With the Star Wars: The Bad Batch series ending now having aired, the Clone Wars era of Star Wars has come to an end after 22 years. With so much content coming out across multiple different Star Wars shows and movies, there are many important and pivotal moments that are highly memorable. The Clone Wars era of Star Wars added to this by introducing audiences to a plethora of new characters and allowing other characters from the original Star Wars trilogy to be seen in a new light.
The Clone Wars started as a throw-away line spoken between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars movie, later retitled A New Hope. At the time, no one knew what the Clone Wars were, and why Luke’s father fighting alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi was such a big deal. However, when George Lucas made the Star Wars prequel trilogy, things became much clearer. From there, Lucas further expanded on the Clone Wars by making the animated show Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which ran for seven seasons and spawned multiple spin-offs and shorts – creating many new memorable moments.
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones introduced the Grand Army of the Republic, also called the Clone Army. The army was led by the Jedi Knights, who were made generals, and they commanded the ranks of clones. These clones were initially commissioned by Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas and would see their first bout of action on the planet Geonosis. This battle took the lives of many clones and Jedi, but also was the official start of the Clone Wars. From this point forward, the clones of Jango Fett were at the center of galactic politics and battle strategy.
After the release of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, George Lucas started developing the animated television show The Clone Wars. The show was preceded by an animated movie of the same name, which kickstarted the whole basis of the show. The Clone Wars movie showed Anakin Skywalker taking on a youngling named Ahsoka Tano as his apprentice. While Anakin was initially a reluctant master, he eventually warmed up to Ahsoka and promised to train her. This noted a significant change from what audiences had previously known about Anakin but also began a major shift in the kinds of stories told.
In The Clone Wars season 3, there was a three-episode arc that featured Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan visiting the realm of Mortis, where they met the living embodiments of the Force in the form of the Father, the Daughter, and the Son. While many crazy things happened to the trio, none was more important than the confirmation that Anakin Skywalker was the Chosen One. Additionally, after the Son stabbed the Daughter, her final act was to save a dead Ahsoka Tano, which closely aligns Ahsoka with the light side of the Force.
One of the best clone-centric arcs from The Clone Wars came in season 4, when Anakin Skywalker was temporarily replaced by General Pong Krell. Krell got results, but had a high casualty rate. This trend continued on Umbara as he needlessly endangered clones. Eventually, some of the clones disobeyed Krell’s orders to help bring the Republic a victory. In response, Krell had the clones unknowingly battle themselves, forcing them to partake in a heartbreaking round of friendly fire. Captain Rex decided that Krell would be executed for his act of treason, though he wasn’t the one to pull the trigger.
The final arc of The Clone Wars season 5 saw Ahsoka Tano leave the Jedi Order after being framed for bombing the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Despite Anakin searching for the real perpetrator, the Jedi Council had all but found Ahsoka guilty before her trial. When Anakin eventually discovered that Barriss Offee was the one to betray the Jedi, Ahsoka was acquitted, but lost her faith in the Jedi and chose to leave the Order. Ahsoka would eventually align herself with Bo-Katan Kryze and work with the Jedi again, though she never rejoined the Order.
The Clone Wars season 6 introduced the concept of inhibitor chips that were implanted in all the clones. After one malfunctions in a clone named Tup, ARC Trooper Fives decides to secretly investigate and uncovers the conspiracy behind the clone army. Fives learns that the inhibitor chips would be used to control the clones in a plot to wipe out the Jedi. Despite no one else ever getting to hear the full story, Fives had at least rattled Rex enough to make a report about it. Fives unfortunately died thinking he had failed his brothers.
The first few episodes of The Clone Wars season 7 acted as a backdoor pilot for Star Wars: The Bad Batch and introduced Clone Force 99. They teamed up with Rex and Anakin Skywalker to investigate a Separatist algorithm which Rex believed was Echo. Upon infiltrating the Techno Union, the group found an altered Echo in a stasis chamber. Echo had lost both of his legs and one of his arms and was made into part cyborg. After winning the Battle of Anaxes, Echo decided to join Clone Force 99 instead of rejoining the 501st.
After aligning with Bo-Katan Kryze, Ahsoka Tano, along with the 332nd company, led the Siege of Mandalore. The goal of the siege was for Bo-Katan to reclaim her homeworld while the Republic forces captured Darth Maul. The action seen in this arc was amazing and has gone on to define the very best of The Clone Wars. Ahsoka’s duel against Maul was spectacular and highlights just how skilled she had become in lightsaber combat. Her ultimate victory over the former Sith apprentice was just as impressive as the victory on Mandalore.
