I'm not making this thread to bash on the newer Clone Wars, I love that show as well, but I just need to gush about this absolutely incredible and widely forgotten piece of Star Wars. If you don't know what this is, I very highly recommend it, you can watch the whole thing on YouTube in about 2 hours: This show. This show is just the best. I really don't even know where to begin, so I'm just going to break up the main talking points into different sections. Plot in general: For those of you who don't know, the 2003 Clone Wars was created by Genndy Tartakovsky, the man behind "Samurai Jack" and "Primal", and it really shows in Clone Wars. The animation and general style of storytelling are very similar. In Clone Wars, there is very little dialogue, and it works so well. Tartakovsky uses visuals to get the idea across and develop characters, specifically Anakin Visuals: The art for this show is amazing. It's heavily stylized, but it just looks so good on everything. Tartakovsky also greatly exaggerates battle scenes and force powers, which can be argued is inaccurate, but it displays the magnitude of the war very well and reminds us that the Jedi and Sith are the most capable warriors in the galaxy, and are talked about just as mystically as the Force itself. Anakin: Like I said before, the main development of Anakin's character is shown through his actions. This version of the character is actually pretty different than the 2008 Clone Wars version, and is one of my issues with the newer show. In both versions of the Clone Wars, they begin shortly after the events of Attack of The Clones. But in the 2008 Clone Wars, Anakin behaves rather differently than he did in AOTC. He is still reckless, but he's more like a young dad (if that makes any sense) than a teenager. And yeah, AOTC Anakin was pretty annoying, but it kind of irks me that they changed his behavior that much in that short of a time gap. However, 2003 Anakin is largely the same as his AOTC self, just dialed back. He still feels that Obi-Wan and the Council don't appreciate his ability, and he is still hotheaded, but it's a lot more bearable than AOTC. Early on in the series, Darth Sidious sends Ventress to "kill" Anakin (she's actually being used as just another step in Anakin's turn, and is a really nice attention to detail in showing the Emperor's ultimate plan). And turn closer to the Dark Side he does, throughout the battle, Anakin gives into anger quite often, and the visuals show this. Anakin uses Ventress's own sith lightsaber to kill her, foreshadowing his fall. I also like how Anakin's skill progresses as the series moves on. He is becoming the powerful Jedi that we see in ROTS. We also see him several times with Padme, showing his near-infatuation and deep love for her, reinforcing their tragedy in ROTS Obi-Wan: Obi-Wan has remained largely the same in the media he's appeared in, and his 2003 self is no different. Still sarcastic, still great at giving banter, and still a wise teacher. I quite like that Tartakovsky showed the conflict between him and Anakin's poor choices in the earlier parts of the series, as well as their brotherhood. I also really love a line he gives shortly before he and Anakin's forces are deployed to Muunilist, "I doubt even Master Qui-Gon could have prepared a Jedi for this". It shows the magnitude of the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan's feelings of insufficiency to train Anakin, and even Anakin's eventual turn to the Dark Side. Dooku: There isn't too much to say about Dooku's 2003 appearance, as he actually isn't in the series too much. But the series does show that he is a very powerful Sith Lord, despite only being a pawn in Sidious's game. His ability to easily best Ventress and, more impressively, Grievous (more on that later) is incredible to watch. Sidious: Sidious doesn't appear too much, except towards the very end. What they show of him early on is great as well. He is always thinking of his master plan, and manipulates everyone with an almost unnatural skill. At the end of the series, we get an actual showing of the battle on Coruscant's surface (!!!!!) and Palpatine's "kidnapping". I'll talk about it a bit more later, but all throughout the chase scene with Grievous, Sidious disguises his true nature so well. As Grievous battles the Chancellor's last two Jedi bodyguards, Palpatine steps back into the dark with a smirk on his face, more evidence of Tartakovsky's incredible visual storytelling. Grievous: Holy crap, Grievous is an absolute beast in the show, so much more terrifying than ROTS and the 2008 Clone Wars. In the early half of the series, Grievous battles a total of SIX Jedi at the same time and easily wins (as a hilarious nod to Shaggy from Scooby Doo, one of the Jedi, Sha'a Gi, breaks under the pressure and is killed by Grievous). His ability is again shown when he kidnaps the Chancellor, killing and entire room of clones (and a senate guard) in a matter of seconds, and easily wiping out the Chancellor's Jedi bodyguards. In another great reference, Mace Windu attempts to defeat Grievous by crushing his chest, giving him the cough he has in ROTS. Clone Troopers. I love the clones in the series. Rather than having unique personalities in the 2008 series, which was actually a cool take on the clones, the troopers in this series are the obedient, efficient soldiers they were portrayed to be in AOTC. We also get our first appearance of ARC Troopers in this series as well, led by the OG "cool clone trooper", Captain Fordo. Fordo is just legendary in this show, really reminding us that every clone is a copy of the most dangerous bounty hunter at the time, Jango Fett. We also need to talk about the Lancer Battalion. During the Battle of Muunilist, Obi-Wan tells his troopers to "mount up" to face the bounty hunter Durge's group of IG-Lancer