Obi-Wan holds Anakin’s robotic arm up for the villagers to see, starting Anakin on a path to self-discovery.įollowing ‘the wind’ to a cave with a series of drawings on the wall, Anakin is sent into a kind of psychotic trance. As the village elder looks into the fires for guidance, he sees that a champion with a ‘ghost hand’ should fight for them. While on the planet Nelvaan, Anakin and Obi-Wan help out some locals (after Anakin interrupts a coming of age ritual). Meanwhile it also brings in some interesting parallels as it sets up the juxtaposition of biology vs tech.Īnakin faces his final challenge in becoming a Jedi in an unorthodox fashion.

Star Wars has often flirted with ideas of fatalism vs free will but the animated series goes further in looking at Anakin’s perception of himself as being the decisive factor in his turning to the dark side.

What sets Clone Wars apart from many other kids cartoons and even parts of the Star Wars expanded universe is the way it explores ideas of identity and destiny. While the battles are fun and well directed (by animation legend Genndy Tartakovsky), when the story delves into more plot and character driven sequences, some truly intriguing commentary is made. The second volume has far more character development, focusing more on Anakin’s growth and his ascension from Padawan to the rank of full Jedi. The first volume is mostly concerned with action – extensive battle sequences with little plot or character development. The show aired in three seasons though is now available in two volumes: volume 1 covering seasons 1 and 2, volume 2 being season 3. The series was so successful it launched the Clone Wars series that ran from 2008-2014. Star Wars: The Clone Wars was created to tell the story between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, airing from 2003-2005.

Of course, it wasn’t terribly difficult to create something better than George Lucas’s wooden prequels. It is rare that something created as a kind of advertisement for its parent production actually outperforms the original in terms of critical response.

Star wars clone wars 2003 volume 1