Any Star Wars fans out there? Whether you’re a casual fan or a Star Wars geek, you at least know a little bit about it. Star Wars has become such a huge cultural icon that it’s almost impossible to not have at least heard about it. And with this franchise has come movies, books, comic books, and TV shows. One of these shows is the famous Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which changed quite a few things for Star Wars.

I actually wasn’t really a huge fan of Star Wars until I watched Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Oh, I had seen the movies and I was fine with them, but I didn’t really get what everyone was talking about. But then I saw this series and suddenly, it clicked for me. I understood why people were so fascinated with this world that George Lucas had created. And since then I’ve been a pretty big fan of Star Wars.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars was a pretty unique series as it decided to expand on the events that happened in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. We got some pretty significant world building, a better look into Anakin’s relationships with everyone, and an idea of what this war really meant to everyone. The series was also pretty crazy, not shying away from things like destruction.

As a result, Star Wars: The Clone Wars has its fair share of different moments and secrets that you probably didn’t pick up on initially. So here are 20 interesting and kind of strange secrets about Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

20 Never Stood A Chance

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Considering Revenge of the Sith came out three years before this series even got started, there are quite a few “spoilers” that happen just as a result of the events of the 3rd movie. But one element that we probably tend to forget is that nearly all of the Jedi featured in this series were deceased by the time the 3rd movie was over.

I wanted to point out two particular Jedi whose demises are quite tragic: Plo Koon, and Kit Fisto. Both of these Jedi were very remarkable and were quite likable in the Clone Wars series. It makes it all the more tragic when you know they will eventually perish as the result of Order 66. Kit goes down while fighting Palpatine, and Plo Koon was shot down by his own men. It makes it even harder to bear when you know that Plo Koon loved his clone troopers and they loved him back.

19 Gone Too Soon

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Any Clone Wars fan will tell you how unfair it was that the series was canceled. There were quite a few story arcs that were in the works when the series was shut down, and fans often lament on what could’ve been.

A few of the arcs were going to take place around the movie Revenge of the Sith.

A few of the arcs were going to take place around the movie Revenge of the Sith. In fact, director Dave Filoni, talked about how he wanted to end the series around the end of the 3rd movie, having Ahsoka out on her own and feeling the effects of Order 66. What’s truly sad about these arcs was that they never came to pass in the TV series. But some stories did get told in graphic novels, so fans who are craving more can check those out.

18 This Guy Nearly Prevented Order 66

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Order 66 was one of the biggest devastations in the history of Star Wars, as it essentially wiped out almost all of the Jedi. It was a massive elimination and it’s what led to the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire. But did you know that the plans for Order 66 were almost exposed back in the Clone Wars? And by a clone?

Fives, one of the clones the series had been following, discovered the conspiracy behind Order 66 when another clone Trooper, Tup, started going crazy and eliminated a Jedi General. Fives discovered all the clones had chips in their brains and eventually learned that Palpatine had plans to destroy the Jedi Order using the clones. But then Fives was hunted down and destroyed. He did manage to tell Anakin and Rex before he was eliminated. Anakin didn’t believe him, but we could tell that Rex had some suspicions. It’s likely what led to him eventually defecting. So, Fives’ passing wasn’t in vain, at least.

17 Time Has No Meaning

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If you just watched the episodes of Star Wars: Clone Wars in the order they were released, you’d probably be a little confused. If it feels like events jump around and seem out of order, especially in the first few seasons, that’s because they are.

The episodes are quite a bit out of order chronologically in the beginning.

The very nature of The Clone Wars series was to tell the stories behind the movie. So, the episodes are more of a collection of stories rather than one big story. As a result, the episodes are quite a bit out of order chronologically in the beginning. In the later seasons, things have settled down a bit and we get a more linear timeline, but there are a few episodes here and here that are out of place. So don’t panic, you’re not going crazy.

16 Clones Are People, Too!

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The biggest reason the clones were genetically engineered was that they were the perfect soldiers. And they were expendable. To many people, clones were just that: clones, soldiers that were ready to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the Republic. And in theory, no clone would be any different from the other.

But that’s not the case. As we see throughout the series, every clone has a distinct personality and different quirks. They may be clones, but they’re people too, full of feelings, dreams, and ambitions. When we keep that in mind, the way the clones are treated is kind of horrific. They’re seen as nothing more than expendable tools by some. And we even get clones questioning this way of thinking, wondering if they could be more than just soldiers. It’s a pretty big ethical and moral quandary.

15 Bridging The Gap

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It’s no secret that Star Wars: The Clone Wars could get pretty dark. This is a series about a war, one of the biggest wars the galaxy had seen. And with that war came violence, casualties, demise, and more. While it didn’t show anything too graphic, like blood or terrible injuries, the series definitely didn’t shy away from violence and destruction. This series was one that bridged the gap between being a cartoon for kids and a cartoon for grown-ups.

The series aired on both Cartoon Network and Adult Swim.

