The Legacy of Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Part 3)

on October 30th 2012 Walt Disney announced the acquisition of Lucasfilm for over four billion dollars it was a deal in the making for over a year when George Lucas first told Disney president Bob Iger about his plans for retirement the deal gave Disney ownership of all of Lucas Films operating businesses entertainment technologies the intellectual property of Indiana Jones and of course Star Wars longtime Hollywood producer Kathleen Kennedy was appointed the president of Lucasfilm and quickly announced the production of new Star Wars films beginning with Episode seven at this time in 2012 the Clone Wars was still in Cartoon Network and well into its fifth season many fans were initially nervous about the fate of the Clone Wars under Disney's ownership and if it would remain on a competing Time Warner own Network one ended up happening was far worse on March 11th 2013 an article was published on Starz calm entitled a new direction for Lucasfilm animation after five critically acclaimed seasons on Cartoon Network Lucasfilm announced that the production of Star Wars the Clone Wars would be winding down to unassuming words that were doublespeak for cancellation the announcement promised that new Clone Wars episodes were on the way in the form of bonus content but it failed to specify how many new episodes there would be and if the series would reach its intended finale and aside from the additional announcement that Seth Green's star was detours would be postponed again canceled that was everything the article stated for this announcement to arrive only a little over a week after ahsoka left the Jedi Order in the season 5 finale the sudden cancellation of the show felt like a stab in the back all these years later I'm still puzzled about the wording and briefness of the article and why the cancellation of the show was treated with such a casual hands-off tone I think Disney failed to recognized how passionate and vocal the show's fan base was and completely misjudged their response even then 13-year old me was confused and conflicted hesitant to believe that the cancellation was for the best this leads us to a question that I've been eager to answer from the very first video when I started doing research for this series why was the Clone Wars canceled truthfully there's no definitive explanation for the show's cancellation and there may never be however there are several likely reasons the show ended when it did and a few different perspectives from creators who are involved in the show over the years because the Clone Wars was on a competing televised network Disney had no interest in letting Cartoon Network continue airing Clone Wars episodes this opened the door to putting Clone Wars on Disney XD a network that's despite what you might hear as almost the exact same intended age range as Cartoon Network even 2016 the 20th season of Pokemon which previously aired on Cartoon Network was moved to Disney XD so why did that happen with the Clone Wars over the course of the show we know Lucas dedicated about 1 to 2 million dollars per episode which is above average compared to the spending of most animated TV shows it's possible that by season 5 the show cost even more than this because of pay raises this measly 4 billion dollar purchase of Lucasfilm may be nothing to scoff at compared to the 52 billion plus dollar purchase of 21st Century Fox but it was quite literally a big deal for Disney in 2012 though Lucas executive produced the show's fifth and sixth seasons due to how far they were in production before the sale of Lucasfilm the sale of Disney relinquished him of that role and presented Disney with a choice do we continue to produce the Clone Wars with a sky-high budget or do we find a cheaper way to produce Lucasfilm animated content to an already built in market it seems that even months before the official cancellation of the show Disney had made their choice on May 20th 2013 Lucasfilm animation announced the production of Star Wars rebels for Disney XD Dave Loney will be the showrunner and many of his creative leads would carry over from the Clone Wars while this seemed like some sort of promising follow up behind-the-scenes Lucasfilm animation was undergoing turbulent change the studio was hit with at least two waves of layoffs first to its crew departments and then to the distribution and licensing departments even during rebels early developments members of Lucasfilm animation had plans to leave the studio including Darrin Marshall the lead character sculptor for the entire duration of Clone Wars there's practically zero data on the Internet's as to what rebels initial episodic budget was but we do know that the first episode was completed in under a year but the rest of the season likely completed in a similar space of time per episode in comparison the average time of development period from start to finish of a closed episode was two to three years even from a subjective judgment of the show start style everything we know suggests that rebels had a much lower budget than Clone Wars and that's exactly what Disney wanted it might also be worth noting that every episode of rebels has a rating of TV y7 which is lower than the Clone Wars TV PG V in 2018 Daniel Logan who played and voiced young Boba Fett in the show felt that the Clone Wars was taken off the air because it was getting too graphic though one less inclined to believe that it was the reason the show was canceled it's hard to deny that the Clone Wars wasn't pushing its age rating in later seasons it's possible Disney wanted to moderate what Lucasfilm was getting away with on a TV PG V rating in their new show and then there's the elements of George Lucas or I should say the lack of ins if the Clone Wars continued Lucas would not have been involved and that might have not felt right to the entire studio the Clone Wars was Lucas's story after all when Lucasfilm animation said they felt is the right time to move on from the Clone Wars that may very well have been the whole truth as sad as it sounds or maybe it wasn't and that was just their way of making the best of a situation that was chosen for them by Disney we just don't know I've always been more of an artist than a businessman so I have very little tolerance for what happened at the Clone Wars under Disney's ownership it was a surefire way to cure bad willow with one of the most passionate and loyal fan bases almost right from the get-go of the purchase one could argue that the cloners was part of what made Star Wars the appetising brand that it was at the time of Lucas's retirement it helped keep Star Wars from becoming a stagnant IP so to speak like terminator back to the future even Indiana Jones if it weren't for the Clone Wars rebels would certainly not exist and what I've not been produced at the speed and efficiency of a studio has experienced as Lucasfilm animation in perhaps even if it weren't for the Clone Wars Lucasfilm wouldn't have a felony arguably the most important figure in Star Wars storytelling today nevertheless the spark was out the Clone Wars was over say for one final season of bonus content this is the legacy of star wars the clone [Music] on March 7th 2014 a whole year after the last televised episode of the show Star Wars the Clone Wars The Lost missions released on Netflix along with the entirety of the series this final season consisted of 13 episodes that were deemed too far along a production to be completely shafted it was less than what was hoped for but more than what was expected if the Clone Wars movie season 1 and most of season 2 show us a galaxy divided in a black and white conflict and season 3 through 5 show us the blurring of that conflict then season 6 shows us a galaxy entering a point of no return it's the beginning of the end for the show's many characters and themes and where exactly they fall in Palpatine's grand chess game the first of those the season would be the clones bred solely for war and invariably for death we've watched the clone struggle to find meaning in their hopeless existence over the course of several conflicts there's of course the external conflicts of the Republic versus the droid army but more than that the clones have faced several internal conflicts as well independence versus obedience Brotherhood versus banner and in the opening arc of season six agency vs. programming in another sense man versus machine the Jedi and five ifirst are beleaguered in a never-ending assault over Ringo vinda just one of the many never ending battles that occur near the end of the Clone Wars in a sudden and shocking move top the wet-behind-the-ears promising file first trooper we saw none bara snaps and kills Jedi Master tip Lara [Music] for the first time in the show the system that runs the war encounters a glitch and it rears a disturbing hierarchy of classified cover-ups and secrecy if you see in Revenge of the Sith you may already know where this is going but because the characters haven't we're going to rediscover it in agonizing detail from the most heartbreaking perspective possible fives since season one 5s has been a beacon of independence among the clones from his defiance to be called by his number in training to his unwavering descent with general Krell and ybarra fives is fueled by all the things that make him more than just a soldier there's no question he'd stick his neck out for top when he goes to Kamino much like the clash between the idealized Republic and true Republic that ahsoka experiences in season 5 fives faces a similar string of realizations between the open and nurturing view of Shakti and the Jedi to the cold and guarded structure of the Kaminoans where aurelion influences were presented visually in the season 5 ahsoka arc here Katie Lucas presents Orwellian ideas through a conspiracy plot narrative 5s is fed a deliberate stream of misinformation from the seemingly robotic Kaminoans trapped in the isolating sterility of their cloning facility instead of two plus two equals five it's good soldiers follow orders through Katie Lucas is writing Kamino has been completely recontextualized into a