Dave Filoni is making a 10th Star Wars film.

I don’t know if that was his intent, but the storytelling, character development, visual effects, and plot are all film quality in these last four episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars Final Season.  Even the way the opening is done is different than all other episodes of The Clone Wars; more cinematic in nature.  The plot is intense in what is being called The Siege of Mandalore.  Dave, the supervising director, executive producer, and head honcho of all things Clone Wars, is a huge fan of Mandalorian lore and the events in these last episodes dovetails nicely into every aspect of the Star Wars universe.  From the original trilogy, the prequels, the Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and of course the newest addition The Mandalorian, the history of Mandalore and its warriors is tied together with everything going on here in the final season.

Long time fans of The Clone Wars will notice how neatly the series is bringing together all the loose ends.  Darth Maul.  Bo-Katan. Ahsoka Tano.  Especially Ahsoka Tano.  Ahsoka may not have been seen in any of the Star Wars films, but she is as much of an influence in the events of those films as any character could be.  Her reach is long, spanning the entirety of The Clone Wars, going underground until appearing as Fulcrum in Star Wars Rebels, facing off against her former master turned Sith Lord, again vanishing, only to reappear in the series finale for Rebels with Sabine on a quest to find Ezra Bridger.  Ahsoka’s destiny was unclear when The Clone Wars first appeared to end, but now Dave has a chance to tell her story in a way that not only pleases the fans, but helps to make her story complete.

Of course the clones themselves are huge among the Star Wars fan base.  This final season introduces us to a really different group of clones called The Bad Batch.  Specialized soldiers, each one is vastly different than the others with distinct personalities.  Fives finds a home among them after he’s nearly turned into a droid.  But the most beloved clone is probably Captain Rex (now Commander).  Rex plays a pivotal role not only in the final season, but this final four episode arc.  Perhaps the most touching part of the show was the reunion with Ahsoka Tano.  The 501st painted their armor in an homage to their former Commander.  Ahsoka says to Rex, “You don’t have to call me Commander any longer.” And as you would expect, Rex responds, “Of course…Commander.”

Many of the arcs in The Clone Wars have been well written and complex, especially as the series evolved, but these final four especially have been a notch above.  It’s been fascinating watching as events start tying in to continuity with Revenge of the Sith.  How Dave Filoni and the crew on The Clone Wars close out the series is definitely worth tuning in to find out.  Fittingly, the final episode airs on Star Wars Day – May the 4th (be with you).