That’s probably why the series aired on both Cartoon Network and its late-night counterpart, Adult Swim. It’s one of those cartoons that could technically go either way, so it makes sense that it aired on both. Just make sure your kids are okay with seeing characters perish onscreen before you let them watch this show.

14 The Lost Episodes

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For quite a while, fans thought that Echo, one of the five clone troopers the series focused on, had met his untimely end via fiery explosion. And by all appearances, he did perish, and all that was left of him was his helmet. But that’s not the case.

In the episodes that were in the works when the series got canceled, it was shown that Echo actually survived the explosion. In these “lost” episodes, Echo has a lot of cybernetics on him and he’s basically become part cyborg. Honestly, I’m not sure if staying alive was the best thing for him since he doesn’t exactly look comfortable in his modified body. It’s a pity that we’ll never get more episodes on him because this development would’ve made things rather interesting.

13 Remembering Those Who Came Before

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We know that quite a few clones have perished throughout the course of the Clone Wars, but do we know just how many have passed? It’s a lot more than you may think, and the proof is etched in stone, literally. No seriously, there’s actually a monument to the clones.

What’s disturbing is how big this monument is.

In the center of the Republic military base plaza, there’s a huge monument that lists the names of the clone troopers that were eliminated in the first Clone Wars battles. What’s disturbing is how big this monument is, and this was just the first battle. It’s not even accounting for the passings ongoing. It does give you a sense of scale in this war. And it makes the clone troopers’ situation even more desperate. You were pretty much destined to perish.

12 Your Movement Betrays You

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Did you know that the way the battles progress can have a hidden message? In a lot of Western entertainment, the perspective of movement of good guys fighting tended to go from left to right, while the movement of the bad guys went from right to left. But in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, it’s a bit reversed.

In most of the episodes, the movement of the clone troops and the Jedi tended to be from a right to left perspective, a perspective that was generally reserved for the bad guys. It’s a cool bit of foreshadowing to what the clone troopers will eventually become. What I like about this interesting perspective is that it’s a subtle way to remind us that, while these guys are good for the moment, things will eventually go bad.

11 Cameo Status

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For me, the Star Wars: The Clone Wars series is what actually made Anakin likable to me. In the movies, he was more annoying and whiny, while this series makes him a more rounded character. And the banter between Anakin and Obi-Wan was incredibly entertaining. But did you know that these two weren’t going to be in the series as much?

There were plans to only have Anakin and Obi-Wan appear occasionally.

In the early stages of the show, there were plans to only have Anakin and Obi-Wan appear occasionally since the focus was going to be on other characters. The idea was to focus on other elements of the Clone Wars besides the two most familiar Jedi in the series. But they got put in the show more, and I think it worked out for the best. We got to see the two interact more and their development was pretty fun to watch.

10 A Movie Misstep

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It’s a fact that practically every movie of Star Wars has been a huge hit at the box office. In fact, nearly every Star Wars movie has been number 1 at the box office when they were released. All except for one movie.

To be fair, the Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie was less of a movie and more like four episodes put together as a movie. It was the introduction to the series, and it was put on the big screen on a bit of a whim. I also think not as many people knew about it, and unfortunately, animation usually doesn’t draw as many crowds as live-action. As a result, the movie didn’t do as well as the other movies. Still, it’s kind of sad to be the only movie that doesn’t live up to the others’ fame.

9 This Guy Was Also This Guy

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When you think of the Light Side, you probably think of Luke Skywalker, the young Jedi who was able to bring his father back from the darkness. Luke, in general, is a good representation of the Light Side: he’s kind, he’s compassionate, he’s brave, and he’s loyal to a fault. But what if he went Dark Side? Well, he did.

Mark Hamill went on to do a lot of voice acting, and he mostly portrayed villains.

Okay, more like his actor did. After his portrayal of Luke Skywalker, Mark Hamill went on to do a lot of voice acting, and he mostly portrayed villains. He even portrayed a villain in Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Darth Bane, the first Sith. To be fair, you probably wouldn’t realize the voice behind this dark entity was the same guy who fought against Vader. Mark Hamill is a pretty talented guy.

8 This Scene Was Going To Play Out Differently

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I think most fans can agree that the Umbara arc was one of the best arcs in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It had incredible action, gorgeous design and animation, and the unprecedented event of clones going against their general’s orders. It’s an iconic moment when Rex makes the decision that’s best for his men, and they arrest Krell for treason.

But things were originally going to go differently. In the series, Krell is eliminated by Dogma. But originally, Rex was going to be the one to shoot Krell. But the creators went with Dogma since it seemed more fitting for the guy who protested going against orders the most to be the one to deliver the final blow. Either way, this was a pretty dark story arc.

7 Gone For Good

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Probably one of the most iconic scenes from this series is the moment where Ahsoka decides to leave the Jedi Order. Honestly, I don’t blame her, after everything that went down in this story arc. She was accused of a crime she didn’t commit, almost executed, and the Jedi Order didn’t stand by her at all. For her to walk away was surprising, but it also felt right.

