The Clone Wars Strike Back
 | Combined with modern effects technology and name actors like Ewan McGregor, Samuel L. Jackson and Natalie Portman, Episodes I thru III were going to be the best Wars ever. Yeah. Well, hmm… About that actually… Look, it’s pretty much unanimously agreed that the prequels were, shall we say, less than perfect, in order to be diplomatic. The once grand vision of the Clone Wars, instead of being spread across three, large scale films, was instead crunched into the last 20 minutes of Attack of the Clones and the first hour of Revenge of the Sith. But at some point in between, Star Wars creator George Lucas realized that part of showbiz is giving the people what they want. So in 2003, Lucas, with the Cartoon Network, launched a 20 episode microseries (which was subsequently shown on Teletoon in Canada). The series was produced by Genndy Tartakovsky, the man behind Dexter’s Laboratory and Samurai Jack, and the series was very much modelled in his style. Each segment was just three-minutes long and was a combination of one-shot episodes and an overarching storyline about Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s mission to lead clone troopers against a separatist stronghold. The series was very heavy on action, with many chapters merely flying by without any dialogue at all. One segment featured a squid-like Jedi named Kit Fisto fighting the enemy under sea on the planet Mon Calamari. Another followed Mace Windu as he fought Trade Federation “Stamp” Tanks on Dantooine. One three-part episode followed Padme as she accompanied Yoda on a mission to save an ancient Jedi temple. The climax of the series was Anakin’s battle against Count Dooku’s new apprentice, Asajj Ventress, whom he’s only able to defeat by channelling his anger and hate; the path to the Dark Side. |
Tartakovsky made great use of previously mentioned Star Wars settings that may or may not have been seen in either the original or prequel trilogy. Anakin fights Asajj Ventress on Yavin 4, home of the Rebel base in A New Hope. Mon Calamari is the homeworld of Admiral Ackbar and his people as seen in Return of the Jedi. General Grievous, one of the main villains from Sith, was introduced in the final chapter of the microseries as well. And fans agreed, despite the stunted running time and the series’ format, this was still the Clone Wars they had sat through Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones to see.
The success of this series resulted in Lucas and Cartoon Network commissioning five more episodes. This time each segment would be 12-minutes long and have a more narrow narrative focus. Starting after the end of the last series and ending mere minutes before the start of Revenge of the Sith, the story follows General Grievous’ attack on the Republic capital Coruscant and his attempted kidnapping of Palpatine, while Anakin and Obi-Wan work to free the indigenous population of an enslaved planet. It’s also here that Anakin becomes a Jedi Knight, and his encounters on the planet Kooriva prove his trial and a warning about what his destiny may hold.
| Again, these Clone Wars were well received both critically and commercially. Although the animation wasn’t as polished as the first round, its colours more matted than the pop-looking first 20, it still added to the pre-existing excitement surrounding the release of Sith, then just a few weeks away. The series went on to when several Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Animated Program. But the question of what was to become of the Clone Wars seemed answered. Lucas himself said that there were no more Star Wars stories to tell. Well that seemed to change after the release of Revenge of the Sith. Lucas announced that a new Clone Wars ongoing series was going to be one of two Star Wars projects for made-for-TV. The now computer-animated and Tartakovsky-free series will premiere this Fall on Cartoon Network, following the film’s release in theatres this week. Another interesting feature of the new series is that many of the original actors will be lending their voices to the characters. Listen for Christopher Lee, Samuel L. Jackson and Anthony Daniels, among some special guest voices. |  |
As for the other Star Wars TV project, it’s still shrouded in mystery. The only things that are know for certain is that the show will be live action and will take place between Sith and A New Hope. Lucas says that the show will focus on minor characters previously seen in the background while major players like Darth Vader or the Emperor will be heard of, but not seen, not that it rules out the possibility for other characters to cameo.
So if you thought Revenge of the Sith was all they wrote for Star Wars, think again. There’s still a lot more to see in that galaxy far, far away.
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