droids. This is pretty self-explanatory. We get a full on medieval lance battle in Star Wars. It is just so cool to watch and really gives a meaning to clone troopers' nickname: The White Knights of The Republic. Minor Jedi Characters: This is a short section, but it has to be talked about. It an awesome reference to the Cantina aliens Hammerhead, Wolfman, and the Talz named Muftak in "A New Hope", Jedi characters of the same species were created: Roron Corobb, Voolvif Mon, and Foul Moudama. Yoda: Another shorter section. Yoda is shown to be fitting of his title as Jedi Grand Master in this series. Effortlessly destroying battle droids, but also wise in the ways of the Force. He also rides a noble steed in the series, a Kybuck he received as a gift, which is pretty awesome. Okay, this is the last section, I promise Battle of Coruscant: This series leads directly into ROTS with the Battle of Coruscant. It begins with Yoda meditating and opening the window to see thousands of droid starfighters and transports pouring into the city. He and Mace quickly spring into action while Master Saesee Tiin is called to lead the forces in space. It's a small moment, but I love how Mace and Saesee wish the Force upon each other as they part, showing the camaraderie between the Jedi. As Master Tiin enters space with his squadron, we see literally thousands of Republic and Separatist cruisers duking it out, yet another instance of Tartakovsky's mind-blowing visuals. On the ground, we get a fantastic chase scene with Grievous and the Jedi. A great moment in this scene is early on, when Shaak-Ti, one of the Jedi bodyguards, hears Grievous approaching and immediately recognizes the sound, a great callback to her terrifying encounter with him earlier in the series. The show ends with Anakin and Obi-Wan being called to Coruscant to rescue the Chancellor, kickstarting ROTS. Anyway, sorry if that was long-winded, but this series is the hidden gem of Star Wars and I cannot recommend it enough. Hope you enjoyed and feel free to discuss the show in the thread. Edit: Forgot to mention, but in the cover art for the series, as you can see in the thumbnail of the YouTube video, Anakin is shown in half of the light side, and half of the dark, just another fantastic example of his character development.
Yeah, I can see that. It's one of the biggest issues people have with the show. I will say it is a little off-putting at first, but personally I don't have a problem with it, I think it just reinforces the way they're seen by the rest of the galaxy.
I think it's a great show, and it still holds a special place in my heart, but I appreciate it more if I take it less... literal. It's pretty over-the-top, fitting a show with minimal dialogue and runtime. I think someone once described it as "a show within the Star Wars universe that tells the story of the Clone Wars," and I think that perfectly fits the style and substance of the show.
I I've heard that too, that the 2003 version is propaganda and the 2008 version is what actually happened. Pretty interesting and accurate theory
Also, I feel I should address the character of Anakin specifically, because IMO the crowning achievement of the 2008 series was its handling and development of Anakin over all previous media, and while I agree more or less with your overall assertion of the show, there's some things I disagree with: Thing is, it was a necessary change. Lucas made Anakin so unlikable, so inherently dark, it ran contrary to how the OT had described him. When Obi-wan calls Anakin a "good friend" I can't imagine him referring to the two from the movies, or even from the 2003 cartoon. The 2008 versions, however, I can absolutely see as friends. Also, the 2008 series doesn't take place that short a time after AOTC, as Anakin isn't knighted until halfway through the 2003 series. He's a knight and sporting his General armour from the get-go in the 2008 series, so he's had plenty of time to mellow. I think my issue with 2003 Anakin is he lacks that bravado and confidence the character is supposed to have. He comes across less like a hot-headed hero and more like a rebellious teen, which isn't exactly wrong but it feels like an incomplete view of the character. (likely limited by the run time and focus) The visuals are rather on the nose. I liked more how 2008 Anakin was more... dark around the edges, rather than prone to giving in to fits of anger and violence on the spot. Little things, like just assuming that killing an enemy is the sensible and "right" thing to do, his view on politics being radical but coming from a place of earnest. In fact over seven season Anakin's had maybe two or three outbursts that show the kind of person he'll one day become, whereas the 2003 series made a point to near-constantly "forshadow" the obvious. I wouldn't consider him using Ventress' lightsaber all that momentous, I actually found it kinda cheesy. (ditto the cave painting turning into Darth Vader's helmet, though the rest of that scene was amazing) I actually hated the way his relationship with Padme was done, as it was the same problem with the Prequels: it was too hokey and Shakespearean. Their infatuation is like something out of Romeo and Juliet. In the 2008 series they actually behave like a real couple, just with the strain of hiding their relationship. They bicker, they disagree, but they also clearly care about each other. The fact that Anakin doesn't behave like an emotionally distressed stalker helps sell the legitimacy of it. As a more frivolous aside: I do like how Anakin's robot hand actually was called to attention in the 2003 cartoon, and even had a bit of plot-significance. Robot hands are cool, and I think the 2008 series references it all of once when an EMP causes it to momentarily short out. You'd think it'd come up, I dunno, once in a while?