The writers toyed with the idea that Ahsoka would eventually return to the Jedi Order.

But this didn’t almost happen. Well, it wasn’t going to be as permanent of a decision as it was. The writers toyed with the idea that Ahsoka would eventually return to the Jedi Order after some time. I’m personally glad they didn’t go with that idea since it would undermine the significance of her decision and the impact it made on Anakin.

6 A Different Fate For This Woman

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Quite a few of us were surprised that while Ahsoka and Anakin were trying to figure out who was responsible for the temple bombing that Ahsoka was being framed for, they discovered it was the Jedi Padawan Bariss. Poor Ahsoka was pretty heartbroken to see her friend confess to her crimes and then get taken away.

But this scene was going to end rather differently. Barris was actually going to end herself via bomb after confessing to her crimes. The writers decided to just have her arrested instead. The other way was a bit dark, even for this series. What’s also kind of heartbreaking about this whole scene is that Bariss has some legitimate concerns about the Jedi Order and the Republic. Yeah, she went about an extreme way to point it out, but she did have some good points.

5 A Leap To The Big Screen

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Ventress was a pretty popular villain throughout this series. Her constant battles with Anakin and Obi-Wan (did you realize she and Obi-Wan flirted, like, a lot?) made her a pretty interesting adversary. Let’s not forget that this lady is ruthless. Her style of fighting is pretty brutal and she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty.

Ventress was originally going to be the Sith apprentice under Palpatine.

But did you know that she was originally planned to be in the movie Attack of the Clones? Ventress was originally going to be the Sith apprentice under Palpatine after Darth Maul was eliminated (sort of), but they went with Count Dooku instead. It would’ve been pretty cool to see her on the big screen, though I’d hate to be the actress that plays her. She’d be spending a lot of time in make-up.

4 Ending Their Stories

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The series does a great job of showing us how the clones have unique personalities. But it really cements this idea by following the events of Domino Squad, a group of five clone troopers. We see them as cadets struggling to pass the test to become troopers, and we follow their adventures throughout the series. Unfortunately, things don’t end well for them.

One by one, these clone troopers are eliminated in various ways. Droidbait was eliminated by Commando Droids at the outpost, Cutup was eaten by a Rishi Eel, Hevy sacrificed himself to warn the Republic of the taken outpost, and Fives was eliminated after discovering the plans for the clones and Order 66. In fact, Echo was the only one to survive the series, and he didn’t come out of it unscathed, becoming a sort of cyborg. It’s a pretty tragic ending for a group of guys you couldn’t help but like.

3 History Repeats Itself

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Honestly, I’m kind of surprised that Obi-Wan wasn’t the Jedi that went Dark Side. He has plenty of reasons to. He hasn’t exactly had an easy life and he’s lost a lot of people important to him. It’s kind of a miracle that he didn’t give in to darker emotions. I probably would have.

It was Obi-Wan’s reaction to Satine’s demise that was incredibly heartbreaking.

What’s crazy is that two people that Obi-Wan loved and cared for were destroyed by the same person: Darth Maul. Qui-Gon Jinn was eliminated by Maul when Obi-Wan was facing off against him in The Phantom Menace, and Satine, Obi-Wan’s love (well, not confirmed, but we all know) was eliminated by Maul as he took over Mandalore. It was Obi-Wan’s reaction to Satine’s demise that was incredibly heartbreaking. You can tell that he’s just kind of broken, and he has lost the will to fight. Maul, you are heartless.

2 The Loss Of A People

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At the beginning of the series, Ventress doesn’t seem to be a sympathetic character. She’s just the Sith apprentice of Count Dooku. But you do have to admire her for her impressive combat skills and her ruthlessness. This is a lady you really don’t want to mess with.

But eventually, Ventress breaks away from the Sith and the Separatists after Dooku deems her a failure. She then goes to her people, the Night Sisters. We end up learning a lot about Ventress, her family, and her culture. And then it’s all destroyed by General Grievous and his army in a pretty epic battle. Ventress survives, but you can tell she’s heartbroken over losing her family, her people. I like that they made her to be more than just another Sith; she’s someone who has lost a lot and is just trying to survive.

1 Biting The Hand That Feeds

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Throughout the Clone Wars, the general idea was that the Republic were the good guys and the Separatists were the bad guys. And initially, it seemed valid, with the Separatists often doing some pretty terrible stuff to innocent civilians. But the Republic’s hands weren’t clean either.

Things weren’t as black and white as they may have seemed.

The Republic did try its best, but there were times when they didn’t make the right decisions either and people suffered as a result. And there’s the whole ethical issue of the clones, and even the Jedi Order has a history of letting some questionable things slide. In truth, the whole situation surrounding this war was a bit more complicated than many people initially believed, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars does point that out, showing us things weren’t as black and white as they may have seemed.