A Long Time Ago During the Clone Wars: "Old Friends, Not Forgotten," "Phantom Apprentice," "Shattered" and "Victory and Death"

 Star Wars The Clone Wars

We have reached the end of our journey through the Clone Wars, the series and the actual event. It has been three years since we started it, which is wild. We are also nearing the end of Republic and will be entering an extremely bleak era with the rise and reign of the Empire. These last four episodes are basically a long movie. They do away with the lessons and only the first episode has the series trademark narration. Let's dive into these final four episodes.

"Old Friends, Not Forgotten," Season Seven, Episode 9

Narrator: "Outer Rim, under siege! Separatist forces have launched a major offensive! Led by the evil droid, General Grievous, Republic forces are pushed to the brink. In response to this overwhelming attack, the Jedi Council has dispatched its Generals, sending them for the Core Worlds to bolster the beleaguered clones. On the distant planet of Yerbana, we find Commander Cody of the 212th in desperate need of reinforcements..."

After another daring, crazy plan, Anakin and Obi-Wan are contacted through Fulcrum, but its not Saw Gerrera. It turns out to be Ahsoka and Bo-Katan looking for help to go to Mandalore and stop Darth Maul. The Jedi can't go to Mandalore with Ashoka and Bo-Katan, but Anakin divides the 501st, makes Rex a Commander and sends him them to Mandalore. Can Ahsoka and Bo-Katan take down Maul and his forces or will the Sith lord be too powerful even with their new allies?

Give Ahsoka all the respect.

I didn't think about it until I was watching the final episode in this final arc, but this is the last time we see Anakin Skywalker, pre-Darth Vader in the Clone Wars. It makes every moment that he is on screen in this episode hit a little differently and much, much harder. It's clear that the writers of this episode really wanted Anakin's upcoming fate to really hit super hard because in this episode we get like a greatest hits tour for "The Clone Wars" and Anakin Skywalker.

"The Clone Wars" is known for Anakin's wild antics and crazy plans and we get one final one in this episode. This opening sequence is so good. It feels like classic "Clone Wars." The banter between Obi-Wan and Anakin while they are seemingly at the mercy of the Separatist's droid army. Obi-Wan is doing his put upon Master dealing with his insubordinate Padawan routine. It's great. Anakin claims he's there to surrender but we all know that is not what he is really trying to do. Rex and the rest of the 501st is clinging to the underside of the bridge while Artoo aids Anakin in his act of subterfuge. It calls back to the beginnings of the series when Anakin and Obi-Wan were consistently working together, before they got pulled in their own directions. And this never feels like nostalgia for nostalgia's sake. We all know what's going to happen so it definitely has this bittersweet undertone.

Speaking of bittersweet moments, Anakin and Ahsoka see each other for the first time since the latter left the Jedi Order and them meeting again is both lovely and extremely sad. Anakin is quick to try to use Ahsoka's return looking for help in defeating Maul as a sign that there was a good reason that Ahsoka left the Order. It was to bring down Maul and he seems convinced that once that is done she'll return. That is definitely not the case and Obi-Wan knows it, even if his erstwhile former Padawan does not. 

It is clear pretty quickly that is not Ahsoka's intention. And during this rather fraught conversation the reasons that Ahsoka left the Order become clearer and clearer. Ahsoka deflects Anakin's attempts to catch on and the hurt look that flashes across Anakin's face hurt me. And when Obi-Wan comes in to say they had to actually go save Palpatine who had been kidnapped by Grievous, Ahsoka hits the Jedi with some harsh truths. Reminding them again that they are no longer peace keepers but are in actuality the Chancellor's own private security force. The Jedi try to deflect but its clear Ahsoka's words hit hard. It's all about playing politics and now the Mandalorians who really need their help. I love when Obi-Wan tries to make an excuse that they don't need to be involved in one more war. Come on dude. Bo-Katan makes a valid point when she says "what's one more war?" Ouch.

This conversation isn't all doom and gloom. Anakin desperately wants to help Ahsoka so he makes the decision to split the 501st and make Rex a Commander so he can lead them with Ahsoka as an adviser. He also gives her back her two lightsabers, now with a blue blade. Ugh. They just keep hitting me right in the feels and I don't appreciate it. It is also nice to see that the Clones still have a deep affection and respect for Ahsoka.

The last third of the episode is the high octane action we've come to expect and love from the series. And it is really thrilling and well done with Ahsoka, the Clones and Bo-Katan taking on Maul and his Shadow Collective forces. You may recognize the voice of Gar Saxon. It's the late Ray Stevenson who recently played Baylan Skoll in the live-action "Ahsoka" series. Ahsoka is extremely bad ass when she's leaping from jet to jet. The episode ends with Ahsoka face to face with Darth Maul.

