Star Wars : The Clone Wars ( TV series ) Star Wars : The Clone Wars is an animated television series set between the events of and . The series aired on Cartoon Network for five seasons from 2008 to 2013 , while an abridged sixth season was released through Netflix in 2014 . It should not be confused with the similarly - titled 2003 series " " . Development . George Lucas first had the idea for a Clone Wars animated series in 2002 . " " aired on Cartoon Network from 2003 to 2005 , produced by Genndy Tartakovsky . " Star Wars : The Clone Wars " was then announced at April 2005 ' s Celebration III , which Lucas refered to as " a 3 - D continuation of the pilot series . " Dave Filoni was hired as supervising director , and was familiar with previous " Star Wars " animation projects . Filoni ' s initial idea for the series revolved around a recurring cast of characters who traveled aboard a spaceship similar to the " Millennium Falcon " ; the ship ' s crew would have included a smuggler , his girlfriend , a gungan named " Lunker , " a Jedi padawan named " Ashla " and her Jedi Master . This early concept for " The Clone Wars " was designed not to interfere with existing continuity , and as such would have included only occasional appearances from film characters such as Obi - Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker . However , once Lucas became involved , he decided that the show would focus on the film characters , but would also include some of Filoni ' s ideas , such as Ashla ( whose name was ultimately changed to Ahsoka ) . By February 15 , 2006 , Lucasfilm Animation was working on animation tests and initial scripts , with Lucas playing a large part in the entire process . The crew used to animate both the film and the series . The program was used to create highly detailed worlds , characters and creatures . Script , character design and art direction were completed at ILM , with the animation and rendering done in Singapore . No rotoscoping was involved , however , ILM did use motion capture . The final assembly of each episode was done at Skywalker Ranch . Lucas ' s involvement resulted in rewrites of most of the scripts , as Lucas insisted on more character development and that the show should not be based in one location , but as many as possible so as to make the story as interesting as possible to the viewer . The animation style was inspired by 1960s - era puppets - in - space serials such as " " , as well as the character designs from the original " Clone Wars " series . Each episode of " The Clone Wars " was designed to be stand - alone , with an opening narration and moral to each story . In terms of story and cinematography , the series was directed as if it were a live - action series , and the episodes were produced in widescreen . Writer Henry Gilroy gained inspiration for the episode titles from the pulpy adventure sci - fi serials of the 1930s . The series utilized unused ideas from Lucas ' previous " Star Wars " projects . Paul Dini pitched at least two rejected ideas for episodes : One involved Jar Jar Binks trying to convince the Galactic Senate that there is life on an obscure planet , and the other involved Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala hiring an ewok assassin . According to Filoni and Gilroy , while Lucas gave them creative freedom for most of the series , there were several characters and locations that were off - limits . In respect to the characters , Lucas asked not to use Han Solo , Chewbacca , Boba Fett and Jabba Desilijic Tiure when Gilroy was writing the show bible , but by the time of the next meeting , Lucas had changed his mind about the latter two characters . In respect to the locations , Lucas asked Gilroy and Filoni to not explore the planets seen in the films , with the exception of Coruscant . But as with the character restrictions , he eventually changed his mind . On March 11 , 2013 , a video appeared on StarWars . com , in which the crew explained that they were " winding down " the production of the series , and that they had finished the active production of new episodes . Lucasfilm Story Group ' s Pablo Hidalgo stated that there were 13 story arcs left unfinished . A sixth season , dubbed , was released in the United States through Netflix and in Germany on . ( The Netflix episodes were part of a package deal that included the feature film and the first five seasons . ) Additional episodes were released in the form of " The Clone Wars " Legacy , a project that encompasses the comic book series " " , the novel " Dark Disciple " , and 8 story reels that were posted to StarWars . com . Writer Brent Friedman revealed on his Twitter account that scripts for the unproduced seasons 7 and 8 had been written prior to the series ' cancellation . James Arnold Taylor , Obi - Wan Kenobi ' s voice actor , has stated that prior to the series ' cancellation , the actors had recorded at least two remaining unproduced seasons . Had the series been allowed to continue , its final episode would have taken place during and after the events of " Revenge of the Sith " . Since the end of the series , both Leland Chee and the official