As two animated TV shows set in the Star Wars universe, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels have plenty in common - and that includes some big similarities with regards to their respective endings. The Clone Wars was created by George Lucas in 2008, intended to fill the gap between Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, and was overseen by Dave Filoni. When Disney cancelled The Clone Wars in 2013 after its purchase of Lucasfilm, they instead gave Filoni a new series, Star Wars Rebels, which charted the years leading up to Star Wars: A New Hope.

Aside from both being created by Filoni, The Clone Wars and Rebels have covered plenty of similar ground across their runs, with several characters appearing in both, such as Ahsoka Tano and Maul. Star Wars Rebels wrapped-up its four season run in 2018 with the two-part finale, "Family Reunion and Farewell". After that, Filoni returned to The Clone Wars, with Disney reviving the series due to great fan-demand (and a need to create content for Disney+), with season 7 giving the show a proper ending in 2020.

Related: Star Wars Rebels Series Finale And Ghost Crew Fate Explained

The Clone Wars' ending takes place in the wake of the execution of Order 66, with Ahsoka Tano having to both fend off attacks from the newly-turned Clone Troopers and trying to stop Maul from escaping. While she fails in the latter, Ahsoka is at least able to survive, and she and Captain Rex bury the clones on an unknown planet, alongside Ahsoka's lightsabers. The Clone Wars' finale then jumps forward in time, past the end of Revenge of the Sith, and finds Darth Vader arriving on that same planet and discovering the lightsabers. If the idea of skipping ahead past the end of the movie that the show has long been approaching, and ending up in a gap period within the Star Wars universe, sounds familiar, it's because it repeats the trick Filoni pulled with Rebels.

Star Wars Clone Wars Rebels Endings Ahsoka Tano

The ending to Star Wars Rebels has a five year time jump, which follows the Ghost Crew's last clash with Thrawn, and Ezra's decision to go with him and defeat him once and for all. The series skips past not only A New Hope, but the entire original trilogy, picking up after the Empire has been defeated at the Battle of Endor (which both Hera and Captain Rex played a part in). Both shows, therefore, spend much of their time telling part of the buildup to one movie, but finish in a period that's largely a blank slate on-screen - yet ones that Disney has explored (and continues to do so) with tie-ins.

That's important for a couple of reasons: firstly, it means that there is still plenty of room for the respective characters of both shows to have stories told, whether that's on TV or elsewhere. But furthermore, it also cements the idea of these shows as standing on their own, rather than simply helping serve the movies; by taking Clone Wars past Revenge of the Sith and Rebels beyond the original trilogy, then they each contain their own larger narratives. Each ending is bittersweet, and allows for the contrast of the Empire's reign and its defeat.

Of course, the other key link between the endings of The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels is the presence of Ahsoka Tano. In The Clone Wars, the finale sees her disappear, but the time jump hints that Vader might realize she's still alive thanks to the presence of Morai, the convor who watches over Ahsoka. That provides a great juxtaposition with the end of Rebels, as in its own time jump, Ahsoka re-emerges from the World Between Worlds, meeting up with Sabine Wren to go in search of Ezra Bridger. What the similar endings of the two shows do in this regard, then, is really cement just how much they represent Ahsoka's story, even if she wasn't the focal point of Rebels. She's at the heart of Filoni's storytelling in The Clone Wars and a crucial figure in Star Wars Rebels, and in both cases - though especially Rebels, given Ahsoka will next appear in The Mandalorian season 2 - it leaves her story just ambiguous and open-ended, yet perfectly fitting for each respective show.

Next: Star Wars: The Clone Wars Ending & Vader's Final Scene Explained