The Star Wars shows tend to either stick to their own realm and stories or they tribute to the original trilogy. That makes sense since; for many fans, the original trilogy is still the most iconic but the prequel era does have its fair share of fans, considering the anticipated release of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
That's not to say that prequel fans have not been neglected. Across the variant live-action and animated shows set in the Star Wars canon, the prequel era (including The Clone Wars) has had its chance to shine again. From storylines continues from that era to elements borrowed to make the long timeline feel more connected than ever.
Updated on July 12th, 2022 by Melody MacReady: Obi-Wan Kenobi has been released on Disney+ by Lucasfilm and it continued the legacy of the prequel era. Not only did Ewan McGregor return as the role that many fans grew up loving but Hayden Christensen was welcomed back with open arms as both Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader.
It can be argued that the entirety of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series was made for prequel-era fans but some episodes stood out more than others with a lot of fan service. So, where do these episodes stand amongst others from the likes of The Clone Wars, The Mandalorian, and The Book Of Boba Fett?
Bombad Jedi - The Clone Wars (S01, E08)
Jar Jar Binks was a divisive character from The Phantom Menace, but he got the chance to shine in his own adventure with Bombad Jedi. He's on a diplomatic mission with Padmé Amidala on Rodia and as per usual, Jar Jar's clumsiness gets him both in and out of trouble.
The highlight of this episode is Jar Jar disguising himself as a Jedi as he tries his best to be like Liam Neeson's Qui-Gon Jinn. This episode makes fans laugh even more given the humorous memes and theories about Jar Jar secretly being a Sith.
The Jedi - The Mandalorian (S02, E05)
There had been so many fans wishing to see Ahsoka Tano get a live-action debut after rising to a fan favorite in both The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. Fans' wishes came true when Ahsoka not only appeared but opened up the fifth episode of The Mandalorian season two.
With her silver blades and being portrayed by Rosario Dawson, fans of the character were elated to see her return. It was as much of a gift for fans of The Clone Wars as it was for Star Wars Rebels fans. She references her time during the Age Of Republic, but her personal story sets up a continuation of Rebels via her own spin-off.
The Last Battle - Star Wars Rebels (S03, E06)
There was a time when fans thought they would never see a proper finale of The Clone Wars. So to give fans that closure, there is a whole episode of Star Wars Rebels dedicated to the older Captain Rex facing off against the last of the Separatist droid forces.
Seeing clones fighting alongside a Jedi and his padawan harks back to when Rex would constantly fight alongside Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano. Even though fans did get the final season of The Clone Wars, this acted as a nice finale, even ending with the theme song from The Clone Wars with the Rebels logo styled after that show.
Ghosts Of Mortis - The Clone Wars (S03, E17)
Often considered one of the best arcs of The Clone Wars, the Mortis arc ended with "Ghosts Of Mortis," and it was one epic ending. Thanks to the corruption of The Son, fans were able to see a precursor to when Anakin falls to the dark side in Revenge Of The Sith.
As he sees the future, there is a short but booming tease of Darth Vader. Anakin confronting and betraying Obi-Wan surrounded by lava is clearly a throwback to their fight on Mustafar in Revenge Of The Sith. As a bonus, Liam Neeson returned as Master Qui-Gon Jinn, making fans of the show-stealing Jedi cheer with joy.
Twilight Of The Apprentice - Star Wars Rebels (S02, E21-22)
The end of the second season of Rebels saw Darth Vader and an older Ahsoka Tano have one of the best lightsaber duels of the series. It's an epic fight with the two ex-Jedi proving to be almost equal but at the same time, this fight made fans of The Clone Wars have their hearts broken. Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker were akin to a brother and sister, so seeing them as enemies was hard.
Especially when Vader's mask breaks and James Earl Jones is replaced with Matt Lanter, the voice of Anakin from The Clone Wars. As much as fans would want them to reconcile happily, this episode does give their friendship an ending fitting for how these characters turned out.
In The Name Of Honor - The Book Of Boba Fett (S01, E07)
After his shocking cameo in the previous episode, Cad Bane became the biggest villain of The Book Of Boba Fett. Not only was Cad Bane a recurring threat in The Clone Wars but as mentioned in this episode, he was also once the mentor of Boba Fett.
