Around 2008, I watched what is now the first season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars on TV. I remember not enjoying it because it didn’t seem to fit very well in the saga. The episodes’ plots were not crucial to the story, so if you didn’t see them, you didn’t really miss much. So after that, I stopped watching.

It wasn’t until months after the release of the video game, Star Wars: Battlefront 2, that I heard about The Clone Wars. All of the community was asking for Clone Wars content, which confused me because I always thought it was bad. It turned out that they had made five more seasons and they were on Netflix. 

 I was stunned with how they had turned it all around. Every season got better and better. The plots now had a deeper meaning, introduced new characters, and even reintroduced some fan-favorite characters. 

One of the things about those five seasons that was truly special was how they humanized the clones. This would be a recurring theme in the last season. In addition to humanizing the clones, they introduced the fan-favorite Clone Captain Rex, a loyal soldier who served under Anakin Skywalker in the 501st legion. They also introduced Ahsoka Tano, Anakin’s padawan. They quickly bonded and became very close, and their duo became a force to be reckoned with in battle. The last four-episode arc of the fifth season dove into their relationship when Ahsoka was framed for bombing the Jedi Temple. Even though Anakin believed she was innocent and helped prove that she was, the Jedi council didn’t believe her and in turn, it broke her trust in the Jedi, causing her to leave the order.

The first arc of the last season was about Anakin and the 501st teaming up with a group of genetically modified clones to save Echo, an ARC Trooper who they believed to be dead long ago. The main theme of this arc was to show that the clones weren’t thoughtless droids like their foes, they are soldiers that have feelings and bond with their generals and fellow troops. This theme would continue on to the last arc of the season. This arc was not my favorite, but not my least favorite of the three. One of the things that I enjoyed about this arc was how they showed that Anakin was tipping towards the dark side because these four episodes only take place a couple of days before he becomes Darth Vader. I also enjoyed how they showed how the clone troopers formed bonds between each other and never leave their “brothers” behind in battle. Even though there were parts of the episodes that I liked, there were parts that I didn’t like. For example, the plot structure made the episodes feel slow. There was a lot of talking between characters, more than the episodes in the past. When there were action scenes, they were very brief and the ones that weren’t brief weren’t as exciting. Overall the arc’s plot was fine, but the way they went about doing it could’ve been better.

The second arc of the season followed Ahsoka as she tried to rebuild her life after she left the Jedi Order. Since she lost faith in the Jedi, she tried to forget her past, and hide her true identity. She had made her way to the lower levels of Coruscant where she met the Martez sisters, who didn’t agree with the Jedi getting involved in the war and becoming more political. Because of this, Ahsoka didn’t tell them that she used to be a Jedi. To make some money, they took on a job to run spice, the equivalent of dealing drugs, for the Pyke Syndicate, a crime family. Because Ahsoka spent most of her life stopping people from doing that sort of stuff, she tried to talk them out of doing it but was ultimately unsuccessful. During the job, she saw that Darth Maul was on Mandalore. At the end of the last episode of the arc, Bo-Katan, sister of the former ruler of Mandalore who was killed by Maul, teams up with Ahsoka to take down and capture Maul. In my opinion, the arc was two episodes too long. Much like the first arc, there weren’t many action scenes and most of it was mostly dialog. But unlike that arc, the action scenes were not as eventful. Another part of the arc that I didn’t like was that in one of the episodes, they literally accomplished nothing; they ended the episode right where they started. For me, the only highlight of the arc was the very end of the last episode, which I mentioned above.

The last arc of the season was based around Ahsoka, Bo-Katan, and 332nd clone battalion teaming up to liberate Mandalore from Maul and his followers. The most interesting part of the arc was that it took place during the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. During the first episode, Anakin reunites with Ahsoka for the first time since she left the order. During their reunion, Ahsoka asks them if they will help them liberate Mandalore. Unfortunately, due to the Separatists attacking Coruscant, the only forces they could spare were the 332nd clone battalion. During the siege of Mandalore, Ahsoka and Maul duel and she defeats him. When they bring the captured Maul back to the cruiser, Order 66, the order that Darth Sidious gave that made the clone troopers turn on the Jedi and kill them, commences. During Order 66, Ahsoka releases Maul to cause a distraction and then he ends up escaping, but not before destroying the cruiser. Not only is this the best of the final three arcs, but in my opinion, it is one of the top three of all time. Unlike the last two arcs, this arc was almost all action scenes and during the dialogue scenes, they gave insight into what is happening behind the scenes. The most unique thing about the final arc was that the Ahsoka vs. Maul fight was filmed using motion capture by the actor that played Maul in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. The biggest surprise was when Darth Vader visited the wreckage of the cruiser that Ahsoka was on. There, he found the lightsaber that she left there so they thought she was dead. The only part that I didn’t like was like I had to come to my senses that there would be no more episodes.

Overall, the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars was a well constructed and action-filled adventure. The improved graphics and animation made the action scene feel more intense and overall more exciting. The overlap of Revenge of the Sith made it so that we know that there are other events going on at the same time. Although it wasn’t my all-time favorite season, it is in the top three. And since it contributes so much to the canon timeline, it is a must-watch.