A method or one other, Star Wars is a franchise continuously in dialog with itself. At any time when it’s not interrogating its initially held beliefs or techniques, it’s offering a window into how these mechanics got here to be. Generally it’s good, lots of instances it may be bizarre, however it all provides as much as one thing compelling regardless of the usually botched execution.
Look no additional than Revenge of the Sith. The ultimate chapter of the prequel trilogy not too long ago got here again to theaters forward of its twentieth anniversary, and picks up years into the Clone Wars which first begun on the finish of its direct predecessor, Assault of the Clones. However actual ones know there’s a bit extra to it than that: Revenge was preceded and adopted by two completely different variations of Cartoon Community’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars, an animated sequence that lined the hole between the 2 movies. The unique Clone Wars was made by Genndy Tartakovsky—a person closely concerned with Powerpuff Women and creator of Dexter’s Laboratory and Samurai Jack, all on the identical community—and initially existed as a sequence of five-minute shorts that might play in between exhibits, with the final season having a extra substantial 12-15 minute episode runtime.
Like Samurai Jack (or his newer grownup animated sequence Primal), Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars is a style train that includes ultra-competent heroes and villains doing what they do greatest, typically with out dialogue and with attractive imagery. The prequels had been dinged for making the Jedi into overly choreographed martial artists, and what was attention-grabbing about this model of Clone Wars was how a lot it leaned into that concept. Seeing 2D variations of the forged soar round and conflict swords made for some thrilling fights, and it’s simple to know how some characters like Normal Grievious obtained the fame they did again then. (It additionally makes you would like he obtained his due within the film correct as he did the place he first originated.)
5 years later, the CG Clone Wars sequence got here rolling in with 22-minute episodes, and George Lucas’ direct involvement alongside then-supervising director and present franchise steward Dave Filoni. The 2008 Clone Wars had much more run time to work with main as much as Revenge of the Sith, so it spent its time exploring completely different corners of the Star Wars universe and enjoying round with what its forged may know or be main as much as their grim fates.
With 100 episodes already greenlit, the present may pit the clones up towards an abusive Jedi who simply needed all of them useless in a single arc, and have Obi-Wan rekindle his situationship with Satine within the subsequent. The brand new shades given to him and Anakin and different pre-established characters, plus the evolution of Anakin’s newly launched Padawan Ahsoka Tano, made for some nice TV again then. On the time, it was the one Star Wars we had been persistently getting, so it’s solely pure it continues to be held in such excessive esteem that it obtained to finish its story 3 times.
The shadow of Revenge of the Sith looms over each Clone Wars exhibits, however the 2008 sequence really obtained to be within the thick of it. Whereas a lot of what goes down in its ultimate season establishes or units up future animated adventures for its characters—it introduces the Unhealthy Batch, who headlined the subsequent CG sequence, and defined how Ahsoka and Darth Maul obtained to the place we first see them within the already ended Star Wars Rebels—the moments the place it exists concurrently with Revenge ship on the sequence’ authentic promise. Not like the movie’s montage of Jedi getting gunned down by their Clones, it actually does really feel like a tragedy when Palpatine’s directive hits Rex and Ahsoka’s ears.
A number of what Star Wars is has been constructed off the bottom work laid by Revenge and its two spinoffs. For the reason that true, correct finish of the second Clone Wars, the franchise has tried for the same interconnected significance throughout the unique and sequel trilogies by way of initiatives like Andor and Filoni’s personal Mandalorian saga. Whether or not these succeed is within the eye of the beholder: Andor seemingly enrichens Rogue One for a lot of, or on the very least, makes you would like that movie obtained the correct time to prepare dinner. In the meantime, the time spent explaining components of the sequel trilogy isn’t actually Filoni’s major goal together with his exhibits, which may make the moments the place they’re eager about that really feel misplaced.
For higher or worse, there is no such thing as a present Star Wars with out Revenge of the Sith, and that itself doesn’t exist with out both iteration of The Clone Wars. By itself deserves, it’s the perfect Star Wars prequel film—and take that as you’ll—and made higher by the 2 animated sequence that exist to beef up its weaker components and ship some enjoyable navy sci-fi motion. However what’s made the movie and its specific time interval really feel so poignant is that Tartakovsky, Lucas, and Filoni knew it needed to be an finish for its key gamers. That inevitability is gone from Star Wars now, however at the very least we obtained a style of it whereas we may.
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