stark white nightmare every revelation fives encounter has leads to more questions than answers and pursuing those answers involves greater and greater risk this not only creates more suspense for us as a viewer but draws us closer and closer to the character of fives he's motivated both by the desire to get to the bottom of the brain ship conspiracy as well as to prove the independence of clones they're not just products they're human beings the characters of az3 gives fives the chance to prove his thesis and in a surprisingly comical way 5s convinces AZ to defy their programming and seek out the truth their antics provide much-needed levity for this arc and prove what's true of not just the clones but characters like r2d2 c-3po or even bb-8 they're more than just their programming in a broader sense and echoes a theme at the core of the Star Wars saga that you're more than just your bloodline but this house of cards is bound to fall and that's exactly what happens in orders well fives has given an audience with Chancellor Palpatine on Coruscant and learns the horrifying truth over the next 15 minutes we watch fives go through what is probably best described as an existential crisis this human being who has built their entire existence on the notion that he's not programmed that he can make choices for himself that he is unique has his entire worldview shattered we're never shown exactly what Palpatine tells fives and we can probably infer it yeah it's watching fives as peril is all the more captivating not knowing exactly what he heard there's an additional layer of ambiguity two fives the sheer madness is this because he was drugged at the start of the episode or is it really because his chip was removed though uncertain what is certain is that fives is trapped and alone manifested in the warehouse conversation with Rex and Anakin this is probably D Bradley Baker's best performance moment in the whole series bringing dimension of fives s manic suffering then in the final betrayal to everything v stands for commander Fox kills fives [Music] fives his death is easily the most tragic in the entire series in writing this video I watched his death back-to-back with tops death and noticed something peculiar it's visually hinted that several clones on some level have had nightmares about order 66 the mission as they call it the fact that it's the last thing tup and fives are called before dying and the bit of sweet peace that it brings them recontextualizes order 66 and the Jedi purge like never before before the Clone Wars order 66 felt partially motivated by the Jedi's apathetic treatment of the clones but here and throughout the rest of the show it's plain to see the clones are victims it makes the fall their public the death betrayal of thousands of people more personal and heartbreaking than ever before [Music] you moving on to the Clovis Ark of season six this is the final political arc of the show and places another crucial puzzle piece in Palpatine's grande takeover of their public the role to skip EO and its banks are evidently inspired by Switzerland just says the sled chase action sequence feels inspired by on Her Majesty's Secret Service Clovis was previously characterized as something of a separatist sellout to form a love triangle between Anakin and Padme but here Clovis earns a shot at redemption a man who from since he was a boy has been destined to control the banks he might just be worthy enough for Padme his old flame that is if it wasn't for this guy [Music] whether it's because of the film's or Lucas's hesitancy three visited Anakin and Padme his relationship has always been more of a background feature in the Clone Wars than something to actually be explored what this political arc doubles as a deconstruction of what really appears to be a very toxic relationship in the past and because jealousy was either played for laughs or used for momentary suspense though as Anakin has become a more complex character over the course of the show there are serious ramifications for Anakin's behavior Anakin is afraid to lose his attachments and will fight just to keep them we've seen that and we see it here in an appropriately brutal way deep down and it can is still bound to his goodness capable of seeing his wrongs however the reality of what is actually a secretive distrustful and unhappy marriage can no longer be ignored it's an inversion of the last time we saw Anakin Padme and Clovis instead of rooting for Anakin and Padme we feel tempted to root against it at least I did both the collapse of the banking clan and the fate of Anakin Padme marriage comes full circle by the end duke who helps Clovis achieve his destiny only to bring war to the neutral skippy oh and ruin his well-earned Redemption and it can also rushes to skippy oh not just to save Clovis but to save Padme to redeem his marriage and so in the Clone Wars latest addition of death from high up Anakin must choose between his redemption or Clovis's until the choices made for him I'm sorry about me No by the end of the arc the rockiness of Anakin and Padme relationship is only momentarily resolved and Palpatine seizes full control of the banks the Clone Wars has practically made a ritual of using the most upstanding people as scapegoats for an unstoppable new order and that's exactly what happens to Clovis it furthers the tragedy and the emotional turmoil of Republic's imminent doom as for Anakin and Padme the story lends a perspective both more relatable and meaningful than the unbreakable bond the characters share in the films and deepens the inner conflicts between good and evil raging within Anakin Skywalker much needed levity is provided in the two-part disappeared episodes where mace Windu and Jar Jar Binks investigate a cult disappearance on bardotta unlike the other arcs we've discussed there's not very much depth to these episodes it's Temple of Doom in Star Wars Jar Jar gets a love interest mace battles Talzin with a flaming sword all the Borden's have Indian accents it turns into a buddy-cop adventure with mason jar jar the whole thing perfectly captures the feeling of a pulpy Saturday morning cartoon and that's why it's great the Clone Wars is never concerned with filling the gap between episode 2 and 3 so much as it aims to tell any and every story it can no matter how unexpected no one could have predicted a store like this - every told in Star Wars but here it is I think it serves as both a testament to the imagination of Lucas flow Knee and the writers as well just how likable Jar Jar can be at least a little bit [Music] and last but not least were brought to the final arc of the Clone Wars the yoda arc the story begins with Pleau kun investigating a long lost signal a piece of lore if you will long overlooked by both the fans and the creators of Star Wars sifo-dyas I try not to get too caught up in the lore of Star Wars in these videos I prefer to focus on the stories being told how those stories affect the audience but much like the order 66 arc that began the season this arc largely revels in the great mysteries of Star Wars lore and attempts to evoke both our intrigue and imagination from those mysteries there's also a manipulation of Albert Hitchcock's bomb theory that I mentioned in my previous video except it's how the Jedi uncover the true nature of the Clone Wars and their eventual downfall it's a startling revelation not just for the Jedi but also the viewer who feels a sense of dread for everything the Jedi will go through win the war swiftly we must before our enemies designs reach completion whatever they may be are you sure we are taking the right path the right path no the only path yes but that's just the first episode the rest of the arc is something of an intergalactic Odyssey and an ambitious attempt to test the character of Yoda someone who's always been seen as the wise old sage the one who's learned every lesson that can be learned our faith in Yoda's constancy is what makes his unsettling reaction here in quaggans voice and the journey he embarks on so impactful what Yoda goes through in these episodes defines the hard written rules of forest lore it's neither as vague as an energy that binds all living things nor a specific as midnight lorian's rather it's something indescribable and very beautiful there's a whimsical sense of adventure as Yoda begins his journey his trust in Anakin to break him out of the temple that exposes Yoda's rare humanity all the serenity and wondered that accompanies Yoda is visually and very audibly met with an unspeakable all-consuming evil on Dagobah on the force world on more band throughout the arc the animators leaned heavily into creating abstract environments that breathe creatures from your worst nightmares placing Yoda and visually intense scenarios there are dozens of frames that feel like paintings all because of the sheer tell poured into them but perhaps most astonishing to me all these years later is how these episodes put Yoda on a trial at the very core of Lucas's mythology choosing to be selfless or selfish the cloners has given the Jedi had plenty of reasons to be selfish to be selective in the suffering of millions by fighting the war they've already lost what in sacrifice and one of the show's most captivating sequences Yodas given the ultimate choice the scene opens on a 72nd one-take grounding Yoda and a scenario where Dooku and Sidious have been spotted on Korra songs preparing him for the ultimate choice and it can kills Dooku just as he does in Revenge of the Sith and Yoda fights Sidious but this is where his choice comes in and spite of what Anakin will become the evil that will consume him Yoda chooses to save Anakin to believe in Anakin an unshakable belief in Redemption the very same belief that guides Luke in return to the Jedi Yoda emerges from this trial somehow more wise more optimistic in the ways of the force it's too late to stop the Sith too far gone in the suffering and loss of the Clone Wars yet as Yoda asserts there is hope no longer certain that one ever does win a war I am for in fighting the battles the bloodshed already lost we have through this path victory we may yet find not victory in