The release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens has come and gone, and Episode VII has made its mark upon fandom. It reignited galactic feelings for some and introduced the universe of Skywalkers and the Force to others. Star Wars has never gone away -- not really -- but the new movie was like a gust of fresh air that swept in under the bottoms of our Jedi robes. Like the Force, the fandom awakened. It rolled out of bed, poured coffee, and asked for more Star Wars. If you're among those looking for additional tales set among the stars, you can feast upon the buffet of Star Wars served on television.
Star Wars Rebels
Currently nearing the end of its second season on Disney XD, Star Wars Rebels occurs in the years before A New Hope, and It depicts the early days of the Rebel Alliance. Hard as it may be to believe, the organization used to be scrappier than what you saw in Episode IV. The animated series therefore introduced a fresh batch of characters to guide us in this era. The crew of the Ghost -- Hera, Kanan, Sabine, Zeb, Ezra, and Chopper, a.k.a. the grumpiest/best droid -- handle both important missions (such as testing B-wings for battle-readiness) and more mundane tasks, like raiding Empire outposts for fuel to keep the rebel fleet going. The episodes are mixed in a similar fashion; some installments take deep dives into the workings of the Force (I've learned a ton about the Force from Rebels), while others have a lighthearted heist vibe.
Kanan and Ezra are both Force sensitive. As a former Padawan whose training was cut short by Order 66, Kanan has taken it upon himself to train Ezra. The presence of Jedi means the Ghost attracts attention from Darth Vader and his Inquisitors -- they're an elite group tasked with taking down any surviving Jedi. The Force connections and the timeline means Rebels crosses paths with characters from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the original trilogy, too. While it's true Kanan, Ezra, and co. aren't seen or referenced in any of the existing films, you can see how their actions affect the bigger picture. Actually, Rebels helps establish that bigger picture since it expands the known scope of the galaxy by visiting new planets and systems. No, it's not sugarcoated, and yes, it gets dark. Don't discount Star Wars Rebels because it airs on Disney XD.
I recommend starting from the beginning with "Spark of Rebellion" and going in chronological order. However, if you want to dip your toes into the first season to see if it's to your liking, try "Rise of the Old Masters" or "Path of the Jedi." They both showcase what the series is capable of achieving. When you're ready to binge, turn to Amazon Video or iTunes to catch up.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
If you saw the Star Wars: The Clone Wars film and decided not to bother with the animated series that followed it, remedy the situation as soon as possible. The cartoon nestled between the events of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith stretched over six seasons and enriched the cinematic universe; it especially added depth to the prequel trilogy. Anakin Skywalker was the star, and his life was complicated when he was assigned a Padawan, Ahsoka Tano. Though in many ways The Clone Wars detailed the beginning of Anakin's fall to the dark side, it was also about Ahsoka's journey. We learned about the hardships of war through her eyes, we saw the missteps of the Jedi through her experiences, and we saw Anakin in a heroic light through her admiration for him.
The Clone Wars mixed both the familiar and the new. For people who only want to watch stories with strong connections to the movies, The Clone Wars offers that. Characters such as Obi-Wan, Yoda, Darth Maul (yes, he's alive), Padmé, and Palpatine played key roles in the animated series. The political side of the war was explored, and it was complemented by intense action in battle after battle. There were moments that made you question whether you should even be rooting for the Republic and the Jedi. The Clone Wars brought the far-reaching effects the war had on the galaxy and its citizens home, and it was often uncomfortable. And like Rebels, The Clone Wars delved into heavy material.
Since the series was six seasons long with over 100 episodes, not every single installment was a winner. I challenge you to find a show that lasted for over two seasons with a perfect track record. The Clone Wars only got better over time on all levels from storytelling to technical achievements. I enjoyed the first two seasons but think the team settled into a comfortable stride around Season 3 when they started using multi-episode arcs on a regular basis. Twenty-two minutes isn't quite enough time to embrace the ins and outs of a meaty plot, but by stringing the story of three or four episodes together, you can take a longer-term approach that is often more compelling than nothing but standalone episodes. The Clone Wars ran with the arc technique and mostly did so successfully.
