It has been a special time for Star Wars as one of its most beloved shows, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, is coming to an end this Monday, May 4th. However, the final episode for the series won't be the only thing to release on Star Wars Day. Also set to stream that day on Disney+ is the first installment of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and new concept art and posters to commemorate the entirety of the franchise. It's clear that Disney is taking full advantage of the countless viewers The Clone Wars will bring in to the streaming service, for it has been a centerpiece for the fandom since 2008. As its journey nears the end, it's clear how important it was to the creative team to get these last stories from George Lucas right, and so far they have done just that. With one more episode to go, the series' showrunner has shared a bit more information in creating this final arc and its connection with the saga films.
NEWS
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, The Mandalorian director and supervising director for both Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, Dave Filoni, talks about the main focus of show's final season and showing different point of views for central plot-points of the prequel films. When asked if fans will see aspects of Ep. III: Revenge of the Sith differently after watching the series finale, Filoni answered by saying that this would be "inevitable." In discussing key questions for the show to confront, Filoni had this to say:
I was trying to get at answering what Ahsoka's story was about, what Rex's story was about, giving those a shape. George covered Anakin's story in the film, so I've tried to always work in support of that, but then also give a point of view on it that comes from these other characters that know him, or other characters that are around him, while not changing the nature of what George's messaging for Star Wars was in Anakin's path...I'm trying to give a big perspective on the Jedi in this war that they fought, and how the galaxy up became an empire, in greater detail than had been done before.
He was then asked about how the series interacts with the prequel-ending film, Revenge of the Sith, and what ways it plays a part in the story:
But there's nothing that I show that wasn't something that I learned from watching the film or from George... I feel a lot of what I've brought to light is actually already in the structure of the films themselves and what is said about the Jedi in the film and how they begin to believe their ability to use the Force is somehow being limited. That their vision is clouded.
Filoni goes on to mention how interesting it was to dissect the Jedi in this era of Star Wars, and how he focused on building around the story set forth in the films. He desired to tell a "coinciding story that frames where some of these people that weren't in the films are." In conjunction with that statement, he felt inclined to answer certain questions for the audience like "where were these guys? Ahsoka seemed like she was important, so was she invited to join the Sith? Where was Rex? I felt like that needed an answer because they were...obviously such a big part of Anakin and Obi-Wan's life."
WHAT THIS MEANS
There's a lot to analyze in this interview, but most of Filoni's comments are similar to what he's said before. The first eight episodes of the seventh season centered in on who he saw as the main protagonists of the show: Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex. The Bad Batch arc was to demonstrate how far Rex has come in this story. The Martez sisters' arc showed how Ahsoka has dealt with life outside of the Jedi Order, and to what degree the Jedi's actions in the war has affected the very people they are trying to protect. It has all built to the Siege of Mandalore and Order 66, which plays a crucial role in these final episodes, especially today's new chapter titled "Shattered."
So far, Filoni and the team at Lucasfilm have spectacularly accomplished their goals in building upon the pre-existing story that Lucas delivered in the prequels in this season. They've fleshed out the Jedi's downfall and blindness to Palpatine's hidden power in the previously mentioned episode, and both "Old Friends Not Forgotten" and "The Phantom Apprentice." While much has happened in these recent installments, the journey of these pivotal Star Wars characters continues with May 4th's final chapter, "Victory and Death," exclusively on Disney+.
