The sequel trilogy may have had a tone of underused material, but the Star Wars saga is still one of the most successful and popular movie franchises in history. The saga takes place in a galaxy filled with countless alien species, but they are all connected through The Force, which creates an energy field around all living things.
In 2008, Lucasfilm released Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and although it has a terrible rating, it led to the creation of an animated TV series. The show started off a bit boring, but over the course of seven seasons, every facet of the series improved. The series has quite a few boring and mediocre story arcs that can be very off-putting. But the series had some really amazing Clone Wars arcs that are quite something to behold.
Updated February 12, 2023, by Ben Painter: Star Wars: The Clone Wars is beloved by many fans of the series, bridging the gap between Episode 2: Attack of the Clones and Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith. The series touched stories revolving around the many clones, breathing some well-needed life into the characters. The series birthed fan-favorite characters Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex, both of whom have made it into live-action continuity. Star Wars: The Clone Wars ran for seven seasons, beginning in 2008 and ending in 2020, after a six-year gap between the 6th and 7th seasons. With 133 episodes, it has had a wide variety of story arcs. This update adds five entries, discussing the best stories the series told
15 The Second Battle Of Geonosis Brought Back A Beloved Movie Moment
Star Wars fans loved the Attack of the Clones scene where the Jedi are corned on Geonosis, only to be saved by their new army of clones. Although the movie wasn't universally loved, there is no argument for that scene being an amazing moment.
With this season two Clone Wars arc, Geonosis returns. The second battle of Geonosis is underway as the Jedi and clone troopers look to finally destroy the droid factory and capture those behind it. The story ties to the wider world of Star Wars with the conclusion, a reveal of plans for a Separatist superweapon. It proves that the Death Star was there from the very beginning.
14 Water War Offered A Different Type Of Battle
An underwater battle hasn't been portrayed in live-action Star Wars, so it is awesome to see one in season 4's opening episodes starting with Clone Wars arc 'Water War.' This story takes place on the planet Mon Cala. The Mon Calamari and the Quarren are on the brink of civil war, and it is up to the Republic to prevent this. But of course, the Separatists have some intervention.
The story shows the Jedi Kit Fisto in his element, an aquatic species of Nautolan, who can thrive underwater. Fisto does so impressively in this arc. It harkens back to his appearance in the original Clone Wars series, which is now no longer canon.
13 Cad Bane Showed Just How Weak Jedi Can Be
Season 2's opening arc shows the first chronological appearance of a new bounty hunter, Cad Bane, whom Darth Sidious hires to retrieve a Holocron from the Jedi Temple. This item has the location of all force-sensitive children in the galaxy.
The stakes are high, and although Cad Bane does not succeed, he constantly has the upper hand over the Jedi and eventually evades them. This foreshadows their defeat and eventual demise. Cad Bane certainly made an impact on Star Wars, showing up in The Book Of Boba Fett. His story is one of the best Clone Wars arcs, as it paints a better picture the Jedi's weaknesses.
12 A Look Into How Clones Were Trained
This arc tugs on the heartstrings. Fans follow a group of Clone Troopers as they begin their training, and eventually their employment in battle. Echo and Fives are the survivors of this group, while Hevy, Cutup, Droidbait and even malformed clone 99 don't make it out of these episodes.
It's an emotional arc, and shows how even though they are literally clones, they are still important. Other clones feel the weight of their deaths much like any other soldiers. To see a specific group of clones like this helps with character and world-building, and it is a perfect example of why Star Wars: The Clone Wars is an amazing series.
11 Yoda's Force Journey Took Him Down A Dark Path
Master Yoda was one of the best characters to come out of the original trilogy, and he received his fair amount of screen time in The Clone Wars. His best story arc comes at the end of season six when he goes on a quest to better understand the Force and how to achieve life after death.
This is how Yoda learned how to become a Force Ghost, and it all started when a dead Qui-Gon Jinn communicated with him. He first traveled to Dagobah, where he confronts a manifestation of his own dark side. He later travels to the Sith homeworld of Moraband where he confronts the spirits of several Sith Lords before battling Darth Sidious alongside Anakin.
10 The Bad Batch Introduced A New Team Of Clones
Clone Wars's final season started with a 4-part story arc that focused on a ragtag unit of clone troopers who were all designed with genetic mutations. Wrecker had enhanced physical traits, while Tech had increased intelligence and mental capacity. Crosshair possessed enhanced eyesight and marksmanship, and their leader, Hunter had enhanced sensory abilities.
This "Bad Batch" was brought in to help the Republic on the planet Anaxes, but the operation soon becomes a rescue mission when Captain Rex realizes that his fellow trooper, Echo, is still alive and in Separatist hands. This arc had great action sequences, and fans got a glimpse of Anakin's dark side when he tortured and killed Admiral Trench. It's also the only Clone Wars arc that spawned a sequel series, the Bad Batch.
9 Young Boba Fett Seeks Revenge On Mace Windu
This was the first time since Return of the Jedi that fans seen Boba Fett. Viewers know now that he survived the Sarlaac Pit, as he had his own series. But this was the first time he reappeared as his younger self, as he looked to get revenge on Mace Windu for killing his father, Jango Fett.