the Clone Wars but victory [Music] the Clone Wars triumphantly ends on a profoundly hopeful note the final shot resting on the flower of a tree a flower that may wither and fall away with the changing times a one-day bloom into something beautiful you [Music] at the time of the show's cancellation and sixth season there are about 50 to unproduced episodes or thirteen four-part arcs the details of which we've learned over the years from very star celebrations Lucasfilm insiders and Dave Filoni himself all of these episodes had fully written scripts and we're at different stages of production before the show went off the air there was a bounty hunter arc which saw a team up between Boba Fett and CAD Bane would have shown us how Fett got the debt in his helmets and would have wrapped up the arcs of both characters in the show the crystal crisis on you too pal arc which shows Anakin and obi-wan hunting down a giant crystal that presumably powers the Death Star a sokka's walkabout which would have shown what happened to ahsoka after leaving the Jedi Order the bad batch arc which saw Rex teaming up with a squad of defective clones with desirable traits as they rescue arc trooper echo the dark disciple arc a sprawling eight part arc that follows Quinlan vos as he teams up with asajj ventress to assassinate Count Dooku an arc on Kashyyyk which would have seen the return of the bad batch as well as explore why Yoda had such good relations with the Wookiees in Episode three the son of Dathomir arc which would have shown what happened to maul after season 5 a war between the shadow collective and the Sith and would have both recontextualized and resolved mother Talzin Sark in the show a Top Gun inspired clone enjoyed arc which would have ended with Rex and artoo stranded on the planet together and then quote-unquote a very dark place an arc that would have seen the arrival of the Yuuzhan Vong except they wouldn't be voids in the force like in the expanded universe an arc where Yoda discovers a Seth shrine underneath the Jedi Temple that would have ended with ahsoka trying to stop Darth Sidious from breaking into the holocron vault they returned to Mon Cala arc with Padme where he would have seen more of the corne civilization as opposed to the Mon Calamari and finally the siege of Mandalore which would have concluded the arcs of Rex Maul and ahsoka as well as show us what happens to them during Revenge of the Sith if produced and released as intended the clones would have gone on to be an eighth season show so close yet so far shortly after season six Lucasfilm launched the Clone Wars legacy projects an effort to convert some of the unproduced arcs into consumable media the first of these was son of Dathomir adapted as a four-issue comic book though I'm not a huge fan of the artwork nor just how many visuals from the actual Ark were excluded for the adaption the story is incredibly interesting and further flushes out the characters of not just small towns and but also Palpatine a rare thing in the show dark disciple was turned into a full-blown novel by Christie golden based off of the scripts of Katie Lucas it's a fascinating story filled with twists and juicy character drama the intimacy of both lost and Ventress and their internal turmoil is explored in fascinating depth and the conclusion of enters a storyline from a heartless assassin to a selfless lover would have been a tear-jerking event to see unfold on-screen then in September 2014 stars com released the unproduced fully voiced story reels for the crystal crisis arc if you've never watched it let me just say that this arc is freakin awesome aside from further exploring the dynamic between Anakin and obi-wan as well as Anakin's feelings about ahsoka leaving the Jedi Order this might be the funniest arc in the entire series there's loads of hilarious banter between Anakin and obi-wan as these characters find themselves in a never-ending string of unexpected situations it also has two of the best and it can never met grievous moments in the show last but not least stars calm also released the unproduced fully voiced story reels for the bad batch arc in 2015 after showing them at star celebration i'll save most of my thoughts on this for later but at the time there's an extremely fun story and a reminder of the classic lower storytelling people first fell in love with on the show as for every other unproduced our core episode all that remained were the snippets of information from felonious film and brief clips and reel shown at star celebration for years that's all anyone had left of the Clone Wars following the show's cancellation fans organized both on social media and in-person at events like star celebration and Comic Con in an effort to convince Disney and Lucasfilm to revive the show the most popular social media movement was hashtag saved the Clone Wars actively pushing for more of the show's content to be released or for the show's revival from an outside view is difficult to tell whether or not the movement had any impacts or if Disney would ever grant fans their wishes nevertheless fans of the Clone Wars persisted day after day as for Disney the corporate takeover of Star Wars took the brand in a promising but limited direction for some fans and creators every book comic game and piece of media was suddenly and seemingly obsessed with the original trilogy what Star Wars was before Lucas made the prequels and challenged people's conceptions about Star Wars before he ruined their childhoods even the Star Wars films men under Disney had been deliberately preoccupied with recycling and referencing moments from the original films a criticism I actually levied against the first season of the Clone Wars it's almost as if Disney's distinctively Square view of the brand encouraged the idea that stars was just black and whites rebels and stormtroopers x-wings and TIE fighters light and dark and never anything more I never put much thought into it but in retrospect the problem is pretty obvious Star Wars is more than that the prequels and especially the Clone Wars were more than that instead everyone was witnessing for the first time Star Wars without its visionary they looked at the stories and they said we want to make something for the fans so I said all I wanted to do was tell a story of what happened you know it started here and I went there that's all about generations and it's about you know the issues of fathers and sons and grandfathers and it's a family soap opera they wanted to do a retro movie I don't like that I like every movie I worked very hard to make them different I make them completely different with no different planets with different spaceships with different you know make it news oh are you at peace with this yeah as much as you can be yeah no I was I said look I'm fine though that should have stopped many creators from pushing Lucas's mythology forward into interesting directions it didn't stop they Fallone II those stars rebels was not a widely beloved shown its first season it opened the door to recontextualizing a new chapter in the story's universe and very much the same way the clovers did for the prequels even still most people weren't very open to the show and were very reluctant to give it a chance that is until the season 1 finale when none other than ahsoka tano came down the ladder of the ghost and made her long-awaited return to the Star Wars universe my name is Charlie after reintroducing ahsoka a much aged Rex wolf and Gregor appeared on the show later followed by Hondo Maul battle droids Bo Catan and several other references to the Clone Wars what many fans once viewed as an unwanted follow-up to a superior show became the lifeline for characters they grew up with or came to love and more than that clone II was utilizing every lesson Lucas taught him about storytelling to enhance rebels to make the most of a story that was initially forced upon him before he took it and made it his own because of the Clone Wars and through rebels flown II inherited Lucas's Star Wars mythology and yet it's unclear if that mythology has been preserved in the current era of Star Wars films it's one thing to not have Lucas behind the wheel of a Star Wars movie but it's another thing to have no visionary at all no burning desire to tell a meaningful story just the instinct to leave everything exactly as Lucas left it or worse yet to misunderstand the point of Lucas's storytelling to contradict the core of his mythology in the worst way possible when you take a big step back Star Wars is just about space Wizards and lasers sure but it can and has been so much more than that it's a story that changed people's lives gripped them with the story of a son and his father and not that these new films haven't achieved similar feats but they all seem to disagree about what Star Wars is it's no wonder the fan base is as divided as it is unable to have a conversation about anything in the mythology when the current prayers aren't even sure what Star Wars is either there have been several creators who do get that mythology and have told meaningful stories with it but the damage of Disney's corporate vision hasn't given these stories the audience's they deserve and that's truly heartbreaking with every passing month every article or rumor that yet another director was fired from a Star Wars movie the identity of the mythology was becoming more and more fractured replaced by a conveyor belt of spiritually bankrupt products eventually it was time to move on as clone wars drifted from memory I largely forgot what I loved about Star Wars and put it all behind me [Music] until it happened on July 19th 2018 day Fulani a long with line producer Athena Portillo ashley eckstein matt Lanter and Kevin Kiner held a panel at comic-con to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Clone Wars there were rumors that the return of the show would be announced at the panel for the most part it was nothing beyond speculation and nothing that got me out of bed in the morning but then but then it happened as the panel drew to a close Flo nee thanked the fans for their loyalty to the Clone Wars and gave them a surprise they'd never