Grade: A

"Phantom Apprentice," Season Seven, Episode 10

Ahsoka pursues Darth Maul throughout Mandalore while the Republic forces attempt to mop up the rest of the Shadow Collective forces. While she is fighting Maul, he reveals that he knows about Darth Sidious and has had a disturbing vision regarding Anakin Skywalker.

Duel of the Fates, Part 2

This episode is a little bit of a tease. It starts off with Ahsoka and Maul facing off and you think that they are going to fight right off the bat. But just kidding. Maul and Ahsoka basically just circle each other and Maul tells Ahsoka about Darth Sidious. After Maul gets away, Ahsoka gets a little bit more information.

The last episode was the last appearance of Anakin and this episode is the last episode that we see Obi-Wan, but it is only in the form of a hologram. Obi-Wan's exposition gives viewers a better idea of the timeline for these episodes. Obi-Wan tells them about Darth Sidious and it's interesting to see Ahsoka's reaction. It's clear that she wishes that she had known but understands being kept out of the loop. Obi-Wan also tells Ahsoka, Rex and Bo-Katan that Count Dooku is dead, beheaded by Anakin. So that would put this episode taking place around the beginning of "Revenge of the Sith."

Obi-Wan tells Ahsoka that the Council has sent Anakin to spy on Chancellor Palpatine because they are worried about how long he's been in power and they are concerned he won't give it up when the Clone Wars are officially over. It's wild that they are just now thinking about this and that they decided to send Anakin as the spy. Ahsoka basically says what we are all thinking when she questions Obi-Wan about this. Obi-Wan wants Ahsoka to talk to Anakin about spying on Palpatine and that is a really manipulative thing to do and I don't love it. And neither does Ahsoka.

There's so much going on in this episode and they do a great job of juggling it. Bo-Katan is worried about Republic forces on Mandalore, but Ahsoka tries to assure her that they will leave once Maul is captured. This feels like foreshadowing for the siege of Mandalore. When Ahsoka finally confronts Maul, he tells her about a vision he had regarding Anakin, which is why he was hoping Obi-Wan would show up with Anakin. He lets Ahsoka know that Anakin is being groomed to be Sidious's apprentice. Ahsoka is initially pretending she'll ally with Maul, but once she hears this, it's a wrap. Despite all that has happened, Ahsoka's blind spot is still Anakin.

Then, we finally get what we have been waiting for: Ahsoka vs Darth Maul and it is worth the wait. I will say this and stand by it forever that I think this is the best lightsaber battle of "The Clone Wars." I love the call back to Maul's fight with Obi-Wan and Anakin in "The Phantom Menace" with the shot of him igniting his dual lightsaber blades. It is so dynamic and really choreographed beautifully and I love how it jumps from location to location. I think it's really cool that it ends far above Manadlore with the two Force users on the beams. And that Ahsoka really uses the Force to pull this out of the bag. 

"The Clone Wars" is known for these really beautiful camera shots and I love the one that ends this episode with Ahsoka standing on the beam when Maul is being taken away with the explosions on the ground behind her.

Grade: A

"Shattered," Season Seven, Episode 11

Ahsoka, Commander Rex and the Clones have Maul in custody. They leave Mandalore to head back to Coruscant which is in upheaval. On the way there, Order 66 is executed. Rex and the clones immediately turn on Ahsoka. Can Ahsoka escape this death sentence and save her friend?

Order 66 comes to "The Clone Wars" but before it's enacted there is clean up happening on Mandalore. Ahsoka has a virtual meeting with the Jedi Council about Maul's capture. She tries to get more information on what is happening, specifically what is going on with Palpatine. The Council is concerned they will have to remove Palpatine forcibly if he refuses to give up his power seeing as how the war looks to be over. Ahsoka tries to get information about what is happening specifically with Anakin and Obi-Wan, but she is still a citizen. And we get one last time of Mace Windu being a giant asshole. If there is one thing that I've realized watching "The Clone Wars" is that Windu is really the worst. He doesn't miss an opportunity to be a giant douchebag and so of course he is quick to throw it in Ahsoka's face that she is just a citizen.

