Hallelujah! Fans Unite, The Clone Wars Is Saved

I love Star Wars. I live it, breathe it, and soak it in like a baby in a diaper. To this day I remember sitting at home watching A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and The Return of the Jedi for the first time. I was 8. In the 27 years since Star Wars has been a way of life. Try as I might, I can’t stop thinking about it. 

In fact, I recently had my second son…who I named Luke.

When the Clone Wars animated series came out, I rejoiced. And I wasn’t alone. Even though past Star Wars cartoons had released to mixed reactions, the Clone Wars was different.

The Clone Wars bridged a gap between movies, answered many unanswered questions, and it shed light on characters only mentioned in passing. And then, without proper reason, it ended.

The purchase

When Disney purchased Lucasfilm all those years ago, it made the decision to cancel the show. Think Fox’s decision to cancel Firefly without understanding what it had done.

While the show was able to answer some questions (Dooku’s involvement, Anakin’s reason for never becoming a Jedi Master, and more) it raised just as many.

• What happened to Ahsoka between the Clone Wars and Rebels?
• What happened to Darth Maul?
• Yoda’s Force Ghost
• Asajj Ventress and her history

And for years, we have looked to novels, comics, and speculation for answers.

Speculate no more, the Clone Wars is saved and set to return. 

San Diego

This past weekend at the San Diego Comic-Con, an announcement was made the Clone Wars will return and 12 more episodes are being made. Yes, the Clone Wars is saved. The Clone Wars is more than just a bridge between two movies. It is a unification point for fans from all walks of life. 

The prequels were met, at best, with a lukewarm reception. Those introduced to the galaxy far, far away through them were generally fine with the movies. My wife is a good example of this. 

Most of those familiar with Star Wars history hated and, at every chance, berated them. If it sounds harsh, it’s because it is. Star Wars fans are passionate. Even today the mere mention of Jar-Jar Binks and how sand gets everywhere is enough to start a riot.

The Clone Wars provided common ground for discussion that didn’t focus on the quality of the prequels. For the first time in my lifetime, fans from all walks of life enjoyed the same thing. 

And boy was it welcomed. I can’t speak for you but I grew tired of listening to my first love ripped apart.

The power of the Clone Wars

The Clone Wars proved that a Star Wars animated show can work. More than that, it showed that Star Wars computer animation can work. Even the most skeptical of its style eventually came around and embraced it. In fact, without its success, we wouldn’t have been follow-up cartoon, Rebels. 

The Clone Wars showed that new characters could be introduced and embraced by the most dedicated of fans. 

• Asajj Ventress
• Savage Opress
• Cad Bane
• Hondo Ohnaka

And, of course, Ahsoka Tano. 

Ahsoka was met with, let’s call it, subtle anger. Thinking about her first appearance conjures up images of the highly ostracized nicknames, Snips, and Sky Guy. 

Ahsoka’s voice actor, Ashley Eckstein preached patience with the character. She knew where the character was heading but needed the world to understand that the path to get there was bumpy. And she was right. Ahsoka quickly became a fan favorite, so much so that she spun off into Rebels and her own novel.

And The Clone Wars gave understanding to Anakin.

The end of season five provided the galaxy with one of the most gut-wrenching scenes in Star Wars. Still today I find myself tearing up just a little each time I watch it. The Clone Wars left a lasting mark, which, aside from financial gain, is the reason Disney has revived it. 

That’s power.

No matter what, the Clone Wars Is Saved and I couldn’t be happier.

Cheers,

Joel

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