Since its debut in 2008, Star Wars: The Clone Wars has given us an unprecedented look inside the final years of the Jedi Order and the Republic. The captivating animated series is a snapshot of an era unlike any other, defined by the stories of the conflict between the Separatists and the Republic, the lives of Jedi Masters and their Padawans, and the unflinching clones standing on the front lines.
As the story reaches its conclusion with the first all-new episode in the final season debuting on Disney+ February 21, let’s take a look at some of the most quotable lines from episodes past to remember where our heroes and villains have been and where their paths are taking them on the last leg of their journey.
1. “That’s your plan? Just fly there, land, hope they don’t spot us, and walk in the door?” - Obi-Wan Kenobi
“Destroy Malevolence,” Season One, Episode 4
It doesn’t take long for Anakin Skywalker’s plans (or lack thereof) to become a running gag in The Clone Wars. While Anakin might not think everything through down to the last detail (like his master tends to do), things have a funny way of almost always working out for the young Jedi.
2. “Today we fight for more than the Republic. Today we fight for all our brothers back home.” - Captain Rex
“Rookies,” Season One, Episode 5
Exploring the Clone Wars from the point of view of the clones leads to some of the most compelling stories in the animated series. They may be clones, but their personalities come through and set each trooper apart. Captain Rex, Fives, Echo, Tups, and more are each distinctive and remarkable. In only the fifth episode of the series, Captain Rex shows us exactly who he is in this quote. He never flinches from his duty and is always willing to defend what’s most important to him: his brothers.
3. “To answer power with power, the Jedi way this is not. In this war, a danger there is, of losing who we are.” - Yoda
“Lair of Grievous,” Season One, Episode 10
Yoda voices the risks of the Jedi expanding their role beyond peacekeepers in the galaxy-spanning conflict. He would prove to be unfortunately prescient.
4. “I would kill you both right now if I did not have to drag your bodies.” - Count Dooku
“The Gungan General,” Season One, Episode 12
Dooku, Anakin, and Obi-Wan must work as unlikely allies to escape the clutches of Hondo Ohnaka and his pirates. But as you can probably guess by the quote, they can’t put aside their differences. The Jedi and Sith Lord trade barbs and insults as they grudgingly team up. This is a rare opportunity to see the three together without lightsaber blades flashing, and it only happens in The Clone Wars.
5. “A great leap forward often requires first taking two steps back.” - Obi-Wan Kenobi
"Mystery of a Thousand Moons,” Season One, Episode 18
Obi-Wan, sounding a lot like his master, Qui-Gon Jinn, urges an agitated Anakin to slow down and think things through before rushing off to save Padmé.
6. “Senators, I presume you are acquainted with the collection of half-truths and hyperbole known as Obi-Wan Kenobi?” - Duchess Satine Kryze
“Voyage of Temptation,” Season Two, Episode 13
Satine expresses her anger with Obi-Wan in one savage sentence…and can you say she’s wrong? This line also reveals that the pair share a deep personal history that those in the room -- and those watching -- aren’t quite privy to.
7. “You thinking what I'm thinking?” - Anakin Skywalker
“Bounty Hunters,” Season Two, Episode 17
Name a more iconic Jedi Master and Padawan. We’ll wait.
8. “You don’t have to look tough to be tough.” - Ahsoka Tano
“Bounty Hunters,” Season Two, Episode 17
Ahsoka reassures a diminutive pilot that looks can be deceiving. (She’s pretty tough herself.)
9. “A failed apprentice makes for a foolish master!” - Count Dooku
“Witches of the Mist,” Season Three, Episode 14
As Asajj Ventress sees her plan for revenge begin to crumble along with Savage Opress’s emotional state, Dooku can’t help throwing a taunt her way. The targeted insult probably stings more than any strike with a lightsaber would.
10. “We are the ones who guard the power. We are the middle, the beginning, and the end.” - Daughter
“Overlords,” Season Three, Episode 15
The Daughter explains the role her powerful Force-wielding family serves to a bewildered Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka in the quote above. The Mortis arc of The Clone Wars is simultaneously one of the most well-defined and enigmatic pieces of Force mythology we’ve ever been treated to. The prophecy of the Chosen One is explored like never before in these can’t-miss episodes.
