Disney Plus released the season seven premiere of the animated series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” in late February. Since then, they have released two episodes per week, delighting fans with the show so far.
Fans were first treated with the news of the final season in 2018, at the San Diego Comic-Con. Previously, the series was canceled in 2012 after Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm, with the seventh season left on the cutting room floor. When its return was announced six years later, fans were ecstatic.
It should be warned that there are spoilers ahead.
Season seven has not disappointed thus far, with action-packed episodes and the return of a beloved character who dates back to the first season. Echo, a clone trooper who was presumed dead in season three, returns after Captain Rex and his crew rescue him from Separatist capture.
This season has also introduced new characters and new planets, mainly a squad of mutated clones who call themselves the Bad Batch, and never-before-seen planets Anaxes and Skano Minor.
The new season has already topped previous seasons in the fans’ eyes, but episode three may be one of the series’ most suspenseful to date.
With an opening that leaves viewers uncertain about the fate of the newly rescued Echo and escalates into an intense escape, viewers are glued to their screens. The daring escape features the clones tightrope walking across a pipeline that is suspended in the air and jumping onto the backs of winged aliens called Keeradaks.
The escape is followed by a battle between the clone squad and their new allies, the Poletecans, and a battalion of the D-wing air support droids in a Poletcan village.
The first two episodes of the new season were spent introducing the Bad Batch, following their mission with Captain Rex and Anakin Skywalker to locate a clone they believed to be captured by the Separatist army and used for intel. The drama and tension was palpable as Captain Rex searches for his friend and decides he would make any sacrifice necessary to find him, even if that meant putting his troops in danger.
To many, this is the type of action that reminds fans why they fell in love with Star Wars in the first place. The storylines, character development, drama, and of course, the action are all brought together to create one enchanting show. Season seven has gone back to this winning formula to produce compelling plotlines and an abundance of clone versus droid combat.
Richard Guillen, a senior at Cal State Fullerton, said he is pleased with the new characters and the evolution of the show. “It feels like it’s aged with the audience,” he said.
For many fans, including Guillen, the best part about the “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” is the exploration into the minds of the clones themselves, and this season in particular has done a great job at that.
“They really gravitated to the psychology of the clones. They sort of did that in the other seasons, but I feel like this one they really talk about who they are as people, and I think it’s kind of interesting that they’re soldiers as clones. Like, each of them is the same but different. It’s an interesting way to look at wars in general.” Guillen said.
The show’s graphic animation has improved as the first season came out in 2008, almost 12 years ago. Seasons 1-3 were designed in roughly the same manner, with blocky characters and an almost-empty world, but that changed in the following seasons.
Although they may have lacked in plot development, the later seasons more than made up for it with their improved animation. The animation style turned into something that closely resembled the movies. There was much more life-like detail in the characters and a more natural look to alien planets. The animation has improved even further into the new season, leaving many fans pleased.
The next episode of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” comes out this Friday on Disney Plus.