forget [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] on July 19 2008 een the Clone Wars was saved [Music] against all odds doubts and unlikely hoods star berserk lowers was set to return for a final 12 episode season on Disney Blas when I tell you I was shocked to see the show returned that I was in almost complete disbelief it really couldn't do my full feelings justice nor the feelings of many fans animated or not it's rare for any show to come back from the dead even if it is Star Wars for many the return of the Clone Wars was the return of our childhood and in a much broader sense the return of the Clone Wars was the final hurrah of Lucas's storytelling from the very announcement of the show's return Fulani made it clear to fans how important it was for a studio to be working again in the Clone Wars not just as an opportunity to revisit the story they gave their studio it starts but as a way to give the series the Big Finish it's always deserved to accomplish this day Fulani now supervising director and executive producer resembled his team for the Clone Wars much of whom worked with him on rebels Gillian Plunkett returned his art director Joel Aaron as director of cinematography and lighting Keith Kellogg as animation director Matthew wood and David Accord as sound engineers and Kevin Kiner as the composer where felonious team of creators once stumbled as apprentices to Lucas now they were the Masters additionally Nate comeer Jason Tucker's assistant editor during the late seasons of the Clone Wars became the supervising editor for all of season 7 visual effects veteran Johnny Aliotti assumed the role of lighting and effects supervisor and animation storyboard artist Nathaniel Villanueva and Lucasfilm animator Saul Ruiz tag team the episodic direction of the latter two arcs of the season as I mentioned earlier they're about 52 unfinished episodes at the time of the show's cancellation but this final season would only have 12 bearing in mind the high budget of the art style it's possible Disney wouldn't allow flow knee any more than 12 episodes roughly half a season for half the overall cost it's also possible that the back door purpose for this final season was to test the viability of a future yet to be announced weekly animated series on Disney Plus on the other hand brass flown II was only interested in telling these 12 episodes he's moved on to what he feels are bigger and better things and would rather not be tied to his past and heck perhaps felonio lected only to finish 12 episodes because without Lucas it wouldn't be right to work on the clone once again we just don't know the full reasoning what we do know is wife Loney chose the three story arcs he did the first arc centers on the development of Rex and the clones the second arc centers on the development of ahsoka and her view of the Jedi the third arc merges the story threads of Rex ahsoka and several of the show's other characters and themes into a series finale do felonious has largely been about Rex and ahsoka two characters who became rocks for the audience to latch onto in the turbulent years of the Clone Wars with all that being said Dave Filoni Lucasfilm animation and their partner Studios CG CG picked up the pieces where they left off and embarked on the final season of star wars the clone wars since this is the final season we're going to go more in depth than what we usually do on February 21st 2020 season 7 premiered with the bad batch arc originally released as story reels five years earlier we pick up with Anakin Skywalker and the five-o first on the besieged world of an axis as they've been locked in an endless battle with the separatist forces of Admiral trench Tom Kane's opening narration is a bit different incorporating more flash fade cuts that correspond with characters and moments in the narration though it initially threw me off I have to admit it's a fun improvement over the original editing style of the narration and better emulates the classic war dramas the opening narration was inspired by Kevin Conners music is more dynamic and responsive to the action and editing than ever before elevating the John wick inspired one takes Layton throughout the arc almost everyone in the episode received an updated character model Anakin has his revenge of the Sith hair the Jedi have their revenge of the Sith robes and the clones look slightly more like tomorrow Morrison though the original art style of the show remains intact in the final season there is a noticeable tiptoe away from the stylized character design in favor of photorealistic design as I said it's merely a tiptoe there's barely a difference but on the whole many characters look more like the actor they're based on akin to how Maul was designed in the show's fourth season regardless of how you filled out the shift they do give the season a feeling of freshness and better match the overall improvement in the show's visual fidelity painted textures and not just this episode but the entire season are somehow more intricately detailed than they've ever been the shot of the commander droid in particular made me gawk it's so much better than the original commander droid model Aaron Kellogg and Aliotti effortlessly bring the show to life like never before through the super aggressive use of lighting and effects there's so many visually distinct scenarios throughout the season starting with this episode using lenses developed during the production of rebels Aaron applies a new cinematic quality to the Clone Wars those who had the emphasis on depth of field and deeper colors in just about every shot unbelievably the Clone Wars season 7 finally achieves what feels like the feature quality animation a sheer impossibility for Lucasfilm back in 2008 and a distant hope and the show's late season in spite of how long it's been since the Clone Wars was on the air the bad bad shark feels like the clones never really stopped Dee Bradley Baker is back to doing what he does best talking to himself for minutes on end even as the villain a bad batch re fun and meaningful iteration on the individuality of clones so unique in their ways that even the normal clones have trouble dealing with them Baker injects each member with a playful personality especially tech and wrecker however one of Baker's subtler accomplishments in this arc is the sense of newfound vole nur ability he gives to Rex the neverending brutality of clone throughout the show is very evidently taking a toll on him a symbol of the perfect soldier starting to wear at the scenes if even the slightest possibility emerges that one of his brothers and arms may be alive then there's practically nothing Rex wouldn't be willing to do to save them that's what makes Rex a compelling character in this arc there's a raw desperation to him that wasn't there before a sense of passion and humanity that's largely informed by his dynamic with Anakin Skywalker in fact Anakin has entrusted Rex with so much of himself he bestows him the awkward responsibilities of lookouts when he talks to Padme where we previously examined the toxic element of Anakin Padme his relationship the pendulum swings in the opposite direction here Padme is the voice of reason the lights and Anakin's darkness she inspires much of Anakin's humanity and represents the soul for Republic he's sworn to protect it's an amazing final scene for a character Catherine Tabor devoted so much time bringing new life to in the show intern Obi Wan who Anakin is increasingly hesitant to entrust with his true feelings demonstrates emotional awareness and maturity that supersedes just about everyone involved I hope you at least told Padme I said hello all of these characters are more interconnected than ever elevating each other strengths but also bringing out more of their flaws in doing so it's just one of the many interesting character dynamics circulating through the bad batch arc a story that's ultimately about how people are connected and the consideration of trust and acceptance that comes with that the mission Anakin Rex and the bad batch go on is thrilling and adventurous but meaningful and that they largely succeed by learning to work past their differences even with the poll tax the revolving door if separatist villains in this arc lose because they don't communicate they don't work past their discrepancies they simply let the problem fall in the next person that's why the bad batch arc feels so in line with classic Clone Wars storytelling the actions of the characters prove a thematic message that anyone can learn from as for the show's ongoing portrayal of the clones brent friedman and matt nick nevets offer an optimistic conclusion to the tragedy of Domino squad the clones of the Clone Wars have suffered too much been through too much to be nothing more than the stepping stones for grande cause a soldier deserves more than that like cut the Queen the deserter the call of duty binds these clones to war there's no question event but in a rare moments by conflicts end as echo has gone from the soldier who repeated every order to the man quite literally feeding orders to the enemy's demise echo gets the chance to choose his own path and join the bad batch the final patriotic salute between Rex and these characters signifies a unilateral acceptance of what it means to be a warrior loss may be part of the job but the real victory is having the chance to serve to do the right thing and if nothing else echos decision only foreshadows Rex is not so distant future [Music] the second arc of the season picks up with the sokka's walkabouts originally written by charles murray the author of the legendary season 5 is Sokka arc I had high hopes for this story considering how different of an adventure it would be for a Sokka someone who became even more interesting by her bravery to leave the Jedi Order we've well explored the moral quandary of the Jedi from within the war but not so much outside of it Murray dabbled in that perspective in season 5 but here it becomes the focus unfortunately the story Murray and Flo nee elected to tell over these four episodes left many fans scratching their heads and for a couple reasons a sokka's walkabout