Summary
- The Clone Wars deepens the relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan, showcasing their growth from master and apprentice to friends and fellow Jedi Knights.
- Obi-Wan's own struggle with attachments, specifically his love for Satine, adds context to his warnings to Anakin about avoiding attachments.
- The show reveals that the clones had no choice but to obey Order 66 due to inhibitor chips, making them tragic figures rather than traitors.
George Lucas' Star Wars: The Clone Wars added a lot of new context to the movies, rewriting Star Wars canon - and giving a whole new perspective on so many characters and concepts. When George Lucas released his Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie in 2008, kicking off a long-running TV show, initial reaction was mixed. The character of Ahsoka Tano was initially disliked, but her reputation improved as the years passed.
The Clone Wars are a vital part of the Star Wars timeline, an era when some of the greatest Jedi stood against the dark side. In Star Wars Insider #23, Anakin Skywalker voice actor Matt Lanter rightly noted, "The Clone Wars is at its best when it reveals something or changes something, or adds to how we see the films." This couldn't be more true, and here are 10 ways the show changed the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
Here is how to watch all Star Wars movies and TV shows chronologically and in order of release, and how each fits into the Star Wars timeline.
10 The Relationship Between Anakin & Obi-Wan
The Clone Wars takes place after Anakin is knighted, and no longer Obi-Wan's Padawan. It shows a switch in their relationship from strained master and apprentice to friends and fellow Jedi Knights. While Obi-Wan keeps up with the sarcastic comedic lines, it mostly comes across as teasing rather than criticism.
Their relationship grows in maturity as they fight together on a more equal footing. This makes Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith even more tragic, as audiences understand the full extent of their relationship and how close they truly were.
9 Obi-Wan Had His Own Struggle With Attachments
Throughout the prequels, Obi-Wan comes across as quite strict when it comes to the rule of attachments. The Clone Wars proved Obi-Wan understood the threat of attachment from personal experience, because he loved Mandalorian ruler Satine Kryze, and would even have left the Jedi had she asked him to.
While Obi-Wan didn't give in to his feelings the way Anakin did, this adds vital context to Obi-Wan's warnings to Anakin about Padmé. His warnings came not from a spirit of self-righteousness, but from a place of understanding.
8 Anakin's & Obi-Wan's Rescue Of The Chancellor
Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7 is concurrent with Revenge of the SIth, showing the mission Anakin and Obi-Wan were pulled away from when they returned to Coruscant. They should have been leading the Siege of Mandalore, but passed this mission on to Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex. This compromise shines a new light on the final decisions made at the end of the Clone Wars.
This means the Battle of Coruscant was no longer just a rescue mission, but rather a microcosm of everything wrong with the Jedi Order. The mission to save the Chancellor was ultimately about winning the war rather than what was best for the people of the Republic, because Darth Maul was a dangerous person, actively causing the suffering of the Mandalorians.
The Jedi were prepared to allow a rogue Sith Lord to escape just so they could send two extra Jedi Knights to save the Chancellor. If Anakin hadn't convinced Obi-Wan to split their forces, Mandalore would have remained under Maul's control.
7 The Execution Of Order 66
The Clone Wars made Order 66 even more evil. The show revealed that the clones had inhibitor chips placed in their brains that forced them to follow Palpatine's orders. Rather than being the traitors Revenge of the Sith initially portrayed them as, The Clone Wars made them tragic figures - innocent people enslaved by a cruel man who took away their free will.
6 The Legacy Of The Clone Troopers
In the prequels, the clones had very few lines. They felt like another soulless droid army. They weren't true characters. The Clone Wars changed that. It gave the clones deep inner lives and complex character arcs. It addressed the moral issues with the Jedi breeding people to fight for them, and it showed the discrimination and dehumanization the clones faced.
5 The Relationship Between Anakin & Padmé
In the movies, the relationship between Anakin and Padmé is often awkward. When they meet in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, the implication is that they have not met since Anakin was a child. Their whirlwind romance felt under-developed, not helped by clunky dialogue. The Clone Wars takes place over three years, and it takes time to develop their relationship and make it more believable. This makes Anakin's desperate turn to the dark side to save his wife make even more sense.
4 Anakin's Inevitable Fall To The Dark Side
Anakin's fall to the dark side wasn't exactly a surprise in the prequels. Anakin is shown to be moody, angry, and craving power. Despite this, his turn still felt sudden, as scenes such as Dooku's execution didn't really demonstrate the necessary internal conflict. The Clone Wars sprinkles in lots of signs of Darth Vader that make his fall subtler and more believable.
As an example, there are times throughout the show - such as when Anakin interrogates Ventress about working with Ahsoka - when he Force-chokes people.
This makes the relative quickness of his fall in Revenge of the Sith make more sense. After all, The Clone Wars proves Anakin was already on the brink of giving in to the dark side. Naturally, Palpatine wouldn't need to push that hard in Revenge of the Sith.
3 The Flaws Of The Jedi Council
Ahsoka was framed for murderous acts of terrorism against the Jedi Temple by Barriss Offee, Ahsoka was kicked out of the Jedi Order and thrown to the wolves of the Republic by what was clearly a kangaroo court.
While the Council asked Ahsoka to return after the truth was revealed, they never took full responsibility, describing this as her "true trial" and "the will of the Force." This was why Ahsoka left the Jedi Order. Decisions such as these explain why Anakin came to believe the Jedi were evil, because he had seen their flaws.
2 A New Mythology Behind The Force
The Mortis gods from Clone Wars in the foreground with the Mortis gods statues in Ahsoka in the background.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars' Mortis gods arc adds new meaning to Anakin's anger at being held back. The Father told Anakin that he was indeed the Chosen One who could bring balance to the Force. He wanted Anakin to take his place to control the Daughter and the Son, as he was growing old.
Anakin ultimately refuses this in favor of staying with his Padawan and the Jedi Order. This makes Anakin's anger at being held back make even more sense. After all, he had a god tell him that he was special, and yet the Jedi refused to trust him.
This arc is also an important foreshadowing for Anakin's Revenge of the Sith Darth Vader arc. The Father essentially asks Anakin to fulfill the Chosen One prophecy right then and there. Anakin refuses, sealing his choice to reject his role as one who will bring balance to the Force and embrace the power of the dark side.
1 The Absence Of Ahsoka Tano
Ahsoka Tano was a key part of Anakin's fall to the dark side. How the Jedi treated her seriously shook his faith in the Jedi Order. Not only that, but it explains why Anakin was so angry at being accepted into the Jedi Council but denied the rank of Master. In Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, his reaction seemed over the top and ungrateful. However, Ahsoka explains this perfectly.
As far as Anakin was concerned, he should have been a Jedi Master. A Jedi Master is someone who has successfully trained an apprentice, and Anakin's training of Ahsoka had effectively been sabotaged by the Council. Star Wars: The Clone Wars added much-needed depth to this plot.
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