Looking Back at "STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS"
LOOKING BACK AT "STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS"
Lucasfilm's animated series, "STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS" had become a big favorite among fans of the STAR WARS franchise over the past decade-and-a-half. Set during the tail end of the Prequel Trilogy, many fans regard it as superior to the three movies produced and directed by George Lucas between 1999 and 2005. Not only that, many regarded it as a necessity for STAR WARS to understand that particular trilogy. After viewing it, I can honestly say that I do not agree with these fans.
Fans had expressed two other opinions about "THE CLONE WARS", aside from it being superior to the Prequel Trilogy movies and being needed to understand it. They still believe it did a better job of conveying Anakin Skywalker's journey from loyal Jedi Knight to the young Sith apprentice who had betrayed his former Order. Many fans had also complained that the animated series did something that the Prequel Trilogy had failed to do - namely convey a full narrative of the Clone Wars.
Disagreement Over Prevailing View
When I had stated that I did not agree with the prevailing view of "THE CLONE WARS", I meant it. Do not get me wrong. Overall, I liked it. I especially enjoyed those story arcs that centered around the clone troopers, especially the story about ARC Trooper Fives in Season Six. But there were other story arcs that I found interesting - including the one regarding Jedi padawans Ahsoka Tano and Barriss Offee, and Count Dooku's conflict with his former apprentice, Asajj Ventress. The latter proved to be one of two characters introduced by "THE CLONE WARS" that I enjoyed watching. I also became a big fan of the cunning, yet hilarious space pirate known as Hondo Ohnaka. But I never became a major fan of "THE CLONE WARS".
Unlike many fans and critics, I never regarded the series as better than the Prequel Trilogy. Just about every STAR WARS production I have seen (movies or television) had its share of flaws. Personally, I believe "THE CLONE WARS" had suffered from more flaws than the Prequel or Original Trilogies. The two trilogies served as parts of a saga about the Force-sensitive Skywalker family, with the Clone Wars, the decline of the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic, along with the Galactic Civil War serving as the saga's backgrounds. For me, "THE CLONE WARS" was like watching a series that could not make up its mind about its main narrative or theme. The only aspect about "THE CLONE WARS" that seemed to be consistent was its setting - the three-year civil war withing the Galactic Republic known as the Clone Wars. Otherwise, the series spiraled into different arcs and stories with very little connection - whether they were about the war itself; the decline of both the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic; the downfall of Anakin Skywalker; the development of his Jedi apprentice, Ahsoka Tano; the Mandalorian Civil War, which involved Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi; the re-emergence of Maul, former Sith apprentice of Darth Sidious; and other arcs that centered around characters like Count Dooku aka Darth Tyrannus, Asajj Ventress, the Mandalorian clone Boba Fett and especially the clone troopers.
A Necessity?
Since many fans and critics had claimed that viewing "THE CLONE WARS" was a necessity in understanding the Prequel Trilogy. Really? Why? I do not understand that opinion. The reason I do not understand it is because I never had any trouble understanding the Prequel Trilogy. As I had stated earlier, I realized that it was mainly about the downfall of Anakin Skywalker, in which the Clone Wars and the downfalls of both the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic played major roles. I get the feeling that many had wanted the Prequel Trilogy to be more about the Clone Wars, instead of the Skywalker family saga.
If that is how they feel, why not complain about the Original Trilogy's limited portrayal of the Galactic Civil War? It seemed to me that the Original Trilogy seemed more about Luke Skywalker, his circle of companions, and his father Anakin Skywalker aka Darth Vader more than the actual civil war that served as the trilogy's background. Perhaps Lucasfilm should create a series that feature numerous stories and character arcs set during the Galactic Civil War? Especially the four-year period between 1977's "STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE" and 1983's "STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI"? Sure, there have been productions about the early years of the rebellion - before the events of "A NEW HOPE". But these productions have only appeared in the last ten years. And they were released or aired as individual productions, not the sprawling monolith that became "THE CLONE WARS". But I did not need these productions to understand the Original Trilogy anymore than I needed "THE CLONE WARS" to understand the Prequel Trilogy.
