Here are the must-watch episodes of Clone Wars and Rebels

Keeping track of the universe’s most famous galaxy far, far away isn’t easy. An increasing number of characters and locations from the animated series The Clone Wars and Rebels are finding their way into the feature films and live-action series. Only recently, my brother-in-law sent me the picture below via WhatsApp,

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No surprises there. People who dismissed TCW and Rebels as kiddies’ TV back in 2008 and now have no desire to fight their way through more than 200 animated episodes (some of which are pretty outdated), often find themselves at a loss. Or, better yet, they read my episode analyses – good articles which bring overlooked detailed back to the fore. In my super unbiased opinion, anyway.

Nevertheless, what I’m always hearing from people (including the Community) is this: «I don’t want to have to go out of my way to watch it all. Besides, I’ve heard the first seasons really aren’t that great. So, where should I start?» It’s high time I answered this question. One more thing I should mention upfront is that this selection really only targets the most important episodes of the animated series. There are plenty of other episodes worth watching which give a lot of depth to the characters. Only, then I might as well just recommend everything. Here, I’ll keep my focus purely on the bare essentials which have potential to be important in the TV series in the near future.

The Ahsoka Tano episodes

Ahsoka Tano is one of the most popular Star Wars characters ever. When I visit Comic Cons such as Fantasy Basel, Popcon in Zurich or Herofest in Bern, I actually see more Ahsoka Tano cosplays than Anakin Skywalker or Mandalorian ones. This is despite not making her debut in a live-action film at all; instead appearing for the first time in the 2008 animated feature The Clone Wars. Her cheeky, brattish behaviour as Anakin’s Padawan initially didn’t win her many fans. The Clone Wars series, however, saw her develop into a wise, valiant, double Lightsaber-wielding, cool Jedi Knight, and these days, she’s got a huge fan club.

So huge, in fact, that she finally got to make her live-action debut in The Mandalorian, Chapter 13: The Jedi. Played by Rosario Dawson, Ahsoka will star in her own live-action series launching on Disney+ later this year. If you want to be up to date, these are the must-see episodes:

• TCW, Season 2, Episode 11: a young Ahsoka matures
• TCW, Season 3, Episodes 15–17: the father, the son, the daughter
• TCW, Season 3, Episodes 21–22: Ahsoka learns to lead
• TCW, Season 5, Episodes 17–20: farewell to the Jedi
• TCW, Season 7, Episodes 9–12: the siege of Mandalore
• Tales of the Jedi, Episodes 5–6: Ahsoka’s special training and switch to the Rebels
• Rebels, Season 1, Episode 15: who is Fulcrum?
• Rebels, Season 2, Episodes 21–22: Ahsoka vs. Maul vs. Darth Vader
• Rebels, Season 4, Episode 13: the world between worlds
• Rebels, Season 4, final scene of episode 15: Ahsoka and Sabine Wren part ways

Important: the final scene of Rebels, Episode 15 takes place after The Mandalorian, Chapter 13: The Jedi. However, watching the whole story arc beforehand doesn’t hurt. That’s episodes 14–15, which come after episode 13 that you’ve seen anyway. After all, they might be crucial for the upcoming Ahsoka series.

The Mandalore episodes

The warrior-like Mandalorians’ former home planet becomes ever more important with every season of The Mandalorian. In the most recent episode, Chapter 18: The Mines of Mandalore, we got to see a live-action version of the history-steeped place for the first time. Mandalore and its capital Sundari have often set the stage for great battles and far-reaching conspiracies; conspiracies which explain why the once mighty, magnificent, proud Mandalorian civilisation now consists of little more than a handful of religious zealots – Din Djarin and Bo-Katan Kryze included. These episodes might provide a little more clarity on that. Plus, with Sabine Wren’s appearance in Ahsoka now confirmed, it doesn’t hurt to watch the Rebels episodes as well.

• TCW, Season 2, Episodes 12–14: Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Mandalore conspiracy
• TCW, Season 5, Episodes 12–14: Darth Maul conquers Mandalore
• TCW, Season 7, Episodes 9–12: the siege of Mandalore
• Rebels, Season 3, Episodes 15–16: the Darksaber
• Rebels, Season 4, Episodes 1–2: Sabine Wren, the heiress to Mandalore

The Darth Maul episodes

Speaking of Mandalore, as you’ll see in the episodes relevant to Mandalore’s story above, a thought-to-be-dead character from Star Wars – Episode I: The Phantom Menace makes his return: Darth Maul. His story isn’t just of importance to the animated series. It was probably close to being retold in live-action form after Solo: A Star Wars Story, where he made a brief cameo appearance at the end. For people who’d never seen the animated series, the world no longer made sense. Sadly, though, the 2018 feature film didn’t make the desired splash at the box office. It’s why there hasn’t been a sequel, and why those who haven’t seen TCW still haven’t received an explanation for Maul’s survival. Still, if you want to make sense of it all, here are the key episodes:

• TCW, Season 3, Episodes 12–14: the birth of Savage Opress
• TCW, Season 4, Episodes 21–22: the return of Darth Maul
• TCW, Season 5, Episode 1: Darth Maul vs. Obi-Wan – Part II
• TCW, Season 5, Episodes 12–14: Darth Maul conquers Mandalore
• TCW, Season 7, Episodes 9–12: the siege of Mandalore
• Chronologically, this is when the feature film Solo: A Star Wars Story takes place.
• Rebels, Season 2, Episodes 21–22: Ahsoka vs. Maul vs. Darth Vader
• Rebels, Season 3, Episode 3: The Holocrons of Fate
• Rebels, Season 3, Episode 11: a dark ritual
• Rebels, Season 3, Episode 20: a final stand-off between Maul and Obi-Wan Kenobi

The Boba Fett episodes

In The Mandalorian, Chapter 14: The Tragedy, another character who had been presumed dead since Star Wars – Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi made an appearance: the notorious bounty hunter Boba Fett. We discover how he survived «a new definition of pain and suffering» without, as C-3PO says, being «slowly digested for a thousand years», in the live-action series The Book of Boba Fett. But it’s The Clone Wars that explains how Fett went from being a child grieving the loss of his father to joining the Bounty Hunters’ Guild. Here are the episodes in question:

• TCW, Season 2, Episodes 20–22: Boba Fett becomes a bounty hunter
• TCW, Season 4, Episode 20: Boba Fett vs. Asajj Ventress

Other episodes worth watching

To finish off, I can’t resist recommending a couple of episodes I found particularly memorable. One little tip: if I could only recommend one thing from the list below, it’d definitely be the «darkness of Umbara» episodes. No other story arc is darker, more oppressive or takes the «war» part of Star Wars more seriously.

• TCW, Season 3, Episode 1: the training of the Bravo unit
• TCW, Season 4, Episodes 7–10: the darkness of Umbara
• TCW, Season 6, Episodes 1–4: a clone discovers Order 66
• TCW, Season 6, Episodes 11–13: Yoda discovers immortality
• Tales of the Jedi, Episodes 2–4: the fall of Count Dooku

Have I missed anything? Has my memory made any criminal slip-ups? Or do you just fancy giving your take on which other episodes are definitely worth watching? Let me know by commenting below.