Offical Topic of Shaking Fists at Disney and TCW Canned

[max_cady]

Just as the world was getting to make sense of the heartbreaking season finale of the Clone Wars, Lucasfilm and Disney released a press release that remains us all that life is unfair:

As we enter into an exciting new era focused on the next Star Wars trilogy, Lucasfilm has decided to pursue a new direction in animated programming.

As part of this shift, we have also made some key decisions affecting Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Detours.

After five highly successful and critically acclaimed seasons of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, we feel the time has come to wind down the series. While the studio is no longer producing new episodes for Cartoon Network, we're continuing production on new Clone Wars story arcs that promise to be some of the most thrilling adventures ever seen.

While I don't give a hoot about SW: Detours, I have to get this off my chest: If indeed, the aquisition of Disney by Lucasfilms drove them to make this decision, I am upset by Disney's complete misunderstanding of Star Wars as a franchise, particularly as a sci-fi fantasy property and they will likely suffer some backlash over this. I just don't understand how can you pull the plug on arguably the most mature, big budget and profitable animated show on TV.

I've seen many animated CG shows in the past 3-4 years, Transformers Prime (my favorite incarnation since the original show), Ninja Turtles... None of 'em even match the visual complexity of the first season of TCW, which is so different from these last seasons.

If this was simply put, the series finale I would be ok with it, but apparentely Lucasfilm was aiming for 8 seasons and it would appear that Season 6 was apparentely underway... It's one thing to say that it's done and there are no more stories to tell,  to cancel it as a decision of the administration regardless is an entirely different matter. Because we are left without any sense of closure...

The press release mentions some story arcs that are still in the pipeline, but it just seems as if they are just releasing whatever leftover stuff that didn't make the final cut.

I understand that Episode VII is the big thing that everybody wants to talk about, but a great TV show was thrown under the bus to make way for it...

[mylifewithsega]

I never enjoyed the series, but it obviously has fans and cutting it short after a fairly successful run doesn't make much sense.

[Barry the Nomad]

AJ, have you seen any of the bounty hunter episodes or the episodes focusing on sith? I love the series, but I could totally get how some of the more kiddy episodes could turn you off. That's the one odd thing about the series, one week you see a simplistic episode about droids and the next week an episode filled with badass fight scenes and complex themes and character development.

Let me know your interests and I could reccomend some eps.

@Max - yeah, I'm gutted. I've written a LOT over at theforce.net forums already, but I basically wish they gave the crew two more seasons. That's all they needed to finish things off, and from what I hear they were hoping for 8 seasons. As is, we might get as much as one more season. I really hope the remaining content is good stuff and that they at least get to end things on a good story arc.

[mylifewithsega]

It wouldn't make much of a dent, seeing as how I dislike the overall presentation. The style bothers me for whatever reason and it hasn't gotten much better with age. There's just something about it that bothers my eyes. Can't explain it. The stories aren't all that, what few I've actually watched. A few of my friends dig the show and they'll fill me in on what I'm missing. All I can ever bring myself to mutter is, "Eh."

I know; I'm a picky old bastard.

[nuckles87]

I personally consider the first season to be easily the worst. From boring stories to horrid voice acting, I was about ready to give up despite being a Star Wars fan XD.

But every season sense has kicked a lot of ass and the voice talent improved significantly. I really need to watch the latest season...

[Sharky]

That's the one odd thing about the series, one week you see a simplistic episode about droids and the next week an episode filled with badass fight scenes and complex themes and character development.

That is Star Wars in a nutshell though, even in the original movies one min its politics and war and the next it's C3PO and Ewok teddybears.

[Barry the Nomad]

That is Star Wars in a nutshell though, even in the original movies one min its politics and war and the next it's C3PO and Ewok teddybears.

And to be honest, I love that about SW. And really, even Star Trek does something similar. One week a crazy mind-bending episode about technology gone wrong, the next week a slow moving societal episode about some planet.

I think the problem is, some fans hate one side of it and love the other, or vice versa, or they love it all. I like Ewoks as much as Gungans and as much as senate debates and Sith fights. 

[Chaosmaster8753]

At least this show wasn't as poorly treated as almost every other action show Cartoon Network has shown these past few years. Hell, Green Lantern: TAS aired its last episode today and basically was doomed partially because of the failed merchandise from the movie...

[Barry the Nomad]

I thought the first season was a strong start. The Yoda episode was a lot of fun, followed by a cool three parter with that giant ship that they had to destroy, Rookies was great, the R2-D2 vs. evil R2 was a good episode. I loved the design of Skytop Station. Jar Jar being mistaken for a Jedi was a weak episode, but following that was a great Ventress one-off and Lair of Grevious which IMO is one of the best standalone episodes of the series. Very creepy stuff! Dooku being captured by pirates didn't need to be three episodes long, but the stuff with Obi-Wan, Anakin and Dooku chained to each other offered up a lot of banter that we don't typically get because they're always sword fighting. Let's see... the episodes where they were stranded on the planet full of Lurman was weak. But then we got a cool ice planet episode complete with a tribe of aliens who first made their appearance in the cantina in A new Hope. First half of the Blue Shadow Virus arc was weak, but then we got the very cool Iego episode. The season ended with the Ryloth trilogy, which I think was the best of the season. Great clonetrooper moments, great Jedi moments and lots of combat. Really, it was a great glimpse into what Season 2 would be.

