“It never really was truly a kids show”: George Lucas Must Revive the Most Violent Star Wars Show That Was Going to Reveal the True Horrors of War

The Star Wars franchise has plenty of social commentary about the perils of war, with real-world inspiration sprinkled across the galaxy far, far away. However, The Clone Wars animated series particularly wanted to dive deeper into the true horrors of war, which would have made it even more violent. Therefore, the series was allegedly canceled because of this drastic change.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a fan favorite animated series (Credit: Lucasfilm).

On Reddit, fans discussed the untimely cancellation of The Clone Wars, which reportedly still had plenty of stories to tell. However, the series’ ever-growing violence became a concern for the network, with the series being canceled before reaching its full potential. Therefore, George Lucas must look into reviving the fan-favorite animated series.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Was Allegedly Canceled Because of Its Violent Nature

Star Wars: The Clone Wars premiered in 2008 and expanded on the titular conflict, which formed a key plot point in the prequel trilogy. Created by George Lucas, the series quickly became a fan favorite. However, it was canceled in 2013, after Lucasfilm’s acquisition by Disney.

Star Wars fans feel The Clone Wars was canceled because of its graphic violence (Credit: Lucasfilm).

According to Boba Fett voice actor Daniel Logan, the series was canceled because the new leadership did not agree with its creative direction. At a fan convention, Logan argued that Disney felt the series was becoming too graphic and violent for an animated show.

On Reddit, fans discussed the cancellation with user @ThrowRA-Southern-Ad8 detailing the various instances of graphic violence that may have been the reason for the show’s cancellation. Other fans argued that such scenes might’ve been too graphic for what Disney likely considered a children’s show.

It never really was truly a kids show. Even early on there was brutal violence. It was good for all ages.

User @BacoNaterr made the above statement, explaining that the show had always been violent and wasn’t necessarily aimed at children. However, following its cancellation, Disney produced Star Wars Rebels, which was more light-hearted and less violent, proving that there is merit behind the idea that The Clone Wars was canceled for being too violent.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Must Be Revived to Explore the True Horrors of War

After The Clone Wars was first canceled, several episodes and story arcs were left unfinished. Some of these episodes were later completed for the revived seventh season produced by Disney. Meanwhile, others received a release in the form of print media.

Unfinished episodes prove George Lucas should revive The Clone Wars (Credit: HBO).

In the original Reddit post, the user cited the example of these unfinished episodes to underline how the series was lining up to explore the true horrors of war. The user stated that the Dark Disciple novel, based on an unfinished arc from the show, sees Count Dooku commit genocide on planet Mahranee.

Similarly, the user also cited the Crystal Crisis, where Anakin treats the deceased Sugis poorly, and the canceled Bounty Hunters arc, where Cad Bane burns the Tusken Raiders as examples of unnecessary graphic violence. Therefore, the user argued the following:

In later seasons they were really upping the stakes and the level of violence probably because they thought that the Clone Wars audience had grown with the show.

The user’s comments make sense since Lucas had originally envisioned the Star Wars franchise as his take on the Vietnam War. Furthermore, the franchise has always commented on the politics of war throughout its different eras. Therefore, it is only natural for The Clone Wars to explore the true horrors of war and Lucas must fulfill this true potential by reviving the series.

The Clone Wars and other Star Wars shows and movies are streaming on Disney+.