One of the major casualties of Disney taking over the Star Wars license was the ongoing Clone Wars cartoon. Despite having a substantial fanbase and frequently receiving critical acclaim for its stories, the series came to an abrupt end with no true finale. While Star Wars: Rebels attempted to offer some closure to key storylines, particularly those of Darth Maul and the Mandalorian Civil War, the cartoon went without a true ending. That changed today in San Diego Comic-Con 2018, where series creator Dave Filoni unveiled a brand new trailer to celebrate the cartoon’s tenth anniversary.
The teaser trailer shows a massed fleet of Republic warships moving into orbit over a Republic base, and confirms the return of Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Rex as characters. Ahsoka Tano, Anakin’s former padawan who left the Jedi Order after becoming disillusioned with its methods, also put in a surprise appearance. While a major series character, her departure seemingly brought her story arc to a natural end, apparently working alongside Bo-Katan Kryze, a former member of the Mandalorian Death Watch.
The announcement was repeated on StarWars.com along with an interview with Filoni, and citing fan engagement as a major indication as to why it is returning to the small screen. While openly admitting that he never thought that the series’ return would be possible, Filoni stated that, “Any opportunity to put the final pieces of the story in place is meaningful as a storyteller.”
The new season will consist of twelve new episodes which will take place after both the fifth season, and the Lost Missions which combined together the finished episodes intended for its sixth season. While no further information has yet been offered, the short length suggests that this final season will be akin to Samurai Jack’s revival, as a brief return to offer some closure to the characters over a true continuation.
It is as of yet unknown if the new season will account for the partially completed episodes which were intended to be part of the full sixth season. However, the addition of an unknown Clone Trooper with cranial cybernetic implants suggests that this could be Echo, a character who underwent substantial changes in the unfinished episodes.
The Clone Wars will be broadcast on Disney’s as of yet unnamed streaming service in 2019. If Disney is in the mindset to revive old properties for one last story, perhaps someone could get around to publishing Sword of the Jedi while they are at it.
