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The Clone Wars: 4 shockingly dark episodes aimed towards adults

By Jordan Bhanji

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 24: Captain Rex from Star Wars : The Clone Wars arrives at the 8th annual ASTRA Awards at the State Theatre on June 24, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. The awards, named after the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association, recognise achievements in the Australian subscription television industry. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 24: Captain Rex from Star Wars : The Clone Wars arrives at the 8th annual ASTRA Awards at the State Theatre on June 24, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. The awards, named after the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association, recognise achievements in the Australian subscription television industry. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images) /
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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – JUNE 24: Captain Rex from Star Wars : The Clone Wars arrives at the 8th annual ASTRA Awards at the State Theatre on June 24, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. The awards, named after the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association, recognise achievements in the Australian subscription television industry. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – JUNE 24: Captain Rex from Star Wars : The Clone Wars arrives at the 8th annual ASTRA Awards at the State Theatre on June 24, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. The awards, named after the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association, recognise achievements in the Australian subscription television industry. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images) /

Season 4 continues with another extremely harsh, violent and upsetting storyline that revolves heavily around the mental and physical toll extracted by slavery and forced labor.

Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ashoka, and Rex are captured and forced into service by Zygerian slavers, as the heroes investigate what happened to the colonists they were sent to help. The episode follows Anakin, who the queen has an infatuation with, Obi-wan who is forced into servitude as the other slaves are threatened as hostages, and Ahsoka who is caged. Due to his personal history, Anakin struggles to keep his emotions in check as he sees the horrors around him.

This episode doesn’t pull any punches with imagery or themes. There are frequent depictions of slaves being whipped and unceremoniously executed. Perhaps one of the most disturbing sequences involves a slave girl attempting to assassinate the queen, her master. When she fails, rather than go back to “processing,” she jumps to her death.

Slavery is an inherently dark and evil practice, and this arc is depicted as such. There aren’t many in-depth existential questions, as “Slaves of the Republic” instead zeroes in themes of class superiority and fallacies of strength should rule the weakness. However, the most interesting exchange occurs when the Queen prepares the public Whipping of Obi-Wan Kenobi. She calls the Jedi “slaves to the republic.” She might not be wrong. We know the Jedi feel like it is within their mandate to fight in the Clone Wars, and we know how that turns out for them. This remark begs the question— can one be enslaved by their ideologies, even if the intentions of those ideologies are inherently good?

Despite being a cartoon, The Clone Wars is star wars Content that can be easily enjoyed by kids and adults alike. the series as a whole explores a variety of episodes that trend towards darker, more mature themes. There are endless opportunities to rewatch and analyze episodes, as you are sure to pick things up you missed the first time.

Next. How to watch The Clone Wars in chronological order. dark

The season 7 of Clone Wars is set to premiere February 17th on Disney+

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