begins when she crashed lands on the platform of tres Martez a wet-behind-the-ears mechanic who dreams of being a hotshot pilots ahsoka then meets traces sister Rafa who's far more cynical and less idealistic than tres the dynamic of the sisters is interesting and manifests into the subtle manipulation Rafa exerts over her sister yes I'm trying to say these are mostly well written characters despite the claims of the social media echo chamber the true fault of this arc are a bit more complicated and worth discussing it's probably valuable to know that these four episodes were originally written with a completely different single character in place of the two Martez sisters a wannabe Han Solo named Nix Okami and the first Asian lead in the show even the original animatic for this arc feature duplicate scenes with Nix in place of trace or Rafa it's kind of funny outside of occupying the character traits and dialogue exchanges split between the two sisters Nix would have served as a tentative love interest for ahsoka we don't know how deep that romance would have gone but it most certainly altered the tone of the story compared to the final version of the arc so why did Nix get next I strongly believe the decision to replace Nix with the marquez sisters comes from a place of good intentions and a measured decision by floo need to better serve Asoka's character these four episodes are ultimately about choosing your path ahsoka is that a genuine crossroad for the first time in her life the jedi teachings and the lessons of her master are all she's ever known in many ways she's forever tied to those teachings forever tied to her upbringing a truth beautifully conveyed in her fourth connection with Anakin as she leaves chorus on should I send a detachment general no it's nothing at the same time her newfound freedom presents an opportunity to find a completely new pursuits money fame or adventure this crossroad is perfectly captured in a moment where Sokka walks on the platform of 13:13 easing out of the starships as they rise and fall before her it very directly parallels the iconic twin sons moment of the original Star Wars where Luke considers his life on the ranch and a life of adventure it's an amazing parallel recontextualized in the industrial sea of Korus on nobody's felonious azan this choice by introducing trace and raava trace is terribly similar to 2008 ahsoka innocent starry-eyed but failable Rafah is a potential future ahsoka more secure in her beliefs but less compassionate overall these characters are the yin and yang of ahsoka showing her two distinct paths and points of view within her the challenge ahsoka faces on her walkabouts is learning to balance these sisters outs and form her own perspective the Jedi have arguably done more harm than good in the war completely detached from the everyday reality of the people in course signs but that doesn't mean the Jedi aren't capable of good aren't capable of doing the right thing ahsoka may not be a Jedi but deep down she's been raised to be a good person and chooses to walk the path that lets her help others in need it's yet another powerful lesson for the viewer and one that's achieved because of the circumstances beset by trace and Rafa perhaps a romantic storyline would have helped to inform the path ahsoka chooses as well but likely at the cost of diluting the focus of the storytelling cross roads tend to get more complicated when love enters the equation just like at Anakin and besides ahsoka has already had the experience of a fling on the show in the end removing nyx was a productive change so why doesn't it feel that way well it really comes down to two things plots and presentation deplores has always been good at crafting interesting plots episodes such as the season for bounty hunter ark become gauntlets for the characters putting them in vulnerable situations that show us more about the characters and we've ever seen before these episodes also take on the context of the greater plot of the series whether it's the advancement of the war or the machinations of Palpatine in this regard the plot of a sokka's walkabout is one of the few times the show stumbles and unfortunately it's in the central third of the final season the sisters make the costly mistake of transporting spice to the pike syndicates Therese decides to dump the spice to avoid getting into the Pyke's they all get captured break out get captured again Asuka cracks a deal to secure the sisters freedom the sisters come back for her everyone gets out alive aside from the simple description spice deal gone wrong several beats of the plot feel repetitive especially in dangerous debt however that shouldn't necessarily dictate that the plot can be presented in a personal or interesting way right except the reason it isn't arises in the moments that the plot aggresses as I've mentioned the arc took on a different tone wouldn't remove Nick's okami we don't know if it would have played out quite the same way but there was another layer of personal circumstances for ahsoka beyond keeping her Jedi past the secrets Nick's likely had more dialog than either of the two sisters and probably played both of their actions through several dialogue exchanges it's hard not to detect a sense of awkwardness and how characters move from one beat to the next the worst offender of this might be the spiced dumping scene though traces decision to dump the spice derive some her ideal stick point of view it's a frustratingly uninformed decision having a Soaker collar out on it doesn't make the moment more forgivable either unfortunately trace never really gets the chance to completely redeem herself for that moment even though both the sisters learned a lesson in the last episode it's entirely possible that the context of this beat was very different and more understandable with Nicks and I'm inclined to think it was as the whole plot was constructed with just this character in mind not the two sisters I'm surprised Fallone II didn't take more care into rewriting these episodes it might have been better to tell a completely different story altogether regardless this arc is still filled with several well directed moments and strengthens the character of ahsoka going into her final trial of the Clone Wars the siege of Mandalore because this is the final arc of the show we're going to view it as the culmination of every lesson flown II and Lucasfilm animation have learned as a studio no pressure of course [Music] now some mentioned earlier something about the siege of Mandalore I think you can tell us the big deal it's it's the story I thought most about over the last decade and how does that all work the final four episodes of star wars the clone wars were written by Dave Filoni and co-directed by Nathaniel Villanueva and Saul ruins even removed from the hype these are easily some of the best written directed to edited scored and acted episodes in the series and one of the most creatively ambitious stories in all of Star Wars an exhaustive amount of thought was put into these episodes and I intend to highlight that thought at every opportunity I can each episode opens with a classic 80s Lucasfilm logo and the first episode with John Williams's Star Wars theme both of these touches give the story a sense of permanence and timelessness in the continuity of Star Wars each episode serves as what many working on the show have described as part of a larger overall film almost like a complete evolution of the 2008 Clone Wars movie as hated as that film is this film never shied away from acknowledging its history even mirroring the valve Christophsis in the valve your Bona the film opens with all the main characters get appropriately heroic introductions and Anakin even gets a moment reflective of Luke stand against the first order in the last Jedi Star Wars and by extension the Clone Wars is filled with parallels and many of those parallels show connections between generations or offer a capsule through time the battle climaxes on a moment reminiscent of the Return of the Jedi Sail Barge fights a bold celebration of the heroism of the Skywalker family from here Anakin and obi-wan reunite with ahsoka for the first time in forever everything about the reunion of Anakin and ahsoka is handled very carefully the moment of ahsoka walking off the shuttle is a very direct parallel to when she first walked off the shuttle in the Clone Wars movie much has changed since then there's a tragic incongruity in how Anakin and ahsoka view each other both perceive each other with the same feeling of constancy they held when they were Master and apprentice the reality is that the two have changed significantly especially ahsoka and the awkwardness if that plays out appropriately felow need have easily turned the to a crowd-pleasing moments but he tried to that for a more sincere approach pinning the fire first helmets with the sokka's markings is a touching way to demonstrate the ripple effects of sokka's actions have had it's more than you could ever ask for in the character and though Anakin returning ahsoka slight sabers to her with blue blades fiddled with continuity the lightsabers become a physical manifestation of the relationship and I can never stop thinking about ahsoka never stop thinking of ways to help her that's and all of his teachings go with her to Mandalore however what I'm most fascinated about in the reunion is how often Ruiz uses shot reverse shot to have the character say nothing functionally shot reverse shot is used to exchange dialogue it's used all the time rather than locking the meaning of their change into chosen words saying nothing ironically says far more it's a far cry from the overly talkative Clone Wars movie and it capitalizes on the maturity of Anakin and ahsoka is dynamic no longer are they master and apprentice they're more than that a final exchange between these characters mirrors the last time they parted ways at the Jedi Temple on bittersweet terms except in spite of the duty that splits these characters once again it feels like they finally accepted their separation the look on Anakin's faces then of a proud older brother a sokka's all grown up and