Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
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A young Jedi apprentice is assigned to a reluctant knight as they navigate a web of kidnappings and political intrigue during the Clone Wars.
The story
Set shortly after Attack of the Clones, the film begins during the early stages of the Clone Wars. Galactic Republic forces find themselves stranded across the Outer Rim as Separatists seize hyperspace lanes. Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker leads a Republic force against a droid army on Christophsis with his master Obi-Wan Kenobi and clone captain Rex. When the clone army is overwhelmed, Grand Master Yoda assigns a young Jedi named Ahsoka Tano to become Anakin's new apprentice. Meanwhile, Count Dooku and Jabba the Hutt's uncle Ziro plot to frame the Jedi for the kidnapping of Jabba's son, Rotta.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
During the early Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi lead Republic forces against Separatist droids on Christophsis. After the clones are overwhelmed, Ahsoka Tano is assigned as Anakin's Padawan. Simultaneously, Count Dooku kidnaps Rotta, the infant son of Jabba the Hutt, to manipulate the Hutt into blacklisting the Jedi. Anakin and Ahsoka travel to the planet Teth to rescue Rotta from a monastery, only to find they have been lured into a trap by Dooku. Dooku intends to use the kidnapping to gain Hutt support for the Separatists, hiring the assassin Asajj Ventress to ensure Rotta's fate. While Anakin and Ahsoka escape with the ailing Rotta, Obi-Wan engages Ventress at the monastery. Meanwhile, Padmé Amidala discovers Ziro's conspiracy to seize power from his nephew Jabba and is detained, but she eventually escapes and sees Ziro arrested. Anakin and Ahsoka crash-land on Tatooine while trying to return Rotta. Anakin faces Dooku in a lightsaber duel, while Ahsoka delivers Rotta to Jabba. Padmé reveals Ziro's duplicity to Jabba, who agrees to punish his uncle, leading to a treaty allowing Republic forces to pass through Hutt territory.
- First release year
- 2008
- Runtime (minutes)
- 98
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Dave Filoni
- Writers
- Henry Gilroy · writer; Steven Melching · writer; Scott Murphy · writer
- Cast and characters
- Matt Lanter · Anakin Skywalker; Ashley Eckstein · Ahsoka Tano; James Arnold Taylor · Obi-Wan Kenobi; Dee Bradley Baker · the clone troopers, Captain Rex, and Commander Cody; Tom Kane · Yoda, the Narrator, Admiral Yularen; Nika Futterman · Asajj Ventress, TC-70; Ian Abercrombie · Chancellor Palpatine / Darth Sidious; Corey Burton · Ziro the Hutt, Whorm Loathsom, KRONOS-327; Catherine Taber · Padmé Amidala; Matthew Wood · the battle droids; Kevin Michael Richardson · Jabba the Hutt; David Acord · Jabba's son; Samuel L. Jackson · Mace Windu; Anthony Daniels · C-3PO; Christopher Lee · Count Dooku / Darth Tyranus; Natalie Portman · Padmé Amidala (considered); Hayden Christensen · Anakin Skywalker (considered)
- Genres
- animated; space opera; science fiction; action; war
- Themes
- Mentorship; Betrayal; Warfare; Political Intrigue
- Tone and mood
- Action-oriented; Serious; Stylized
- Setting
- The Outer Rim and various planets during the early years of the Clone Wars.
- Premise and plot tags
- Space Opera; Animated; Interquel; Spinoff; War
- Source material / true-story basis
- Star Wars franchise
- Franchise connections
- Star Wars
- Content notes
- Violence
- Reception
- The film received generally negative reviews from critics, with many criticizing the animation as cheap and wooden and the dialogue as stilted. It was noted as the lowest-grossing film in the Star Wars franchise and the lowest-rated on several review sites.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 18% · review count: 171; Metacritic · score: 35 · scale: 100 · review count: 30
- Production trivia
- The story of the kidnapped Hutt was inspired by the Sonny Chiba samurai film Shogun's Shadow.; The film was the final Star Wars film in the franchise to have the significant involvement of its creator, George Lucas.; The animation style was a deliberate homage to British 1960s series such as Thunderbirds and Fireball XL5.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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