‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ finishes brilliantly

A series best: Star Wars Season 7 is an excellent piece of content, with a flawless end to years of build up. Pictured are series protagonists, Ashoka Tano and Captain Rex, portrayed by Ashley Eckstein and Dee Bradley Baker.

Nicholas Solomon

Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers.

It is a weird time to be a lifelong Star Wars fan.

The new trilogy, supposedly finishing the Skywalker saga, was a disappointing mess that is in no way worth watching.

Star Wars had glimmers of hope (no pun intended) through video games and television. I liked “The Mandalorian” and “Rebels.” I loved “Fallen Order.”

Now, post Disney trilogy, “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” season 7 has finished its run on Disney+.

For those unaware, “The Clone Wars,” TCW, started its run in 2008 when it premiered on Cartoon Network. Running for 5 seasons from 2008-2013, it was then canceled and brought back to life on Netflix. The series was canceled again and now Disney+ brought it back for its final season.

Taking place chronologically between “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith,” TCW had a rough start.

For most of the early seasons, TCW was boring and genuinely uninteresting.

The series hit its stride at the end of season 3 with arc after arc of great content. Besides a couple episodes of disappointing filler, Season 7 is an excellent send-off to the show.

It focuses on the ongoing battle of the Galactic Republic versus the Separatists, the Republic comprising mostly of space governments, the clone trooper army and the Jedi. The latter two are the main protagonists, consisting of Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter), Obi-Wan Kenobi (James Arnold Taylor).

Taking place before “Revenge of the Sith,” where the Jedi are practically wiped out and betrayed by the Clones. There is an impending sense of doom clouding the Jedi that has been slowly building for the past few seasons.

Shorter than usual – season 7 is 12 episodes.

Season 7 has three arcs. I will talk about the three arcs separately.

The first arc, “The Bad Batch” takes place on the cusp of “Revenge of the Sith.” Relatively self-contained, this is a clone-oriented story and focuses on Clone Force 99 which is a black ops squad of defective troopers.

Rambo bandana-clad leader Hunter, sniper Crosshair, Tech (you can probably guess his function) and my favorite of the bunch, Wrecker are sent on a mission to rescue a captive ally held by the Separatists.

Lasting a few episodes, this arc is everything I want from the Clone Wars trooper banter with great action and a story worth watching.

For the final season I think it is fitting to have an arc dedicated purely to the clones.

Then there is the arc bridging the gap between the two with Ashoka at the forefront. Her brief avoidance of action around the galaxy and then quickly going back into it for the final arc was a stretch – there have always been filler arcs in TCW.

The final arc is a treat.

Bringing back the fan favorite Mandalorian and Darth Maul (Sam Witwer) who is a highlight of the series.

The years of buildup pay off in spectacular fashion and its content I have always wanted to see as a fan. The normal Star Wars music is switched to an atmospheric one filled with synths, which makes the finale more special.

It fits with the story and heightens it.

In my opinion, it is composer Kevin Kiner’s best work on Star Wars. It takes all that made the Clone Wars so well loved and worth watching and makes perhaps the series’ best arc.

Further details would spoil it for the true fans of the series.

Season 7 of Clone Wars provides content that surpasses an entire trilogy of movies. Give it a watch.

Edited by Shelby Spradling, Wesley Tabor