has applied every lesson he's ever taught her to do the right thing and in a more down-to-earth way it's a look of gratitude a thank you for being one of the best things to ever happen to him [Music] [Applause] [Music] I spoke a great deal in my previous video about how Mandalore is portrayed in the show it's a utopia that becomes a battleground undone by violence and war men or foreshadows default the Republic but for the same reason it also foreshadows in its eventual redemption the Republic may be arrived to be overthrown by Palpatine too far gone to be redeemed but together ahsoka and Bo Catan can save Mandalore almost like a proto Rebel Alliance that's what makes this such a final perfect battle for the show from there the siege of Mandalore sets off like a bolt of lightning where was effortlessly flows between action and humor and suspense through the whole landing sequence every shot is cut at the right moments and the sounds of explosions punches and saber swings are super satisfying Kevin Connor goes full Williams by emulating the battle over course odds the stakes immediately escalate when their heroes are on the surface as scarce accent and his Mandalorian slaughtered countless Republic forces nobody knows where Maul is and longer the siege ensues the more troubling that becomes as we quickly realize mall has planned a trap to the jury and the sewers but for someone else entirely just as Anakin and obi-wan received heroic introductions several scenes before Maul has given his own villainous introduction rearing with him more presents than any Clone Wars villain has ever had are you what ensues over the next 20 minutes as an exercise and anxiety mall isn't here to kill a Sokka and he's hesitant to state the true nature of his plans whatever dread occupies his thoughts becomes this unimaginable unquantifiable thing and that's effectively brought to life through the raw edge of Sam whitworth performance it sets the tone of the episode and transforms the siege of Mandalore into a far more ambiguous conflict Tyner elaborates on this eeriness with a heavily electronic score droning synths and a persistent beating percussion almost like the ticking of a clock our heroes are rapidly approaching the unknown where I seem to find out what mall has planned and when they do when ahsoka finds out it's pretty mind warming in our previous video we dissected both maul and ahsoka and great detail Maul is driven by fear along a perpetual cycle of victimization and revenge he's stuck and it's largely because he refuses to grow as a person ahsoka is virtually the complete opposite she's in a constant state of growing and absorbing lessons throughout the show by applying what she's learned in pursuit of the right thing she becomes a fearless character when these two forces of nature face each other they are compelled by completely opposing things and yet they have more in common than one would think Mahlon ahsoka are Outsiders discarded by a cause they once swore loyalty to be set upon an entirely new path film all's path is selfish and a sokka's path is selfless a moment of narrative brilliance almost unites the goals of these characters mom wants to kill Anakin before he can become cities as apprentice and use ahsoka to help him kill Sidious though Maul would save the galaxy in doing so he's still motivated by revenge and it would inevitably replace Sidious for ahsoka this is an opportunity to save more lives but at the cost of giving up on Anakin it's a fascinating turn of character for mall and the subversion of the joined me scene we've seen in every Star Wars film the Clone Wars humanizes the dark side on several occasions especially with Ventress but I never expected Maul to follow similar footsteps Maul is cursed to fail again and again and everything he does and yet he still tries to make this tragic existence more meaningful the clash between Maul and ahsoka is a fitting and body meant of the audience's perception of Anakin like Maul we already no one Anakin will become like ahsoka who's seen the heroic good nature and on several occasions we never want to stop believing otherwise the duel between Mallen ahsoka is easily the best in the show for three key reasons the mocap of Rey Park and Lori Mary Kim contributes a sense of realism and danger hardly felt in some of the show's best fights Connors music is neither triumphant nor trepidatious just the vigorous pounding of drums to complement the complicated circumstances of the fights and because of those circumstances the fact that they're fighting because they failed to come to an agreement makes us one of the most emotionally complex tools in all of Star Wars both characters are rights while only one is driven by the right thing the selfless thing as the fight ends and ahsoka catches Maul with the force he viciously pleads for his death at deeply troubling remark from a character who was infamously too stubborn to die Tanner's electronics core drones louder and louder into part three Mandalore should feel like a victory but no one is permitted to feel so all of our heroes are left to reflect on the ambiguity of the war and the contradiction their role as warriors embodies Bogut on wishes to use good at something other than fighting and a test for lack of understanding for her sister's idealism ahsoka was raised to be a peacekeeper but has only ever been a warrior since she was a Padawan Rex acknowledges the war should've never happens but none of the clones would exist without it for a franchise called Star Wars the times in which characters reflect on the effects of war are few and far between the Clone Wars has shown several different signs of the war giving us perspective on all who are affected by it but war in itself the process of fighting it is tragic and in many cases unnecessary that sentiment becomes the focus of the film second half as Flo nee uses the plot points of Revenge of the Sith as a springboard to elaborate on those ideas a sokka's vision replays the moment of maces death and Revenge of the Sith and Matt lanters voice can partially be heard a clever way to connect the two Anakin's together with no real time for the audience to prepare Sidious utters the dreadful words stay back find him find him first fight the editing during the clones initial attack is fast and chaotic Tanner practically blasts Anakin's dark deeds over the scene almost as dick if ahsoka yet another thing to defend herself against permission has changed she must find the truth of what's happening off of Rex is fleeting suggestion that conspiracy uncovered by fives finally grounds itself in order 66 in a surprisingly chilling way fives didn't die for nothing because we are viewing this arc as a culmination of several of the show's themes and arcs I'd like to think of so kiss Jorge quad is the culmination of every eye-rolling droid episode we've had in the series there's a reason droids matter so much in Star Wars in spite of being programmed as an endearing innocence detroit's like man's best friend without them a circle wouldnt have been able to save Rex so you better show d-squad more respect folks Ruiz's direction in part 3 is phenomenal but I wouldn't hesitate to say part 4 is the best directed episode in the series Villanueva kicks things off at 80 miles per hour but by the end they're practically at 200 where obi-wan or Yoda could easily escape their circumstances in Revenge of the Sith the venator cruiser completely traps all of our characters Maul wreaks unimaginable havoc while a soak and wrecks do everything in their power to prevent further chaos we know clones better than we ever will we know what they've been through and how undeserved therefore servitude to Sidious is the obsession with the moral dilemma of taking a life versus pairing of life's mattered through dozens of movies and shows over the last decade very rarely provides a compelling emotional argument for why character shouldn't kill it's for that reason I have to tip my hat to Fallone II who I think succeeds in delivering that emotional argument here ahsoka knows more than any Jedi about the victimhood of clones and how much they deserve to have their freedom everything rex has been through has instilled him with a stronger and stronger loyalty to his brothers and so the last thing he truly wants to do is kill them showing Rex's tears as ahsoka pulls away his helmet to conveys how fundamentally important that is to Rex Brotherhood is his life were so emotionally invested in both these characters that there's no question we wouldn't do the same thing - it's the right moral dilemma for the series finale and underlines the Battle of selfishness versus selflessness at the hearts of Star Wars much of what remains in part four is a heart-pounding set piece with every small victory our heroes gain comes an increasingly greater problem to deal with Tyner is striking drums blaring trumpets louder and louder with each passing second we spent a lot of time on vendors in the show it becomes something of an environment of stability a home for our heroes and a symbol of their fights denial ation of the vendor slowly rips away that stability and destroys just about every quality we've confided in it as a viewer every character moment no matter how small results from increasingly difficult choices but because of who Rex in ahsoka are the experiences they've had and the lessons they've learned they make the right choices and make it out alive the debris chase is probably one of the most impressive animated sequences in the show and probably the coolest thing ahsoka has ever done connors music reaches acquired a resolve in every technical aspect of this madness that surrounds our heroes fades away [Music] I've read a good number of interpretations on the show's ending and I think almost all of them are supported and for that reason that I think the final two scenes of part four are a perfect reflection of the Clone Wars the Republic the venator has come to symbolize is forever ruined merged with a desolate wasteland all the expectant vibrant colors of the shows art style are washed out and Kiner synth drone more quietly and Somaly than ever before occasionally swelling