After a premature cancellation back in 2014, at the hands of Disney, it looked like the final season of The Clone Wars was never going to see the light of day. Well, after a long wait, the final season is here and it does not disappoint, delivering some of the best Star Wars content to date. The story this season is focused on wrapping up the journeys of Rex, Ahsoka, Anakin and more as everything edges closer to the events of Revenge of the Sith.
Let’s get the first eight episodes out of the way as they’re, for the most part, pretty average. The season opens with a four-episode arc following Anakin (Matt Lanter), Rex (Dee Bradley Baker) and more on a couple of smaller missions that introduces us to the Bad Batch. The dynamic between the main characters is still as strong as ever and the inclusion of the Bad Batch brings a fun and fresh element to this story arc. Seeing this tight-knit group of mismatched clones, each with their own personality, work alongside the clones that are all alike is a great dynamic that’s actually fun.
The next arc, set over the four episodes, doesn’t have as much to offer in terms of a fun and entertaining story. These four episodes reintroduce us to Ahsoka (Ashley Eckstein), who joins forces with two sisters, Rafa (Elizabeth Rodriguez) and Trace (Brigitte Cali Canales), on a mission between worlds. The mission this crew goes on is fin, it just felt very repetitive in its execution. There are some individual noteworthy moments that are quite cool, but not enough to make the arc that engaging.
These two arcs aren’t bad, it’s just that they don’t feel like they’d be a part of the final season. Star Wars fans would know where this season is heading, which makes them feel like a bit of a hurdle just to get to the meat of the season. I will say, though, that once you’ve seen the final four episodes it does make you appreciate the earlier eight episodes a little more. It’s a little bit of ‘the calm before the storm’, essentially giving you a couple moments with these characters doing their own things before everything goes down.
Now, the final four episodes is what everyone has been waiting for… the infamous ‘Siege of Mandalore’ arc that has been referenced in other Star Wars media, but never seen. These final four episodes are, together, an absolute masterpiece of Star Wars content. You might go so far as to say it’s the best Star Wars content since the original trilogy. Each episode flows into the next brilliantly, forming one cohesive story that is intense, suspenseful and just straight-up flawless. Everything across these four episode just works; the way character relationships are developed, the emotion felt though key moments and the way this arc ties mind-blowingly into the events of Revenge of the Sith.
The crossover between what happens in this arc and what happens in RoTS (Revenge of the Sith) is genuinely incredible. The attention to detail is so spot-on that you could weave a number moments from this arc into the story of RotS, seamlessly. Everything in this series has been leading to one of the most crucial moments in the Star Wars chronology; the execution of Order 66. Seeing how that moment is dealt with in this arc is one of the most rewarding things to look forward to.
When it comes to final confrontations, everyone has been waiting for the final showdown between Ahsoka and Maul (Sam Witwer), and it pays off phenomenally. Their duel may be one of the best lightsaber duels I’ve seen in Star Wars. The fact that Ray Park was bought in to do the motion capture for the scene makes it so much more incredible. This is where I also need to highlight Kevin Kiner’s score, because it is a brilliant Star Wars score that brings in shades of John Williams‘ classic scores to enhance the impact of every moment in this season.
When it comes to this final four-episode arc, it is perfect. From the opening shot, right through to the chilling final scene, it is a flawless arc that can and should be consumed in one sitting. It feels more like Star Wars than some of the recent films and builds the character of Ahsoka even more than she already has been in this series and Star Wars: Rebels. The first eight episodes are average. You can watch them and enjoy them as regular episodes that continue the stories of the characters we love, but they don’t have the intrigue and strength of the story that’s told in the final arc. If I was just rating the final arc, it would no doubt be a 10/10, however, the first two arcs do bring it down . If you’re a Star Wars fan, check out that final arc, you cannot be disappointed.
8.1/10
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