10 Best Star Wars: The Clone Wars Episodes
The very best in the Galaxy...
Star Wars: The Clone Wars was an animated TV series that ran for seven seasons, starting in 2008 and coming to an end earlier this year. It was initially cancelled, unfinished, during the sixth season in 2014, before being picked up for a definitive ending by Disney+.
All told, The Clone Wars was a phenomenal show, and without question one of the best entries in the Star Wars canon. Filling in the blanks between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, it followed a wide variety of characters during the titular wars, when the Republic attempted to stop the spread of the evil Separatists.
Primary focus was shone on Anakin Skywalker, Ob-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Clone Captain Rex and Anakin's new Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, but under-explored characters such as Mace Windu, Kit Fisto, Plo Koon and the clones also took centre stage during the show's run, brilliantly expanding on the world of Star Wars and adding more texture to the films.
Over its 133 episodes, the show re-defined the way fans looked at Star Wars and the characters that inhabit it, adding many layers to Obi-Wan's background, Anakin's descent into darkness, Grevious' rise to power and Count Dooku's leadership of the enemy forces.
Whether focused on sweeping action sequences, stunning fan service, or quiet stories exploring the Galaxy in more depth than the films had a chance to, here are the 10 best episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Some spoilers follow.
10. Revival (Season 5, Episode 1)
In the season four finale, Obi-Wan Kenobi comes face to face with his old nemesis, Darth Maul. Only he's not a Sith Lord anymore, but a free agent after power, shunned by his old master and broken by the events of The Phantom Menace.
In Revival, Obi-Wan and Jedi Master Adi Gallia are sent after Maul and his vicious brother Savage Opress, who have taken control of a small band of pirates on the planet Florrum. There, Obi-Wan and Gallia duel with the brothers and cross paths with reluctant ally Hondo Ohnaka, a pirate lord who has a colourful past with Kenobi. In the fight, Gallia is killed by Opress and Obi-Wan is forced to take them both on alone.
It's a striking episode, full of exciting duels and offering an insight into just how strong a Jedi Obi-Wan is, as he defeats Opress and manages to escape Maul once more.
Outside of the duels, Revival also sees the rare death of a Master Jedi and sets in motion the brothers' eventual arrival on Mandalore, which would become a major aspect of the show's final season.