The Clone Wars is now over. Please send tissues.

First, I must say, apologies for writing this review so late. In complete honestly, after the episodes were released I decided to focus on finishing my final homework assignments for senior year and to put this off until later. After that I published a book of poems called “Poems for the Redeemed Hearts” and then I put all my creative focus into an ongoing project that I am still writing. Also… goodness! Blogging is hard!

Don’t get me wrong though. My silence on this series has not been the result of lacking positive feelings on the final Clone Wars arc. If I put all of the texts I sent about these last four episodes into one blog post, I would probably have at least 5 pages worth of content.

Let me put it to you straight: The Seige of Mandalore has become one of my favorite (if not my favorite) Clone Wars arcs ever! This is the culmination of everything The Clone Wars was. Honestly, these episodes captivated me more than any of the sequel or spin-off films ever could. And while I would love more episodes. I am more than pleased with this being the show’s finale. Clone Wars Saved!!!

So as normal, let’s go over the basics on why this arc was so awesome!

SPOILERS BELOW!

1. THIS WAS A MOVIE.

Let’s just get this out of the way first. This was not merely four animated episodes, it was an animated movie split into four parts. This should be obvious from the classic Lucasfilm title card as well as the end of the first episode. This episode featured some of the most stellar animation ever seen in the Clone Wars, and the music was also cinema quality.

For instance, the third episode featured Order 66. The atmospheric music that play hauntingly leading up to it was enough to give me the chills. Maul was trapped in a box, they got on a ship, and then Rex went to take Palpatine’s ‘phone call.’ The whole time I felt as if we were on a funeral march towards Order 66. Not only was it a cinematic masterpiece but Kevin Kiner truly nailed the soundtrack on this one!

2. THE CHARACTER ARCS FELT SUSPENSEFUL EVEN THOUGH I KNEW WHERE THE STORY WAS GOING.

Let’s be honest. We all knew where this was going. We knew Ahsoka, Rex and Maul would all survive (well at least if you watched Rebels or wasn’t hiding in an ancient Jedi Temple the past four years). Nevertheless, each of these Characters had great moments that kept us on the edge of our seats. For instance, many of us knew Maul and Ahsoka would fight, but Maul knowing that Anakin might turn to the dark side was an enlightening twist. We also knew that Rex and Ahsoka survived The Clone Wars, but seeing how they did it was absolutely heartbreaking (Find Fives)! Dave Filoni and crew once again did an astounding job at forging an unforgettable Star Wars moment that will stick with us for all of time.

3. REVENGE. OF. THE. SITH.

Oh. My. Goodness. I knew we would overlap with Revenge of the Sith (ROTS) but I never suspected it would overlap like this. The arc starts off with Obi-Wan and Anakin fighting in the outer rim, next we see them reunite with Ahsoka. Their goodbye was not ideal (for the characters that is, but the fans adored it) when all of a sudden an alarm goes off; The Chancellor is being kidnapped and Courascant is under attack! This, of course, is the battle seen at the beginning of the final Prequel film. But it doesn’t end there. After that we get many more references to ROTS: Kenobi speaks of Anakin spying on the chancellor, Maul says that Sideous is grooming Anakin to be his apprentice, Mace Windu calls Ahsoka a freakin ‘citizen’ (how rude), Order 66 occurs… oh yea, and there is one more surprise at the end that I will speak of later. These episodes add greater depth to the movie, as well as intriguing questions like if Ahsoka could have saved Anakin if she had just called him.

Speaking of Ahsoka.

4. AHSOKA, WHILE NOT A JEDI, IS THE MOST JEDI CHARACTER IN ALL OF STAR WARS.

While watching Star Wars Rebels, I finally found out how much Ahsoka really meant to me. Without giving any spoilers, there were moments that really got my emotions running in either hype mode or ‘scared for you life’ mode. I didn’t love Ahsoka’s because of Rebels though, rather I loved her because I grew up watching the Clone Wars as a kid. Since then, Ahsoka has been my second favorite Star Wars Character right under Obi-Wan. These episodes further solidified that.

