The wealth of content left unseen from the team behind the The Clone Wars series has been the stuff of legends for years, with The Clone Wars Legacy trickling out small doses of unproduced content in the form of incomplete episodes and novels. In the last few Celebrations, there have been peaks at what they had planned for the show from the likes of Dave Filoni and Pablo Hidalgo, showing off concept art and clips from more unproduced episodes. Recently, Star Wars Rebels picked up with some of the show’s characters years later, offering some sense of closure to their story or starting their next chapter. But now the wait for more of the still unproduced content is over, as brand new episodes surrounding the events of “The Siege of Mandalore” are coming to a small screen near you via Disney’s upcoming direct-to-consumer streaming service (Disney+)!!!! Check out the amazing teaser above and below you’ll not only find a video of the panel in its entirety, but I’ll discuss what we’ve already learned about the “Siege” storyline, as well as look at what content they teased in the past (Ahsoka’s first boyfriend, Boba’s rise in the bounty hunter ranks, a trip to Kashyyyk with the Bad Batch, and….the Yuuzhan Vong !?!).
The Clone Wars’ return will be sweet, but short, comprising of 12 episodes. Here’s part of the press release:
Dave Filoni, who helmed the show as Supervising Director during its original run, resumes his role on The Clone Wars continuation, which he can’t wait to share with fans. “I honestly didn’t think we would ever have the opportunity to return to The Clone Wars,” says Filoni. “Thanks to the relentless fan support and the team behind Disney’s direct-to-consumer streaming service, we will now get to tell more of those stories. We feel a tremendous responsibility to make something that lives up to the legacy that George Lucas created with the original series and I think our team, many of whom worked on the show from the beginning, has risen to the challenge.”
As for “The Siege of Mandalore,” we’ve heard about it for several years now, starting with Captain Rex naming the conflict in an episode of Star Wars Rebels, “The Lost Commanders,” mentioning he and Ahsoka fought in it during the Clone Wars. The first true hint was Dave Filoni and Pablo Hidalgo revealing Ahsoka having Loyalist clone troopers for an unproduced arc of the show during their Untold Clone Wars panel back in 2015, a first of several such panels. In 2016, the next panel was named Ahsoka’s Untold Tales, which is where we got the first true details about the episodes. Filoni revealed Ahsoka and Bo-Katan, finding out Maul is back on Mandalore ruling from the shadows, call out to Obi-Wan and Anakin to finish the ex-Sith Lord once and for all. Ahsoka figures Obi-Wan would like to bring Satine’s killer to justice and just before they join Ahsoka and a giant task force to retake the planet, Anakin and Obi-Wan get the fateful call that the Chancellor has been captured and they must return to Coruscant aka the beginning of the Revenge of the Sith! Before they leave, Anakin gifts Ahsoka her very own troopers, their helmets emblazoned with her head markings, as a sign of how proud he is of her since she left the Jedi Order (Ashley Eckstein, voice of Ahsoka, cried when Filoni mentioned this part at the panel). Of course the battle for Mandalore quickly goes sideways as Order 66 comes through, but Rex and Ahsoka manage to survive, fake their deaths, and make for the distant reaches of the galaxy. There were also some details of how Ahsoka escapes, with wolves being involved because this is Filoni after all, so I’m curious if we’ll get some episodes that include post-RotS stuff like that or if the 12 will be finished versions of the previously released unfinished episodes (the “Crystal Crisis” and “Bad Batch” arcs) and the “Siege” stuff. The Ahsoka novel includes several flashbacks to the “Siege,” giving us some truly tantalizing glimpses of what we’ll be seeing in these coming episodes, so give that a read before TCW returns if you want! The links to my articles about the animation panels include full videos of the panels, so definitely check those out if you want more details and see some of the concept art.
These 12 episodes won’t cover all the unfinished TCW content. Here’s a quick look at the other storylines that have been teased over the years in the panels I’ve mentioned above:
- Ahsoka getting acclimated to no longer being a Jedi, but still trying to do good in the galaxy. Includes her having her first boyfriend.
- Cad Bane taking Boba Fett under his wing, grooming him to be as good as Jango so Bane can finally duel his nemesis. A clip at the Unexpected Fates panel in 2017 reveals Bane and Boba having a duel, with Boba seemingly killing Bane and Bane giving Boba’s helmet its familiar dent.
- Ahsoka helping Yoda with a mission below the Jedi Temple, into a long ago buried Sith Temple, where she must survive an attack from Darth Sidious (though they never actual see one another the whole time).
- The Bad Batch going to Kashyyyk with Yoda, where we would’ve dove into Wookiee culture like never before.
- Potentially having the Yuuzhan Vong in an episode, basically a creepy first contact vibe, but nothing like setting up an eventual invasion or something.
For a deeper dive, check out Thomas Storai’s expansive look at all the content we’ve yet to see.
Here are a few other things:
- Her Universe, Eckstein’s geek fashion website, launched a special 10th Anniversary TCW line! That Rex jacket and Obi-Wan sweater-thingy look most impressive for guys and the Ahsoka dress and Padme jacket are on point for the ladies!
- See some concept art with the official site’s 12 things they learned from the panel article.
- Just last week Thursday I was musing that if TCW returned, they’d be smart to have it on the streaming service. I know I’ll already want to subscribe for the upcoming live action show and whatever exclusive content it’ll have, and more TCW is an excellent addition!
- Over at Den of Geek, Megan Crouse looked at how the show could be better in its return, with each and every point being an important critical analysis of the show. The most notable, salient one is how the announcement of the show’s return has seemed to reward bad actors in fandom, which is disappointing to say the least. That’s not to say every fan clamoring for TCW to be saved was part of the toxic group, but Lucasfilm doesn’t distinguish that at all in their press release.
Expect this limited return of the show to hit sometime in 2019 when Disney’s still unnamed streaming service Disney+ finally goes live.
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
SEE ALSO:
Canon Novel Review: Ahsoka | Dark Disciple
The Clone Wars Legacy: The Bad Batch Arc Impressions
The Clone Wars Legacy and Ventress Novel Title Unveiled
Dave Filoni: Animated Origins and Unexpected Fates Panel Impressions (SWCO 2017)
Ahsoka’s Untold Tales Panel Impressions (SWCE 2016)
The Untold Clone Wars Panel Impressions (SWCA 2015)