It is absolutely true that Star Wars: The Clone Wars expanded and enriched the fandom's understanding of and appreciation for the titular conflict. It might be hard to find someone who doesn't know something about the 2008 series that brought us Ahsoka Tano, fleshed out the Skywalkers' secret marriage, and made us genuinely mourn the clones' turn against their Jedi friends.
Five years before that, Genndy Tartakovsky developed and directed Star Wars: Clone Wars. The miniseries of animated shorts was released by Cartoon Network and got fans through the wait for Revenge of the Sith with 25 tension-building episodes. It's been 20 years since the series finale aired in March 2005, so let's celebrate the series for what it was.
Genndy Tartakovksy's Star Wars: Clone Wars was an instant classic
In an undeniably iconic opening, we saw a cloaked warrior riding a mount across a barren landscape. The next shot revealed it to be Yoda just before he ignited his lightsaber, and the narration began. "Like fire across the galaxy, the Clone Wars spread," said the Order's senior master. Released just over a year after Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, the series thrusts us straight into the midst of the conflict. The first two seasons consisted of ten episodes lasting 3 minutes each before Season 3 brought us five 12-minute episodes, and the storytelling had to be straightforward out of necessity.
Something that impressed me from the start was how the brevity of each episode heightened its emotional impact. In the first episode, the Republic fleet is clearly visible assembling over Coruscant, and this massive force is an afterthought while the Jedi clash on tactical decisions with their commander-in-chief. Less than a minute later, the war is a very real concern as Obi-Wan Kenobi watches clone troopers board ships and reflects, "I doubt even Master Qui-Gon could have prepared a Jedi for this." Anakin Skywalker seems single-minded as he boards his fighter and prepares for deployment, but he salutes his wife as she watches his ship depart.
My favorite episode was Chapter 12, the second installment of the second season. In the wilds of Dantooine, a young child watched the Grand Army of the Republic and a single Jedi with a purple lightsaber take on a contingent of battle droids. There is some dialogue, but none of it comes from Mace Windu. At the end, the boy offers his hero his own canteen and elicits a smile from the Jedi Master before he turns to observe the field of victory.
What the series did best was to highlight the need for quick thinking and the consequences of warfare that couldn't always wait for a great debate. This made the more extended episodes of the third season carry great weight, especially in the season premiere that saw Anakin Skywalker's final trial to become a Jedi Knight.
The series managed to feature villains in compelling ways as well. We got to see Count Dooku develop an alliance with Asajj Ventress and how she became the scourge of the Jedi. A bounty hunter named Durge was spurred on by a vendetta against the clones of Jango Fett. And, of course, the first appearance of General Grievous is legendary. We didn't meet General Grievous until the end of the second season, but the series ended with the alien's abduction of the Supreme Chancellor and was our introduction to the Separatist villain of Revenge of the Sith.
Star Wars: Clone Wars does not have the scope of its later counterpart or the longevity, but it still stands as a bold and imaginative contribution to the lore of Star Wars.