After a six-year wait for a conclusion to the beloved series, “Star Wars: the Clone Wars,” Lucasfilm has brought back the show for a seventh and final season. The show had been canceled in 2014 but was revived after the release of new streaming service Disney+. The first of twelve episodes was released on Disney+ on February 21, with the second episode released the following Friday on February 28. This new season will feature many unresolved storylines, including Ahsoka Tano’s return.

The first episode begins with General Mace Windu, Jedi Anakin Skywalker and Captain Rex discussing different tactics and strategies to use to beat the Droid Army on planet Anaxes. While preparing to head off to meet his new squad, Captain Rex mourns the loss of his fellow clones, Fives, Echo, and Hevy. Rex mentions that he isn’t fully convinced that Echo is truly dead. Captain Rex is then introduced to his new squad, Clone Force 99. This new squad calls themselves the “Bad Batch” because they are a group of defective clones with desirable mutations. The members of the Bad Batch include Sergeant Hunter, Wrecker, Tech and Crosshair.

Later, their aircraft is shot down, and their location is exposed. A large group of battle droids comes to attack them, but the Clone Force 99 easily takes them all down without a sweat. However, Commander Cody is injured in the crash, and Captain Rex doesn’t want to lose another friend. The squad notices that the Techno Union Facility that they were sent to infiltrate is nearby, and they are shocked by what they find inside. They find a live signal that repeats the code CT-1409, and this turns out to be Echo’s number, so they know that he must be alive.

The producers of the show did a great job at easing audiences back into the series. It has been six years since the show released an episode, so this first episode of season seven does a great job of returning to the clones’ storyline. Although a lot of new information is released in this episode, it isn’t so much that the viewers can’t keep up. The ending was a smart idea; the cliffhanger keeps fans of the show wanting to know what will happen next. 

However, nothing is said about Ahsoka Tano, and her appearance is something that a lot of fans are looking forward to seeing in this final season. Lots of fans were confused by the fact that the first episode of what could be the biggest season ever focused more on the clones rather than the main characters. The set-up of the episode and the plot of it is kind of odd, but it does its job in returning to familiar stories. 

In the second episode, Anakin Skywalker, Captain Rex and the Bad Batch head on a mission to find Echo after hearing his number on the live signal. Before they head off on the mission, Anakin Skywalker speaks on a call with Padmé Amidala, who is Anakin’s wife. He tries to hide the fact that he’s on the call with her from Obi Wan Kenobi, but he already knows. Anakin tells Padmé about how he thinks that Rex is letting his emotions drive this mission, and how he doesn’t want Rex to be distraught if Echo truly isn’t alive. Padmé says to trust Rex’s instincts since they’ve known each other for so long. 

When they reach the planet Skako Minor, Anakin Skywalker and his squad run into a group of natives from the planet. They do not speak the same language, so when they try to kidnap Skywalker, Rex and the Bad Batch do not understand why. The truth is that the natives don’t want their planet getting involved with the war, so Skywalker promises that they won’t get involved. The natives say they’ll help Skywalker and his group get into the tower where Echo’s signal is coming from. Once they reach the tower and find the room where his signal is coming from, Rex enters to find what looks like a “stasis chamber.” When they open it, they find Rex’s limp body; however, he is still alive.

Overall, this episode was adequate in carrying on the plot line. The suspense of wanting to know whether Echo’s fate drove the entire episode. The beginning of the episode also developed Anakin’s secretive relationship with Padmé. It reminded the viewer that there are other parts of the storyline that still need to be resolved going into “Revenge of the Sith.”

Many fans worry about all the events that need to be fit in these 12 final episodes. The creators are releasing episodes as they are writing, so things are not set in place. Many fans are still on the edge of their seat wanting to know what will happen with Ahsoka Tano. It is well known that she will return, but when will her return finally appear on screen? With just 10 episodes left in this beloved series, the suspense is building for her arrival. Ahsoka Tano will return hopefully by the fourth episode of the final season because they are most likely going to explain what happened to Echo in the third episode. Fans fought hard for this show to come back and conclude the series, so the pressure is on for a satisfying finish.

Episode 1 Rating: 8/10

Episode 2 Rating: 7/10