Full Series How do you feel about The Clone Wars now that its all over?

I have to be honest, I got bored and careless. This show needed to be as big as the movies, which it some times did, and most times didn't. Some story lines started off interesting, but sort of fell flat, too. In fact, I never even bothered buying the last two seasons. I just don't care enough to have them in my library.

Bottom line is...the show benefitted and suffered from being a kids' cartoon. It contained fast paced action (which looked goofy and ridiculous at times) and story lines that was packed with a lot of silliness, which therefore felt and made it a cartoon. It is what it is, right?

But now we're getting Rebels, which will probably be even worse under the new owners. God, I hope I'm wrong, because this show needs to get more serious and grittier than ever before. The more I see what they've done with this medium, the more I wish they would have just gone with the live action series, instead.

 

Watto: To each their own. I could only stand Dooku and Obi-Wan. Tarkin II tried hard. A for effort but still failed epically. So not Cushing.

 

I think I watched several episodes too fast. Somewhere along the way over the last three seasons the show stopped feeling so important, seemed repetitive, and I haven't admitted it to myself even though I anticipated each episode. I can't remember many episodes, but that's typical of how I respond to many TV shows after a while. I didn't buy the last two seasons either, but mainly because discs just sit on my shelf nowadays.
Ultimately the significance of the show will depend on how its events will be referenced in the next movies, more the core trilogy than the spin-offs. That seems less likely with it being of the Prequel era and with the show being somewhat limited by Episode III's terminus. I always imagined how neat a story idea or detail would have been if it'd been in the Prequels.

 

TCW got better each season, IMHO.
It also helped to improve the Prequels and bring some development into already established characters; Anakin's fall was even more tragic after TCW brilliantly displayed his compassionate and caring side so much.

 

I loved it, I mean sure, some of the episodes weren't fantastic, but it was still a great show, some of the best Star Wars media since ROTS came out, it's a shame there was so many stories still left untold, but this stuff happens. Can't say I'm really excited for Rebels though, I'll give it a fair chance, but it has a lot to measure up to.

 

I didn't like a lot of the stuff they did after season 2, but I miss it on Friday nights.

 

Finished the sixth season yesterday, pretty good for the most part. The only story line I didn't like was the one with Jar Jar, the rest of them were great. I really loved the last story arc with Yoda, that one is in my top three favorite arcs. It actually reminded me of the spiritual teachings Yoda gave Luke in the ESB. While the show deserved a better final season it still got a good ending. Anyone else notice that the series started and ended with Yoda as the central character.

Overall The Clone Wars was a great TV show and I'm sad to see it end, but with the new movies coming out it's time to move on from the Clone Wars. Rebels has a tough act to follow but I'm hopeful.

It would be great to see some characters from TCW cross over into Rebels. I'm not sure if I want to see Ahsoka but it would be cool to see Rex and/or Commander Cody and how they cope with Order 66, maybe they become rebels themselves. I would also like to see Darth Maul come back, for a very limited time, and get the proper end he deserves.

 

After the original film my favorite Star Wars.

 

I'm genuinely surprised you and others like you liked this show as much as you do.

For me the writing is VERY poor. The original trilogy is so far above this in my honest opinion. I actually liked the overall story of the prequel trilogy but feel it was poorly executed whereas a don't even care much for the writing of the Clone Wars.

I find it infuriating that this kids show is considered canon whereas the superior EU stories out there of the clone wars are not.
This cartoon will NEVER be canon in my book. It was a wasted opportunity as a fear Rebels will be.

The show needed better writing. And better consistency in quality.

 

Pretty sure the shows awards would disagree with you about it being poor. I wouldn't really call this a kids show, it's for all ages, just like the entire saga is.

 

The show had consistently weak writing.

 

Some of it I understood but a lot of it was way too confusing. Looking at you, Season 6 (aside from Jar Jar)

 

I absolutely adore this show. I sure am going to miss it, and would much rather get two or so more seasons than a brand new show (Rebels isn't exciting me much yet) but I'm glad TCW went as long as it did. I had great fun watching Star Wars on TV the for the last 6 years.

 

For anyone who doesn't want to read my lengthy post (sorry), let me sum it up: The Clone Wars was like green eggs and ham; I liked it, but didn't expect to.

I agree with much of what has previously been said so far. At the begining, I wasn't expecting much from it, and only occasionally watched. However, I now recognize it was definitly worth watching, especially as I am now able to watch all the episodes on Netflix. In fact, I was actually surprised to find myself watching episode after episode, even though I had only set out to watch some of the more "significant" plots (Mortis, the Yoda episodes). The show turned out to be surprisingly good (this coming from someone who actually despised it to an extent after being forced to accompany my younger brothers to see the movie).

Sure, it wasn't perfect. I was and still am annoyed by some of the show's elements (such as the character rivalries between Grievous and Anakin/Obi-Wan which mimic rivalries of other cartoons), and it contradicting previously established canon, expecially in relation to the movies (it seemed implied that Grievous only first met Anakin and Obi-Wan in ROTS). However, I think some of these annoyances should have been expected, at least to an extent. After all, it was a children's show, thus the general tone of the show. Plus, Star Wars canon is always in motion (like the future). With so many people working on stories within the Star Wars universe, they are bound to trip on one another.

