Top 10 Episodes Of ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’

Star Wars

Apr 6

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is still one of the most successful series in the Star Wars franchise. The series not only received critical acclaim, but it also was and still is a fan favorite. The series follows the events that take place after Episode II - Attack of the Clones and before and during Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. It gives fans an in-depth look at how Palpatine turned Anakin to the dark side, how impactful Padme was during her time as a Galactic Senator, introduced us to Ahsoka Tano, and made us fall in love with the Clone Troopers. The series ran from 2008 to 2014 on Cartoon Network and was then picked up by Disney+ to run a final season in 2020. While most of the 133 episodes are incredible, there are a few that stand above the rest. Let’s take a look at ten of the best episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. WARNING!! This article will contain spoilers for all seven seasons of the series!!

10. S4 E10 - Carnage Of Krell

The Umbara arc is one of the most difficult arcs in the entire series for me personally because of how General Pong Krell treats the Clones. Throughout the arc, Krell sends the Clones to their deaths under the guise of orders that they must follow. In the final episode of the arc, Rex finally stands up to Krell and refuses to follow through with the execution of his men, and that sets an entire series of events into motion. While it is not stated in the arc, it feels like a calculated plan by Palpatine to get the entire 501st, but especially Captain Rex, off the board so that he would have a more direct path to Anakin. The entire arc shows how willing the Clones are to follow orders, but it also shows that they are loyal to each other first, and that is one of the best things about them.

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9. S3 E1 - Clone Cadets

I wanted to include this episode on this list because it is an episode that dives deep into who the Clones are and what their training looks like. I love the Clones, and I am not a fan of the fact that most of the time they are only seen as mindless soldiers. In this episode, we meet Domino Squad who are struggling to work together and graduate from their training. Throughout the episode, we also get to meet 99 who is by far one of the most important Clones in the entire series. During the final arc in the series, Anakin tells Ahsoka that “loyalty means everything to the clones,” and this episode embodies that.

8. S2 E10 - The Deserter

It is no secret that the Clones are my favorite characters in all of Star Wars, and this is one of their best episodes. In this episode, we meet Cut and his family who are living on a remote planet far from the war. After his entire company is killed during the first battle of Geonosis, he decides to leave his life as a soldier and start a new life as a farmer. Rex is put in their care after he is injured, and during the night he spends with the family, he is forced to decide whether he is going to turn Cut into the Republic for deserting or if he is going to accept the fact that not every Clone wants to be a puppet for the Republic. It is a fascinating episode that develops Rex into the character that we all know and love.

7. S3 E10 - Heroes On Both Sides

It has been made clear by most Star Wars fans that they hate the politics that were brought into Star Wars during the prequels, but I am not one of those people. I love the politics in Star Wars, and I think that it makes the franchise more interesting. This episode is one of my favorites because it not only put Padme front and center but also gave us a look inside the Separatist Senate. In most of the franchise, Padme is the one that is obeying all of the rules, but in this episode, she breaks the law and gets Ahsoka to help her because she is hopeful that it will lead to an end of the war. This episode is also the first time that we get to see who the Separatists actually are since we typically only see Dooku, the Banking Clan, and a few other aliens under Dooku’s rule. In this episode, we meet the actual people who call themselves Separatists and realize that their senate is being controlled by Dooku in the same way the Galactic Republic’s Senate is being controlled by Palpatine.

6. S7 E 1- The Bad Batch

Yes, the entire arc where Echo is rescued is incredible, but this episode is the best because it gives us The Bad Batch. I would love to give a great breakdown and reason as to why this is the best episode in the arc, but my only reason for putting this one on the list is that I got Clone Force 99, and that is one of the best things to happen in this entire series.

5. S6 E4 - Orders

Before The Clone Wars, we had only ever seen how Order 66 impacted the Jedi. We never got to see how it impacted the Clones and if there were any hiccups in Palpatine’s plan. This entire arc is incredible, but it is the final episode of the arc that is the best. Fives has figured out that the Clones are all being controlled by an inhibitor chip, and as a result, Palpatine frames him after revealing his entire plan to him. Fives does everything he can to tell Rex and Anakin about what is coming, but Nala Se has drugged him so his thought process is being impacted. He is able to tell Rex enough to convince him that something is wrong, but he is killed before he can reveal everything. This episode brought to light what the Clones were going through as we got closer to the execution of Order 66.

4. S5 E14 - Eminence

Darth Maul is one of the most interesting and underutilized characters in all of Star Wars. In the prequels, we only see him for a brief moment, and he is simply a puppet for Palpatine to use. In Clone Wars, we get to see just how far he has fallen before we see him rise from the ashes as a formidable adversary to the Jedi. My favorite of Maul’s episodes is this one because it is one of the only times that we get to see how smart and cunning he is. He not only tricks Death Watch into believing that he is going to help them, but he also is able to bring all of the major crime syndicates together and convince them to follow his every order. I wish that we could have gotten more of this version of Maul in live-action.

3. S7 E9-12 - Siege Of Mandalore Arc

Siege O Mandalore — Image Source: *Star Wars*

The finale of this series is the most impactful I have ever seen. I chose to lump these episodes together because they should be watched concurrently like a movie rather than split up like a regular show. Ahsoka’s battle with Maul on Mandalore is one of the most visually stunning battles in all of Star Wars. We also see Ahsoka’s reaction to Anakin’s fall, the death of Padme, and the Clones turning when Order 66 is initiated. There has never been a more impactful series of episodes ever created, and that is a hill I will happily die on.

2. S5 E19/20 - To Catch A Jedi & The Wrong Jedi

Ahsoka and Anakin — Image Source: *Star Wars*

There is no way to pick which of these two episodes is better because they are both so impactful. In episode 19, we get to see Asajj Ventress return to the series but not as a Sith, and we get our first glimpse of the real her. This is also the first time that we get to see Ahsoka making decisions that are not impacted by the Jedi Code. In episode 20, we see Ahsoka choose herself over Anakin and the Jedi Order. We also see just how far the Jedi Council is willing to go to protect their image. They are not the “good guys” that we have always been led to believe they are. Instead, they are a group of cowards who happily throw one of their own under the bus the second it could look bad for them. These episodes together not only paint a completely different picture of the Jedi, but they also show us that being a Jedi isn’t always the right choice.

1. S3 E17 - Ghosts Of Mortis

The entire Mortis arc needs to be watched, but this episode is by far the best in the arc. As Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan are planning to escape, Anakin decides that he has to help the Father defeat the Son. While he is facing the Son, he is shown exactly who he is destined to become, and we hear audio from the films of his transformation into Darth Vadar. The revelations end with Darth Vader’s mask appearing behind Anakin, and him deciding to join the Son to defeat the Sith and keep himself from becoming Vader. I won’t spoil how this episode ends, but it is one of the most impactful episodes in the series.

You can currently stream Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie and series on Disney+.

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