Gennedy Tartakovsky made Star Wars history when his micro-series Clone Wars (2003) became a massive hit to fans. Released between 2003 and 2005, the show was a series of short episodes detailing the story of the titular event leading up to Revenge of the Sith in twenty-five parts. It also served as one of James Arnold Taylor’s first forays into voicing Obi-Wan Kenobi, a role he would frequent in various media over the years.
So, let’s get to the question at hand. Is Clone Wars (2003) canon?
The simple answer is no, it’s not. Before the Disney buyout, everything was considered canon, even if the continunity was all over the place. However, upon the deal going through, only the films and The Clone Wars (2008) were canonised, There are massive differences between the 2003 Clone Wars series and the 2008 series.
Cross Events
For example, Clone Wars (2003) actually shows the moment when Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa are concieved. The Clone Wars (2008) doesn’t pinpoint the event at all, but it does show Padmé Amidala pregnant in one episode of the seventh season during a holograph call with her husband Anakin Skywalker, who doesn’t know at the time of the call that she’s expecting.
Another example that in Clone Wars (2003), the audience learns how Grevious ended up with his cough. However, in the 2008 series, he always had the cough.
In conclusion, because of the buyout, Clone Wars (2003) is now part of legends material. However, the popularity of the show did help in getting the 2008 series off the ground. Without it, we wouldn’t have Ahsoka Tano or any of other characters that were created for the 2008 show.