That said, I am sad to see it over. I think the show has served as a wonderful way to keep Star Wars alive, has introduced some amazing characters, and demonstrated some nice character development over time. In comparison to the previous Clone Wars cartoon, I think it was weak in capturing the scale of the clone wars, but better represented the heart of Star Wars in its sense of adventure and exploration of the Force. I hope Rebels manages to even outperform this series.

 

Repeating the terms "bad writing" and "weak writing" over and over again is all well and good, but not an actual critique of the show; it's essentially ad hominem.

 

I heartily disagree, Tarkas. Poor writing is a strong critique of the show and a vast element as to why I will continue to ignore TCW. Writing is central to the conveyance and plot of a story. It's vital and a huge factor in how some consider if something works for them or not.

 

It's only as strong as it is well extrapolated upon, and where it is not extrapolated upon at all it is essentially ad hominem and meaningless.

 

You are welcome to your view, of course. I simply disagree.

 

There are a select number of TCW episodes (4 or 5, depending on my mood) that I hold in the highest regard, and that I consider to be terrific stories, Star Wars-related or otherwise. For those episodes alone I'm appreciative of the show's existence and the creative effort that went into it.

...And then there's the rest.
I've always felt like I want to like the show more than I actually do, which is really a shame considering how much time I've spent on it. For me personally, aside from those episodes that I love, the show never really gripped me in any kind of meaningful manner. Week after week I would tune in, be briefly entertained, and then be left with little to no lasting impression of the episode I'd just watched.

I suppose I'm just kind of ambivalent towards the show now that it's over. It was rarely great, occasionally terrible, and frequently just okay.

 

I really enjoyed TCW and it pretty much played the way I wanted the PT to play. In fact, it saved the PT for me.

I rate it highly amongst the films: ESB, ANH, TCW, AOTC, ROTJ, ROTS, TPM.

 

At the very least, it saves time on what would be a massive post, similar to saying you didn't like the look of the show, or found this or that character to be derailed or underdeveloped, and don't go further in depth. I'm fairly certain that anyone who has a problem in one area, could go on about it for some time, and doesn't to conserve space and avoid appearing like they're ranting. Same with many who like something and don't go further into it. That's how it is for me anyways.

 

DarthJenari Sure, it saves time when posting, but doesn't carry any weight in a disagreement.

I would say the same exact thing as long as I'm allowed to leave out certain episodes, except for me it would be ANH > ESB > TCW. If I have to count every TCW episode it still ranks above and saves the PT as a whole, but I would probably rank it ANH > ESB > ROTS > ROTJ > TCW > TPM > AOTC. Leaving out certain episodes like Bombad Jedi, Evil Plans, and the S5 droid arc brings the quality of the average episode way up in my opinion. As I've said before the great advantage TCW has over the movies is that since it is a very episodic series you have the option to skip chunks that you don't like without it becoming awkward (like watching a film and fast-forwarding through chunks is), and it's still official unlike a fan-edit.

 

Took awhile to get going but the seasons increased in quality pretty much every time (S6/S5 are kind of a toss up). Once in awhile, it hit a genius apex of compelling TV. Once they settled into the "arc" structure it basically made an animated movie every 4 episodes. Definitely one of the better animated series, Star Wars or not, to be produced. Also, it was freakin' gorgeous which is something you can't say about most TV animated series.

 

Now that TCW is over, I would have to say that while it was a show that had its ups and downs―and its highs were often stupendous, while its lows were sometimes cringeworthy―overall, it was one I don't regret watching and one that I feel is very much a part of the greater Star Wars universe, practically right up there with the films. The episodic nature of the series, as Tarkas noted, worked to both its advantage and its disadvantage. There were so many stories told, many characters explored (despite the latter seasons' focus mainly on the Big Three), that it could appeal to many different types of people, much like the films did. Only because each episode was only 22-odd minutes in length, one can choose to focus on those stories that appeal to themselves, while choosing to minimize or disregard those that don't hold that same appeal, unlike in the case of a single film. Of course, the nonlinearity of the stories and the fact that character development was rather haphazardly expressed over the course of the show could be considered notable cons.

One of the show's biggest strengths was to develop the relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan, and even Anakin's relationship to his Padawan Ahsoka helped to further shape his character into the person he eventually becomes in RotS. I also enjoyed the way TCW portrayed the clones, and it really did a good job of fleshing out their characters and making them far more relatable than in the films. I also enjoyed that the show wasn't afraid to explore other events outside the general scope of the war, like the exploits of bounty hunters, the Nightsisters, Mandalorians, and yes, even the reemergence of Darth Maul, a storyline that emerged out of a questionable idea but ultimately paid off in its excellent execution. OTOH, you also had episodes focusing on Jar Jar Binks or the droids as major characters, and those, IMO, tended to be far more forgettable, or downright disastrous (Season 5's droid arc). The show's handling of the EU could also have been far better, but I put the blame on George Lucas' executive meddling there. Overall, I thought the EU for the most part was salvageable from nearly all the retcons introduced by TCW.

Ultimately, I enjoyed this series far more than I didn't, so I'd probably look back at it years from now with a sense of nostalgia, and would definitely recommend the series to other fans of Star Wars, both hardcore and casual.