Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)


Star Wars: The Clone Wars is an American computer-animated television series created by George Lucas and produced by Lucasfilm Animation, Lucasfilm and CGCG Inc. The series began with that was released on August 15, 2008, and debuted on Cartoon Network two months later on October 3, 2008. It is set in the fictional Star Wars galaxy during the three years between the prequel films ' and ', the same time period as the previous 2D 2003 TV series '. Each episode had a running time of approximately 22 minutes to fill a half-hour time slot. Dave Filoni was the supervising director of the series.
The Clone Wars was a massive ratings success, becoming one of Cartoon Network's highest rated shows during its initial run. Throughout its run, the series received mostly positive reception from critics, receiving praise for its writing, action, characters, visuals, voice acting, music, scale and tone. The series has also garnered a massive fan following and was also nominated for many industry awards, including the Daytime Emmy Awards and the Annie Awards.
In early 2013, Lucasfilm announced that The Clone Wars would be "winding down". Thirteen episodes composing a new sixth season were made available in the U.S. for streaming on Netflix, along with the entirety of the series, beginning March 7, 2014. A project known as The Clone Wars Legacy adapted unproduced story arcs into other formats, such as comics and novels. The series was revived for a seventh and final season of 12 new episodes, which premiered on Disney+ on February 21, 2020.
Star Wars Rebels, released during the hiatus between the sixth and seventh seasons of The Clone Wars, continues the character arcs of several characters introduced in The Clone Wars after the events of the series, including Captain Rex, Ahsoka Tano and Maul. ', a spin-off sequel series centering on the titular batch of clones introduced in the seventh season, was announced on July 13, 2020; it will be set in the immediate aftermath of the Clone War.

Episodes

After viewing some of the completed footage of the early episodes on a big screen, the production team decided to weave the first few planned episodes together to form. This decision helped convince Time Warner to distribute the movie, and to encourage its subsidiary Cartoon Network to air the series. Christopher Lee, Anthony Daniels, Samuel L. Jackson, and Matthew Wood reprised their roles as Count Dooku, C-3PO, Mace Windu, and the B1 Battle Droids, respectively, from the live-action films. The series aired out of chronological order, with the story order being released retroactively on the official Star Wars website.
Season 1 shows a wide variety of battles and adventures with Grievous and Dooku as the lead antagonists. Many of the episodes are stand-alone, but a common thread throughout the season is that the Republic and the Separatists attempt to convince various planets and races to side with them. In Season 2, the Sith resort to hiring bounty hunters and mercenaries to steal objects and intel or to assassinate targets for them. Meanwhile, the Jedi lead the Republic forces in an assault on the primary battle droid manufacturing facility.
The first half of both Season 3 and Season 4 are diplomatic in nature; Season 3, in particular, has many stories that take place away from the battlefield. How different races and planets are affected by the galaxy-wide war are shown, as well as how the Republic Senate can make a bigger difference than even the Jedi Council at times. The first half of Season 3 is used mainly to make the Clone Wars series more cohesive as these first episodes created better chronology, setting themselves in and among the previous two seasons' episodes. The second half of both seasons, Anakin steps a little closer to the dark side. Meanwhile, the Sith experience turmoil among themselves.
Season 5 is unique in that it consists of 5 four-part story arcs, 3 of which center on Ahsoka's character development. Meanwhile, the Separatists gain more ground, and the story of an old villain who has returned is further explored. Season 6 explores topics that are crucial in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, namely the creation of the clones and the details behind Order 66. Chancellor Palpatine gains even more power, and Yoda delves deeper into the nature of the Force.
On December 5, 2011, a full-length feature cut of one of the Season 3 trilogies of episodes was released for download on iTunes as an uninterrupted movie that was previously shown at selected screenings in 2010. The three episodes were written by Katie Lucas, who had previously written the Season 1 episode "Jedi Crash" as well as the Season 3 episodes "Sphere of Influence" and "Assassin." A repeat of season one aired in "decoded" episode format. Each installment contained unobtrusive text windows giving supplemental information about the characters and events playing out on screen.
On July 19, 2018, Lucasfilm announced at San Diego Comic-Con that Star Wars: The Clone Wars would return with 12 new episodes in a Season 7 to be released on Disney+. A trailer for the season was released on April 14, 2019 at Star Wars Celebration Chicago. On August 23, 2019, Filoni announced at the D23 Expo that it will be the final season. It was released on February 21, 2020. The latter part of the final season takes place concurrently with the events of Revenge of the Sith, and depicts the Siege of Mandalore, a battle that had been referenced in previous Star Wars media. It consists of three story arcs, two of which focus on Ahsoka after her leaving of the Jedi Order. The last arc also focuses on Ahsoka as she battles Darth Maul, who attempts to prevent Darth Sidious' sinister plans to take over the galaxy, and depicts the infamous Order 66, which marked the fall of the Jedi Order and the rise of the Galactic Empire, from Ahsoka and Maul's perspective.

