If The Force Unleashed was a long time in coming, then The Clone Wars seemed an even longer wait. First hinted at in 2005 during a Q&A session with George Lucas at Celebration III, The Clone Wars have been the subject of three long years of rampant speculation as to what a weekly Star Wars animated TV series might be like. The stricter-than-usual (even for Lucasfilm!) secrecy meant speculation was all that there was until 2007, when a trailer for the series was revealed at Celebration IV. It was there that audiences first met Director Dave Filoni, who passed fan muster when it became evident that he was "one of them," a fellow fan who knew Star Wars inside and out and spoke their language. Having a history of dressing up like Plo Koon didn't hurt.
But the waiting continued. In January, 2008 word out of an international toy fair confirmed the speculation: there would be a new character named Ahsoka who was Anakin's Padawan. But that wasn't the most surprising twist. it was soon reported there would be another Star Wars movie in theaters by year's end. An animated one.
The secrecy around the project proved to be a mixed blessing; the 98-minute movie, while providing a taste of things to come, hardly revealed the whole picture. After all, the TV series was going to be 22 (or so) minutes of new Star Wars storytelling every week, with a focus on a variety of characters, a mix of styles, and an array of tone. If an episode wasn't your cup of blue milk, just wait till the next one.
That's what fans of all ages came to realize by year's end, having experienced 10 episodes. There is something for everyone, and on television, the Clone Wars really took off, proving to be a smash hit well worth repeated viewing and second (or third or more) looks.
Accompanying the episodes was a wealth of new online experiences, both here at StarWars.com and CartoonNetwork.com. It's been a new game; fans accustomed to the roll out of content that accompanied a new movie every three years had to get used to a whole new frequency for the online goodies that come with each episode. Comics, commentaries, preview videos, games, podcasts and more -- a rich trove of different ways to continue the adventures online. And with 10 out of 22 episodes this season under our belts, we're not even halfway done and the show is just hitting its stride.
This makes 2009 look all the more compelling.
Thanks to all our readers and fans for a great year, and all the best in the new year from the staff of StarWars.com.
