Warning: Full Spoilers for the Episode “Clone Cadets” are Below

Once again I have emerged from my dark igloo to talk about one of the greatest shows to every grace my TV screen, Star Wars The Clone Wars. This week I reminisce of what was and still is one of my favorite episodes in the entire series “Clone Cadets”. 

“Clone Cadets” puts its focus on the training and conditioning of the Clone trooper army. Mainly, it focuses on Domino Squad, which is comprised of fan-favorites Fives and Echo as well as Droidbait, Heavy and Cutup. The Five Clones don’t have a great track record together as each clone tries to take charge and take a lone wolf approach on the training simulator.

As the tension with the squad intensifies, you want nothing more than to see these five Clones become brothers. You want to watch them learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses to see Domino Squad go from the laughing stock to top cadets. It is a classic underdog story.

”Clone Cadets” has some interesting ties to other Star Wars stories, and I loved seeing that. For example the biggest one would have to be the tie in with Episode II: Attack of the Clones where bounty hunter Jango Fett was killed by Mace Windu.

Since the death of Jango, the Kaminoan cloners have been stretching his DNA so thin that more and more Clones have been exhibiting “defective” traits. This ties into the final season of The Clone Wars with “The Bad Batch” arc. The Bad Batch also got its name here in this episode.

Bad Batches tend to be made into maintenance clones like the physically defective clone named 99. 99 is was the soul reason that Domino Squad came together and sorted out their differences to become a whole squad, acting more as a group than as individuals. It show just how close these Clones are and does a lot to humanize them. It also makes their inevitable deaths and betrayal due to Order 66 much more sad and impactful.

Each cadet gets a focus and you see them struggle with their selfish attitudes for the majority of the episode. I loved seeing how Fives and Echo grew closer and how the two became important to Captain Rex and Ahsoka Tano in the later seasons of the show.

The character growth was probably my favorite part of the episode. Even though I have watched this one a good handful of times I always find myself clenching to see if the squad will make it and pass their test. It is an intense and thrilling ride throughout the 24 minute run time.

”Clone Cadets” did start off the third season with a bang, even if chronologically it is the third episode. It stands above the first two episodes and the film animation wise. Models are much more fluid during standing scenes and during action they’re a beauty to behold. I love watching the animation change and evolve throughout the series.

With a great premise, lore building, fantastic characterization and a wonderful origin to Fives and Echo, “Clone Cadets” stands a head taller then the rest of the episodes. In my experience it has stood the test of time to be one of the best episodes in the series.

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Star Wars: The Clone Wars

10

Score

10.0/10

Pros

• Origin of Five and Eco
• Well paced
• Colourful and Vibrant
• Humanizing the Clones