Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7 has made it to Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith. Since the series began, its endgame was eventually tying into the third prequel film. The road was long and full of swerves, but the end is within reach. The most recent episode, "Old Friends Not Forgotten," included a few scenes that made this abundantly clear. The final few Clone Wars installments have a lot to tackle, including the fallout of Revenge of the Sith.
Following the Bad Batch and Martez sisters' arcs, season 7 is about to pick up in a big way. After meeting with Bo-Katan, Ahsoka Tano hears her out and decides to join the cause. She sympathizes with the Mandalorian whose home is under the tyrannical rule of Darth Maul. To stand a fighting chance, they will need the assistance of the Jedi and the Republic, something Ahsoka is hesitant of. Nonetheless, the two met with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to plead their case. Anakin grants them legions of the 501st with Captain Rex at the helm before he and his master are called to action.
Not long after giving Ahsoka back her lightsabers, the reunion between Anakin and his former padawan is cut short. Things take a turn for the worst, with a Separatist invasion of Coruscant leading to the capture Chancellor Palpatine. The entire ship goes into panic mode, departing for the Republic capital at a moment's notice. Obi-Wan and Anakin are summoned there for the rescue mission that opens Revenge of the Sith. They leave Ahsoka and Rex to their own devices to prepare for the Siege of Mandalore. Though Anakin happily gets to leave the Outer Rim Sieges behind, there are bigger problems on the horizon.
It isn't long before a musical cue suggests an exact moment of overlap between the two stories as the familiar horns of John Williams' "Battle over Coruscant" swell as Ahsoka begins her heroic skydive from ship-to-ship, taking out Maul's Mandalorian soldiers in the initial invasion of Mandalore. The same song is played in Revenge of the Sith after the opening crawl as Obi-Wan and Anakin arrive at the Battle of Coruscant and dive into the battle. The minor similarities in the scene certainly appear as more than an homage, and likely indicate this is the point where the timeline syncs up.
With both the battle of Coruscant and the Seige of Mandalore underway, an avalanche of heartbreaking moments is about to begin. It is no secret that Revenge of the Sith is one of the darkest films in the Star Wars continuity and for good reason. Anakin's turn to the Dark Side, the issue of Order 66 and subsequent formation of the Galactic Empire all take place in its runtime. The repercussions of these actions are felt across the galaxy, even Mandalore which is in the middle of a war. The Jedi deaths from episode 3 were even foreshadowed in "Old Friends Not Forgotten," implying how close they are. As a result, the next few episodes will deal with the tragedies that come with that movie.
The Siege of Mandalore is a strong enough premise to carry the finale of season 7. The incoming duel between Maul and Ahsoka as well as the surrounding conflict have the potential to be movie quality. Adding the layer of Revenge of the Sith will prove to make the arc more emotional, but can create some Star Wars plot holes if not done properly. At the time of the prequel trilogy, fan favorites like Captain Rex and Ahsoka Tano did not exist. As a result, they did not have to endure the Jedi purge or the fall of the Republic as it were. The conclusion will connect directly to their return in Star Wars Rebels, further elaborating on their appearances there. Before then, The Clone Wars needs to trudge through the emotional swamp that is Revenge of the Sith.