How to Watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars in Chronological Order
Most fans were delighted when Disney, in the aftermath of the Lucasfilm acquisition, declared that the Clone Wars saga as it was revealed in the 2008 animated feature film and its subsequent TV series would retain canonical status in Star Wars lore. Further celebrations erupted when it was announced that the series would be returning in 2020 for a seventh and final season of 12 episodes. If you’re not acquainted with Star Wars: The Clone Wars, now is the perfect time to take a break from learning how to build a lightsaber and catch up on what you’ve been missing.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars lasted for six seasons (2008-2014) in its original run, and it was a huge hit among the viewing public. Focusing on the epochal three-year war between the Galactic Republic and the Separatist Alliance, the TV series attracted not only a lot of diehard SW fans but also many people who just appreciate a well-produced animated show. The series expanded fans’ knowledge of the Star Wars universe and introduced a number of compelling new characters, most notably Ahsoka Tano.
Here are a few viewing tips for those latecomers who are in the mood to dive into the rich history of the Clone Wars.
Chronology Issues with The Clone Wars TV Series
The seventh season of this series has already inspired a considerable amount of discussion among fans, and when you’re a newcomer, you don’t want to be left out of the dialogue. But there is a question that needs to be answered: Where should you begin? What is the best way to watch the series?
That may sound like an odd thing to say. You could simply watch the series the way millions of people did back in the day: by viewing the Star Wars: The Clone Wars feature film—which basically serves as the pilot episode for the subsequent series—and then watching the TV episodes in the order that they first appeared on Cartoon Network (seasons 1-5) and Netflix (season 6). Truth be told, there’s nothing seriously wrong with this approach to Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Some people, however, have complained about the non-chronological progression of the TV series. The show is fun, they say, but also slightly messy. The series has multiple plot threads and often jumps around in time; for example, some events revealed in season 3 actually took place before most of what transpires in season 1.
In an apparent response to these complaints, Disney released an alternate viewing schedule back in 2014 that turns this potentially confusing tangle of activity into a more linear story. For many fans, this is the preferred way to view Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Not only does the chronology make more sense, it has the official approval of Lucasfilm.
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Without further ado, here is the “sequential” schedule for watching Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
The Sequential Viewing Order for The Clone Wars
Lucasfilm endorses the viewing of Star Wars: The Clone Wars in the following order. (NOTE: Episode numbers are season + episode of that season; for instance, #216 is the 16th episode of the second season, according to the original viewing schedule.)
You start by watching these:
- #216: Cat and Mouse
- #116: Hidden Enemy
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars feature film (2008)
- #301: Clone Cadets
- #303: Supply Lines
Now you’re ready to watch season 1. You’re going to view it in “normal” order, but be sure to skip #116 (which you’ve already seen) and #122 (which you’ll watch later):
- #101: Ambush
- #102: Rising Malevolence
- #103: Shadow of Malevolence
- #104: Destroy Malevolence
- #105: Rookies
- #106: Downfall of a Droid
- #107: Duel of the Droids
- #108: Bombad Jedi
- #109: Cloak of Darkness
- #110: Lair of Grievous
- #111: Dooku Captured
- #112: The Gungan General
- #113: Jedi Crash
- #114: Defenders of Peace
- #115: Trespass
- #117: Blue Shadow Virus
- #118: Mystery of a Thousand Moons
- #119: Storm Over Ryloth
- #120: Innocents of Ryloth
- #121: Liberty on Ryloth
Then it’s on to season 2. You’re going to mix up the standard viewing order a little:
- #201: Holocron Heist
- #202: Cargo of Doom
- #203: Children of the Force
- #217: Bounty Hunters
- #218: The Zillo Beast
- #219: The Zillo Beast Strikes Back
- #204: Senate Spy
- #205: Landing at Point Rain
- #206: Weapons Factory
- #207: Legacy of Terror
- #208: Brain Invaders
- #209: Grievous Intrigue
- #210: The Deserter
- #211: Lightsaber Lost
- #212: The Mandalore Plot
- #213: Voyage of Temptation
- #214: Duchess of Mandalore
- #220: Death Trap
- #221: R2 Come Home
- #222: Lethal Trackdown
Now you go through season 3, with a few detours along the way:
- #305: Corruption
- #306: The Academy
- #307: Assassin
- #302: ARC Troopers
- #304: Sphere of Influence
- #308: Evil Plans
- #122: Hostage Crisis
- #309: Hunt for Ziro
- #310: Heroes on Both Sides
- #311: Pursuit of Peace
- #215: Senate Murders
- #312: Nightsisters
- #313: Monster
- #314: Witches of the Mist
- #315: Overlords
- #316: Altar of Mortis
- #317: Ghosts of Mortis
- #318: The Citadel
- #319: Counter Attack
- #320: Citadel Rescue
- #321: Padawan Lost
- #322: Wookiee Hunt
From this point on, there is only one real change to the viewing schedule.
Your next stop is season 4, which is easy—you just watch it in its normal order:
- #401: Water War
- #402: Gungan Attack
- #403: Prisoners
- #404: Shadow Warrior
- #405: Mercy Mission
- #406: Nomad Droids
- #407: Darkness on Umbara
- #408: The General
- #409: Plan of Dissent
- #410: Carnage of Krell
- #411: Kidnapped
- #412: Slaves of the Republic
- #413: Escape from Kadavo
- #414: A Friend in Need
- #415: Deception
- #416: Friends and Enemies
- #417: The Box
- #418: Crisis on Naboo
- #419: Massacre
- #420: Bounty
- #421: Brothers
- #422: Revenge
Season 5 is mostly unchanged, but notice that #501 has been pushed back in the schedule so you’ll watch it after #513:
- #502: A War on Two Fronts
- #503: Front Runners
- #504: The Soft War
- #505: Tipping Points
- #506: The Gathering
- #507: A Test of Strength
- #508: Bound for Rescue
- #509: A Necessary Bond
- #510: Secret Weapons
- #511: A Sunny Day in the Void
- #512: Missing in Action
- #513: Point of No Return
- #501: Revival
- #514: Eminence
- #515: Shades of Reason
- #516: The Lawless
- #517: Sabotage
- #518: The Jedi Who Knew Too Much
- #519: To Catch a Jedi
- #520: The Wrong Jedi
Finally, season 6. Like the fourth season, it should be watched in its normal schedule:
- #601: The Unknown
- #602: Conspiracy
- #603: Fugitive
- #604: Orders
- #605: An Old Friend
- #606: The Rise of Clovis
- #607: Crisis at the Heart
- #608: The Disappeared
- #609: The Disappeared: Pt. II
- #610: The Lost One
- #611: Voices
- #612: Destiny
- #613: Sacrifice
So that’s the Lucasfilm “chronological” schedule for watching the first 121 episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. All of these episodes are available for streaming on Disney+.
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