I Was Wrong About Star Wars: The Clone Wars

hold your fire a warning for today's video there will be spoilers for star wars the clone wars seasons one through seven so if you haven't watched the tv show i highly recommend it but if you have maybe stay tuned and if you agree let me know hey everybody this is spaceman and i wanted to do a different video today and this week because this has been on my mind ever since i finished watching star wars the clone wars and i finally got myself through the entire show and it's been about a week since i finished season seven this is one of the shows that i had struggled to start and after getting through season one it started to pick up its pace quite a bit and i got more intrigued and invested in the characters but this is very much a grind heavy show with a lot of episodes missing the mark but also the majority of the episodes really reeling you in to the lore and the wonder of the star wars universe and making this show worthwhile and now that it's been about a week since i finished watching the clone wars i felt that i needed to talk about how much this show has improved what i feel star wars is lacking at the moment but more importantly how it brings more validity to the prequels because make no mistake about it star wars the clone wars the animated series is the single best piece of star wars content since the original trilogies and this is coming from a prequels fan this is coming from someone who grew up with the prequels and loved them as a child and grew to kind of dislike them as a teenager knowing that they had a lot of dialogue flaws i don't like sam and writing decisions that didn't make sense but overall i still really love the prequels and to this day they are some of my favorite star wars content and after watching star wars the clone wars i have to say i think that i love the prequels again i have always said one of two things number one that the original trilogy is superior to the prequels but number two the original trilogy shines in execution while the prequels shines in its vision i always thought that the prequels was a more interesting time of the star wars universe and i always thought that the prequels had much more of a rich lore and history behind it than the original trilogy because there is so much that needed to be filled in to make that connective tissue work with the other three movies and after watching star wars the clone wars it's very clear that george lucas's vision has been finally fulfilled and properly executed on thanks to the likes of dave filoni and the creative team behind this amazing show one of the big draws going in was of course getting more of anakin's story and of course getting more of his slow build up to eventually cascading off the cliff that is the choice between light and dark and in this show it feels more relevant than ever that his character arc is the best in star wars outside of ahsoka herself which we will get to in a minute anakin skywalker is obviously one of the most well-known characters in the star wars universe most fans adore him i am one of them i love anakin i love him even more than i did originally and in this show i think the writing and the portrayal of anakin is about as perfect as it could possibly be he's one of my favorite characters and in the prequel series he always came across as an empty calorie character and now let me explain really what i mean by that in sports there's a terminology called empty calorie stats where a team or a player are able to put up a certain amount of numbers that help their individual status but they don't help the collective team win so let's say in basketball someone's dropping a triple double every game russell westbrook but it doesn't help the actual team advanced any further than they already were so it can be considered an empty calorie stat because you can get numbers out of them that don't really equate to much that's kind of how i saw anakin as an old hero back when the prequels first came out i always appreciated his character and i appreciated his story and while i did sympathize and empathize with his trials and tribulations and his breaking points up until he turned to the dark side during order 66 i know a lot of people couldn't connect with his character because it always felt like his emotions were kind of empty calorie moments we knew he was struggling as a teenager as a child and as an adult in the jedi academy trying to fit in and follow their rules we knew he was going through his own kind of trauma and we knew that he had differing opinions of how the jedi order should be conducting their business and his relationship with key figures like mace windu yoda obi-wan and chancellor palpatine but all these decisions kind of felt empty calorie once the final battle came down to deciding anakin's code of ethics it doesn't really help that the first episode of the prequels kind of takes place when anakin isn't in a place where he can emotionally develop and had we gotten episode 1 focusing more on teenage anakin it might have done more justification for his character turns down the line but nonetheless anakin was still a compelling and intriguing character but it never really felt like there was a lot of weight behind his decision making other than we know we should be sad and we know we should feel for him and while i did many other people just didn't going into the clone wars tv show though we had more than enough time to fully discover analyze and react to anakin's decision making as he grows up with the times and as they change along the series we got to see him as a young jedi knight working in season one through two trying to follow in the steps of obi-wan in seasons three through four and five he's much more independent and confident in his decision making and he's much more radical with some of the moves he makes and the decisions he makes to keep