to overwhelming waves of emotion even a sokka's light motif is buried in the droning never completely playing out the theme representing the toll this moment has taken on her identity almost every frame is consumed by a matte painting giving these final two scenes a sense of permanence and astounding beauty until now clones have never been so much as privileged with a burial not even once in the Star Wars canon so seeing ahsoka stand before the burial ground of the clones and snares more pain more tragedy more heartache than maybe any other visual in the show at the forefront of the burial site lies Jesse the Republic symbol on his helmet smudged by dirt and blood these clones the proud valiant soldiers of the Republic are destined to be forgotten but not by ahsoka nor Rex ahsoka takes one final look at her lightsaber her life the weapon of the Jedi a weapon of war and fear a physical connection to all of her trauma but also her connection to Anakin and then she lets it go asuka completes her character arc and comes to terms with who she is a survivor an idealist a Jedi sure but for the first time ever ahsoka knows what it means to be a peacekeeper just as Luke discovered for himself in Return of the Jedi whatever connection she holds to though she cares abouts will live on within her and all that the Clone Wars meant to her will fade into memory a numbing whiteness ensues as monochromatic colors consume the screen the themes buried in Connors droning synths are so distorted they're practically unrecognizable Darth Vader a walking void in the wasteland approaches the wreckage of the Venator he finds a sokka's lightsaber and curiously turns it on Vader says nothing merely looking up at the blue blade of a weapon he once held on to so strongly in the hopes he could give it back to his one-time apprentice Vader holds the saber at his side and bodying the heroic pose of general Skywalker from the Clone Wars maybe that heroes deep down inside him but too much has changed to really be sure fanatically this visual perfectly captures the blurring of good and evil the Clone Wars represents fictions most heartless villain holding a symbol of compassion all together we don't know if Vader takes this moment as a sign of a sokka's death or if the gift he once gave her was completely abandoned but we do see Vader walk away with it if there's one thing and it can in Vader have in common it's that they take their attachments with them wherever they go the way of the dark side is to never move on and one can only imagine the waking hel Vader experiences for his long gone apprentice it's perhaps the most relatable Vader moment I can say I've ever experienced as Vader turns his back on the crash sites the camera rests on the disfigured clone helmet with Asoka's markings this final shot completely fulfills the purpose of the Clone Wars a footnote in the legend of Anakin Skywalker a tale of victory and death tragedy long forgotten the memory in times of ahsoka tano inseparable from the brave man destined to be buried by time the greatest tragedy the galaxy will never know you [Music] [Music] [Applause] after one theatrical film 133 episodes and 15 years of production George Lucas stifle Oni and the cast and crew of Lucasfilm animation finally completed Star Wars the Clone Wars one of the most ambitious 3d animated series ever made and one of the greatest animated shows of all time though there are still some 40 episodes that have yet to be produced the show is most likely done for good especially if Loney's words are to be believed there's hope that the stories told throughout those remaining 10 arcs will eventually find their way into a different medium whether it's a comic book or audio drama but for now I'm grateful for the arcs that we did get to see in the final season the series does feel pretty complete now and as a longtime fan of the show that's not a feeling I thought I'd ever have with the show finally completes we're left to reflect on the meaning of Lucas's final story finding family pursuing selflessness confronting fear giving hope these are all ingredients of every Star Wars story and they're most definitely present in the Clone Wars however what makes the Clone Wars stand out from the rest of Lucas's storytelling is its dedication to offering a new perspective the battle of good and evil has always been told from within the Skywalker family while the force is at work in the larger galaxy serve as an extension of that battle but one often gets lost in this point of view are all the people affected by that conflict how war affects a galaxy people's identities their sense of right and wrong and the circumstances be set upon them right from the introduction of ahsoka Anakin's never mentioned Padawan they're cloners has challenged our perception of Star Wars but not everything is black and white as we think it is nor as straightforward as we've come to expect Lucas encroached upon these ideas in the prequels but never as effectively as in the Clone Wars and largely because of his decision to tell the story as an anthology a collection of perspectives that broadens our view of not just the conflict of the Clone Wars as a whole but the themes running through the Star Wars universe that's why every episode started with the Jedi fortune cookie each week offer viewers a chance to grow the perspective just as the scenarios encountered by the characters in the show added to their perspective as well it's good to know the differences between good and evil on a surface level to know why Luke is good and Vader is bad but more difficult than that and arguably more important to know the difference when the signs are less obvious it's the importance of questioning your superiors holding your government accountable forgiving your wrongdoing and choosing your own path when you can no longer fall the one set out before you these are the themes that make lowers accessible to anyone and what makes this the most fascinating elaboration of Lucas's mythology ever made alternatively the Clone Wars went on to have some of the most impressive 3d animation ever put on television even without the speed and efficiency of which the show is produced it's truly amazing how Lucasfilm animation and CG CG were capable of using such distinctively stylized animation to evoke deep emotional reactions to characters and moments in spite of how rough that animation looked in the beginning Lucas's vision for the marionettes inspired design of the show paid off in a pretty incredible way while the writers and directors brought a groundbreaking cinematic edge to each and every episode the voice cast of the show practically poured their hearts into their characters and made them come to life right before our eyes dee Bradley Baker made every clone stand out Matt Lanter gave us a heroic Anakin and James are Anna Taylor and ever-charming obi-wan Sam Witwer made Maul 3-dimensional Ian Abercrombie made Palpatine deceptively powerful and ashley eckstein perfectly captured the growth and evolution of ahsoka for every last nut bolt and drop of blood poured into the show the Clone Wars became an ensemble of hard-working passionate storytellers I think from animation one of the great things is you never treated the animation it's something separate or different it was just all part of this story and that meant a lot because a lot of times in animation you delegate something else it doesn't need to be as good or it's just that animation thing and we kept pushing to say but we want the visuals in the story to just be an extension of the film's that's art that's evolving you never want to sit still I mean that's why the last season the show looks better than the first growing up my number-one hero was probably spider-man but my first actual hero had to be de Fallone II a fellow Pennsylvanian who wore a hat all the time and used the opportunities at his fingertips to tell impactful moving stories that could be me one day and sure enough one of the more startling realizations I had while rewatching the Clone Wars was seeing how much of my student films were influenced by the style of the show the pacing the rhythm of cuts and edits the way certain shots were composed or even the weirdly serious subject matter all that was hardwired into me as a kid and the most amazing part is that I know I'm not alone there's a real power to what flowing did in the Clone Wars stories and messages and characters that have not only affected me but an entire generation of storytellers as both Lucas's prodigy and it's haunted filmmaker there's truly no one in the whole galaxy more deserving of leading Stour storytelling into the future than bay Fallone II as furfle oneis best creation one of the greatest Star Wars characters ever allow me to gush over ahsoka tano if you ask me as a kid who my favorite Clone Wars character was I probably would have said Rex CAD Bane or Maul but not ahsoka she just never seemed as cool as other characters and I held that against her but amazingly when I rewatched the show I found myself relating with ahsoka like no other character in Star Wars and realized just how profoundly she may have impacted me as a kid when the Clone Wars first came out I was going to a small Christian school of no more than 50 students across eight grades my worldview was exceptionally tiny even for someone as young as I was by the age of 12 I transferred to a public school with a massive student population and that pretty much felt like I was drowning 24/7 I knew no one and anyone I did meet didn't believe in the same things I did almost everything about my worldview was challenged but that challenge was a good thing it forced me to adopt new perspectives to be accepting of others who didn't share my beliefs it made me a stronger person and more sure of my own values but throughout in high school I started to question some of the other values I was raised on and the people who taught me those values it was hard to know if they wanted the same things I did or if they were setting me up for failure when all my friends went away College I took a gap here I needed to figure out who I was first what my path had to be I eventually went to college in