Clone Wars Continuity Order

[Lord Insanity]

I am going to be watching through The Clone Wars with my kids (7 and 10) for the first time soon. I wanted to double check the continuity order list before we start. Way back in 2013 I posted this. Season 6 (The Lost Missions) has long since been released and the original page I started from is long since gone. The "official chronology" is as useless as the old RPG numbers stating the Executor was only 8km long. (Instead of the 19km it actually is.)

Fortunately the only change is three of the season 6 episodes should be viewed between season 4 and 5. Funnily enough if you dig for it, those episodes have production code numbers that place them at the end of season 4 too. I am sure some will point out the Tartakovsky series is officially no longer canon but frankly I don't care. The main series makes several references to it and the only major continuity problem is Grievous' voice. Yes there are a few other minor nitpicks but nothing as suspension of disbelief breaking as some of the crap in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. (Its kind of like "season 4" of the original Star Trek. It was mostly the same writers and actors, but because is was animated and they took full liberty to do some truly crazy stuff they never could have done in live action, its "not canon." Never mind that it is far better written than the garbage they call "Star Trek" today.)

Here is the full updated list for everyone that wants to watch in the most sensible order we can achieve to minimize minor continuity errors.


Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones

Tartakovsky Animated Series:
001 Clone Wars - ch01-20
002 Clone Wars - ch21-22a (End after Padme sees Anakin's new eye scar)

Christophsis:
003 The Clone Wars - s2e16 - Cat and Mouse
004 The Clone Wars - s1e16 - The Hidden Enemy
005 The Clone Wars Movie

Malevolence:
006 The Clone Wars - s1e02 - Rising Malevolence
007 The Clone Wars - s1e03 - Shadow of Malevolence
008 The Clone Wars - s1e04 - Destroy Malevolence

Droids:
009 The Clone Wars - s1e06 - Downfall of a Droid
010 The Clone Wars - s1e07 - Duel of the Droids

Ryloth/Toydaria: (After "Malevolence" and "Droids")
011 The Clone Wars - s3e03 - Supply Lines
012 The Clone Wars - s1e01 - Ambush
013 The Clone Wars - s1e19 - Storm Over Ryloth
014 The Clone Wars - s1e20 - Innocents of Ryloth
015 The Clone Wars - s1e21 - Liberty on Ryloth

Gunray Captured:
016 The Clone Wars - s1e08 - Bombad Jedi
017 The Clone Wars - s1e09 - Cloak of Darkness
018 The Clone Wars - s1e10 - Lair of Grievous

Domino Squad: (After "Ryloth/Toydaria" and "Gunray Captured")
019 The Clone Wars - s3e01 - Clone Cadets
020 The Clone Wars - s1e05 - Rookies
021 The Clone Wars - s3e02 - ARC Troopers

Pirate Ransom:
022 The Clone Wars - s1e11 - Dooku Captured
023 The Clone Wars - s1e12 - The Gungan General

Maridun:
024 The Clone Wars - s1e13 - Jedi Crash
025 The Clone Wars - s1e14 - Defenders of Peace

Pantora:
026 The Clone Wars - s1e15 - Trespass

Naboo:
027 The Clone Wars - s1e17 - Blue Shadow Virus
028 The Clone Wars - s1e18 - Mystery of a Thousand Moons

Cad Bane:
029 The Clone Wars - s2e01 - The Holocron Heist
030 The Clone Wars - s2e02 - Cargo of Doom
031 The Clone Wars - s2e03 - Children of the Force

Geonosis:
032 The Clone Wars - s2e04 - Senate Spy
033 The Clone Wars - s2e05 - Landing at Point Rain
034 The Clone Wars - s2e06 - Weapons Factory
035 The Clone Wars - s2e07 - Legacy of Terror
036 The Clone Wars - s2e08 - Brain Invaders

Mandalore:
037 The Clone Wars - s2e12 - The Mandalore Plot
038 The Clone Wars - s2e13 - Voyage of Temptation
039 The Clone Wars - s2e14 - Duchess of Mandalore

Bounty Hunters:
040 The Clone Wars - s2e17 - Bounty Hunters

Zillo Beast:
041 The Clone Wars - s2e18 - Zillo Beast
042 The Clone Wars - s2e19 - The Zillo Beast Strikes Back

Boba Fett:
043 The Clone Wars - s2e20 - Death Trap
044 The Clone Wars - s2e21 - R2-D2 Come Home
045 The Clone Wars - s2e22 - Lethal Trackdown

Papanoida: (Cameo character George Lucas played in Episode III)
046 The Clone Wars - s3e04 - Sphere of Influence