those he loves and those he cares about safe he's not afraid to get dirty and there's a couple of good lines in the show where he talks about the fact that the jedi are not willing to go the extra mile to secure peace and prosperity because they feel they can't overstep some boundaries but anakin doesn't operate that way not only is the voice acting great as always but the writing behind anakin shows his turn to the dark side as a methodical isolated step one after another that doesn't just turn on a dime in the last episode but it takes seasons upon seasons of progression and build-up to fully realize his character arc this is one of the best parts of the show it turns anakin into a true hero who not only loves his clones but loves being a master to ahsoka and loves being a brother to obi-wan and once the realization towards the end is that he has no other decision than to overstep that boundary to overstep that line to get done what needs to be done it makes his turn to the dark side in episode three that much more justified and it turns his character arc and character core from an empty calorie character who is still beloved to a fully fleshed out and realized personality that we can all understand and feel for as he finally makes that turn and does the unthinkable but it's not just the character arc of anakin that i feel was so well written and portrayed and realized in the clone wars show the biggest draw for me which i was not expecting was the relationship of the clones to the jedi themselves not only was anakin's arc fully realized and fleshed out in this entire show but the biggest draw for me getting into season three and four that kept me on the ride all the way through the final credits was the relationship of the clones themselves not only the clones together with one another in the barracks but how they appreciated and approached the likes of the jedi and the jedi council in the order and the galactic republic the clones in star wars are the most interesting storyline because it's not just about the fact that intercontinuity between not only subsects of the jedi order and the galactic republic reacts to one another on both the battlefield and diplomatic resolutions and the political climate but how the clones have reacted to themselves in self-realizations of being part of this mascot of an unrelenting no free will having machine that is the galactic republic and finding personality traits in one another and personal desires and identity in a world that's pillars are quickly crumbling around the idea of continuity this show is designed to show the inner workings of the clones themselves and how they think react and feel to a war that has been orchestrated by someone behind the scenes that has been orchestrated to make their lives as indispensable as possible but yet they still find ways to have the most personality out of almost anyone in the show outside of our main two characters ahsoka and anakin it seems that the writers were really focusing on bringing the clones personality to life but more importantly focusing on the relationships they have with one another and showing that they are more than just clones themselves this was laid bare for the viewers experience in season three on the story arc umbara where we got to see poncrell fight against the ideologies of the clones and as he's treating them as lesser beings we really see rex come into his own as both a leader and as an individual and it was at this moment in the clone wars when i had switched the dial of just respecting the clones as backups to the jedi order and thinking more about the clones as their own individuality and their own unit next to the jedi order and next to the council and the republic and the galactic republic as a whole while the clone wars has done a phenomenal job at establishing character arcs and filling in character arcs like obi-wan and like anakin it does the most good and the most representation to the idea of the clones being more than just body soldiers to being more than cannon fodder we get to see the relationships we get to see the back dialogue we get to see the b-rolls we get to see the inner communicative moments we get to see the personalities the responses the reactions the empathy the emotions we get to see all of the inner workings of the minds of the clones and it's all thanks to both the writing of the show but the premise in which they set up which is to focus on the very backbone of the prequels the clones are the backbone of the prequels and now that we understand what was taking place when they were being made when they were being bred when they were being reproduced and what was taking place as these wars unfolded on multiple planets in multiple locations and multiple locales it all came to a head near the end of the season where we get a full actual weighted realization of not only the clones responsibility but their personalities their mannerisms their characteristics and the continuity again that exists between all clones knowing that they are part of something greater but that they are friends in the end and they feel like the most fleshed out characters by the end of season 7. going into star wars the clone wars one of the things my friends often told me was this will make the prequels feel that much more justified and it will make them feel more full and i could not agree more with finally finishing the show i've never seen a show that has tied into main story content that has been as well written as well flushed out and as well directed as the clone wars has been it not only made me feel more connected and more in love with the idea of clones themselves but it made me appreciate the story that george lucas was originally trying to tell but just didn't have enough time nor movies to finally tell it in showing the long progression of the clones going from mindless soldiers to individual people