Clone Wars’ Series Isn’t Canon, but It Is Great

When Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012, the Star Wars franchise went through an extensive process that resulted in many projects that were once part of the main canon being retconned. Of the stories that were scrubbed from the Star Wars timeline, one stands out because it once held such a vital position in the canon, but that doesn’t mean it’s not still a fantastic experience for those who choose to seek it out. Star Wars: Clone Wars ran for three seasons from 2003 to 2005, producing a total of 25 episodes that fleshed out a pivotal part of the Star Wars universe.

Along with the show in question, Disney also decanonized countless other Star Wars stories from books, graphic novels, and other media. Since then, the franchise’s new owners have replaced many of its retconned installments with new ones, some similar to what was removed and others vastly different. The properties removed from the timeline were placed in a subset of stories known as Star Wars Legends. So, if fans are committed to experiencing the extended universe as it once was, that’s still completely possible.

The Decanonized 2D ‘Star Wars: Clone Wars’ Animated Series Is Still Worth Watching

Cartoon Network

Fleshing out a movie franchise with a TV show seems like it’s a storytelling technique that’s been around forever, but it’s only really risen to prominence fairly recently. In the early 2000s, it was borderline groundbreaking, as the TV and movie industries were essentially treated as separate entities. So, when Lucasfilm started to collaborate with Cartoon Network to make Star Wars: Clone Wars, heads were turned. The animated series debuted the year after 2002’s Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones, and concluded a matter of weeks before Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith wrapped up the sequel trilogy in 2005.

While it was certainly possible to watch the Star Wars prequel movies without first seeing the Clone Wars show, fans who watched both were provided with far more context for the titular conflict that, for some, was happening offscreen between the feature-length efforts. Although the show isn’t Star Wars canon anymore, watching the prequels and including Clone Wars in the viewing order yields exactly the same experience as in the 2000s. The final episode even ends directly before the events of Revenge of the Sith, resulting in a seamless viewing experience. For those well-versed in the updated canon, it’s a better idea to forget Disney’s changes when watching the show.

Star Wars: Clone Wars introduced some great characters to the space opera, including General Grievous, who would go on to make the jump to live-action and was voiced by Matthew Wood in Revenge of the Sith. Even now, Grievous’s portrayal in the show remains the most terrifying example of how ruthless the character can be. Similarly, established characters like Mace Windu were more accurately portrayed as the fierce, powerful warriors they were always meant to be in the movies, using new Force powers and other abilities that might have come across as a little too extreme in a live-action setting.

‘Star Wars: Clone Wars’ Received a Direct Replacement That Disney Kept as Canon

Anakin and Ahsoka in Star Wars The Clone Wars

Star Wars stayed away from the big and small screens for a little while after Revenge of the Sith, but it eventually returned with a project that was both oddly familiar and different at the time. 2008’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars served as a feature-length backdoor pilot for a CGI-animated series of the same name, which originally ran for six seasons and ended in 2013. George Lucas was more actively involved this time around, serving as the show’s creator rather than Genndy Tartakovsky returning from the 2D Clone Wars to helm the follow-up. With the events of the Clone Wars already extensively covered, the 2008 show retreaded very similar ground, contradicting key moments from its 2003 counterpart.

There was a long period during which both Clone Wars shows were canon, even though it didn’t really make sense that they could be part of the same timeline. When Disney took over, the 2D-animated show was the one chosen for decanonization. The move is understandable, as the second Clone Wars show had many more episodes than its predecessor, and was generally deemed more faithful to the tone of the movies. Still, it’s unlikely that Lucas’ Star Wars show would ever have happened if Tartakovsky’s hadn’t opened the door to such an exciting possibility.

Disney has fully embraced the second Clone Wars show, and it was even revived for a seventh season as part of Disney+’s launch package. Season 7 finally allowed the episodic saga to bleed into the events of Revenge of the Sith, and characters like Ahsoka Tano and the Bad Batch have since returned in other Star Wars projects. The same animation style has also been adopted for the Tales anthology series, and will also be how the upcoming Darth Maul show will be brought to life. Lucas’ Clone Wars show, and its influence on Star Wars as a whole, can’t be overstated, even after the creator sold the franchise to Disney — but it would be disingenuous not to acknowledge the 2D-animated series at the same time.