Mandalore/Ziro the Hutt:
047 The Clone Wars - s3e05 - Corruption
048 The Clone Wars - s3e06 - The Academy
049 The Clone Wars - s3e07 - Assassin
050 The Clone Wars - s3e08 - Evil Plans
051 The Clone Wars - s1e22 - Hostage Crisis
052 The Clone Wars - s3e09 - Hunt for Ziro

Hunting Grevious: (After "Mandalore/Ziro the Hutt")
053 The Clone Wars - s2e11 - Lightsaber Lost (1st)
054 The Clone Wars - s2e09 - Grievous Intrigue (2nd)
055 The Clone Wars - s2e10 - The Deserter (3rd)

Peace Overtures:
056 The Clone Wars - s3e10 - Heros on Both Sides
057 The Clone Wars - s3e11 - Pursuit of Peace
058 The Clone Wars - s2e15 - Sentate Murders

Nightsisters: (All episodes aired in order from here on except 3 from season 6.)
059 The Clone Wars - s3e12 - Nightsisters
060 The Clone Wars - s3e13 - Monster
061 The Clone Wars - s3e14 - Witches of the Mist

Mortis (The Chosen One):
062 The Clone Wars - s3e15 - Overlords
063 The Clone Wars - s3e16 - Altar of Mortis
064 The Clone Wars - s3e17 - Ghosts of Mortis

Raid of the Citadel:
065 The Clone Wars - s3e18 - The Citadel
066 The Clone Wars - s3e19 - Counterattack
067 The Clone Wars - s3e20 - Citadel Rescue

Ahsoka Lost:
068 The Clone Wars - s3e21 - Padawn Lost
069 The Clone Wars - s3e22 - Wookiee Hunt

070-091 The Clone Wars Season 4 (in airdate order)

Clovis:
092 The Clone Wars - s6e05 - An Old Friend
093 The Clone Wars - s6e06 - The Rise of Clovis
094 The Clone Wars - s6e07 - Crisis at the Heart

095-114 The Clone Wars Season 5 (in airdate order)

Season 6 in release order other than "Clovis arc"
115 The Clone Wars - s6e01 - The Unknown
116 The Clone Wars - s6e02 - Conspiracy
117 The Clone Wars - s6e03 - Fugitive
118 The Clone Wars - s6e04 - Orders
119 The Clone Wars - s6e08 - The Disappeared Part I
120 The Clone Wars - s6e09 - The Disappeared Part II
121 The Clone Wars - s6e10 - The Lost One
122 The Clone Wars - s6e11 - Voices
123 The Clone Wars - s6e12 - Destiny
124 The Clone Wars - s6e13 - Sacrifice

125+ The Clone Wars (Upcoming season 7 and any further episodes or movies)

Tartakovsky Animated Series: (assuming "The Clone Wars" doesn't overwrite)
999 Clone Wars - ch22b-25 (Begin after Padme sees Anakin's new eye scar)
(Leads directly into Star Wars Episode III)

Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith

[Lord Revan]

The 2D animated series isn't related to the 3D series other then the name and there's several cases of overlap or differences that can't be explained easily, it's best to assume the 2D series is at best "broad strokes" and isn't really needed to know the story.

[Batman]

Far as Star Wars canon is concerned the Tartakovsky series never happened and I don't see why so many people are enamored with it. The animation was atrocious.

[DesertFly]

The 2D Clone Wars introduced several things that were expanded upon in the 3D series: Obi-Wan wearing battle armor, Anakin getting his eye scar, Asajj Ventress being introduced and her background being touched upon (including receiving her unique lightsabers), and Anakin and Obi-Wan meeting her for the first time (thus explaining the way they seemed to have prior history with her in the following series), among others. It's certainly not required viewing to watch and enjoy The Clone Wars, but it does provide text to some issues that are left as subtext in the later series. Also it's fun, and only a couple of hours long, so it's not like it's a huge commitment to watch it.

[KraytKing]

Far as Star Wars canon is concerned the Tartakovsky series never happened and I don't see why so many people are enamored with it. The animation was atrocious.

We like it because it was good. Animation wasn't bad, it was stylistic. By far the best Grievous out of all portrayals. And it did a better job showing Anakin's fall than ROTS and a faster job than the other clone wars.


I would absolutely watch it at some point, but the sheer number of contradictions makes me think perhaps you should watch it after the other stuff. Like "and here's how it really went" or something.

[Lord Insanity]

Well in addition to some points brought up by others, the 3D series was originally meant as a continuation of the 2D series. That is why the early episodes of the 3D series builds off of several things from the 2D series. In the old system the 2D series was a lower tier canon in the event of contradictions. (Really the only one that most people would even notice is Grievous' voice.)

One of the more notable events in the 2D series is seeing Anakin being promoted from Padawan to Knight. The 3D series just has him start there.

The biggest draw of the 2D series to me is the fact that is the exact opposite of the absurd minimalism found in most non-Lucas Star Wars.