40 minutes longer than most other editors’ SW TV edits, I think this is where you could have cut many scenes. Among these - Rex’s second scene, Phee calling the Batch, the Batch meeting Shand (I know this sets up Ventress, but I feel her arrival is self-explanatory). The resulting effect of this was that at the halfway point of your cut, I stopped and continued later in a second sitting.

The second half is much better, as it’s essentially one uninterrupted sequence from Pabu’s raid to the end. However, you still could have cut some fat. For instance, you could have hidden the shot where Crosshair misses firing the tracker when Omega is being taken away, and then just show the Batch in the forest approaching Tantiss, skipping any scenes of Rampart. I know Rampart needs to be established for Nala’s death scene, but you could have introduced him when Hemlock visits his cell, and I would have been none the wiser.

In the final count, brutal honesty forces me to admit I enjoyed Kinglucent’s earlier Bad Batch edits more. But, since he never edited S3, and I didn’t see how you tackled the material Kinglucent already had, I can’t compare you guys. For all I know, you worked with the trickiest source material, and despite that, you added very cool title crawls that Kinglucent couldn’t. Thanks for your edit.

Thanks for the in depth review! It’s a rare thing. I actually love your Rampart suggestion. I found the whole season very exasperating for its contrived, repetitive and weak plotting. So cutting the multi episode let’s track Omega - again - thing is great. I may well do that if I’m ever revisiting these edits. Ventress is what needed to go for the pacing. But given I enjoyed that more than most of the show, I kept it for fan service, yes 😂 The first act is slow and I tried to speed it up, but it was vital for Crosshair’s character development. Some Rex and co I felt helped with scope, world building, and yes, creating a more Star Warsy opening. It also brought the elite troopers from Tantiss into the mix to heighten the stakes and mystery earlier on. Fun fact, I knew I’d lose motivation to make the edit if I waited till the show finished so I started it before the finale aired. So my hope was Rex would help out in the finale and those two storylines would come together again, given what they’d setup. But they went for a more intimate finale focused on the batch’s relationships rather than anything meaningful for Star Wars as a whole, and you know what, that was moving too. Bad Batch really felt lazy to me as a whole when there’s so much else they could have been doing with their animation department. Clone Wars and Rebels did so much for Star Wars. I wish Bad Batch had done the same. But its biggest fans are those who love the clones. So I made it watchable for me haha. Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts ❤️

The Clone Wars Saga:

The Clone Wars films are finally ready for release.

Background: Many years ago, Smudger9 made the first Clone Wars tv to film edit. Ultimately, Smudger lost his work due to hard drive failure and was not able to complete the series. But by the release of his 3rd film, I had started work on my own edits. Becuase of this, my series began almost ten years ago, as a continution of Smudger’s, and as something I never intended to share. But after the lovely feedback for my Rebels films, I decided to release my complete animated tv-to-movie set.

Intention: My series aims to create a more serialised and cinematic, adult experience of the series. I’ve achieved this by focusing on the best received, and most impactful episodes in terms of character development and worldbuilding while using the more serialised arcs to create cohesion and momentum across the series.

Character Focus: Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Maul and Savage, Asajj Ventress, Mandalore, Barriss Offee, Yoda, Cad Bane, Boba Fett, Grievous, Palpatine, Tarkin, Rex, Echo, Fives,

Film 1: Army of the Republic (2 hours): Smudger9’s original film upscaled and restored with Topaz, featuring numerous nips and tweaks to improve what I saw as lingering dialogue and pacing issues. This film covers the Siege of Christophsis and the Rookies training arc, bringing them together for the Battle of Kamino. A fitting way to begin the saga, and introduce most of the key characters.

Film 2: A New Threat (2 hours 6 mins): Again, Smuder9’s work upscaled with additional edits. This time I’ve revised more aggressively. Originally this film featured “Cloak of Darkness” intercut with the first part of the Young Boba Fett arc, and “Lair of Grievous” leading into the “Malevolence” Trilogy. I find “Lair” and “Rising Malevolence” guilty of the atrocious dialogue and poor pacing that made early Clone Wars episodes feel like they were made for children. So I’ve trimmed both these segments considerably. This created more than enough space to restore “Lethal Trackdown”, the missing final episode of the Boba Fett arc, which many commented felt sorely missing from Smudger’s original.