11. “If there's one thing I've learned from you, master, it's that following direct orders isn't always the best way to solve a problem.” - Ahsoka Tano
“The Citadel,” Season Three, Episode 18
Ahsoka turns the tables on her master by doing exactly what he would do: breaking the rules to do the right thing. While she often jokes that all she learns from Anakin is defying the Jedi Council and crashing ships, Ahsoka does take away valuable lessons from him in staying true to herself and following her own path.
12. “The whispering of his name can rekindle hope. And hope is something we cannot allow our enemy to possess.” - Count Dooku
“Gungan Attack,” Season Four, Episode 2
Dooku understands his enemies well. Hope is the lifeblood for those fighting for what they believe in and pushes them to keep going, battle after battle, until they win the war -- as Dooku’s master would later discover.
13. “It's Captain, sir.” - Captain Rex
“Carnage of Krell,” Season Four, Episode 10
Krell shows us that not everyone in the Republic values the life of a clone. Rex finally stands up to the Jedi general, whose cruel plan cost the lives of his brothers. We’re reminded in this shocking episode that the clones are not mindless automatons, but people with emotions who are fully capable of making their own decisions.
14. “You cannot imagine the depths I would go to to stay alive, fueled by my singular hatred for you.” - Maul
“Revenge,” Season Four, Episode 22
Maul reveals himself to Obi-Wan Kenobi for the first time since their fateful clash on Naboo in the landmark episode “Revenge.” The former Sith apprentice declares an absolute desire for vengeance that would drive him for the rest of his life. His cruel thirst for revenge continues throughout The Clone Wars and into Star Wars Rebels to their final, heart-wrenching confrontation.
15. “Kenobi, don't tell me someone's finally knocked the fight out of you. Wake up.” - Asajj Ventress
“Revenge,” Season Four, Episode 22
When Maul and Savage Opress gain the upper hand and capture Obi-Wan, help comes in the unlikely form of Asajj Ventress…and a good ol’ fashioned slap across the face. The "hairless harpie" and the Jedi team up to escape the brothers in an unforgettable fight that shows Obi-Wan wielding a red-bladed lightsaber for the first and only time.
16. “You are not the first laser-sword wielding maniac I've had to deal with. And Hondo Ohnaka survives every time!” - Hondo Ohnaka
“Revival,” Season Five, Episode 1
Oh, Hondo. When Maul and Opress begin hiring mercenaries and pirates for their crime enterprise, Hondo is not impressed by the “tattooed crazies.” This episode marks a true team-up between Hondo and the Jedi, a partnership that would continue well into the years of the Rebellion.
17. “It takes strength to resist the dark side. Only the weak embrace it.” - Obi-Wan Kenobi
“The Lawless,” Season 5, Episode 16
If there were just one single episode of the series that truly tested Obi-Wan Kenobi, it would be “The Lawless.” Maul slays one of the people closest to Obi-Wan, who can only watch helplessly, and taunts him into turning to the dark side in his grief and anger. Obi-Wan, to his credit, resists.
18. “Remember the first and only reality of the Sith: There can only be two. And you are no longer my apprentice.” - Darth Sidious
“The Lawless,” Season Five, Episode 16
It’s the epic showdown you never knew you wanted until The Clone Wars made it happen: Maul vs. his former master! Darth Sidious wields two lightsabers, one blazing in each hand, in this incredible fight. Maul is no match for his power.
19. “…I have to sort this out on my own, without the Council and without you.” - Ahsoka Tano
“The Wrong Jedi,” Season Five, Episode 20
This is the most shocking quote in this list, if not the entire series. Ahsoka decides to walk away from Anakin Skywalker and the Jedi Order to forge her own path in life.
20. “No longer certain that one ever does win a war, I am.” - Yoda
“Sacrifice,” Season 6, Episode 13
The great Jedi Master’s melancholy about the toll the war has taken on both the Jedi and the galaxy is felt in this quote.