blog have posted chronological lists of episodes . Release . The first image released from the series — that of a 3D animated Yoda — was shown at Toy Fair 2007 . On May 27 , 2007 , supervising director Dave Filoni and executive producer Catherine Winder gave a presentation at Celebration IV in which they debuted the first official trailer and poster , and discussed the production process of the previous two years . Filoni and Winder also held similar presentations at Celebration Europe and WonderCon 2008 . StarWars . com created a new division of the site dedicated to " The Clone Wars " , which was regularly updated with relevant content , including news articles , behind the scenes videos , and blog entries by Pete Vilmur . Television . Lucas shopped " The Clone Wars " to various networks , but had difficulty securing a buyer due to the show ' s unique tone . Fox Broadcasting passed on it , and Cartoon Network was initially unsure . Several networks eventually got into a bidding war over the show . Cartoon Network and TNT eventually won the broadcast rights , with Warner Bros . distributing a theatrical debut . Warner had tracked the series ' development , and decided on a theatrical launch after viewing some footage . Stuart Snyder , former President of Cartoon Network , said he became interested in the new " Clone Wars " series immediately upon starting the job in May 2007 . Snyder flew out to , to screen several episodes , and told Lucas the only place he wanted to see the show was on Cartoon Network . It was announced on February 12 , 2008 that the was to be released in theaters on August 15 , 2008 , with the TV debut in the fall . This announcement was accompanied by an update of the Hyperspace online fan club kit , and an offering of Captain Rex and Ahsoka Tano T - shirts to Hyperspace members . The series premiered on October 3 , 2008 at 9 p . m . on the Cartoon Network . It aired on Friday nights as part of an block alongside " " and " " , in an attempt to rejuvenate the network and compete with such channels as and the Disney Channel . Snyder expressed confidence that the shows would help boost ratings : " You catch me at a time where I have a smile on my face because of our internal results , " Snyder said . " I can say there ' s a little bit of bragging on the third quarter for us . " In Canada , the first season aired on and , while the second through fifth aired on , which aired repeats of the first season as part of its Weekday Action Force block . In Australia , the first season aired on Channel Ten . On April 13 , 2011 , ABC3 aired repeats of first season and has since aired seasons two , three and four . The series was first aired in the UK on Premiere and Premiere HD every Saturday at 5 . 30PM with the first episode aired on October 25 , 2008 . As with all programs on Sky Movies , it ran for the first 22 - minutes of its 30 - minute slot with advertisements shown at the end so as not to interrupt the episodes . Lucas expected " The Clone Wars " to run for four or five years , but planned to produce at least 100 episodes regardless of ratings . The first four seasons consisted of 22 episodes , the fifth of 20 episodes , and the sixth of 13 episodes . The 21st and 22nd episodes of featured a red opening logo , as opposed to the series ' standard yellow . In the 10th , 11th , 12th and 13th episodes of , the opening logo was changed to have a blue color in honor of R2 - D2 . TNT signed a multi - seasonal agreement to broadcast repeats of the series , though only aired a limited run before dropping the series . Episodes began airing in syndication in fall 2012 , in conjunction with the series ' fifth season . Episodes continue to air on Cartoon Network ( under Adult Swim , and during the Toonami block ) on Sunday mornings at 5 : 30 AM ET . Marketing . Sue Rostoni first stated in June 2007 that a publishing program based on the series was possible , but had not yet been discussed . Rob Coleman reported that licensees had a very positive reaction upon first seeing footage from the series . A 5 - book novel series was released parallel to the television series ; The first book , written by Karen Traviss , was a , whereas the subsequent four books retold stories from the series itself . Karen Miller wrote the , while Traviss returned for the , and installments . A 12 - chapter was published by Dark Horse Comics , with artwork based upon the visual style of the series . A series of graphic novels were published by Dark Horse . There was also a volume that was made for . To accompany the episodes , StarWars . com hosted a , as well as a HoloNet News podcast . The episodes were available on iTunes the day after they aired , and on StarWars . com and CartoonNetwork . com a week after they aired . LucasArts released three video games : " " ( Nintendo DS ) , " " ( Nintendo Wii ) and " " ( multiple consoles ) . Hasbro released a toy line throughout the run of the series . A leaked Hasbro redemption certificate bearing the series ' logo implied the release of a preview action figure from the series ( possibly Kit Fisto ) . From 2008 to 2010 , Lucasfilm sponsored " The Clone Wars " - themed exhibits in certain major US cities . Reception . Cartoon Network screened an episode for critics as part of the 2008 tour to generally positive reactions . The series debuted on October 3 , 2008 with the episode " Ambush , " which brought in 3 . 