Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) - Season 3 Review

Decisions That Shape Our Destinies.

The Clone Wars micro-series wraps up its three season run with a stellar extended final season, which ties up loose ends in a satisfying fashion whilst paving the way seamlessly into the Revenge of the Sith.

Benefiting enormously from longer 12 minute episodes, season 3 of Clone Wars delivers the show's most engaging story arcs yet, explaining how the stage was set for the final film in the prequel series. It begins, however, by giving us Star Wars fans a glimpse at how exactly Anakin Skywalker ascended to the rank of Jedi Knight. It is a neat prologue which wraps up season two's cliffhanger, whilst depicting the (admittedly awesome) method by which Jedi's are knighted. It adds depth to Anakin's journey and is a rewarding moment for the viewer. This is one of this season's greatest strengths - how it explains even the smallest developments between films. We learn how Anakin's arm becomes black, how he gains his iconic facial scar and even how he obtains R2-D2 as his pilot droid. Small things, albeit exciting moments of nerd-dom nonetheless.

From Chapter 22, the final four episodes tell two stories which run parallel - that of Anakin and Obi-Wan's journey to help natives on a distant planet, and that of the invasion of Coruscant which results in Chancellor Palpatine's capture at the hands of General Grievous. Naturally, it is Coruscant which serves as the highlight and far more exciting arc, as we watch the Jedi Order do battle against legions of battle droids. Another aspect which I enjoyed was seeing the lengths the Jedi went to protect the Chancellor, for it had originally seemed to me ridiculous that Grievous could waltz into the heart of the Republic and steal their leader. However, the show reveals that the Jedi fought bitterly to protect Palpatine, but to no avail. The action on Coruscant is reinforced with new and improved animation, allowing for smoother transitions and more fluid battle scenes. Combined with the use of original prequel music, Clone Wars delivers undoubtedly the best battle of the series in its final bow.

The adjacent storyline takes a while to get up and running. Obi-Wan and Anakin's quest on Nelvaan seems trivial in the grand scheme of things, thus it is hard to see the arc as anything more than filler material whilst the viewer waits to watch the real action unfold on Coruscant. The one thing this plot does well is diving into Anakin's character and true nature, showcasing the two conflicting sides of the troubled Jedi. It brings his character to tipping point, revealing how close he is to embracing his anger, which again helps reinforce the infamous journey his character embarks upon in Revenge of the Sith.

Combining these two arc, Clone Wars delivers an explosive and thrilling prequel to ROTS, whilst also closing its own chapter of the Star Wars universe. The music, action and character development leave little to be desired and despite this series technically no longer being canon, I believe it is the ideal bridge between episodes two and three of the Skywalker Saga. As I switch to the more recent The Clone Wars series, I will be sure to remember the roots this earlier show sowed to make the latter possible, and all the positives that can be taken from this groundbreaking and consistently brilliant animated series.

FEATURED CHARACTERS
- Yoda
- Mace Windu
- Anakin Skywalker
- Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Chancellor Palpatine
- Padme Amidala
- C-3PO and R2-D2
- Ki-Adi Mundi
- Aayla Secura
- Shaak Ti
- General Grievous
- Roron Corobb
- Foul Moudama
- Techno Union
- Saesee Tinn
- Captain Fordo
- Oppo Rancisis
- Orvos

FEATURED PLANETS
- Coruscant
- Hypori
- Bomis Koori IV
- Naboo
- Kashyyyk
- Nelvaan

TRIVIA

• Genndy Tartakovsky was reluctant to accept another Star Wars series as he had been exhausted by the first two. But when George Lucas offered him the chance to lead into Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) he couldn't refuse
• As Anakin walks the streets of Coruscant in Chapter 21, there is a close up of a Dulok from the Ewoks (1985) cartoon. Moments later, a Cylon Centurion from Battlestar Galactica (1978) can be seen on the right hand side
• Director Genndy Tartakovsky's favorite scene is when C3PO 'strips' off his robe to reveal his new gold plating
• George Lucas was prompted to order up a follow up to the original micro-series because his son Jett Lucas wanted to know what happened to Ki-Adi-Mundi following the cliffhanger that ended Chapter 20
• In Chapter 21, the astronaut holding a large animal on a leash visible on Coruscant is based on concept art seen on page 15 of "The Art of Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)". A large Aqualish that can be spotted a moment later is based on a picture on page 38 of the same book. The long snouted alien that notices Anakin and Padmé in the alley is based on a sketch by Nilo Rodis-Jamero seen on page 29 of The Art of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
• The planet Nelvaan is named after the Canadian animation studio Nelvana which produced the cartoon segment for The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) and the short lived Ewoks (1985) and Star Wars: Droids (1985) series. The 'dogfaced' Nelvaanians are a nod to the characters from Nelvana's Rock & Rule (1983)
• The Wookiee scout is named Tarkov after Clone Wars director Genndy Tartakovsky. His young cub is Jaccoba, named for Tartakovsky's son Jacob
• When Anakin visits Padmé on Naboo, she is surprised when he removes his hood. This was originally the first appearance of Anakin's facial scar. However, in Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), a shorter-haired Anakin already has the scar. The last episode the couple appeared in, Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Crisis at the Heart (2014), depicted a rift in their relationship. The scene's meaning can now be interpreted as the first time she sees his long hair, indicating a passage of time
• The show creators joked about Anakin and Padmé's reunion on Naboo leading to Luke and Leia's conception. Dark Horse Comics writer Randy Stradley stated that the Skywalker twins were conceived on Varykino, the island of the Naberrie family's Lake Retreat seen in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
• In the third season, the Nelvaanians spoke in Hungarian (with heavy accent). Anakin's Nelvaanian name, "Holt Kezed" means "Your Dead Hand" in Hungarian
• Genndy Tartakovsky asked his mother in law to translate dialog for the Nelvanian natives into Hungarian
• Anakin Skywalker's 'Revenge of the Sith' style haircut was partly inspired by Mark/Ken from Gatchaman (1972) and Omar from Rock & Rule (1983)
• When Saesee Tiin leads his men into outer space, his helmet is connected to the same kind of life-support box as Darth Vader's
• Ithorian Jedi Roron Corobb is named after Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) creature designer Ron Cobb while Foul Moudama the Talz got his name from a Middle Eastern bean dish
• All the vehicles in this series are computer generated. For the scenes of Mace Windu commandeering a Vulture droid, Genndy Tartakovsky took it upon himself to painstakingly animate the character onto the CG vehicle himself
• On the audio commentary of Volume II, Genndy Tartakovsky admits that every time a scene features shaky camera movement (such Grievous walking against the wind), it is because the finished scene was not quite right and there was no time left to fix it
• In Chapter 24 - WILHELM SCREAM: by trooper dispatched by Grievous' Magnaguards
• Anakin's '2D' vision on the cave wall was completely animated using Maya (a 3D software tool)
• Genndy Tartakovsky and his writers had wanted to use the Techno Union (Wat Tambor's species) as the villains in the original Micro Series, but Lucasfilm told to use the IG Banking Clan instead. They finally got to use them for the big finale on Nelvaan
• The Nelvanian boy calls his father 'Apu'. This is a Hungarian term of endearment Genndy Tartakovsky likes to call his father in law

RATING: 9/10