Luckily, Master Yoda is there. One thing the prequels did for me is give me a deeper appreciation for the wizened Jedi Master. There is a reason that Yoda spends so much time with the younglings. He is just very empathetic and he senses there is something Ahsoka wants to say. He asks Ahsoka if she has any messages for Anakin and after some hesitation she says no. She doesn't mention what Maul told her about his vision regarding Anakin. There are so many "what if...?" scenarios in the Star Wars universe and this is another one. Would things have gone differently if Ahsoka had spoken up or was Anakin too far gone at this point?

I think this moment in hyperspace between Rex and Ahsoka is one of my favorite moments in the series. I enjoy when the show hits on these existential questions. Ahsoka reflects that the Jedi were meant to be a peacekeeping force, but from the moment she became a Padawan all she has been is a general. Rex can relate since he was born to be a soldier and he wouldn't exist without the war, which is a wild thing to wrap your head around. Rex is curious what his life will be like without a war. This conversation hits harder because pretty much immediately after they have this really nice moment, Order 66 is enacted and Rex and the rest of the clones are trying to execute Ahsoka for treason. 

It feels like this entire last arc is just a culmination of Ahsoka's growth since her debut and a reminder to everyone just what an amazing warrior and tactician Ahsoka Tano is. When Order 66 hits, Ahsoka doesn't waste anytime. She makes a plan on the fly. She frees Maul to create a diversion so she can work a little more freely. Ahsoka has always been a friend to droids so it's no surprise that she gets droids, R-7, Cheep and G-G to help her. Ahsoka is able to learn about the inhibitor chip through the malfunction that occurred earlier in the series and uses the information to remove the chip from Rex who ends up saving her life.

Grade: A

"Victory and Death," Season Seven, Episode 12

With Darth Maul running rampant on their Star Destroyer, Ahsoka and Rex try to escape the ship and their former allies in the 501st. Will they be able to get to safety or will Order 66 and the newly formed Galactic Empire claim two more victims?

Master and apprentice.

I've talked a lot about how "The Clone Wars" has really excelled when it comes to these really beautiful shots so I thought it was only fitting that we spend our last recap talking about some of them in this final episode.

The final moments of this episode are so great and so sad and tragic but also kind of beautiful. After the Tribunal crashes on to the moon, we see Ahsoka standing in front of graves of dozens of her special Clone force with their helmets on spikes including Jesse. Ahsoka knows that she needs to leave her lightsaber here because it will sell that she is dead. Ahsoka seems extremely reluctant to let her weapon go and it just sort of drives home that no matter what Ahsoka is still a Jedi and still believes in their values even if she left the Order and she feels like they have gotten far away from those values. All these shots are just heartbreaking but are visually really stunning.

The episode ends about two years after the crash where Darth Vader finds the remains of the Tribunal on the now snow covered moon. We see storm troopers in their winter uniforms. Vader finds Ahsoka's fallen lightsaber and lights it. The silhouette of the Sith Lord holding the weapon of his apprentice who he thinks is dead. It's wild. You feel for him. You don't feel for Darth Vader, but you feel for whatever remains of Anakin Skywalker inside that black armor. Vader sees a convor, a species of bird that has a connection to the Force and with Ahsoka, and the final shot of the series is Vader walking away reflected in the visor of the fallen Clone soldier.

The rest of the episode is a pretty high octane chase with Rex and Ahsoka going from one intense situation to another as the try to escape the ship. Rex is ready to do what it takes to survive, but Ahsoka is not willing to kill these men who were their comrade-in-arms a few hours before. This makes Ahsoka burying the soldiers even more emotional since she worked so hard to keep them alive, but couldn't save them.

I think the pacing of this episode really works well. It keeps things moving and wraps up the few loose ends and pushes the remaining characters forward and into the future. Darth Maul escapes after doing some pretty impressive stuff. He takes out multiple soldiers using just the Force and then takes out the entire hyperspace engine with just the Force. It's wild. 

If I had one minor critique with the episode, it's that while I appreciate Ahsoka trying to keep the soldiers alive, the impact is a bit lessened when Maul is killing them indiscriminately because she let him out. Also, there are definitely things that she does that probably causes them to most likely die, but again that is a minor gripe.

All in all, this is a great ending to a truly great series. I truly hope that any "Star Wars" fan watches "The Clone Wars." I have a ton of affection for the prequel era and it's not because of the movies. It is absolutely due to this show and that is really an astonishing accomplishment.

Next up, we are doing a bit of clean up with a graphic novel that is a series of one shots set during the Age of the Republic. We're going to cover the series "Tales of the Jedi" and end with the last of the prequel film novelizations, "Revenge of the Sith."

What do you all think? Did you think this was a fitting end for the show? What are your thoughts on the series as a whole? Let me know in the comments.