It’s May the 4th today and Star Wars fans across the world are easily finding joy in the occasion. With more than 40 years of content, there is plenty to celebrate. But despite the plethora of happy memories Disney Plus could (and has) shared today, it also took a moment to remind fans that just three years ago one of the best and most emotional Star Wars stories came to an end.
The Clone Wars animated series may have started out as a terrible animated movie that many fans pretend doesn’t exist, but it spawned a series that reignited fan love for a franchise that had burned many viewers. The animated series unfolded over seven seasons and followed the growth and dissolution of the Master/Padawan relationship between Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano. The series finale spanned a four-episode arc that unfolded around the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and perfectly married the two storylines in one incredible finale.
Fans were quick to respond to the official account, with most expressing their disbelief that so much time had passed since the series ended and even more recalling just how devastated they were when it finally came to a close.
It really was spectacular storytelling. Fans got to ride shotgun with Ahsoka as she tried in vain to save all of her friends and colleagues – save for Captain Rex. Even worse were the moments between the action, when she and her former master consistently failed to meet up. If only Ahsoka could have met with Anakin, maybe things could have turned out differently for the wayward Jedi.
It really did seem like Vader missed his former Padawan in the final gut-wrenching moments of the episode. His black silhouette in the pale snow emphasized how painfully alone the Sith Lord was in the end. Luke’s ability to save his father proved Anakin was always tucked somewhere deep inside Vader. In the moment he held Ahsoka’s lightsaber, maybe a piece of Anakin really did long for his “little sister.”
Whether or not you believe Ahsoka’s presence may have been enough to help her master course-correct, it’s absolutely undeniable that the Clone Wars finale was one of the best conclusions to any Star Wars stories so far. It had some of the most explosive fights of the entire series and culminated in a beautiful albeit emotionally devastating ending that has clearly continued to haunt fans for years.
Star Wars has a plethora of content coming to Disney Plus in the coming years, but it’s hard to imagine any one of those stories slapping quite as hard as the twelve-year-long build that brought fans to the heartbreaking conclusion of The Clone Wars.