The Clone Wars: The Siege of Mandalore Review

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a legendary animated series and one of my favorites. Created by the master, Dave Filoni, the final season just wrapped up with the four part event arc, The Siege of Mandalore. Which overlaps in the timeline with Revenge of the Sith. I will briefly talk about the first two arcs in the season. Bad batch was good for stellar action and animation and the crazy revelation that Obi-Wan knows about Anakin and Padme. The Ashoka's Walkabout was good for Mandalorians leading into the siege and telling off the Jedi and showing the errors of their ways. But the Siege of Mandalore is where it's at. It sets itself apart from many other episodes by starting off with the original green text Lucasfilm Limited logo and a red The Clone Wars logo. The Siege of Mandalore arc is also just so good that it feels like a movie in itself and is quality above even many Star Wars movies in my opinion, that's just how good it is. The Clone Wars has gone on for seven seasons and a movie, so even though the final episodes are amazing, it's also bittersweet to see it end. I will break down three of the big events in these final episodes here.

Maul vs Ashoka
This was first mentioned in the Ashoka book and some changes have been made, which is fine, because changes can also be made to future additions of that book. It is an absolutely sick duel, Ray Park returned to do motion capture for the fight and it is very evident. This lightsaber fight is Duel of the Fates level epic. It really shows their characters, especially Maul, he is best villain and he knows what will happen and is kind of right. This also shows just how far Ashoka has come. This really brings the tension and epic Maul fights to animation with this battle. We get real ones feels in the battle between Maul and Ashoka. When he says Anakin will become evil, it is quite a moment, because you know Maul is kind of right. The teases of Ashoka and Maul teaming up are epic, so are the environment here is the throne room where many other fights and important events have happened in the clone wars but of course they go out of that into a more dangerous environment that makes the fight go savage.

Order 66
Sadly Order 66 must happen as this seamlessly crosses over with Revenge of the Sith. There is very ominous music and tension, we see Maul caged up, the only one there who has an idea of what will happen. Then Ashoka is looking out into hyperspace and through the force, she hears what happens in the Chancellor's office and Anakin's turn to the dark side. And then Order 66 happens and it is so sad to see my brothers turn including Rex briefly until Ashoka brings him back and they connect Fives to the whole thing. Maul takes down the hyperdrive, this is now the second star destroyer actor Sam Witwer has downed if you count The Force Unleashed’s Starkiller. But they are still flying half a ship. Ashoka and Rex ball up against those bad clones. It's a trip too, Ashoka cares for the clones and she doesn't want to merc those clones but in the end they will all die, even though she did what she could in the fight to not kill them, these clones were the real victims of the clone wars, if you know what i mean.

The Darth
The best scene in this thing is the very end which we see later and it's when Darth Vader pulls up on the snow moon, where the ship crashed. Then he sees the grave of the clones and the fake grave of Ashoka and Rex. He stands right where Ashoka was standing and he holds her lightsaber and ignites it and we see Anakin's eyes like in Rebels and A New Hope. We also know that what happened to Anakin in Revenge of the Sith and from the books and comics we know about his inner conflict at this point, even about Ashoka. The inner conflict that in this scene it seems as if he is saddened by this. But he's more machine now than man, this character that we've been following this whole series, he trained Ashoka and cared for her, but in the end he failed. Ashoka will go off to do her own thing in hiding, we know from the book lots of unaccountable time probably selling that white cocaine or spice. Then we notice Morai the Convor flying overhead, the bird that followed Ashoka in Rebels and has a connection to the daughter from Mortis. It's an amazing poetic touch. This scene is also filmed godly with no dialogue, just Vader's breathing. and we see the reflection of Vader in the Jesse's and the other clone's helmet visors and thus it ends. Great end to the series. Good show, jolly good show!
Now I'm still hoping for more expanded material like books and comics to hit some of the arcs that never got finished and put in canon yet, but also there will be a clone wars anthology book, Stories of Light and Dark, showing episodes from different perspectives coming out later this year that I am excited for.
I am one with the force. The force is with me. Thank you for reading, brothers and stay connected.
Blog Update: I have cancelled my previously announced High Republic and Rise of Skywalker videos but a Mandalorian video and review blogpost is coming, soon enough after the epic Disney Gallery behind the scenes show is over. And yes I've heard the legendary reports about Ashoka, Bo-Katan, and Boba Fett being in the show. I'm very excited and I will write all about it in due time. Meanwhile, you should check out a video essay I made about a scene in The Rise of Skywalker: