Star Wars: How The Clone Wars Influenced The Last Jedi
Light. Darkness. Balance.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi proved to be one of the most divisive entries in the saga, with viewers both praising and criticising the new, unexpected directions it took the franchise in.
While writer/director Rian Johnson brought many of his own ideas to the table, he also paid homage to what's come before: there are elements of both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi in there, alongside things borrowed and expanded upon from the prequels too. As it turns out, there was even an influence from animated series The Clone Wars, as Johnson revealed in a Twitter exchange recently when asked about the 'Mortis' arc and its connection to The Last Jedi:
While Johnson doesn't outright say how much he was inspired by them or what elements he used, it's easy to see how the two are linked. The 'Mortis' arc, which encompasses three episodes of The Clone Wars' third season - Overlords, Altar of Mortis, Ghosts of Mortis - sees Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, and Obi-Wan Kenobi become stranded on a mysterious planet that is extremely strong in the Force.
The planet has only three inhabitants: the Son, who is strong in the Dark Side; the Daughter, who is Light; and the Father, who represents Balance. The Father has brought Anakin there because he's dying, and wants Skywalker to maintain balance after he does so. Ultimately, however, all three died, bringing a balance of a different sort to the planet.
Given how much the idea of balancing the Force plays into The Last Jedi, there's a clear link here, with Kylo Ren fitting the Son, Rey the Daughter, and Luke as the Father, while "gorgeous" and "boundary pushing" would also be fitting descriptions of The Last Jedi.
The Clone Wars is returning for a seventh season next year, so it'll be interesting to see if balance or any other notions from the sequel trilogy are included in the final run of episodes.