Cast and characters

Main

At April 2005's Star Wars Celebration III, George Lucas stated that "we are working on a 3-D continuation of that was on the Cartoon Network; we probably won't start that project for another year." Lucas hired Dave Filoni after having seen episodes of ' he had worked on. By July 2005, pre-production had begun on the series, according to Steve Sansweet, head of Lucasfilm fan relations. Sansweet referred to the series as "the next generation of the Star Wars saga, a cutting edge 30-minute, 3-D computer-animation series based on the Clone Wars that take place between ' ... and ." Sansweet described the look of the new series as "a melding of Asian anime with unique 3-D animation styling." Primary production took place at the Lucasfilm Animation facility in Singapore.
According to another statement by Sansweet, "Lucasfilm Animation will be hiring a total of about 300 digital artists and others in both California and Singapore locations to produce not only the series but animated feature films in the years ahead." He said about the series, "to get the series underway, Lucasfilm Animation has hired key production and creative talent to lead the development of its first animation project." Sansweet has said that "a large component of the future of Star Wars and Lucasfilm is CGI animation."
Lucasfilm Animation used Autodesk software to animate both the film and the series. The Maya 3D-modeling program was used to create the highly detailed worlds, characters and creatures.
Character designer Kilian Plunkett referred to the character designs from Genndy Tartakovsky's, and animators reviewed designs from the 2D series when creating the animation style. Tartakovsky was not involved with the production, and criticized Lucas's decision to revisit the era.
In 2007, Rob Coleman divulged that one episode was complete, with 15 more in production, and that he was going to direct five of the first 22 episodes. He revealed that the reaction from licensees was very positive, and that the final assembly of shows was done at Skywalker Ranch.
Speaking at PaleyFest on March 3, 2007, Lucas revealed that the series would be episodic, and as such would not focus on Anakin Skywalker's story; with episodes dedicated to clone troopers and other characters. Lucas revealed further information in a fan interview, including a new character named Ahsoka Tano, over 100 episodes and a possible appearance by Boba Fett. The first trailer for the series was released on the official Star Wars website on May 8, 2007. In an interview in the September 24, 2007 issue of TV Guide, Lucas confirmed that 39 episodes of the series had been completed.
On April 8, 2007, Ain't It Cool News reported that musician Eric Rigler had recorded music for the series. Rigler disclosed that each planet in the Star Wars galaxy would have its own theme music. The episode Mr. Rigler performed on was based on Bulgarian music and played on Uilleann pipes. Kevin Kiner composed the original score for each episode.
Stuart Snyder, who oversaw Cartoon Network and other Turner Broadcasting System cable networks from 2007 to 2014, said he became interested in the new Clone Wars series immediately upon starting the job in May 2007. Snyder flew out to San Francisco, California to screen several episodes, and told Lucas the only place he wanted to see the show was on Cartoon Network. Snyder wished to create an action/adventure block of shows on Friday night in an attempt to rejuvenate Cartoon Network. Snyder expressed confidence that the shows would help boost ratings: "You catch me at a time where I have a smile on my face because of our internal results. I can say there's a little bit of bragging on the third quarter for us."
The "Young Padawans" arc from Season 5 was intended to be aired separately from The Clone Wars as a feature-length pilot for a spin-off series that never materialized. Seasons 6, 7, and 8, were in some form of production at the time of the show's cancellation in March 2013, shortly after Lucasfilm was purchased by Disney.

Release

An online comic released alongside the series depicts story snippets between episodes.

Broadcast

The Clone Wars premiered on October 3, 2008 at 9 p.m. on Cartoon Network. The Clone Wars on Cartoon Network is shown in a 16:9 aspect ratio, cropped from its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The show began airing on their Adult Swim block on March 14, 2009, making the series the first Cartoon Network series to simultaneously air on both Cartoon Network and Adult Swim. The series also aired from January 15 to March 26, 2009 on TNT, making it the first form of animation to air on that channel in over a decade.
The show entered an off-network syndication in 2012, and in the fall of that year Trifecta Entertainment & Media put it into barter syndication. It aired on many affiliates on the Fox MyNetworkTV and The CW. The show has been taken off The air in off-network synidcation since fall 2013 due to low costs and was not renewed for Season 2 in the 2013-2014 TV Season due to Disney's completeted acquisitions by Lucasfilm Ltd In December of 2012.
On March 11, 2013, it was announced that The Clone Wars would be "winding down" to focus on the Star Wars sequel trilogy and a new series, Star Wars Rebels. On February 13, 2014, Netflix announced that starting on March 7, 2014 they would begin the US distribution of the entire TV series, including some previously unreleased director's cuts, and the previously unaired new season dubbed "The Lost Missions". The latter also became available for purchase on digital video stores, such as iTunes, in. The Netflix distribution of the series, along with the Blu-rays, included versions of some episodes with previously censored material deemed too inappropriate for the demographic of Cartoon Network. One of the most well-known edits was the removal of the character Ventress kissing a clone after she had stabbed him with her lightsaber.
The show was removed from Netflix on April 7, 2019. For the revival and final season, the remaining episodes of the series are exclusively available on Disney+. The first episode for Season 7 was released on February 21, 2020, with the final episode being released on May 4 of the same year.

