Just starting Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Disney Plus? Here are 20 must-see episodes

Best The Clone Wars episodes
(Image credit: Lucasfilm/Disney)

With the final season of The Clone Wars rolling out across the world right now, including Europe where Disney Plus just launched, you might be wondering how the hell you can catch up when you're six whole seasons behind. Well, Disney has handily put together a list of 20 episodes from the show aimed to help viewers catch up on, or refresh their memories of, all the essential happenings from earlier seasons.

All these episodes are, of course, available to stream right now on Disney Plus.

Normally, we wouldn't recommend that newcomers watch a cherry-picked selection of episodes from a show's previous six seasons, but in the case of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which is comprised of many self-contained stories, that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

So without further ado, here are the 20 most essential episodes to watch from Star Wars: The Clone Wars as chosen by Disney Plus itself. Be warned, episode descriptions may contain spoilers.

S1: E1 – Ambush

Episode description: Jedi Master Yoda and three clone troopers face off against Count Dooku's dreaded assassin Ventress and her droid army to prove the Jedi are strong enough to protect a strategic planet and forge a treaty for the Republic.

S1: E5 – Rookies

Episode description: Alone on a distant outpost, Clone Officers Rex and Cody must inspire their rookie unit to believe in themselves as they fight off a Droid Commando invasion.

S2: E5 – Landing at Point Rain

Episode description: Anakin, Aksoka and Ki-Adi-Mundi lead a landing party to destroy a droid factory on Geonosis. They must stop it before it becomes active.

S2: E6 – Weapons Factory

Episode description: Luminara and Anakin act as decoys to divert new enemy super-tanks, while Padawans Barriss Offee and Aksoka attempt to destroy a Separatist droid factory. Are the Padawans up to the challenge?

S2: E7 – Legacy of Terror

Episode description: When Luminara goes missing. Obi-Wan and Ki-Adi-Mundi lead a platoon of clones in search of her. When the search leads to a mysterious lair, the Jedi are faced with a horde of undead warriors.

S2: E8 – Brain Invaders

Episode description: When Geonosian brain worms take control of their supply ship, Aksoka and Barriss must battle to stop the vessel from unleashing the deadly plague upon the galaxy.

S2: E13 – Voyage of Temptation

Episode description: As the Jedi and their clones defend the Duchess Satine from assassination attempts, Anakin discovers that Obi-Wan and the Duchess have a history together.

S3: E2 – ARC Troopers

Episode description: When the Republic learns of an impending Separatist attack on Kamino, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi hurry to the planet's defense.

S4: E21 – Brothers

Episode description: Savage Opress continues his quest to find his long-lost brother, the Sith Lord Darth Maul, who has somehow escaped death.

S4: E22 – Revenge

Episode description: Savage and Darth Maul unite to seek revenge against Obi-Wan, causing the Jedi to team up with a surprising ally.

S5: E1 – Revival

Episode description: As the Sith brothers Maul and Savage forcibly recruit pirates to their cause, they are pursued by Obi-Wan Kenobi.

S5: E6 – The Gathering

Episode description: Jedi younglings undergo a rite-of-passage: the construction of their lightsabers.

S5: E14 – Eminence

Episode description: Savage and Maul forge an alliance with the Death Watch that targets their common for: Obi-Wan Kenobi.

S5: E15 – Shades of Reason

Episode description: Backed by the criminal underworld, the Sith and Death Watch launch an attack on Mandalore.

S5: E16 – The Lawless

Episode description: Using Duchess Satine as bait, Darth Maul lures Obi-Wan into a trap.

S5: E17 – Sabotage

Episode description: Anakin and Ahsoka investigate a deadly bombing at the Jedi Temple.

S5: E18 – The Jedi Who Knew Too Much

Episode description: Accused of an unthinkable crime, Ahsoka finds herself running out of allies and alternatives.

S5: E19 – To Catch a Jedi

Episode description: The fugitive Ahsoka escapes to the criminal depths of Coruscant.

S5: E20 – The Wrong Jedi

Episode description: On trial for murder, Ahsoka is expelled from the Jedi Order.

(Image credit: Future)

So there you have it: The essential 20 essential episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars as chosen by Disney Plus. Due to the short nature of the show's episodes (around 26 minutes each), newcomers might even be able to power through these fantastic episodes in time to start the new seventh season this week.

To those setting out on this quest, we bid you good luck – and may the force be with you. 

Stephen Lambrechts
Senior Journalist, Phones and Entertainment

Stephen primarily covers phones and entertainment for TechRadar's Australian team, and has written professionally across the categories of tech, film, television and gaming in both print and online for over a decade. He's obsessed with smartphones, televisions, consoles and gaming PCs, and has a deep-seated desire to consume all forms of media at the highest quality possible. 

He's also likely to talk a person’s ear off at the mere mention of Android, cats, retro sneaker releases, travelling and physical media, such as vinyl and boutique Blu-ray releases. Right now, he's most excited about QD-OLED technology, The Batman and Hellblade 2: Senua's Saga.

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