‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ Already Had a Sequel Series Before ‘The Bad Batch’
Star Wars fans are likely disappointed that Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series has come to an end. It’s a tough time to be a Star Wars fan in general. There are no new movies on the horizon, The Mandalorian doesn’t return until the fall, and The Clone Wars is done for good, despite a spinoff series coming next year.
But fans of the animated series can rest easy knowing that they won’t need to wait on a sequel to The Clone Wars, in fact, a sequel series already essentially exists.
What are The Clone Wars?
The Clone Wars were first referenced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Obi-Wan Kenobi tells young Luke Skywalker that he fought alongside his father, Anakin, during the conflict. For years, it remained just a passing reference that fans could only imagine. That all changed when George Lucas decided to make the prequel trilogy.
In Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, it’s revealed that a rogue Jedi has commissioned an army of clone soldiers (later known as “clonetroopers”) to serve as an army for the Galactic Republic. It turns out that this represents the machinations of the Sith Lord Darth Sidious as part of an evil plot.
In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, the Republic wins the war and Sidious immediately executes Order 66, commanding the clones to assassinate the Jedi. This leads to the Empire taking over the galaxy, which sets up the original trilogy.
How ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ revolutionized the Star Wars universe
The final prequel trilogy film came out in 2005. In 2008, an animated film called Star Wars: The Clone Wars came out in theaters. The film took place between Episode II and Episode III, following Skywalker, Kenobi and multiple other Jedi as they attempted to defeat the evil Separatists. It led to an animated series as well.
The series let the viewers get to know the clone troopers better — rather than regard them all as a monolith, soldiers were given individual personalities. Two new characters developed for the show were particularly popular: the Jedi Ahsoka Tano, Skywalker’s padawan, and Captain Rex, one of the clone troopers.
The show was a commercial and critical success. After six seasons and a several year hiatus, it returned to Disney+ in March with a seventh season that wrapped up the show. The show revolutionized the way fans looked at Star Wars. Never before had they seen a TV show tap into the magic and wonderment of the original films, but the well-crafted characters and beautiful animation helped the fans do just that.
Why ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ doesn’t need a sequel series
There’s no doubt Star Wars fans had to be disappointed following the culmination of The Clone Wars animated series. The show featured amazing character development from Skywalker, fleshing out that character even more than the prequel trilogy. It shined more light onto the darkness that was his descent into becoming Darth Vader. It also established and developed the characters of Tano and Rex as fan favorites with comprehensive and compelling character arcs.
But fans looking for a sequel series don’t need to look any further, it essentially already has one. The animated series Star Wars: Rebels takes place a few years before Episode IV. It follows the adventures of a ragtag group of Rebel Alliance members as they attempt to foil the Empire. Why will it appeal to Clone Wars fans?
Because it continues the stories of Vader, Tano, and Rex. All three characters are featured in the series. For fans who couldn’t get enough of those three, you’ll get to see them develop even further. So don’t hold your breath looking for a sequel series because it already exists.