This arc shows Ahsoka looking out for the needy people on Mandalore and willing to disobey the Republic’s policies in order to help. A vital moment in part 3 shows Ahsoka and Rex talking lamenting how they were trained for war as soilder’s from a young age, and how war was all they knew. Each of them longs for something different, especially Ahsoka.

When Rex and the Clones turn on her, Ahsoka does what no other Jedi ever could. She refuses to directly kill a single one of them. In one of the most emotional moments of the whole series (there was literally a few tears in my eyes, that’s how much this got me) Rex tells Ahsoka to “find Fives,” enabling Ahsoka to save Rex from the chip inside his head. At one point Rex even mentions that the other clones don’t care if they kill them. Yet still Ahsoka insists on sparing them, taking off Rex’s helmet to see tears falling from his eyes.

I am gonna say something controversial here, but Ahsoka Tano is better than all the other Jedi, including Luke Skywalker (Well, at least the Disney Canon version of Luke, EU Luke was lit). She somehow manages to survive Order 66 while refusing to take even one of the Clones’ lives, truly using the force for self-defense and to help, and not to hurt others. I’ll be ok if Ahsoka slices down some people in the future, but in these scenes Ahsoka shows that she has overcome her warrior past. She is not a soilder, she is truly a Jedi. She will not kill her friends, even if her life depends on it.

Ahsoka has really grown as a character. She started as the pesty teenager who followed “sky guy” around, but she has now become an adult (even if she is still technically a teen in season 7) who somehow manages to exemplify all the good characteristics we all wish to have. Ahsoka really is a character of hope, and I can’t wait to see more stories of her in the future.

5. I DIDN’T LOVE THE ENDING… BUT IT WASN’T THE SHOW’S FAULT.

Remember that surprise at the end? Yea… well…

There was only one thing I did not love: The End.

The thing is though, it wasn’t the show’s fault. It was the fault of one stinking YouTube thumbnail that spoiled the final scene. That’s right, I got Vader spoiled for me. You don’t know how much it hurts to have the final scene of your favorite show spoiled. I was pleasantly surprised to see Morai, the Convor (the bird) flying above Vader in the end.

But, let me be real. While I didn’t really enjoy the final scene the way I would have liked to, I do think this scene was the perfect ending for the show. We see Vader, picking up Ahsoka’s lightsaber, he ignites it and the blue saber shines forth. The same color as Anakin’s. Then he looks up, you can see a bit of the man behind the mask. What is he thinking? Nobody knows. This is pure genius. The Clone helmets have been all buried by snow, the war now completely forgotten. The season is finally over. And then we zoom in one last time to a helmet bearing Ahsoka’s marking, as Vader leaves the scene.

First off. Can we PLEASE have a Vader show in that animation

Second, that was the perfect shot to end the show.

While I did not enjoy Vader as much as I wished. I really enjoy the final shots between Rex and Ahsoka. Just seeing Ahsoka’s standing there, cloaked in grey, before all of the Clone helmets: the men who had just recently tried to kill her. That was powerful. Both she, and Rex had refused to ignore their humanity. If that was the final shot, I would have been more than happy. My heart sank. It was a truly beautiful goodbye to The Clone Wars.

With that said, I do look forward to enjoying this final scene even more over time. I am sure after repeat viewings I will eventually come to enjoy Vader’s cameo even more.

Well, that’s it.

Farewell, Clone Wars. You have been a major part of my life. You have shaped me as a writer and have helped me find many new friends. You have taught me the importance of growing as a person and taught me many valuable lessons with your lovely little fortune cookies at the beginning of each episodes. The war may be over, but you shall never be forgotten. If by some chance someone involved in The Clone Wars ever reads this, thank you so much! Your work means the world to me!

What? I can dream right? I can never know who will stumble onto my blog in the future!

#THANKYOUCLONEWARS