96 million viewers , and was the channel ' s most watched series premiere . premiered on October 2 , 2009 with the episodes " Holocron Heist " and " Cargo of Doom , " which averaged 2 . 58 million viewers . In 2008 , IGN listed " The Clone Wars " as the 89th ( out of 100 ) greatest animated series of all time . In comparison , " Star Wars : Clone Wars " was ranked 21st ( out of 100 ) . Cartoon Network ' s " " series parodied " The Clone Wars " on the episode " Trans - BORE - Mores / Star Wars : The Groan Wars . " The first season episode " Lair of Grievous " won a for best sound editing in television animation . The series was nominated for the 2009 Award for " Best Cable / Syndicated TV Series . " At the on June 16 , 2013 , " The Clone Wars " won two . David Tennant ' s performance of Professor Huyang in the fifth season episodes " A Test of Strength " and " A Necessary Bond " won him the Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program , while the series itself garnered the Outstanding Special Class Animated Program award . In 2014 , the series was also nominated for four daytime Emmys , winning two . Continuity . The series ' creators originally claimed that continuity with the Expanded Universe was being taken very seriously , with Dave Filoni being well - versed in the material ( although Lucas had the right to make slight adjustments for the sake of the story , and was consulted directly when dealing with the major characters ) . Lucasfilm told " TV Guide " that " The Clone Wars " would not supersede the original " Clone Wars " series in continuity , but would expand upon what the earlier series established . Dark Horse Comics editor Randy Stradley also claimed to have met with Lucasfilm Animation to discuss integrating the show with the " Clone Wars " comics . However , the feature film and TV series introduced a number of continuity inconsistencies , many of which directly contradict previously published sources and require retcon s and major shifts in the previously established Clone Wars timeline , which were never determined by Leland Chee . There were several prominent examples of direct contradiction between " The Clone Wars " and previous " Clone Wars " media : Filoni defended any differences in continuity : " But there ' s never an implicit connection between the micro - series that Cartoon Network did previously and the series that we ' re doing now . I personally as a fan never think of it as discrediting any of the other material , it ' s just that other material is from a different point of view , a different look at the war and take on the war . It ' s an ever - Expanding Universe in a lot of ways . " At his Celebration IV presentations , Filoni showed a series of slides showing several character sculpture designs for the series — stating that they would share some of the stylization of the original " Clone Wars " series , but would also have some of the realistic look of the films . He explained , however , that elements of the series would differ slightly from what has been previously established in continuity . Changes were made from the original " Clone Wars " series : Obi - Wan doesn ' t wear as much of his clone general armor , Grievous has a cough prior to the Battle of Coruscant , and the Jedi fighting styles are more like the films , and not like some of the exaggerated Jedi abilities portrayed in the original series . Additionally , several duels involving Anakin Skywalker and Count Dooku may retcon the meaning of the two characters ' verbal interactions in " Revenge of the Sith " . " The Clone Wars " was classified as T - canon in the Holocron continuity database . However , on April 25 , 2014 , it was announced that the Expanded Universe was to be re - branded as " Star Wars " Legends and that the only past material that would be considered canon would be the original trilogy and prequel trilogy films and " The Clone Wars " , thus negating any concerns regarding conflicts between the series and past " Star Wars " Legends material . Novelizations based on the series , however , are not considered canon , nor are video game releases or comics , with the exception of Legacy material and any other upcoming projects based on material that was developed for the television series that ultimately did not make it to broadcast . Reference works based on the series , such as " " , are considered part of the " Legends " continuity and are not considered canon sources . According to the " " Legends sourcebook , some planets ( including Carida ) may have enforced Imperial law that changed any records involving the Clone Wars that did not maintain Imperial standards . And since " Clone Wars " episodes are in - universe news reels being podcast by the former Republic ( now the Empire ) , this could be interpreted to mean that some of the contradictions in the series were due to " Imperial Propaganda " made to mislead historians .