You’ve gotta watch these. You have to.
The Star Wars universe is massive. We’ve got nine super-long movies that all tell one huge, continuous story about a deep space beef brewing between a family of space samurai.
That’s what makes it so good, when you boil it all down. But the thing that makes the universe so great is all of the extended content that we got from it. Part of that are the two Star Wars animated series: The Clone Wars and Rebels.
I’m a huge fan of both. I swear by these. If I’m being completely honest with you, I think the Rebels series might be my favorite story ever told in Star Wars lore.
With that being said, cartoons are generally not for adults. Especially not massive ones like these. That’s understandable. It’s also why I’m here to help.
What follows is a complete guide to the Star Wars animated universe. The things you need to know, the episodes you need to watch, where they fit in the timeline and why they matter. All right here.
It’s coming right on time, too. You’re going to need something to watch with The Rise of Skywalker coming out this week and The Mandalorian ending soon. This will quell your appetite, I promise. You’re welcome in advance.
Let’s start with The Clone Wars.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Seasons: Six (Soon to be seven)
Years running: 2008-2014
A quick summary
The Clone Wars series takes place between the during the three years between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, pulling us into Anakin Skywalker’s prime as a Jedi Knight and general for the Republic. He also has his own apprentice — Ahsoka Tano.
The timeline centers around the relationship between these two and their developing relationship that, at times, keeps Skywalker from seeping into the dark side. At others, it pushes him closer to it. It also dives a bit deeper into Skyalker’s forbidden love affair with Padmé Amadala and the perils of the Clone War.
It’s gets a bit lengthy— each season is about 22 episodes and there are six of them. The series is also still incomplete, but a seventh season is on the way on Disney+.
Why it’s worth the watch
This series takes every little detail and character of the clone wars and blows them up into an even bigger story. Honestly, did you know Anakain had an apprentice? Did you know Darth Maul actually survived his fight with Obi-Wan? Those are extremely important things that The Clone Wars touches on that you can’t get in a two hour movie.
This gives us amazing perspective on Skywalker that we didn’t really get in the prequels. It’s him in his prime — just before he goes all Vader on us. We see him as a teacher, as a student, as a lover and as a warrior. We also see, very clearly, how he was eventually driven to the dark side and how his passion to protect became his ultimate downfall. It’s an incredible story.
It also gives us, in my opinion, one of the best characters Star Wars has to offer in Ahsoka Tano. She’s incredibly wise and gifted at such a young age just like her master was. She also saw through the Republic before, basically, anyone else did and left the Order. Just a fascinating character.
My favorite episodes
- The Wrong Jedi — Season 5, episode 20
- Ghosts of Mortis — Season 3, episode 17
- Brothers — Season 4, episode 21
Star Wars: Rebels
- Seasons: Four
- Years running: 2014-2018
A quick summary
Rebels is set 14 years after the fall of the Republic in Revenge of the Sith and five years before A New Hope begins. The Galactic Empire firmly in control of the galaxy and they’re in the middle of hunting down any survivors of the Order 66 as well as any force sensitive children.
One of those children is our main character, Ezra Bridger, who lives on the planet Lothal under the empire’s control as a trickster. Bridger’s parents were imprisoned by the empire after sparking up rebellion on Lothal. Eventually, Bridger is discovered by a group of rebels who all become our main protagonists. Kanan Jarrus, a former Padawan who escaped Order 66, decides to train Bridger and teach him about the Force as they travel with the Phoenix Squadron and wreak havoc all over the empire.
Why it’s worth the watch
If you love the concept of the force, you’ll absolutely love this show. It dives head first into it, breaking the boundaries that we thought we knew before from the first two trilogies before it. We see strong force connections through nature and wildlife, a blind Jedi, telekinesis, time travel and more.
It also thoroughly shows us how the empire was operating. We see what Vader was up to before A New Hope began — even before Rouge One. He and his Inquisitors were literally cutting down Jedi stragglers and force babies.
The main antagonist is Grand Admiral Thrawn — a genius strategist who outsmarts the rebels at every turn until the very end. He absolutely hates the Jedi order and will do anything to destroy it, so this is all right up his alley. He’s a charismatic, yet, creepy villain who will captivate you and bother you to your core all at once.
More than anything else, you’ll love this because it’s a story about Jedi outside of the Skywalker order. Vader and Palpatine do make appearances here, but this is FINALLY a story that isn’t about them. Bridger, Jarrus and company are front and center here. They travel the galaxy, avoiding the empire and helping everyone at all costs. For once it’s very much about the themes of hope, family, honor, valor and justice that surrounded the Jedi Order and not the universe’s biggest family feud.
My favorite episodes
- Twilight of the Apprentice 1 & 2 — Season 2, Episode 20
- Twin Suns — Season 3, Episode 19
- Jedi Knight — Season 4, Episode 10
- A World Between Worlds — Season 4, Episode 13
- Trials of the Dark Saber — Season 3, Episode 14
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