Between “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” and George Lucas’ sale of “Star Wars” to Disney, the franchise expanded on the small screen. In 2008, the totally unique universe entry “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” premiered on Cartoon Network, detailing the adventures of Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter), Obi-Wan Kenobi (James Arnold Taylor), and Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) throughout the titular conflict. Lucas himself was heavily involved in much of the show’s run, with the seventh and final season being the only one he didn’t actively work on. Additionally, the show was the driving force behind the real last “Star Wars” movie he took part in.
To promote the show’s arrival, “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” premiered in theaters on August 10, 2008, courtesy of director Dave Filoni, Lucas’ protege. The movie is more or less a string of episodes mashed together into a feature-length production. It predominantly follows Anakin and Ahsoka as they not only learn to coexist as master and padawan, but unravel a plot by Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) — sometimes called Darth Tyranus — to abduct Jabba the Hutt’s (Kevin Michael Richardson) son, Rotta (David Acord), and frame the Jedi. Lucas is uncredited on the project, but the fact remains that he created “The Clone Wars” and the film he greenlit is the last “Star Wars” movie to release while the franchise was his.
Unfortunately, “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” didn’t make for the strongest moviegoing experience, and fans and critics alike weren’t afraid to express their disappointment. Thankfully, the series was far better received, giving George Lucas a big win as his tenure in the “Star Wars” galaxy wound down.