A few arcs of The Clone Wars jump to mind if you're ready for a taste test. The Nightsisters trilogy began with the episode "Nightsisters" (it's episode 3.12). It explored the history of Asajj Ventress with the Nightsisters of Dathomir and in doing so, brought Darth Maul's brother Savage Opress into the picture. That eventually led to the return of Darth Maul. Right after the Nightsisters in Season 3 came the Mortis trilogy. Those episodes took Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka to a mystical world that was steeped in the Force and was home to three manifestations, so to speak, of the Force called the Father, Son, and Daughter. Skipping ahead to the final four episodes of Season 5, you'll find an arc that started with a bombing at the Jedi Temple. The Jedi came to suspect the innocent Ahsoka for the murder of the bomber, and the poor way they handled the incident was indicative of how screwed up the Order had become.
Those are, of course, only a few highlights. You can discover more by viewing all six seasons of Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Netflix.
We're heading out of canon territory now, but please don't decide to watch a show, Star Wars or otherwise, based on whether or not it's canon. Stories are stories, and you can enjoy them regardless of whether they have a canon stamp of approval.
LEGO-rrific
LEGO and Star Wars go together like C-3PO and R2-D2. The worlds of LEGO and Star Wars first melded in video games, and the humorous combination carried over to television. The merger is unique since LEGO comes with its own particular brand of comedy; the LEGO TV specials can tell jokes and poke fun at Star Wars tropes and get away with it. They get meta and break all the walls. The LEGO TV specials have been set during different time periods. The newest shorts, LEGO Star Wars: The Resistance Rises, are on the timeline in the years before The Force Awakens. Only one of The Resistance Rises shorts has aired so far. LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales retold the first six Star Wars films from C-3PO's point of view (his perspective is certainly uh, special). LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles was set during the prequel trilogy and revolved around a plot concocted by Count Dooku to make an army of Sith clones. The LEGO Star Wars stories are available on DVD and on Amazon Video and iTunes.
Star Wars: Clone Wars
Before The Clone Wars, there was Star Wars: Clone Wars. No, it's not confusing in the least. Clone Wars was a micro-series created by Genndy Tartakovsky. If that's not enough to sell you, allow me to continue. It aired on Cartoon Network from 2003-2005 with episodes unfolding, for the most part, in two to three minute installments. Episodes lengthened to 12 minutes in the third season. Set between Episodes II and III, the super stylized animation featured a lot of Anakin Skywalker, but also told exciting stories centering on Mace Windu (Mace Windu has never been as intimidating as he was in this show), General Grievous, and Asajj Ventress. All three seasons can be found on DVD; they're sold as Volume One and Volume Two.
Go Back to the '80s
The fervor generated by the release of the original trilogy fueled stories such as the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special, as well as the less infamous but also rather rough to watch Ewok Adventure films, and two cartoons. Ewoks and Droids aired in the mid '80s, and they have their charms. Ewoks focused on various families on the forest moon of Endor and ran for two seasons. Droids boasted Anthony Daniels voicing C-3PO and lasted for a single season. I can't claim to have made it through every single episode Ewoks or Droids, but I've enjoyed what I've seen. You can find both series on DVD, and the Holiday Special on YouTube.
Parody Time
If you're ready to earn extra credit, you can track down episodes of animated series that have parodied Star Wars. Both Family Guy and Robot Chicken tackled the galaxy with three episodes each. Family Guy's "Laugh It Up, Fuzzball" trilogy retold the original trilogy, and Robot Chicken's trio was comprised of wall to wall sketches featuring characters such as Luke and Leia, the space slug, and Emperor Palpatine. Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars did a one-hour crossover of sorts with their characters interacting with Star Wars characters during A New Hope. All of these titles are available for purchase on Amazon Video and iTunes.