Philly but I found myself frustratingly involved with people who didn't know better it was a big learning experience for sure but it made me confidence and who I wanted to be since then and since we watching the Clone Wars especially in its final season I can't help but feel connected to a souca her journey from being raised as a peacekeeper to becoming a Jedi warrior to eventually choosing her own path is something I'm sure everyone can relate with in some way but for me no other fictional character understands me quite like ahsoka does and that's something I'm unimaginably grateful for Lucas and Flo knee gave young viewers this character so that they could see the war through her eyes and learn the world through her trial and errors and in doing so I think she's had an immeasurably powerful impact we are all ahsoka we all have the power to choose a path other than the one set out for us and just like ahsoka changed my world we have the power to change others how beautiful is that today feloniously Eckstein who made a souca what she is today one of my all-time favorite characters all I can say is thank you the Clone Wars is a story about perspective a story about a labor of talented artists and creators a story about inspiring a generation of storytellers and a story about choosing your own path however there's one more story the cloris tells one about its creators I believe that for any artist the art they make will inevitably reflect who they are and not just for Dave Filoni but the entirety of Lucasfilm animation the Clone Wars is a story about inheriting a mythology the mythology of Star Wars storytelling when the studio began working on the Clone Wars they knew practically nothing about what they were supposed to do it was an uphill battle from the start and they made many mistakes early on under the impression of George Lucas a flawed filmmaker but a gifted visionary and an innovator no less Fallone en Lucasfilm animation learned from the mistakes applied to what they learned and created something much bigger than themselves they became so good at making Clone Wars and that the show began to lift up the prequels and shed a new light on Lucas himself up until a corporate vision consume the property and the studio was quite literally forced to walk away from Lucas's vision things were different during the production of rebels but using what they knew Lucasfilm animation quickly made the most of their limited resources and produced more meaningful Star Wars storytelling after fan demand and permission from Disney they returned to their roots the Clone Wars the show that gave their studio it starts they were given their very own version of the blue lightsabers the same art style and studio resources but now even better and then before telling that story they said goodbye to their mentor one last time the man who handed them this mythology and the responsibility of telling stories for generations to come now granted some of this analogy probably hinges on how you feel about Disney's ownership of Star Wars but if there's anything we can all agree on its that Lucas's mythology will go on the future of Star Wars where it matters is in good hands and thankfully there's no shortage of stories to tell either Jon Favreau's the Mandalorian responds did I fall in order and Lucas presses hi Republic all demonstrate the legacy of Lucas's storytelling with any luck the true power of the story will be felt for generations to come and promote a world where we all feel like we belong [Music] thank you George Lucas day flow knee and the cast and crew of the Clone Wars for everything you've ever done the legend the brilliance the legacy of Star Wars the Clone Wars lives on forever [Applause] hey everyone congratulations for making it to the end of the video I guess just talking to you guys non-scripted for a few last closing remarks before you click off the video first and foremost I have to thank everyone for watching these videos we've more than doubled our subscriber counts since we started doing the series back in March I believe was when we uploaded the first video and yeah it's been it's been quite a journey making these these three videos I had no anticipation for making this when the year started I I began rewatching the Clone Wars back in December and I think halfway through my rewatch probably by the end of January I was like oh my god someone need to be talking about these things and much to my surprise when I went on YouTube and you know looked for videos about this stuff there's people talking about the lore and stuff like the mortis arc and the Yoda arc but no one was really talking about like the show itself like the the content and the themes and the stuff that all the other Star Wars films done by Lucas are so laden with no one was applying that to the Clone Wars and that was shocking to me because this is very much a Lucas property you know this is something that has his fingerprints on it so I you know resolved to fix that issue and fill that void and hopefully I've done that and hopefully over time these videos get the views that would help people to understand the series for what it is but if nothing else I've really enjoyed making these videos and I've enjoyed talking to all of you about it and just all the really positive feedback I've gotten from these videos it's it's been a big blessing for sure and it gives me a lot of reassurance going forward that we're going to continue to do really great things on the channel that being said during my video I mentioned that there were about 50 to unproduced episodes or thirteen four-part arcs that were not adapted well after the show was finished now there are 40 episodes and that's still a lot just given all the arcs that we know were written but never produced and it's very unlikely that we'll ever see them as completed Clone Wars episodes I stand by that but that doesn't mean we won't be able to see them in other mediums so that's why I'm going to promote hashtag complete the Clone Wars send that to de Fallone en Matt Lanter and Dee Bradley Baker and James Arnold Taylor and Sam Witwer and all these the cast and crew of Clone Wars on on Twitter remind them about the Clone Wars you know maybe they can't you know I make these into full episodes but when they see that hashtag they will know they'll be reminded of how these stories need to see the light of day somehow obviously some of them are probably non-canon now like I know there's the one with the Mon Cala our course certain characters that was going to be alive or dead isn't out dead much later on in the future but even still these are stories that deserve to be told so complete the Clone Wars promote that other than that you want to talk about the immediate plan for the channel going forward I understand a lot of you subscribe to me over the last few weeks because of these Clone Wars videos and you're probably you know I'm going to anticipate expecting more Star Wars content on the channel this is maybe universe that you enjoy me talking about or maybe you're subscribed for animation or maybe you're subscribed just for me if that's the case I appreciate the most whatever the case I just want to promise to you those of you who subscribed because I was talking about something stars related there will be more Star Wars videos in the future however it won't be the in the next few videos I do I do have a script for a Jedi phone or two videos doing I've actually been working on it for a couple months now or rather I started it a few months ago I haven't really touched it in a couple months but I definitely want saw my Jedi fall in order that'll probably be a video that I do later in the summer and then of course later in the fall probably closer to the fall I should say I will be doing a video in Star Wars rebels it's so much of that show shares its DNA with Clone Wars and after talking about Clone Wars at the length that I have I really do want to dive into rebels most likely not into the same extent as what we've done not over three videos but still a thorough dive for sure and then other than that in terms of what we you can expect going forward and the immediate next few videos I am going to be doing a series of videos on blockbuster films and and an essence of the fact that it's you know with the pandemic going on so many films have been cancelled that we're going to come out this summer I want to sort of fill that void by talking about some my favorite blockbusters ever films like Burgers Lost arc Mad Max fury road Jurassic Park just you know a lot of these classic blockbuster films that everyone grows up watching and just more huge events when they came out I really want to reflect on that and look at that we won't be talking about any Star Wars movies in there though after making these three videos I have been incredibly intrigued by the mechanics I think of George Lucas's universe and I really would like to talk about pretty much all the Star Wars films including the new trilogy but that's probably a project that I will save for next year so as I said plenty of Star Wars content to come but for now we're going to sort of change it up I need a break from this universe and so that when I come back to it I feel renewed again I've spent a lot of time just writing and editing Clone Wars content so it'll be nice to come back to it or step away from him come back to it later on so that's pretty much all I'm gonna say guys thank you so much for watching you are all the best stay tuned stay subscribed and I'll be seeing you all next time peace out everyone

Channel: ArTorr

Views: 253,810

Rating: 4.9538937 out of 5

Keywords: Star Wars The Clone Wars, Star Wars The Clone Wars Season 7, Star Wars The Clone Wars Season 7 Trailer, The Clone Wars Season 7 Episode 1, The Clone Wars Season 7 Trailer Reaction, The Clone Wars Order 66, The Clone Wars Reaction, The Clone Wars Theme, The Clone Wars 2003, The Clone Wars Echo's Death, Clone Wars Review, Clone Wars Explained, Star Wars Ahsoka, Best Star Wars, Video Essay, Star Wars The Bad Batch, The Clone Wars Review, Star Wars Rebels, Dave Filoni

Id: P9UDN_-Dqe8

Length: 79min 50sec (4790 seconds)

Published: Mon May 25 2020