Film 3: Legacies (2 hours 14 mins): Originally Smudger’s 3rd film “Children of the Force” took this slot in my collection. But I never liked the Ryloth arc, for the same reasons I don’t generally revisit anything from CW Season 1. So I eventually made my own film inspired by it. As it stands now, the edit starts with Ahsoka’s first mission as a general in “Storm of Ryloth”, the Cad Bane arc, with “Hostage Crisis” and “Holocron Heist” mixed together as Smudger did, and concluding with the Second Battle of Geonosis and “Brain Invaders”. This creates a strong focus on Anakin and Ahsoka’s growing bond and partnerhsip throughout the film.

Film 4: The Lost Jedi (2 hours 4 mins): In my version of film 2, Boba is captured. In my verison of film 3, Cad Bane is captured, and does not escape again. Ahsoka has also had her crucial early character growth by this point. So it seemed the perfect to time to revisit all three. This film covers the Rako Hardeen bounty hunter arc, and “Padawan Lost”. The film sees Anakin struggling with the potential loss of both his master and apprentice at the same time.

Film 5: Balance of the Force (1 hour 58 mins): This film mixes the Ventress Season 3 arc with the Mortis arc. The heroes are present in the opening battle with Ventress before receiving the mysterious signal that takes them to Mortis. By the time they escape, Ventress has taken on Savage Opress, and they become involved in her attempt to assassinate Dooku. This “dark side” arc is one of Clone Wars best and longest. Smudger’s final released film (his no5) covers this arc in a single film. The first cuts for my films 4-8 were completed two years before this dropped, and I have not seen reason to change my approach. By splitting the arc across multiple films, my aim was to create a more serialised narrative momentum, carrying viewers from film to film. This allowed for some of the best isolated arcs (like Mortis) to be used, without the series feeling so episodic and disconnected. A cliffhanger ending sets up the next film.

Film 6: Allegiance (2 hours 13 mins): Beginning with the massacre on Dathomir, this film continues it’s focus on Asajj Ventress and Savage Opress as he searches for his brother. Ventress has a full and powerful arc here, losing her home on Dathomir, becoming a bounty hunter, and ultimately, fighting with Obi-Wan against Maul in the climax. This film also features the Citidel arc, once again allowing the heroes to have a side story, before weaving into the primary narrative for the climax.

Film 7: Eminence (1 hour 58 mins): Maul and Savage are on the run as Obi-Wan pursues. This film uses a flashback structure to cover the key points of the Dutchess of Mandalore arc, establishing Mandalore and it’s place of neutrality in the war, introducing Death Watch, Satine, Bo-Katan and Pre Visla. While in the present, Maul joins with Death Watch and establishes his Shadow Collective. The flashbacks are structured in such a way to compliment the present day storyline, adding emotional depth and intrigue for a strong focus on Obi-Wan and Mandalore. The film climaxes with “The Lawless”.

Film 8: Destiny (2 hours 18 mins): Combines the “Wrong Jedi” and Yoda’s Journey arcs from Seasons 5 & 6. Effectively, this covers the two endings to the Clone Wars before it was revived for Season 6 and then again for Season 7.

It is a tragedy that the “Dark Disciple” and “Son of Dathomir” arcs were not animated and completed, as both feel essential to the complete picture of this show and my series. But thankfully we did get what follows…

Film 9: The Phantom Apprentice (2 hours 16 mins): Combines Ahsoka’s “Tales of the Jedi” arc with the end of the “Ahsoka’s Walkabout” arc with the “Siege of Mandalore” and some of Barriss “Tales of the Empire” arc. It’s an incredibly strong character piece for Ahsoka, and I’ve found, the ideal way to introduce viewers who’ve never seen the animated content to her before going into the newer Disney+ shows. I honestly think this is some of the best Star Wars content ever made, and watching this, followed directly by my 4 Rebels films is my personal favourite serialised Star Wars viewing experience (as well as the perfect lead-in to watching “Ahsoka” Season 1.