Portrayal of Anakin Skywalker
If "THE CLONE WARS" was supposed to be a production that helped fans understand the Prequel Trilogy, who was the series' main character? Seriously. Was it Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker? If so, I was not impressed by the series' portrayal of the character. Many have claimed that Anakin's portrayal in "THE CLONE WARS" was an improvement over his portrayal in the Prequel Trilogy. I do not agree with this assessment. In fact, I found Anakin's portrayal in the animated series rather troubling. One, he seemed to be a cross between a juvenile delinquent and a borderline Sith Lord. There were moments when the series seemed to be rushing him toward his role as Darth Sidious' Sith apprentice . . . before the events of 2005's "STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH".
The 2005 movie's first half hour had revealed Anakin's continuing guilt over his massacre of the Tusken Raiders who had killed his mother Shmi Skywalker in 2002's "STAR WARS: ATTACK OF THE CLONES". Not only did Anakin experience three years of guilt over that act, but also expressed regret for killing Darth Sidious' previous apprentice, Count Dooku aka Darth Tyrannus, when the latter was defenseless in "REVENGE OF THE SITH". Anakin even managed to express both horror and disgust for helping Sidious kill Jedi Master Mace Windu in the movie's last half hour. Following the Jedi Master's death, Anakin had ceased to feel any genuine remorse over those he had killed. However, "THE CLONE WARS" was set during the three years between "ATTACK OF THE CLONES" and "REVENGE OF THE SITH". And yet, I cannot recall the series ever conveying any of the guilt Anakin had felt toward his destruction of the Tusken village. Between that (over which he had felt guilt) and his roles in Dooku and Windu's death (which he had express regret and horror respectively), Anakin had harmed a good deal of individuals in "THE CLONE WARS" without any regret or remorse. This seems very odd to me to this day.
For me, the Anakin Skywalker of "THE CLONE WARS" seemed to be some Force sensitive version of Han Solo. In fact, someone had once given Anakin the nickname, "Jedi Han Solo". Many fans had complimented the character for his lack of whining and being more powerful. If these same fans were referring to Anakin's bouts of whining in "ATTACK OF THE CLONES", then what the hell were they expecting from a nineteen year-old padawan? Complete self-assurance? Some James Dean version of Anakin Skywalker? Well, instead of James Dean, they got some variation on Han Solo. And Anakin's attitude toward Padme seemed completely different from his relationship with her in the Prequel movies. Aside from that ugly moment in "REVENGE OF THE SITH" when Anakin had been blinded by unsubstantiated jealousy, he had never been aggressive toward Padme in the movies. The Anakin of the movies would have never tried to control Padme or dominate her the way he did in "THE CLONE WARS"'s Season One finale, (1.22) "Hostage Crisis" in which he tried to convince (in reality, coerce) her to stop work in order to provide him with "tender loving care" during his furlough. The cinematic Anakin would have shown more respect toward his wife. And as for that whole "Mortis" from Season Three . . . oh God! Why did Lucasfilm believe it was necessary to shove some ham-fisted narrative about Anakin bringing balance to the Force? I realize I should go into more detail about this particular arc. Needless to say, I did not care for it. It was like watching a series of over-the-top metaphors and allegories flashing before my eyes. And as I had earlier stated, I found it necessary. One has only have to observe Anakin's personality and his arc to notice the complicated nature of his character.
Ahsoka Tano
Then . . . Lucasfilm gave Anakin a padawan learner - a Togruta female named Ahsoka Tano, who was five years younger than him. Why did the Jedi Council assign a padawan for Anakin to train so soon after becoming a Knight? Yes, the Council had allowed the newly knighted Obi-Wan Kenobi to serve as Anakin's new Jedi mentor near the end of "STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE". But Anakin's recruitment into the Jedi Order and his role as Obi-Wan's new apprentice had occurred under unusual circumstances, due to a promise the latter had made to his dying former Jedi master, Qui-Gon Jinn. Obi-Wan had chosen to take on a new apprentice at the ripe age of 25. He had not been ordered to accept a padawan learner, like Anakin. Who had been 19 to 20 years old at the time . . . and recently knighted like his former mentor. Why did the Jedi Council, whose opinion of Anakin had always seemed to be in a state of wariness, had assigned a padawan to him? Why did Lucasfilm? If they had wanted Ahsoka to be one of the series' major character so badly, why not make her Obi-Wan's next padawan?
