If You’re Having Droid Problems I Feel Bad For You, Son, I Got 99 Problems But A Sith Ain’t One

Ahem: The Clone Wars, Ladies And Gentlemen

Allow me to say, dear reader, that I was against this show when it first came out.

Adamantly, vehemently opposed in fact.  

I, like many, thought the show’s very existence was nothing more than a shallow cash grab to capitalize on a fairly “meh” animated movie.

That being said, I freaking love this show. Hell the world loves this show.

One may ask: why? Is it the gorgeous animation? The beautiful choreography? The impressive special effects that rival the actual movies?

Well, partly, but the true strength and enduring appeal of The Clone Wars is the amount of character development that takes place over the series for both primary and secondary characters.

The prequels now hold sacred meme status within the internet and are marginally accepted as having some few redeemable qualities. However, for a long time they were generally considered to be train wrecks filled with inconsistent tone, wooden acting, and an over reliance on CGI, politics, and trade agreements.

While I never held to the idea that they were totally unenjoyable (Jango Fett was my favorite in middle school as Boba was before him) I wholeheartedly agreed that they didn’t hold a candle to the Original Trilogy.

Hence my eye rolling disregard of the animated series as a whole right up to the day I was babysitting two of my nephews and saw the episode where (spoilers) Heavy sacrifices himself. As a pack of commando droids ruthlessly gave a clone the coup de gras I did an actual double take and found myself as invested in the plot as my nephews. There happened to be a marathon going on the show on Cartoon Network and we sat enraptured, spellbound.

Good Night, Sweet Prince.

You see, dear reader, The Clone Wars has a running theme that the clones (while all having the same face, age, and genetic material) actually grow via their unique life experiences to have unique personalities. The showrunners managed to take CGI cannon fodder and make you actually care.

Think about what I just said.

Not only is that a hell of an accomplishment but it also adds an almost cruel level of poignancy when you watch some of the battle scenes from the clone’s perspective. Suddenly you realize how traumatic it would be to watch hundreds of thousands of people you know who look exactly like you, who share many of your same mannerisms and thought processes, get turned into mulch.

Yeah This Wouldn’t Be Traumatic AF Or Anything

Clones have identity crises, pose existential questions about whether any of them matter, show war weariness at seeing their ever thinning ranks, and posit complex questions such as “how would one feel about a war without whos start one would never have been born?” and “what happens to those bred for war once they achieve peace?”

It all leads to an increase in self-identity, something that shines through by the Clones all adapting various names in place of the serial number given to them at birth, a small display of the nurturing positive influence of the Jedi even in times of war. No longer are they nameless and no longer are their sacrifices weightless. The Clones are given meaning, purpose, and (after order 66) redemption.

But not only the clones get some much needed attention in this series, dear reader. Take, for instance, the characters of Obi-Wan and Anakin.

Now don’t get me wrong, Ewan McGregor’s mimicking of Ian McGuiness’ performance and mannerisms were the perfect young Obi-Wan but the show uses the movies as a catalyst, taking the opportunity to delve into Obi-wan’s past and show some internal conflict he had with love, being a jedi, and training Anakin.

As to Anakin himself….good god. Suddenly you know why Anakin was considered by everyone to be a hero. It wasn’t because he was good at fighting or because he had a high midichlorian count. No, dear reader, it was because he was noble.

The Feels In This Scene.

The show does an amazing job of showing him committed to doing the right thing, but gives him an impetuosity that comes from being naturally gifted. Anakin is likeable, funny, good-hearted, and capable of great things. The show also does a tremendous job of foreshadowing his fall to the dark side, throwing in occasional hints that he is capable of great violence when those he loves are threatened. Suddenly you don’t want him to turn into Darth Vader even as you know he inevitably will. The show’s portrayal makes his fall that much more tragic as you watch him edge closer and closer to the Dark Side all while making bad decisions for good reasons. 

While “the clone wars” was almost a throw away plot device in the movies, after you watch this series the clone wars matter. They become tragic, heart-warming, real. Relationships evolve, break, are remade. Seeing the bond between jedi and clone (and between clone and clone) the knowledge that everything you’re watching will eventually end in tragedy makes it all the more pure in its portrayal of comradeship, nobility, and the horrors of intergalactic war.

If you haven’t seen the show give it a try.

You won’t regret it.