In the final arc of Season 2, starting with "Death Trap," Boba Fett works with bounty hunters as he boards a republic cruiser posing as a young clone cadet. Nostalgia really appeals to fans, and seeing a fan-favorite return makes this one of the best Clone Wars arcs.
8 The Mandalore Trilogy Introduces Fans To The Woman Obi-Wan Loved
Mandalorian history is fairly interesting, and Star Wars fans got to visit Mandalore a few times over the course of The Clone Wars. The entire Mandalore saga began with a 3-part story arc in season 2, and it introduced fans to Duchess Satine Kryze, making this one the best Star Wars: The Clone Wars arcs.
For the most part, Mandalore was a pacifist society during the war, but there were a variety of internal issues thanks to several factions who wanted to return their society to its militaristic roots. Death Watch was one of these factions, and they attempted to usurp Satine multiple times. The Jedi send Obi-Wan to protect her, but he develops feelings for her.
7 The Nightsister Trilogy Saw Asajj Ventress Turn Against The Sith
She may have not appeared in the movies, but Asajj Ventress is one of the best characters to come out of the prequel era. It wasn't until the Nightsister trilogy that fans got an arc that centered around her. The arc starts off with Sidious ordering Dooku to kill Ventress for her repeated failures, and when she escapes, she vows to get vengeance.
She returns to her homeworld of Dathomir, where she uses Nightsister magic to create a new apprentice for Dooku. This led to the creation of Savage Opress, who happened to be Darth Maul's brother. This arc follows a quick pace, but it all pays off with multiple lightsaber fights which made Dooku look unbeatable.
6 The Mortis Arc Delved Into The Force & Anakin's Future
Season 3 of Clone Wars included a 3-part story arc that originally felt out of place, but it is actually an interesting look into the origins of The Force. The arc begins with Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka investigating a 2,000-year-old Jedi distress signal, which strands them on the planet Mortis.
This hidden planet exists outside of normal time and space, and it is home to 3 living beings who each represent one side of The Force. The Brother represents the dark side, and after throwing the Force out of balance, he shows Anakin his future. Anakin resisted, but he eventually succumbed to the dark side, and in order to keep time intact, The Father was forced to erase his memories. One of the best Star Wars: The Clone Wars arcs as it foreshadowed what is to come for Anakin Skywalker.
5 Ahsoka On The Run Showed The Flaws Of The Jedi Order
Star Wars Battlefront 2 has an array of Light Side heroes, but there is one major omission: Ahsoka Tano. Ahsoka is arguably the best character in the series, and the final arc of the 5th season sees her being framed for a bombing at the Jedi temple.
This arc has amazing character development, and aside from the great action scenes, it showed how out of touch the Jedi Order was. Ahsoka ends up clearing her name but refuses to rejoin the order. This leads to an emotional scene with Anakin, who now begins to have doubts about the Jedi himself.
4 The Umbara Arc Proved That Not All Jedi Cared For The Clones
The Clone Wars excelled in showing the various relationships between the Jedi and their clone troopers. Most of these relationships involved respect and admiration, but the Umbara arc proved that not all Jedi were good.
This 4-part story arc, was one of the best Clone Wars arcs, and it saw Captain Rex and his troopers assigned to Jedi master Pong Krell, who sees the clones as nothing more than lab experiments. During the planet's occupation, Rex discovers that Krell is a traitor, and this results in an impressive battle that ends with Krell's capture and death.
3 The Conspiracy Arc Explained Why The Clones Carried Out Order 66
Season 6 started off with a clone trooper killing their Jedi commander on the battlefield. It was during this Clone Wars arc that fans learned that the clones only carried out Order 66 because they all had an inhibitor chip in their head.
Fives is a beloved trooper, and he was the one who almost uncovered the entire conspiracy, but he died before he could reveal the truth to the Jedi. This marked one of the saddest deaths in the entire series, and the entire arc is noteworthy for all of its suspense and tension.
2 The Shadow Conspiracy Arc Put Maul On The Throne
There were several underused characters in the prequels, including Darth Maul, who became a much more fleshed-out character in The Clone Wars. The 5th season sees Maul rise to power and become the ruler of Mandalore and several crime syndicates.
It is during this arc that Maul kills Satine in front of Obi-Wan, and the audience gets to see a distraught Kenobi in mourning. The arc ends with Darth Sidious paying his former apprentice a visit on Mandalore, and the impressive battle ends in Savage's death and Maul begging for mercy.
1 The Siege Of Mandalore Tied Into Revenge Of The Sith
The show's final four episodes focused on the Siege of Mandalore. These episodes took place during the events of Revenge of the Sith, and they managed to tie into the movie seamlessly. Ahsoka agreed to cooperate with the Jedi and free Mandalore from Darth Maul, and this resulted in the best action and lightsaber duel in the series.
The arc also dealt with Order 66, as Ahsoka was forced to defend herself against clone troopers she had been friends with for years. Maul's force powers were on full display, and the shot of Ahsoka standing in front of a mass grave and Darth Vader finding it years later was a haunting way to cap off the series. The best Star Wars: The Clone Wars arc, hands down. Amazing.