Now that I think about it, why bother creating the Ahsoka Tano character in the first place? In "THE CLONE WARS", Ahsoka had been close to Anakin, Obi-Wan and Padmé. Yet, the trio and NO ONE ELSE had mentioned her in "REVENGE OF THE SITH". I realize that the 2005 movie had been created first. But if no one had mentioned Ahsoka, someone who had been so close to Anakin, what was the fucking point in creating her for "THE CLONE WARS"/? Or . . . what was the point in making her Anakin's padawan? And it is a damn miracle that her character never became a Mary Sue. At least not completely. Ahsoka had made her share of mistakes throughout the series. But considering that she seemed to be the only Force user capable of using two lightsabers at the same time, I sometimes found myself wondering otherwise.
By the time "THE CLONE WARS" ended, I found myself wondering who was supposed to be the series' main character. Did the series actually have a main character? No one was more surprised than myself to discover that the series' last eight episodes focused on Ahoska Tano. After all, her character had left the Jedi Order in the Season Five finale, (5.20) "The Wrong Jedi". She never appeared in Season Six. I had assumed that Season Five was the last viewers would see of Ahsoka. Oh no. She came back with a vengeance and practically dominated Season Seven. The latter had twelve episodes. Out of those twelve episodes, four of them featured Ahosoka's adventures with a pair of smugglers known as the Martez sisters and the last four centered on her experiences with Darth Maul and Order 66. Eight out of twelve fucking episodes. At this time in the story, Ahsoka was no longer a Jedi - padawan or otherwise. Why did Lucasfilm and Dave Filoni thought it was necessary to bring her back and allow her to dominate the series' final season? Why was it necessary for us to see Ahsoka survive Order 66 at a time when she had not been a Jedi since the end of Season Five? After all, she was alive and well in "STAR WARS: REBELS", the series set right before the Original Trilogy. And once Order 66 began, the clone troopers not only targeted Ahsoka, but also . . . a captured Maul. WHY? In the name of God, why would the clone troopers target two people who were not a part of the Jedi Order?
Other Characters
*Darth Maul - What made the series' final season so problematic for me was not only did it focus heavily on Ahsoka Tano, but also Maul, Darth Sidious' former Sith apprentice. After being defeated and cut down by Obi-Wan Kenobi in "THE PHANTOM MENACE", the Nightsister Mother Talzin resurrected him and he became obsessed with the man who struck him down. How can I put this? I believe Darth Maul should have remained dead. I realize George Lucas had plans for his resurrection in the Sequel Trilogy films, but I do not care. I was never able to generate any real interest in his arc, following his resurrection in "THE CLONE WARS". And I found his arc in both "THE CLONE WARS" and "REBELS" and death in the latter series, an exercise in futility.
*Padmé Amidala - Thanks to Ahsoka Tano's presence in "THE CLONE WARS", Padmé ended up being regulated to one of the series' supporting characters. Granted, the series featured the occasional episode about her missions for the Galactic Senate or some political situation, her relationship with Anakin barely received any attention, aside from the Clovis arc . . . or perhaps one or two other. I am not sure. Nevertheless, I believe the heavy focus on Anakin's relationship with Ahsoka came at the expense of his continuing relationship with Padmé. I have one other issue with Padmé. I did not find her as interesting as I did in the Prequel movies. It seemed as if a good deal of her complexity had been stripped away.
*Obi-Wan Kenobi - It seemed to me that the young Jedi Master did not suffer from underexposure on the same level as Padmé Amidala. As one of the military leaders of the clone troopers, it only seemed natural that his character was focused upon. For me, Obi-Wan's most interesting arc proved to be the Mandalorian rebellion and his relationship with the pacifist leader, Duchess Satine Kryze. It seemed like the only time Obi-Wan came close to being the complex man he had been in the films. Otherwise, the Jedi Master spent most of "THE CLONE WARS" being portrayed as this ideal character. If Obi-Wan had truly been the ideal character many have claimed he was, I would have found him boring. Uninteresting. And Obi-Wan has never been boring to me in the films produced by George Lucas.