Home media

distributed the videodisc releases of the first five seasons, while Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment handled the videodisc release of the sixth season as Star Wars: The Clone Wars – The Lost Missions.
Apart from the season-by-season videodisc sets, there were also three special DVD releases consisting of four episodes from a particular season that reflected a certain story arc or theme:

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 67% of critics have given the first season a positive review based on 15 reviews, with an average rating of 5.73/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "With an agreeably entertaining first season, Star Wars: The Clone Wars opens a fun, kid-friendly chapter of the franchise's sprawling mythology." 100% of critics have given the third and fifth seasons a positive review based on 5 reviews each, with an average rating of 8/10 and 7.85/10 respectively. 100% of critics have given the sixth season a positive review based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 8.92/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Sophisticated storytelling and quality animation make the sixth season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars a fitting end to the series." 100% of critics have given the seventh season a positive review based on 22 reviews, with an average rating of 8.38/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Thanks to its beautifully animated action-sequences and its impressively layered storytelling, The Clone Wars final chapter affirms its place as one of Star Wars greatest entries." On Metacritic, the first season has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100 based on 9 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". On July 11, 2008, television critics were shown a completed episode of the series. The Hollywood Reporters Live Feed blog called the footage "likely the most photo-realistic animated TV series ever produced." On August 31, 2008, a sneak peek of the new series was shown on Cartoon Network. IGN named it the 89th best animated series. They specifically praised the episodes "Rookies", "Cloak of Darkness", and "Lair of Grievous" saying that their storylines stood out as some of the best in the Star Wars expanded universe.

Ratings

Star Wars: The Clone Wars became the most-watched series premiere in Cartoon Network history. The series averaged 3 million total viewers in its debut, according to Nielsen Media Research. Cartoon Network said the Star Wars spin-off ranked as the number one channel among all major animated networks in the time slot among total viewers. On July 23, 2010, at the San Diego Comic-Con, Craig Glenday, editor of the Guinness World Records, presented Star Wars: The Clone Wars supervising director Dave Filoni, CG supervisor Joel Aron, and lead designer Kilian Plunkett a certificate proclaiming the cartoon series "the highest rated sci-fi animation currently on television". Tech Times said that, "while the Star Wars prequel films fail to make audiences care about characters like Anakin Skywalker, The Clone Wars succeeds." During May of 2020, following the release of the seventh season on Disney+, The Clone Wars became the most streamed digital original show in the United States.

Accolades

''The Clone Wars Legacy''

At the time of cancellation in March 2013, 65 more episodes were in development. Thirteen of these episodes were finished to become part of Season 6: The Lost Missions, but there were still additional arcs that were never released. In September 2014, StarWars.com released details of three story arcs from the unfinished episodes.

Literature

''Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir''

A four-episode arc continued the story of Darth Maul following the events from the season 5 episode "The Lawless", detailing his escape from Sidious; Maul regains control of the criminal Shadow Collective, and battles Dooku, Grievous, and Sidious. The arc was adapted into a four-part limited comic book series, , which debuted in May 2014.

''Dark Disciple''

An eight-episode arc with Nightsister Asajj Ventress and Jedi Quinlan Vos was adapted into Dark Disciple, a novel by Christie Golden released on July 7, 2015. The story follows Vos partnering up with Ventress, hoping to execute Count Dooku.

Story reels

Two arcs consisting each of four episodes were released on the official Star Wars website for free in the form of complete animatics, albeit with unfinished animation as those episodes only went through the earliest stages of production. Both were fully voiced by the cast.

''Crystal Crisis on Utapau''

In September 2014, four unfinished episodes were released on the official Star Wars website. The arc took place on Utapau with Obi-Wan and Anakin investigating an arms deal involving the Separatists and a Kyber crystal. The arc also dealt with Anakin's feelings after the departure of Ahsoka. It was also included in the season 6 Blu-ray.

''The Bad Batch''

The unfinished animatics for The Bad Batch, a four-episode arc, were screened at the Star Wars Celebration convention in Anaheim, California on April 17, 2015. Scripted by Brent Friedman, it is a four-part story arc focusing on a ragtag unit of clone commandos of the same name. The arc was subsequently released on StarWars.com for free shortly after on April 29, 2015. The completed episodes were aired as the first part of the seventh season. On July 13, 2020, a spin-off sequel series titled was announced; it will follow the titular group of clones working as mercenaries in the immediate aftermath of the Clone War.

Video games

Seven video games have been released, which are based on the style and character designs of the series.
Characters and/or locations from the show have also appeared in the following Star Wars games listed below: