CS Daily Archive > The Big Picture > 5/20/05

Mind the Gap:
How Clone Wars Bridges Star Wars's Final Chapters

by jason davis

When did Anakin become a Jedi Knight? What's with the Jedi leading clone troopers to battle on distant worlds? Who the heck's this General Grievous, anyway? If these are questions that crossed your mind during a screening of Episode III, it's likely that you've missed the best Star Wars material all year. Welcome to the Clone Wars.

Cartoon Network's animated series, Clone Wars, fills the gap between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith with twenty-five short segments detailing the epic struggle that was once merely a piece of backstory given lip service by a retired General Kenobi. Shortly after the battle of Geonosis, depicted in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, the Jedi take up the leadership of clone armies to battle the separatist forces of Count Dooku.

Across the first twenty five-minute segments, Anakin's Jedi skills are finally honed as he faces Count Dooku's deadly apprentice, Asajj Ventress, on the fourth moon of Yavin, while his master defeats the corrupt banking clan and its droid forces. Meanwhile, Yoda undertakes a mission to rescue a sacred Jedi temple from destruction. Here, the series lays the foundation for the coming fall of the Jedi with one of their most sacred spaces threatened. Across the stars, a group of Jedi face the skilled cyborg assassin, General Grievous, and only the lucky survive.

The second series, consisting of five fifteen minute installments, finds the characters in the garb you'll see them wearing in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Anakin's Padawan braid is clipped by Yoda in a knighting ceremony that signals the end of his apprenticeship. The braid is conveyed to his secret wife, Padmé, who places it with the necklace he gave her in Episode I.

From this point on, Anakin and Obi-Wan behave more as equals, though the latter will take a seat on the Jedi Council. The threat of General Grievous continues as the Jedi fight numerous battles to maintain the Republic in the face of Separatist advancement.

In a daring attack, Dooku's forces launch an all-out assault on the capital world of Coruscant. Despite the efforts of several Jedi, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine is kidnapped. Returning from the outer rim upon hearing of the siege, it's up to Kenobi and Skywalker to rescue the politician from the clutches of Grievous and Dooku…which leads right into the opening scene of Episode III. Isn't continuity grand?

At the age of 21, Jason Davis was hit in the face with a car. He has since devoted his life to writing. His words have appeared on TBS, MSN.com, and CS Daily, where he serves as DVD Coordinator. He lives in Burbank.

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