to people fighting against a galactic order that has turned on them during order 66 it really turns your perspective of what the original vision of the prequel trilogy was supposed to be and that couldn't be more prevalent than with the introduction and welcome edition of the new character ahsoka going into the clone wars i wasn't sure how i was going to feel with anakin now being quote unquote a master at least just in terms of for argument's sake but more importantly he has now an apprentice named ahsoka who he's in charge of and sure in season one she's a little annoying and it was kind of hard to get used to the idea that anakin is fighting so hard to become a master in the jedi order but yet while that is taking place he subsequently has a padawan of his own but ahsoka quickly becomes one of the most beloved characters in the show one of the best written characters in the show with one of the most deep and complex story arcs but she also becomes one of the best characters in star wars history it's not just because she's a connective tissue to the rise and tragic fall of anakin skywalker and the personality and camaraderie of her relationship with obi-wan a lot like what she had with captain rex but it's her relationship with the clones themselves and with the jedi order that really establish her individual characteristics as a person as a character as a jedi and former jedi knight of the galactic republic that make her one of the most interesting and one of the most beloved characters in star wars to date i truly believe if the sequel trilogy had decided to focus on someone like ahsoka it might have been 10 times better than it actually was and this is the type of star wars content that i think many fans were hoping for and the fact that we finally got it to connect back into the prequels it did all the justice we needed it to do to once again validate the longevity and love that the prequels have been given over these years ahsoka's arc from season 1 as a naive and by the book padawan much like obi-wan all the way to season 5 when she eventually leaves the order is one of the best realized arcs of character development in star wars to date but it really hammers home the idea that ahsoka is as close to luke skywalker in the prequels as we're going to get up until the original trilogy ahsoka is not afraid of realizing her emotions and doing what she feels is right but is also not afraid of stepping over the line and doing what needs to be done as long as it's in the service of others the small dialogue she had with anakin on the balcony of the jedi temple shortly after her trial just before leaving the order itself is one of the best exchanges of interpersonal emotions we've had in the entire star wars story you feel for anakin and the continued doubt that has been sowed into his mind by both the chancellor and his interpersonal feelings on the jedi order but more importantly his emotions continue to beat at bay while he tries to figure out which step to take which way to take it and which direction to move in whether he should stay with the jedi order whether he should leave and follow his gut but nonetheless it's an internal war that is only realized because of ahsoka ahsoka is the conduit to anakin's feelings she is the conduit to anakin's relationships and she acts as a mirror of his very ego his id inside is what is reflected onto his padawan but she is the only one who currently has the strength to walk away from what she feels is not just unfair i was hesitant to start the show and once i finally got back into the fold and continued moving through episode by episode i couldn't stop the clone wars has done for me what i hope the sequels has done for other people because while the sequel trilogy kind of killed my love for star wars it was thanks to shows like the mandalorian that helped reignite that love for this series but the clone wars have more than anything shown me that the prequels are a beautiful story of relationships and trauma and character development and traumatic experiences that only affect those in the know it wasn't until we started seeing clones react to the idea of a chip being implanted people like rex people like fives people like echo this show helped hammer home the idea that it's more than just the person behind the mask the person behind the lightsaber it's about the relationships they have and the person they are in this universe that are of the utmost importance and i didn't expect an animated series to make me feel this ingrained with character development the way it has i didn't go in expecting to like ahsoka i didn't go in expecting much from anakin's arc because i already liked his character but i didn't think there was any way they could make his build up and his emotions that much more real i didn't go in expecting to see order 66 and to see the events of revenge of the sith play out in different perspectives that made it that much more tragic learning of anakin's victory over count dooku was so much more raw and disturbing and saddening in this show than it was in revenge of the sith because of all the backstory we have had up until this point there are so many different character moments and dialogue moments and amazing editing and animations that went into this show to make it feel as full as it did and i wish that it didn't have to end but i never expected to love an animated series this much and i never expected to love characters like clones and characters like anakin even more than i already did and once more what the clone wars series has done for the prequels is it has validated the actions characteristics personas and personalities of all of the different heroes villains and in between characters that we saw in the original three movies it has fleshed out and completely built upon an amazing and deep world that was there for about 10 years finally until the clone