My mistake on that. I guess since the 2003 show is pretty immediately after AOTC, I thought that the 2008 one was too. Since I thought that, I just felt that his behavior change was too abrupt. But that kinda dissolves since there is actually a good chunk of time between the movie and the 2008 show. I really hate their AOTC-era relationship as well, the thing I was getting at about Padme's appearances with Anakin in the 2003 show is that I was glad that they actually showed it to keep it coherent for ROTS. Yeah, I think a lot of the show's problems can be traced back to it's mere 2 hour run-time.
I find that funny as well. The EMP scene in the 2008 Clone Wars reminds me of that moment in ROTJ where Luke's robot hand gets blasted by a skiff guard. They both seem like they're there just to be like, "Oh yeah, he's got a robot hand, just in case you forgot!". They're both pretty harmless though.
I remember another scene during the Citadel arc when Anakin is pulled up to the magnetized ceiling because of his mechanical arm. There's another one during the Obi-wan undercover arc when a fork gets lodged into it during the fight with Dooku at Naboo.
Nice thread. This particular Clone Wars series seriously needs more love. As much as I liked TCW for the most part, I honestly feel that this series does a much better job serving as a more natural connection between AOTC and ROTS.
As I always says I love the 2008 series and prefer it but still have love for the 2003 series and wish it was still canon. Heck as I posted in the 2008 thread I made up my own head canon to work around the last arc. The 2003 series was my first exposure to Star Wars media I think in 2003/2004ish I remember catching part of it when Anakin comes back after fighting Ventress and talking to Obi-Won shortly before Grevious is introduced.
Same with me. It just feels more in line with AOTC and ROTS. Most of the differences between TCW and the movies were a result of complaints about the movies, which is totally fine because AOTC has some pretty glaring issues. But I love the 2003 series for its coherence with AOTC.
I still have my DVD copies is storage with my main Star Wars media. I made sure to watch both volumes for my big rewatch during the months heading towards "Rise of Skywalker". I'm also glad the current Clone Wars isn't stepping over those final episodes of this one, so I can still pretend it still happened in my headcanon.
Me too, although part of me wishes we got to see Fordo "defend Sector 4" on Coruscant in the new season.
In some ways, I kinda feel about Clone Wars 2003 vs The Clone Wars the way that Transformers Animated fans feel about Transformers Prime. I think The Clone Wars had/has an outstanding vocal cast and amazing animation. However, I think Clone Wars 2003 told a better story, and had much better writing.
Funnily enough, there's also a decent amount of fans that thinks it's the other way around. As in TCW being an in-universe propaganda series (I can easily see certain story arcs from here being an actual pieces of it that effectively helped incite Anti-Jedi sentiments across many parts of the galaxy sometime before the events of ROTS) and the 2003 series plus the books and comics of The Clone Wars Multi-Media Project being what actually happened.
There are plenty of smaller details that show off his metal hand. I really like when the hand is shown off too, even though it's always very subtle in the newer show. Two off the top of my head, -In one of Anakin's fight with Dooku in a dinner hall or something, Dooku force throws some forks and dishes at Anakin. He sticks his arm up to block and one of the forks stabs into his bionic hand with some sparks and he doesn't show any pain despite having a fork stuck in his hand. -Another time, when Anakin and Clovis decide to duke it out hand to hand, Anakin punches Clovis' fist with a clank and clear pain for Clovis. (I also really like this whole scene because it's one of the few times Anakin really let's out his dark side, and shows that he is a very capable fighter even without the force or his saber)