*The Jedi Order Council - My memories of the Council seemed to be a bit sketchy, aside from two arcs. I do recall arc that Jedi Master Mace Windu played a major role in an arc about him and Jar-Jar Binks rescuing a queen from a cult headed by the Nightsisters' former leader, Mother Talzin. Somewhat. And there was the late Season Six arc that featured Jedi Master Yoda exploring the origin of the Force and through a series of visions, discovering the true nature of the Clone Wars, the possibility of the Jedi Order's downfall and later, its resurrection. This particular arc seemed like nothing more than a ham-fisted attempt at foreshadow. Also, Yoda's conclusions following this arc seemed to contradict his actions during the last act of "REVENGE OF THE SITH" - namely his attempt to kill Darth Sidious.
*The Sith Order - I suppose I have no real complaints about the portrayal of the Sith Order in this series. Count Dooku's character seemed more fully explored in "THE CLONE WARS" than it did in the second and third Prequel movies. Darth Sidious remained a shadowy figure at this point in the series. I found his constant evil smiles (when no one was looking) rather annoying after two or three episodes. Hell, I can only recall this happening once in "REVENGE OF THE SITH". If there was one story arc regarding Sidious that I truly dislike was the Season Two episode, (2.19) "The Zillo Beast Strikes Back". The Sith's decision to entrap a dangerous Zillo beast and study it escaped to the streets of Coruscant struck me as one of dumbest ever made by a Sith Lord. Especially once as intelligent as Sidious.
*Cad Bane - I might as well say it. I dislike the Cad Bane character. No . . . I despise him. I despise his faux Southern accent. I despise that ridiculous hat that he wears. But what I really despise about Cad Bane was how George Lucas, Dave Filoni and Henry Gilroy made him such a tough adversary for the Jedi characters. Despite being a ruthless, yet greedy bounty hunter with a fast draw, Bane has been able to defeat powerful Jedi characters like Anakin and Obi-Wan . . . despite lacking any Force abilities. This guy was practically a villainous Gary Stu. And I never thought I would actually see one in a television series, let alone a movie.
I could go on about many other characters in "THE CLONE WARS", but my main issues with "THE CLONE WARS" seemed to be mainly focused on the series' narrative. Many of the stories and arcs rarely connected, if not at all. And I am at a loss on how this was supposed to help filmgoers understand the Prequel Trilogy. Perhaps many STAR WARS were unable to understand the Trilogy's main narrative. But I did. I was also aware that both the Original and Prequel Trilogies were part of the Skywalker family saga. Events and conflicts like the decline of the Galactic Republic, the Clone Wars, the fall of the Jedi Order, the ascension of the Sith Order, the rise of the Galactic Empire, the rise of the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Civil War all served as backdrops for the family saga. While many fans had criticized the Prequel Trilogy for not focusing more on the Clone Wars, these same fans praised the actual series for doing just that.
The Prequel Trilogy was basically three chapters in the Skywalker family saga. Not two or three chapters in the detailed account of the Clone Wars. All one has to do is watch the Original Trilogy movies and see how the Galactic Civil War had merely served as a backdrop for another set of chapters in the Skywalker family saga. Yet, I do not recall anyone demanding a television series or a collection of movies depicting that particular conflict in greater detail - to the point of excluding the main characters of the family saga.
Once I had complained about the sprawling nature of "THE CLONE WARS"'s narrative online.
Someone had pointed out that it explained the series' rarely connected arcs and stories was an indication that it was an anthology series. Strangely enough, I have yet to encounter a website that includes that description for the series. A part of me suspects that Lucas, Filoni and Gilroy had created "THE CLONE WARS" to satisfy those fans who had expected Lucasfilm to convey the conflict in full detail in the Prequel Trilogy. I find this laughable, because the Galactic Civil War had never been portrayed in full detail in the Original Trilogy.