The final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars recently came to an end. It concluded with a four-part finale that wrapped up Ahsoka’s story line and connected the show to the movie timeline. All four episodes were heartfelt and well-written. Because they tie in to Order 66, there are a lot of sad but poignant moments, and I’d like to share the ones that really stood out to me, in the order that they happened.
1. Anakin telling Obi-Wan that the reason Ahsoka left the Order was so that she could be where “she needed to be” to find Maul.
Anakin sounds so hopeful as he tries to find a reason behind Ahsoka leaving the Order. His optimism and belief in the Light Side of the Force shine bright, despite Obi-Wan’s doubts. Knowing what Anakin will soon become, I found this scene incredibly bittersweet.
2. Anakin’s face when Ahsoka doesn’t seem happy to see him.
When Ahsoka first arrives, Anakin is excited to see her, but Ahsoka wants to get straight down to business. As she and the others walk away, Anakin looks after her with a hurt expression on his face. To me, he seems to be silently asking “What happened to you, Ahsoka? Aren’t you happy to see me?” It shows just how much Anakin still cares about his (former) apprentice.
3. Anakin and Obi-Wan’s reaction when Bo-Katan mentions Satine.
As I mentioned in my post, Obi Wan Kenobi: An Underrated Hero, I’m a big fan of Obi-Wan. So one of the saddest moments in all of The Clone Wars for me is when Maul kills Satine, the woman Obi-Wan loves. When Bo-Katan questions Obi-Wan’s feelings for her sister, Anakin immediately glances at his former master with concern. And Obi-Wan’s face fills with pain that he tries to hide behind his Jedi mask. For me, that moment shows both how much Anakin cares about Obi-Wan and how much Obi-Wan grieved for his lost love.
4. Anakin telling Ahsoka, “Loyalty means everything to the clones.”
The clones still respect Ahsoka even though she left the Jedi Order. When Ahsoka questions if they should, Anakin tells her they do it because of the way she fought beside them and that “Loyalty means everything to the clones.” As soon as he said that, all I could see was the clones being forced to turn on the Jedi after Order 66, their loyalty stripped away against their will. When I watched Revenge of the Sith, my heart broke for the Jedi as their allies turned on them, but after watching The Clone Wars, it breaks for the clones as well.
5. Anakin telling Ahsoka, “You capture Maul. I’ll take care of Grievous. And with any luck, this will all be over soon.”
That’s one of the last things Anakin says to Ahsoka before they wish each other luck and go their separate ways. Though I wasn’t sure, I had a feeling that would be the last time Ahsoka and Anakin see each other before he becomes Darth Vader. His hope that “this will all be over soon” stabbed my heart because I knew that for him, the real nightmare was about to begin.
6. Obi-Wan telling Ahsoka that Dooku is dead.
The moment Obi-Wan said that, I knew exactly what point they were at in the Star Wars timeline. I knew how close they were getting to Anakin’s fall to the Dark Side and Order 66. I’d suspected it when Anakin and Obi-Wan left for Coruscant. I’d thought it was the last time Anakin and Ahsoka would see each other, but having it confirmed hurt.
7. Ahsoka refusing to join Maul because of her absolute faith in Anakin.
Ahsoka is prepared to join Maul and fight Darth Sidious until he says that Anakin is going to become their enemy’s apprentice and that Maul wants to kill him. Hearing that, Ahsoka immediately changes her mind and says, “I know Anakin. Your vision is flawed.” Knowing what is coming, Ahsoka’s ironclad belief in her former master really hit me hard.
8. Rex crying as he tries to kill Ahsoka.
The clones have a chip in their brains that essentially switches off their personalities and forces them to follow Order 66 without question. But Rex’s loyalty to Ahsoka is so much a part of him that he cries and manages to give her a clue what’s happening, even as he tries to kill her. It was beautiful and incredibly sad.
9. The clone troopers wearing helmets painted to show their loyalty to Ahsoka while hunting her down after Order 66.
I got a bit emotional when I first saw that the troopers had painted their helmets to match Ahsoka’s coloring. It was touching that they would go so far to demonstrate their loyalty. But watching them hunt her down while wearing those helmets, seeing a picture of how much it went against their true feelings, shredded my heart to pieces.
10. The clones not caring if they all die as long as they carry out Order 66.
Throughout The Clone Wars, it is clear that the clones see each other as brothers. They always do everything they can to protect each other and do not take a brother’s death lightly. And the chips inside them suppress even those feelings. They allow the ship to crash, allow so many of their brothers to die, all to carry out Order 66.
The Clone Wars finale was truly well done. Touching and heart-wrenching, just like the parallel scenes in Revenge of the Sith. A truly satisfying ending to an entertaining show that filled in the blanks about a fascinating part of the Star Wars timeline.
What other moments broke your heart during The Clone Wars finale? What did you think of it overall? Let me know in the comments. If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to see more like it.