As of now I think season 2 was the strongest season, followed by 4, 5, 1 and then 3. I thought season 3 was too uneven, first half was really weak and the second half was strong (Nightsisters and Chewbacca episodes).

[max_cady]

I can understand the sentiment, for one thing, when Lucasfilm and Cartoon Network started makin' this series, they were trying too hard to make it as visually close as possible to Gennedy Tartakovsky's original Micro Series, which was only meant as a tie-in to Revenge of the Sith. The first season and the "pilot"(the first three episodes that were released as a feature film), say what you will, there wasn't as much detail, the characters resembled Barbie and Ken dolls with plastic-looking hair and other minor issues, but even with those shortcomings, it was still visually complex. They seriously ramped up the budget season 2 onwards.

I don't have many memories of Season 1 for the most part, I do remember Cad Bane being introduced as one of the major new characters, season 2 had a few amazing skirmishes, a genuine horror episode, Ahsoka losing her lightsaber, Satine and Obi-wan, Mandalorian Terrorist Group.

Season 3 was kinda weird with a lot of Padmé politically-focused episodes, but then the Mortis trilogy and the introduction of Savage Opress expanded the conflict into something more than Jedi & Clones vs Seperatists.

Season 4 was nearly perfect. Season 5 could've been better had they not waste so much time with the Droid 4-episode story arc ("A Sunny Day in the Void" is arguably the worst Clone Wars episode in the entire series, whoever though this was worth airing needs to have their limbs severed by a lightsaber!)

We have the Jedi and the Clones figthing Dooku and the Droid Army, but after Season 3 onwards, The Jedi have to deal with various groups of antagonists all of which are also at odds with each other.

Every season had something that was really memorable.

[Chaosmaster8753]

Star Wars: Rebels announced:

http://starwars.com/news/new-animated-series-star-wars-rebels-coming-fall-2014.html

Production has begun on Star Wars Rebels, an exciting, all-new animated television series based on one of the greatest entertainment franchises of all time. Scheduled to premiere in fall 2014 as a one-hour special telecast on Disney Channel, it will be followed by a series on Disney XD channels around the world.

Leading the development of the series is a creative team of exceptional talent. Screenwriter/producer Simon Kinberg (X-Men: First Class, Sherlock Holmes, Mr. & Mrs. Smith) is an executive producer on Star Wars Rebels and will write the premiere episode. He is joined by Dave Filoni as executive producer, who served as supervising director of the Emmy nominated Star Wars: The Clone Wars since 2008. Executive producer Greg Weisman brings with him a wealth of animation experience with credits such as Young Justice, The Spectacular Spider-Man and Gargoyles.

Gary Marsh, president and chief creative officer, Disney Channels Worldwide, said, "The entire team at Lucasfilm has provided extraordinary creativity and innovation for over three decades, and we're thrilled to be bringing the expansive and imaginative world of Star Wars to Disney XD's viewers."

"I couldn't be more excited to explore new corners of the Star Wars universe," said Kathleen Kennedy, president, Lucasfilm. "I think Star Wars Rebels will capture the look, feel and fun that both kids and their parents love about Star Wars."

The action-filled series is set between the events of Episode III and IV -- an era spanning almost two decades never-before explored on-screen. Star Wars Rebels takes place in a time where the Empire is securing its grip on the galaxy and hunting down the last of the Jedi Knights as a fledgling rebellion against the Empire is taking shape. Details about the show are a closely guarded secret at this point.

Star Wars Rebels will be produced by Lucasfilm Animation, featuring many of the key talents that made Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Fans attending Star Wars Celebration Europe will be the first to get an exclusive look at the new series. Casting will be announced at a later date. More information about this developing project will be found on StarWars.com and on Facebook at facebook.com/starwarsrebels.

[Chaosmaster8753]

On a minor note, The Clone Wars is getting another chance on TV thanks to Toonami:

http://toonami.tumblr.com/post/56970634019/what-is-replacing-eureka-7-you-cheeky-bastards-i-love

On August 17th, Eureka 7 will be going away, never to return. We’ll be sorry to see it go. Replacing it will be STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS, which we’re very happy about because we always felt it was a Toonami show. FYI: We’ll be skipping some of the non-continuity (read: Jar Jar) eps, but they’ll generally run in order. AMERICAN CARTOONS BELONG ON TOONAMI!  xoxoxoxo

[Barry the Nomad]

"We’ll be skipping some of the non-continuity (read: Jar Jar) eps, but they’ll generally run in order"

That is fucking stupid. Every episode is worth watching. The Jar Jar episodes are not "non-continuity", what the fuck does that even mean? From my memory, there are three Jar Jar arcs and two of the three are pretty awesome. Especially the third one. In fact, a lot of his episodes have important plot elements. Fuck Toonami.

[max_cady]

The Rebels series looks promising...

[Barry the Nomad]

Dave Filoni on Rebels means more awesomeness. Also, season five bluray will kick ass, and the remaining TCW episodes sound amazing.