Palpatine’s ultimate goal of destroying the Jedi and taking control of the galaxy finally came to fruition when he declared Order 66 and activated the inhibitor chips within the clone army. This declaration turned the clones against their Jedi Generals and had them executed for treason. While Order 66 has been seen in many different Star Wars titles, few show the clones’ perspective. The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch highlight what the immediate aftermath of Order 66 looked like, and how clone troopers were changed forever.
After Order 66 is declared, the clone troopers of the 332nd company turn on Ahsoka Tano and attempt to kill her. Captain Rex fights his inhibitor chip and mentions something about Fives as he goes to shoot her. This leads Ahsoka to a report Rex filed following Fives’ death in The Clone Wars season 6. Ahsoka then captures Rex and removes his inhibitor chip. Rex would go on to encourage all of his brothers to have their chips removed. Rex’s reaction to his brothers trying to kill him is truly heartbreaking and truly shows the tragedy of the clone army.
In The Bad Batch series premiere, Clone Force 99 appears on the planet Kaller to aid Jedi Master Depa Billaba and her Padawan, Caleb Dume, in battle. During the battle, Order 66 is declared and Master Billaba tells Caleb to run. Confused, Hunter and Crosshair follow the young Jedi, but Hunter eventually lets him escape. Star Wars Rebels enthusiasts know that Caleb Dume would grow up to be Kanan Jarrus, one of the main protagonists of the show. It’s later learned that Clone Force 99 wasn’t affected by their inhibitor chips because they were defective clones.
One of the most tragic events in The Bad Batch was the season 1 finale, which saw Vice Admiral Edmon Rampart order the destruction of Tipoca City on Kamino. The Bad Batch, reunited with Crosshair, barely makes it out alive, but the destruction of Kamino is final. The Empire would eventually go on to try to cover up their involvement in the city’s destruction, though it was foiled by Rex and Senator Riyo Chuchi. The destruction of Kamino also meant the destruction of all their cloning facilities and research. However, their lead researcher, Nala Se, was taken off-world beforehand.
The Bad Batch season 2 saw things get progressively worse for all clones, leading to a mission on Coruscant with Rex. This particular episode ended with Echo making the choice to leave Clone Force 99 to join Rex’s efforts to help the clones. His goodbye with Omega was emotional, as she didn’t want him to go and leave their family. He explained to her that he was going where he was needed and that it wouldn’t be forever. Echo would rejoin Clone Force 99 on different missions, but was never formally a part of the squad again.
Following Senator Chuchi’s evidence that Admiral Rampart ordered the destruction of Tipoca City in the Senate, Emperor Palpatine made a rare appearance. In his speech, he essentially blamed Rampart for the destruction of Kamino, even though he was just following Palpatine’s orders. Palpatine cites that because the clones under Rampart’s command so blindly followed his orders, the stormtrooper bill ought to be passed. This bill officially phases out the use of clone troopers in favor of the new stormtrooper initiative.
The Bad Batch season 2 finale, “Plan 99,” saw Tech die partway through the episode by sacrificing himself so that the rest of Clone Force 99 would survive. It was a true moment of bravery for the fan-favorite clone, and his death would have lasting effects on the entire squad, especially Omega. It was rumored that Tech may have been conditioned into one of the clone assassins, but that was disproved in The Bad Batch season 3. It was probably for the best, as Tech’s sacrifice remains a meaningful moment for the Bad Batch.
Both Omega and Crosshair are taken to and detained at Mount Tantiss for different purposes—Crosshair to be experimented on to become a clone assassin, and Omega to be a motivating factor for Nala Se to work on Project Necromancer. It’s not known how long Crosshair was detained on Mount Tantiss, but based on the tallies Omega made in her cell, she had been there for 125 days. The pair would eventually work together to escape at the beginning of season 3 and would be reunited with the rest of Clone Force 99.
The final episodes of The Bad Batch showed Omega getting taken back to Mount Tantiss, and the rest of Clone Force 99 desperately trying to get her back. Echo volunteers to board an Imperial ship to get the coordinates for the rest of the Batch. Because of his location on the Imperial ship, Echo used his skills as an ARC Trooper to infiltrate the base without being noticed—something that audiences hadn’t seen from him in a while. Once connected with Emerie Karr, the pair work together to find Omega and the rest of the clones being held there.
The Bad Batch series finale was a whirlwind of emotions and had audiences believing at one point or another that each member of Clone Force 99 would die. No moment was more tense than when Dr. Hemlock was attempting to escape with Omega cuffed to him. Omega trusted Crosshair to shoot the cuffs and then kill Hemlock, despite knowing his shot had been off for most of the season. Crosshair and Hunter worked together to line up the shot, and they ultimately freed Omega and took down Dr. Hemlock, officially freeing Omega from the Empire.