TheStar Warsfranchise has expanded exponentially over the last decade. In the years since Disney purchased Lucasfilm, the number of newStar Warsfilms, shows, books, comics, and more has skyrocketed. After the acquisition in late 2012, the decision was made to de-canonize most of the previously existingStar Warsstories that weren’t in the Skywalker Saga to clean up the franchise’s timeline and provide a lot more room to work when developing new stories. One of the few projects to survive the purge ofStar Wars’ extended universewas the animated seriesStar Wars: The Clone Wars, which had been overseen by series creator George Lucas and his padawan Dave Filoni.
TheClone Warsanimated series is beloved among die-hardStar Warsfans, as the show provides a lot of additional backstory and development for the core characters of the prequel trilogy. It fills a lot of the gaps left by the movies and makes the overall era of the prequel films feel a lot more complete and well-thought-out. Because of the show’s success, Disney has continued to place an emphasis on animated series set within theStar Warsuniverse, largely under the creative control of Filoni.
However, as of late, the characters and stories of the animated shows have started to crossover into the live-action shows and movies. Some people have said this decision has needlessly complicated the coreStar Warsstories and burdened audiences with the obligation to go back and watch multiple seasons of several animated shows. Here’s what you need to know about the animatedStar Warsshows and their importance to the overall galaxy.
Updated November 30th, 2023: Those interested inStar Wars' animated universe will be glad to know this article has been updated with even more information.
The History of Star Wars Animation
There have been over a dozen differentStar Warsanimated shows and micro-series over the years, and it can be overwhelming trying to figure out which ones are key and which ones can be skipped. The first animatedStar Warsseries was technically the seriesStar Wars: Droids, which ran on ABC in 1985 and ’86. The animated seriesStar Wars: Ewoksalso ran at about the same time on ABC. Those two shows don’t provide anything of consequence to the overall franchise, but they are available to watch on Disney+ if you’re in the mood for a retro take on the galaxy far, far away.
The next major animatedStar Warsstory premiered on Cartoon Network in 2003, and that was the collection of 2-D animated shorts fromSamurai Jackcreator Genndy Tartakovsky titledStar Wars: Clone Wars(not to be confused with the 3-D animatedStar Wars: The Clone Wars, from Lucas and Filoni). All three of these shows –Droids,Ewoks, andClone Wars– were removed from theStar Warscanon by Disney.
As for Lucas and Filoni’s seriesStar Wars: The Clone Wars, which detailed the wartime events between the filmsEpisode II – Attack of the ClonesandEpisode III – Revenge of the Sith, that show premiered in 2008 following the theatrical release of an animated filmthat served as a pilotfor the show. The series ran uninterrupted until Disney announced in 2013 that the show would be “winding down” as Lucasfilm shifted focus to new films and series. Despite this sudden stop to the series, the decision was made to keep the events of the show as canon within theStar Warsuniverse so that they could be built upon moving forward. The sixth season of the series was eventually released on Netflix in 2014 before the series was revived for a seventh and final season that was released on Disney+ in 2020.
The series that Lucasfilm and Filoni shifted their focus onto afterThe Clone Wars’ seeming cancelation in 2013 ended up beingStar Wars Rebels, which ran for four seasons on Disney XD from 2014 to 2018.Rebelswas set in the five years beforethe originalStar Warsfilm(Episode IV – A New Hope), and many familiar characters from both the original trilogy and Filoni’sClone Warsseries made appearances in the series. Since then, there have been a handful of other canonStar Warsanimated series that have been produced.Star Wars Resistanceran for two seasons on the Disney Channel and served as a prelude to the sequel trilogy of films.
On top of that, there have been three new animated series on Disney+. The biggest of these three isThe Bad Batch, which serves as a direct sequel to Filoni’sClone Warsseries. There have also been two different anthology series. The first,Tales of the Jedi, explores the stories of various Jedi in theStar Warsuniverse. The second,Star Wars: Visions, is a non-canon series that sees various animation studios from around the world given the chance to develop their own miniStar Warsstories in their own style.The Bad Batch,Tales of the Jedi, andVisionshave all been renewed for new seasons that will debut in the next year or two.
Dave Filoni’s Jump to Live-Action
In recent years, Filoni, the chief creative behindThe Clone Wars,Rebels,The Bad Batch,andTales of the Jedi, has become increasingly involved with the live-action side ofStar Wars. On Jon Favreau’sThe Mandalorian, Filoni has served as a producer since its first season. He has remained involved in the series throughout its run, and he has written and directed several episodes in all three seasons.
Additionally, Filoni haswritten all eight episodes ofAhsoka. He is also the series co-creator with Favreau. It makes sense that Filoni would be so thoroughly involved in this series, as he created the character of Ahsoka nearly two decades ago for hisClone Warsseries. He has been the steward of the character ever since, as she has shown up inRebels,The Mandalorian, andThe Book of Boba Fettsince then.
Related:Star Wars: Why Dave Filoni’s ‘Mandoverse’ Movie Could Be the ‘Episode VII’ Fans Always Wanted
TheAhsokaseries also seems to be pulling a lot from Filoni’s second animatedStar Warsseries,Rebels. Numerous lead characters fromRebels, such as Sabine Wren, Ezra Bridger, Hera Syndulla, and Grand Admiral Thrawn, have returned in central roles in theAhsokaseries. This is why some have labeledAhsokaas a fifth season ofRebels.
Do Casual Viewers Need To Watch the Animated Shows?
Considering how much theAhsokaseries is going to pull fromRebels, and how muchThe MandalorianandThe Book of Boba Fetthave already incorporated material from bothThe Clone WarsandRebels, it’s clear to see that Filoni is interested in bringing much of the material from his animated series into live action.
Season three ofThe Mandalorianupgraded Bo-Katan Kryze, a character fromThe Clone WarsandRebels, into what was essentially a co-lead for the show. For reasons like this, many people have begun to question if the animatedStar Warsshows are required viewing at this point. However, Filoni is aware of people’s concerns, and he doesn’t want viewers to feel like they have to do homework in order to understand what is going on inStar Wars.
In aninterview with IGNFiloni pretty firmly said that new viewers don’t need to go back and watch the old animated shows in order to keep up with these newer installments. He stated, “We never want to create a situation where you feel like you have to have seen these things because then you’re missing out… No. You don’t have to have seen [Clone Warsto understandAhsoka].”
Related:Genndy Tartakovsky’s ‘Clone Wars’: Why the Star Wars Microseries is Still Great
He also added thatStar Warsas a whole started withEpisode IV, so the franchise has a long history of throwing audiences into the middle of the story. Filoni is doing the same withAhsokaby jumping directly into the story and letting audiences become familiar with the characters and the world along the way. WhenThe Mandalorianbrought elements from the animated series into live-action, Filoni and Favreau went out of their way to re-establish those characters and stories so that they make sense for new viewers.
Fans Might Get New Star Wars Movies Soon
Star Warsfans who aren’t too happy with the TV shows will only have to wait a little longer to get new feature films.New Jedi Orderis set tostart production in 2024, and it’s set 15 years afterStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.This movie will be crucial in the franchise’s timeline, since it’s a great moment for Rey Skywalker’s return, as the sequel trilogy movie events took place across a full year.
Another movie to be excited about is James Mangold’sDawn of the Jedi. This one will focus on the origins of the Jedi Order and how they made their connection to the Force in the first place. There’s also theMandalorianmovie to look forward to, which Filoni will direct, and that we can expect Jon Favreau to be heavily involved in as well, so there will be something for everybody soon.Stream theStar Warsanimated shows on Disney+.
Ahsokafans can check out some fun facts about the series below:
