Without a doubt, the most often asked question I’ve been asked since The Clone Wars started four years ago is, “How does The Clone Wars fit into the existing Expanded Universe Clone Wars timeline?” The first seasons of The Clone Wars were peculiar in that episodes didn’t air in chronological order. You would have episodes in Seasons 2 and 3 that were actually prequels to episodes in Season 1. Here are a few of my notes regarding the timeline to help sort things out.
First off, let’s look at the first two episodes of The Clone Wars airing in syndication across the U.S.:
“Cat and Mouse” (S216)
Obi-Wan and Anakin must break a Separatist blockade to deliver supplies to Christophsis. They encounter Separatist Commander Admiral Trench and get more than they bargained for.
“Hidden Enemy“ (S116)
Anakin and Obi-Wan discover evidence of a traitor amongst their ranks while attempting to lead Republic forces to liberate the planet of Christophsis from a Separatist siege.
The numbers in parentheses shows the air order number, with S216 being the 16th episode that aired in Season 2. Why not start with the Season 1 Episode 1? Because for the first time ever, The Clone Wars episodes are being presented in chronological order.
As for how The Clone Wars fits into the previous EU, here’s a recap of things that have transpired prior to the first episode “Cat and Mouse.” Asajj Ventress has emerged as Count Dooku’s assassin and has already had confrontations with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. General Grievous leads the Confederacy Droid Army and has confronted Jedi and Republic on numerous occasions, though he has not yet met Asajj Ventress. Anakin has attained the rank of Jedi Knight and bares scars on his face from the Clone Wars. The blue-marked 501st clone trooper unit under the command of Captain Rex are assigned to Anakin. Obi-Wan has taken a seat on the Jedi Council. His dedicated clone trooper unit is the orange-marked 212th Attack Battalion led by Commander Cody. As a gift from Padmé, R2-D2 now serves Anakin while C-3PO, having had his rusted silver coverings replaced with gold ones, now serves Senator Padmé Amidala.
“Cat and Mouse” and “Hidden Enemy” take place before 2008 The Clone Wars movie which gives resolution to the Battle of Christophsis and introduces Ahsoka Tano as Anakin’s Padawan. Other noteworthy events from the move that apply to the timeline: Anakin acquires the freighter the Twilight and Ziro the Hutt is imprisoned for conspiring against both Jabba the Hutt and the Republic. And Jabba has a son.
Admiral Yularen is first assigned to Anakin in “Cat and Mouse” marking his first chronological appearance in the series. The episode mentions Yularen’s previous encounter with Trench, though this event has never been depicted.
Here’s a look at the next two episodes of The Clone Wars airing in syndication.
“Clone Cadets” (S301)
Five headstrong clone cadets – Hevy, Cutup, Droidbait, Fives and Echo – struggle to complete their training on the ocean planet of Kamino
“Supply Lines” (S303)
Ryloth is under siege. Trapped on the surface, Jedi Master Di rallies the local forces with the help of rebel leader Cham Syndulla.
Note that both of these episodes originally aired as part of Season 3 of The Clone Wars. The central group of clones from “Clone Cadets” appear here for the first time chronologically, though their first air appearance is in Season 1. Clones from this unit will continue to appear throughout the series. The situation on Ryloth in “Supply Lines” sets up a major Season 1 story arc. This episode presents the first chronological appearance of King Katuunko, the leader of the Toydarians.
All of these episodes take place early on during the Clone Wars, mere months following the Battle of Geonosis seen in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. Many of the dates and events on previously existing EU Clone Wars timelines have been condensed into this period before the events of “Cat and Mouse.”
In future blogs, I will continue to share my Clone Wars timeline notes and add installments to this episodic timeline as the episodes air.
- Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
- Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
- "Cat and Mouse" (S216)
- "Hidden Enemy" (S116)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 theatrical release)
- "Clone Cadets" (S301)
- "Supply Lines" (S303)
Leland Y Chee is the Keeper of the Holocron at Lucasfilm and writer of the Star Wars Insider magazine “Ask Lobot” feature. Send your “Ask Lobot” questions to starwarsinsider@titanemail.com. Also, you can follow @holocronkeeper on Twitter.