Why Disney's Clone Wars Revival Is So Much Better Than The First 6 Seasons

The addition of season 7 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars was more than just an extension of the series, and adds many important aspects to the show.

Six years after Star Wars: The Clone Wars ended in 2014, The Clone Wars season 7 was added by Disney, and there are several reasons that addition became the best part of the show. The series is set between Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and tracks the events of the war that ignites after the Battle of Geonosis. Known as the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi mentioned the struggle between the Separatists and the Republic in the original Star Wars, but it wasn’t until this series that audiences really got a look at what it was.

Besides elaborating on some of the details outlined in the movies, such as Anakin’s relationships with Obi-Wan, Padmé, and Chancellor Palpatine, the show introduces many aspects of the story that aren’t present in the movies. Among those are the introduction of Anakin’s Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, the individuality given to the various clones, and the ongoing struggle against General Grievous. The series originally meant to fill in the blanks left in an interesting, yet unexplored time period of the Star Wars movies, but what started as a casual children’s show quickly became a fan favorite addition to the franchise -and The Clone Wars season 7 took that to a new extreme.

Clone Wars Season 7's Creators Had Learned Since The Original Show's Cancelation

After the six season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars ended, the writers and directors had time to branch out and collect more experience with the Star Wars universe. Dave Filoni, who created the show, was in charge of many Star Wars projects between the endings of the show, including the follow-up series, Star Wars Rebels. That gave him a unique experience going into The Clone Wars season 7 that wasn’t present in the first six seasons. This experience allowed him to connect details of the show that stayed true to the original storyline while introducing exciting new elements.

The Clone Wars Season 7 presented the opportunity to capitalize on everything that the earlier seasons had created. The show’s creators now knew which story arcs were worth revisiting and which characters were the fan favorites that could carry those stories. Season 7 was written specifically to blend the aspects of the show that made it great with the themes and the feel of the movies.

Clone Wars Season 7's Animation Is Far Stronger

The animation style of Star Wars: The Clone Wars is one of the most polarizing aspects of the show. The blocky, stylized look of the characters created a disconnect between the live action movies and the series, which made it a harder sell to the older members of the Star Wars fanbase initially. Once the show’s popularity took off and the animators had more opportunities to fine-tune their craft, The Clone Wars started improving its animation as the seasons went along, which allowed it to branch out into other settings and tackle new situations. The Clone Wars season 7 took advantage of the hiatus to reassess the animation style in an even stronger way.

Not only is the style updated ever so slightly, but the animators also used this as a chance to change the characters' appearances to more similarly resemble their live-action counterparts of the next movie in the timeline. Though the characters age and change through the earlier seasons, season 7 takes the chance to complete that metamorphosis. Particularly in Anakin’s case, this change in appearance highlighted his character’s transition from a reckless and confident young general to a Jedi Knight with new anxieties that will ultimately set him up for his fall to the dark side.

The Narrative Structure For Clone Wars Season 7 Is Much Stronger

By the time The Clone Wars season 7 came along, the show had become much bigger than a simple kids’ series. While early seasons were full of action and entertaining storylines, the later seasons build on that while focusing on the darker and more serious aspects of the narrative that directly influence the saga as a whole. Season 7 takes that a step further by building its entire story to end during the events of Revenge of the Sith. With a feature film as the set ending point for the season and the previous seasons as a launch pad, The Clone Wars season 7 had the perfect blueprint for an effective storyline.

Following Ahsoka’s departure from the Jedi Order and Maul's escape from the clutches of Darth Sidious, the seventh season of the show was afforded incredibly high-drama content, and the writers are able to capture that exciting energy in an expertly concise way. The final season, and the last few episodes in particular, take the excitement of the show and present it in a more cinematic way. It’s impossible to untangle the events of The Clone Wars season 7 and the plot of Revenge of the Sith, which enhances the thrill of the show’s conclusion.

The Siege Of Mandalore & Order 66 Builds Perfectly Into The Movies

Season 7 allowed The Clone Wars to fully bridge the show’s stories into the live-action movies. When season 6 wrapped up the show, there was still a sizable gap between the series' timeline and the conclusion of the war. However, The Clone Wars season 7 overlaps with the exact attack that Revenge of the Sith begins with. While Anakin and Obi-Wan tackle the events from the movie, Ahsoka and Darth Maul are given special in-depth attention. Maul even predicts Sidious’ plan to corrupt Anakin to the dark side, which creates a special anticipation for the looming events of Order 66.

One of the things that makes Star Wars: The Clone Wars so special is its focus on the clone troopers as individuals. The clones were meant to be expendable soldiers, yet the show prioritizes them as real characters. The Clone Wars season 7 introduces a look at Order 66 through different lenses, because suddenly the clones were more than just Palpatine’s tools or trusted companions of the Jedi - they’re characters in their own right that fans had formed attachments to over the show’s seven seasons. The direct connection between the events of the series and Order 66 enhances the emotional element of the event, making it even more tragic to see.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is packed with adventure and excitement that expands the Star Wars prequels, and it’s no wonder that the show has become a favorite among the fanbase. The series has since gone on to serve as the foundation for many stories, including the live-action projects. But the best thing to have happened to the show was the belated addition of the seventh season, which reignited excitement for the show, but also enhanced everything that was already great about it.