wars decided to step in and continue on that legacy this video is kind of all over the place because again i just finished watching the show and i spent about a week trying to think about how i feel and how i want to approach this topic and i apologize that all of these ideas are all over the place and it's a bit of a ramble video but i don't really know how else to write a script for this it has to be basically from the mind and from the heart i didn't expect the clone wars to be this cohesive i didn't expect it to be this intriguing i didn't expect it to be this painful i didn't expect it to be this emotional i didn't expect it to be this well written i didn't expect it to be this incredible i didn't expect the clone wars tv show to make me love the prequels even more than the original trilogy but i walk away from this animated series fully believing and fully loving the prequels and believing that they are better than the original trilogy and i might stand out in that own unique aspect and i'm sure i will i still love the original three movies they are some of my favorite movies of all time but i see the prequels now as a massive universe that had so much disturbing lore that finally got realized and addressed and it's all thanks to this simple seven season long show while season seven could have honestly been the last four episodes by themselves i'm glad that we got a little bit of the backstory of everyone and the fact that the final four episodes of season seven are arguably the very best in the entire series just shows you how far this show has come from season one and how much it has invested in its characters and its storytelling to get to this point where fans truly care about clones what happens to them and how they approach the subsequent disaster that is the next three episodes it's not just the heartbreak of order 66 that you could feel impending all the way through the entire seven season run but it's the relationships between ahsoka anakin obi-wan and the clones themselves that bind this show together and show you the love that the writers and directors and editors and creators and animators had for this universe that is on full display for all fans to appreciate and to love the way i have after watching this i'm sad it took me so long to finally watch the show but i'm very happy that i sat through all seven seasons and while there are episodes that are rather boring in episodes that sure miss the mark the majority of this show is worth watching and i fully fully would recommend watching every single episode because when you get to the final four episodes of season seven it's not only mind-blowing but it is heartbreaking to watch the final four episodes play themselves out knowing who's involved knowing what's about to happen and watching some of the best star wars moments ever put on screen coming through an animated series i didn't really talk about the side characters like cad bane who was an excellent standout like darth maul who i was worried about bringing back but they did him in such a way that is so intriguing and so unique and now he has his own story that i love following even though yes his demise currently is in the rebel storyline i didn't talk about all the side characters but i wanted to talk about three i wanted to talk about anakin ahsoka and the clones and their relationships are what sold me on this entire show getting backstories into mandalore getting backstories into coruscant getting backstories into bounty hunters getting backstories into the jedi order into the distrust between the republic and the clones into the distrust between the clones and themselves into the distress between kamino and the jedi all of this culminated in a masterclass of storytelling and animation the clone wars is by far the best star wars content to come out since the original trilogy and while i loved the prequels this made them even more valid and made them weigh even more in my mind and in my heart star wars the clone wars is fantastic it's amazing i recommend it if you haven't seen it already but you've watched this video i don't know why you're watching this video go watch it right now because i am starting bad batch right now and i'm excited to watch it i apologize for the ramble i didn't really want to write a script for this i just wanted to vent i didn't expect the show to be as good as it was and yet i can't imagine a world where i didn't watch it because it has done so much for my love with the prequels i never look at the characters the same and knowing everything now makes the fall of anakin that more tragic and makes the fall of the clones that more heartbreaking and i have nothing but the clone wars to thank for that so thank you to everyone who suggested this show and thank you to everyone who supported this show because even though it got cancelled it's one of the best pieces of content to come out of star wars ever and i'm glad that the fans got to see a resounding success at the end of season seven and a proper send-off to one of the best animated shows ever released thank you guys for watching and i would love to know your thoughts on the clones because that was the standout for me in this entire show thanks so much i'll see you in the next video have a good one

Channel: Spaceman

Views: 1,808,767

Keywords: clone wars, clone wars montage, clone wars best lightsaber duels, clone wars best battles, star wars theory, star wars the clone wars essay, star wars the clone wars video essay, ahsoka vs maul, best clone wars moments, star wars clone wars order 66, star wars clone wars season 7, star wars reaction, clone wars reaction, order 66, clone wars review, kotor, kotor remake, star wars, the clone wars, star wars kotor remake, kotor ps5, star wars explained, star wars clone wars

Id: nRUnyfn5fW0

Length: 21min 54sec (1314 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 21 2021