Review: ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ Is A Welcome Return To The Prequel Era

Star Wars The Clone Wars Disney Plus Dave Filoni Ahsoka Tano The Mandalorian Revenge of the Sith

The Star Wars franchise has had its fair share of ups and downs ever since Disney acquired Lucasfilm. I would argue that the franchise has fared quite well, but its been pretty clear that development on projects has been shaky behind-the-scenes. Just two months ago, audiences were treated to the end of the Skywalker Saga started by George Lucas with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Now, the final George Lucas Star Wars story is set to come to an end with final season of The Clone Wars.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars notoriously got off to a bumpy start with a theatrically-released film that was received with negative reactions from fans and critics alike. However, nobody would’ve expected that Star Wars: The Clone Wars would become a staple of the franchise. Over the years, the Emmy-Award winning series delivered an expansion of the Star Wars mythology with the Mortis arc, the Clone Troopers, Darth Maul’s return, and of course, the fan-favorite Ahsoka Tano.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars was all fans had after the Skywalker Saga was seemingly complete with Revenge of the Sith. When Disney purchased Lucasfilm, Star Wars: The Clone Wars was lost in the transition, with The Lost Missions truly feeling like the end of the series at the time. It seemed like Lucasfilm had moved on from the series with the launch of Star Wars Rebels. Dave Filoni and those involved with The Clone Wars were also not being shy about planned storylines that have been revealed at past Star Wars Celebrations either. Lucasfilm even shared unfinished episodes of The Clone Wars online, some of which we will see in the coming weeks.

If there’s one thing that I have learned as a Star Wars fan since the Disney acquisition, it’s that anything is possible. At San Diego Comic-Con 2018, it was announced at a 10th anniversary panel for Star Wars: The Clone Wars that the series would be making a return for the streaming service that we now know as Disney Plus. I had the fortunate opportunity to watch the first episode of the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, titled “The Bad Batch.” While this arc was released in the form of story reels back in 2014, it was wonderful to see the animation completed. Star Wars: The Clone Wars was already an incredibly cinematic animated series thanks to George Lucas, but the first episode of the final season takes the visuals to a new level.

As someone who grew up with the Prequel Trilogy, it was also very refreshing, and dare I say… nostalgic to see the Clone Wars era fully realized again after the majority of Star Wars content under Disney has taken place in the Original and Sequel trilogies. The Clone Wars era is my personal favorite era of Star Wars because of how unique all the planets, creatures, and ship designs are, something I am hoping to see more of in the future. Another standout for me was the voice-work of Dee Bradley Baker, who plays all the clones. Baker’s work in past seasons has had a huge hand in bringing depth to the clones that we see in the Prequel Trilogy. In “The Bad Batch,” we see him perform great work once again with the clones, but he gives each member of the mutated Bad Batch clones their own unique personality.

The music in this episode was also very good. Star Wars: The Clone Wars composer Kevin Kiner has managed to make his own name in the franchise over the years by giving us new sounds that we have never heard before in the musical language of the series. Kiner expands the palate of Star Wars music once again while still paying homage to John Williams in a great way. There was one music cue in particular that really stood out to me throughout the episode.

If I were to have one complaint, it would be that the episode can have a lot of exposition at times. Nonetheless, the episode is excellent and definitely satisfying for its 23 minute runtime, with some great action, character moments, and a compelling plot that will keep fans of Star Wars: The Clone Wars intrigued. I am very much looking forward to where the Bad Batch arc goes and what the rest of the season has in store for us.

Overall Thoughts: After years of playing with the Original Trilogy aesthetic on the film and television side, the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars is an incredibly refreshing return to Prequel era. While i’m more interested in what happens in future arcs, it feels fitting that the end of this groundbreaking series begins with the clones, who are arguably the heart of the entire series. “The Bad Batch” feels like we never left The Clone Wars, but it also feels like the series will conclude on a high note with stellar animation, performances, and the cinematic quality that has made it one of the greatest animated shows of all-time.

Rating: 8/10

Ryden Scarnato

Ryden Scarnato

Ryden's affection for all things DC, Marvel, and Star Wars has led him to entertainment journalism at Heroic Hollywood as a News Editor.