As a result, this episode gave a conclusion to their toxic relationship. It also allowed fans to simply enjoy the fact that Cad Bane was back and just as ruthless of a bounty hunter as ever.
The Phantom Apprentice - The Clone Wars (S07, E10)
By the end, The Clone Wars was no longer about Anakin or Obi-Wan; it was Ahsoka Tano's story and the final arc of the season focused purely on her. Darth Maul, as portrayed by Sam Witwer, was the iconic villain of the series so the tenth episode saw the two iconic Star Wars characters duel.
Of course, seeing these famous characters is great but there is a touching bit of behind-the-scenes trivia to this fight. Darth Maul was voiced by Sam Witwer but the fight was motion-captured by Ray Park, the man who played Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace, giving fans the best of both worlds for the villain.
Shattered - The Clone Wars (S07, E11)
There was no ignoring it: even though everyone did their best to, everyone knew that Order 66 was going to happen. The Clone Wars did such a good job of making the clones such endearing characters with the likes of Commander Cody and Captain Rex that it was hard to imagine them ever succumbing to Order 66.
Sadly, with the penultimate episode of The Clone Wars, not only did fans get to hear famous audio from Revenge Of The Sith but also the clones turning on Ahsoka. Even Rex betrays Ahsoka and it makes Order 66 even sadder than it already was because of how much Star Wars fans loved these clones.
Victory And Death - The Clone Wars (S07, E12)
Continuing where Shattered left off and giving The Clone Wars a proper ending, Victory And Death has Ahsoka and the freed Captain Rex, with Dee Bradley Baker giving one of his best performances, fight to survive against Order 66. It's a dark ending but it fits as it is supposed to be occurring parallel to Revenge Of The Sith.
It's a bittersweet end to see Ahsoka give up her lightsaber and go separate ways from Captain Rex. However, it's also strangely fulfilling to see Darth Vader in his robotic suits finding Ahsoka's saber and then walking away from a cracked clone trooper helmet, signifying the end of the iconic Star Wars series.
Part V - Obi-Wan Kenobi (S01, E05)
Fans see more of Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader, showing off just how powerful the character actually is but seeing him as Anakin again. Both Obi-Wan and Vader experience flashbacks to a pre-Attack Of The Clones sparring session between the two as friends; this carries the tragedy of their once great friendship to be even sadder, showing that Anakin's darkness was always there.
It not only reflected how the two battled each other in Revenge Of The Sith but seeing the two so young, back to their Attack Of The Clones designs brought a well-executed sense of nostalgia. As a bonus, fans were able to see the Purge from Reva's perspective with another flashback of Anakin slaughtering younglings.
Return Of The Mandalorian - The Book Of Boba Fett (S01, E05)
Somehow The Book Of Boba Fett featured the best episode of The Mandalorian in which he comes to Tatooine and builds a new ship. Directed by Bryce Dallas Howard, it would seem that she wanted to dedicate the majority of this episode to fans of the prequels, specifically of The Phantom Menace.
Din Djarin gets modified and refurbished N1 Starfighter which somehow looks better than when they appeared in the prequel era. There are pit droids to help, Din uses the slang word "wizard," and he takes the starfighter on a joy ride through the Boonta Eve Classic pod racing course. This is so fitting because of Anakin's famous line while piloting an N1 Starfighter: "Now this is pod racing."
Part VI - Obi-Wan Kenobi (S01, E06)
A large portion of the episode is dedicated to the true rematch of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader. Both are at full strength and it is a spectacle of a fight to witness that not only closes Obi-Wan's personal arc but gives the two characters closure. Fans cheered as well as teared up seeing Anakin under the helmet speaking to Obi-Wan.
This also is a throwback to the fight between Darth Vader and Ahsoka with the exposed Anakin face causing the hero to emotionally break down. It all culminates into a proper tie into the original trilogy but the season ends with one last throwback for fans by bringing back Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn; he steals the show just like he did in The Phantom Menace, even if it's only for a few seconds.