Fortunately, though much of the backstory fans will need to understand where the plot of the next season of the Disney+ hit is probably heading comes from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, fans don’t need to consume the entirety of the 133 episodes of the show to prepare. Need doesn’t mean shouldn’t, though. Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a fantastic show, and a must for fans of the franchise. However, for expediency purposes, there are some specific episodes that can be watched separately. First, and most importantly, the twelfth episode of season 2 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, titled “The Mandalore Plot.”
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This episode marks the first appearance of the planet Mandalore, as well as the Darksaber. The planet, however, had previously appeared in the 1983 comic Star Wars 68, and the idea of it existed in early story concept for Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Fans were always likely to get much more of Mandalore’s history in a series called The Mandalorian, so it’s interesting to pay attention to everything the animated series, in particular, have given us about Mandalore. The Darksaber, meanwhile, was close to making an appearance in Solo: A Star Wars Story, but they ultimately chose to use Darth Maul’s Rebel’s lightsaber. This means “The Mandalore Plot” is truly the place to start for backstory looking forward to season 3 of The Mandalorian.
The next two episodes in season 2 (“Voyage of Temptation” and “Duchess of Mandalore”) continue with the Darksaber/Mandalore storyline. The Darksaber doesn’t make many more appearances during the course of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, though a few specific episodes to check out are “A Friend in Need,” “Eminence,” “Shades of Reason,” and “The Lawless.” The Darksaber does appears again in Star Wars: Rebels, particularly in the back half of season 3 and the season 4 premiere, starting with “Visions and Voices” in season 3 and ending with “Heroes of Mandalore.”
Mandalore itself continues to be mentioned, and in some cases, appear – via flashbacks or in the present – during the entire run of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Bo-Katan Kryze, meanwhile, also makes her first appearance in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, but it’s not till season 4. The storylines of Bo-Katan, the Darksaber and Mandalore are, of course, intrinsically tied. In fact, it could be said that the entirety of their appearances during the course of the show were all leading up to season seven of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which focuses on the Siege of Mandalore. The entire season is important backstory for the Bo-Katan that appears in The Mandalorian season 3.
The storylines developed in Star Wars: The Clone Wars are sure to be the backbone of some other shows set in the Star Wars universe. The Obi-Wan that fans will see in his standalone series lived through everything in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Ahsoka Tano is a character that was first introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Not to mention, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, which is now streaming, also features characters first introduced during Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Most of what fans need to know before Season 3 of The Mandalorian, and to follow many of the Star Wars properties going forward, can be traced back to Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Star Wars: Rebels is also another interesting follow-up for people interested in more backstory. It isn’t set as early in the timeline – five years before the original Star Wars film – or focuses on the right characters to be integral to the story The Mandalorian is telling, so there’s no need to rush to watch it. But fans of Star Wars: The Clone Wars will find it full of Easter Eggs, and complex, interesting new character. Similarly, just as it’s happened with Clone Wars, it’s sure to become the basis for more stories to be told in the Star Wars universe.
Watching the Star Wars animated series, and particularly Star Wars: The Clone Wars, is essential to understanding what’s to come in The Mandalorian season 3. Fans don’t need to watch the full seven seasons of the show, the episodes mentioned here will suffice if all someone’s looking for is background information. However, for fans of Star Wars in general, and The Mandalorian in particular, Star Wars: The Clone Wars is an absolutely binge-worthy delight. Plus, considering how many of the upcoming shows set in the Star Wars universe seem to be either focused on Star Wars: The Clone Wars characters or drawing upon stuff that happened within the series, this is the best time to get started on the show. Soon, the list of episodes one needs to watch to understand an upcoming show might be up to 133.
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