Star Wars The Clone Wars questions

[GotNoRice]

I have yet to watch any of these episodes yet. I love Star Wars, even the newer movies, but the idea of a cartoon was just not really appealing to me.

But now with the Star Wars TV Show coming up I want to watch these if for no other reason than just to be caught up with all of the lore. The cartoons are canon right? Are they any good? When do these take place compared to the movies, etc? Like is this all stuff that happens right after episode 3?

 

[Stevil2001]

Do you know what the Clone Wars are? That's your clue as to when these take place.

 

[Mr. Sin]

The canon of Star Wars is a bit tricky. According to Lucas, he considers the expanded universe seperate from his films, although Lucasfilm's policy seems to be that *everything* is canon. However, he's also been involved in the production of Clone Wars (Otherwise, he has pretty much nothing to do with the comics or novels), so it's a bit more complicated .


Part of the issue too is that certain parts of Clone Wars contradict elements of previous Clone Wars lore, mainly the comics and novels which came out before the series. For instance, in the comics and novels, Anakin doesn't become a Knight until the final year of the war and has no Padawan. However in the CW series he's a Knight in the first year and has a Padawan. Recently, there's been controversy about the Mandalorians and previously established lore about them, since they've just started showing up in CW. There's also other contradictions here and there.



Quality-wise, the series is pretty good. It's certainly better than the much-maligned pilot movie, and I would say it's better than the prequels as well. What's best about the series is that it salvages Anakin somewhat. Hayden sort of played him as an unlikeable character; here we have more of the good man/friend described in the OT, but one that could still become Darth Vader. It also helps that Matt Lanter doesn't try to do a Hayden impersonation like the guy in the Tartovsky animated series.


The show also allows them to tell different types of stories. There's episodes about the Jedi, there's episodes about the clones, there's even comedy episodes featuring C-3PO and Jar-Jar (Which actually are not that bad!). They've also got some decent animation writers and producers working on it; the series itself is made chiefly by Dave Filoni and Henry Gilroy, who worked extensively on AVATAR:THE LAST AIRBENDER, Paul Dini has written some episodes (He's best known as one of the people behind BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES) as well.

 

[Christopher]

The cartoons are canon right?

Lucasfilm claims that every work of SW fiction is canonical, but Lucas feels free to contradict them in new cinematic works whenever he chooses. Which is pretty much true of any canon; follow any long-running series, even in a single medium, and you'll see it contradict itself eventually, whether by accident or by intent.

Keep in mind that there are two animated series. Star Wars: Clone Wars was a 2D animated series (like traditional cel animation, although even "traditional" animation is mostly made on computers these days) with very short episodes (mostly 3-5 minutes, sometimes up to 12), telling a variety of stories set during the Clone Wars and culminating in a depiction of the events leading into Return of the Sith. Star Wars: The Clone Wars is the current series of half-hour, 3D-animated episodes, and although it uses the same characters and setting as the previous series, I don't think it's entirely consistent with it. SW:CW was considered canonical at the time, but newer canon supplants it in the event of contradiction.

So this show is canonical until Lucas says otherwise, just like everything else in SW.

Are they any good?

Uneven. The 2D animated series was pretty good for what it was, a pure action show. The 3D series started out fairly weak but has gotten progressively more solid, smart, and engaging.

When do these take place compared to the movies, etc? Like is this all stuff that happens right after episode 3?

The Clone Wars began at the end of Episode II and concluded in Episode III with the fall of the Republic and the founding of the Empire. Naturally, both Clone Wars series take place in the 3-year interval between Attack of the Clones and Return of the Sith.

 

[Showdown]

The Clone Wars (2D and 3D animated) series are good. Overall, I rank them better than Episode 1 and 2. It showed Anakin as a hero and Obiwan's friend. The 2D series hinted at his emerging dark side better. I think the best thing of the series was showing other jedi knights/masters in spectacular action scenes.