Why Star Wars: The Clone Wars is Worth Your Time

This is a show I did not expect to love, or even like. It is a tie-in. An animated tie-in. Taking place in the prequel era of the Star Wars universe. And yet, over the course of 6 seasons of continual improvement, the Clone Wars gradually evolved into a valuable part of the Star Wars universe. Not only that, it also became one of the better sci-fi shows on television.

There are a number of reasons why this show is worth celebrating.

It Makes the Prequels Better

The debate over the quality of the prequel films has been a long and bloody one among fans, but whether you enjoy the films or not, the Clone Wars hugely improves on that portion of the Star Wars timeline.

Important characters like Anakin and Obi-wan are fleshed out with much more dimension in the series than they are in the prequel films themselves, and arguably (especially in Anakin’s case) are brought to life more vividly by their voice actors. 

Anakin comes off much better in the Clone Wars than he did in the prequels. He is characterized as reckless, but brilliant, and it becomes much easier to understand why the people around him put up with and encourage him. This is the tragic doomed hero that fans always imagined Vader had been before his fall. When I look at the Darth Vader character now, it is the Clones Wars version of him that I visualize when I think of his back story.

The show also makes the impenetrable politics of the prequel era make much more sense, and (even more impressively) it manages to tie them to a real sense of actual human drama.

It Tells New Kinds of Star Wars Stories

For those who are perhaps overly familiar with the Joseph Campbell informed heroic journeys that have dominated the major arcs of the Star Wars films, the Clone Wars paints in a much more diverse palette of storytelling.

The Clone Wars covered pretty much every genre of storytelling imaginable. There are episodes which are mini gangster films, horror films, coming of age stories, even conspiracy thrillers. The show told the stories of clones caught up in a conflict that regarded them as expendable, the efforts of ordinary citizens to resist totalitarian dictatorship, a Star-Wars-ian take on King Kong, and then there is that one episode where R2-D2 looks for some fruit. Okay, that last one wasn’t so great, but the others were really good.

It is Not a Kid’s Show (Unless Your Kids Like Decapitation, Terrorism, and Political Intrigue)

There are arcs of this show that are completely horrific and perhaps darker than anything in the Star Wars films. Clone Wars explores the dark side in-depth, and explores the psychology of characters like Asajj Ventress who represent a more nuanced take on the dark/light dichotomy than what is usually found in Star Wars.

The Filmmaking is Fantastic

The writing, directing, voice acting, sound design, and digital cinematography in the Clone Wars are simply way beyond just about anything else in American animation. For my taste, the best episodes of the Clone Wars display an elegant digital aesthetic that wipes the floor with a lot of the most expensive CG animated films that are released in theaters. If you find yourself weary of the homogenized bobble-headed look that dominates most modern animated films, the Clone Wars subtlety and eclectic design sensibility is a real breath of fresh air.

It is Canon

The Lucas Film story group that are in charge of maintaining the new canon of the Star Wars universe have declared that everything in the Clone Wars matters. In a way, the Clone Wars is a fascinating document of the transition between the George Lucas era of Star Wars, and the new one. Elements introduced in the Clone Wars may well appear in the next generation of Star Wars storytelling. Beyond that though, fans can watch the series and know that the ways in which it expands upon and clarifies the Star Wars mythos will not be erased or ignored.

It is Good TV, Even if You Don’t Care About Star Wars

If you don’t love Star Wars, but do love great television, you will probably find a lot to enjoy in the Clone Wars. It is a show that told stories of intrigue and adventure that could easily hold their own with episodes of beloved geek shows like the X-Files, or the Twilight Zone. With a strong sense of story and characterization, no nerd cred is really needed to immerse yourself in the show.

A Few Warnings

This is a show that definitely improves over time, and in fact most of the first season is not at all up to the standard of what the show would become. The Clone Wars reminds me of another beloved genre show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in the sense that most fans of both shows agree that the first season is pretty wretched and not an accurate reflection of what the show would become.

The Clone Wars utilizes a format of storytelling that is built around 3-4 episode arcs. This setup allows the show to tell much more sophisticated stories than the typical format of a half-hour animated show would allow. Luckily, this format also makes it easy for viewers to skip lesser arcs entirely. This is NOT a show in which you must watch every episode, and even the best seasons tend to have an arc that can be skipped entirely.

New viewers who are curious if they will like the show would do well to skip the opening episodes, and give the first season episode “Rookies” a chance. If you like that episode, you will find a lot to appreciate in what the show has to offer later on.

NETFLIX IT!

The entire Clone Wars series is currently available through Netflix instant streaming, which is really the ideal way to watch it. Binge watching arcs all at once is certainly an improvement over watching them broken up week to week, and the Netflix setup makes it easy to skip lesser arcs and focus on the good stuff.

In honor of Star Wars Celebration, Cinema Gorgeous will be featuring nothing but Star Wars related content over the next few days.