“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” may be heading toward its conclusion, but the future of the franchise appears to be in good hands, if the season’s third episode — “On the Wings of Keeradaks” — is any indication of what “Star Wars” can be.
“Survival is one step on the path to living,” reads the opening message of the third episode. And indeed, that offers a lesson for what “Star Wars” can be if it follows the lead of “Clone Wars.”
The third episode of the final season of “The Clone Wars” begins where we left off with the search for Echo leading to its complication. Led by Captain Rex and Anakin Skywalker, the Clone Troopers and the Bad Batch group work together to escape from their mission and return home.
But the episode had a different vibe than what we’ve seen before, and it hits to a larger point about how “Star Wars” continues to innovate and find new ways to survive.
Visually, this episode is one of the most striking episodes of the final season so far. The small battles seen throughout the episode are what you’d expect with the “Star Wars” show. But the green-gray skies of the planet and the dragon-like beasts our characters fly on present a new aspect of “Star Wars” we truly haven’t seen in the past.
And then there are fancy new droids in this episode that reminded me of velociraptors and dinosaurs, if all things. They had the mechanics of the droid army we’ve seen in “Star Wars.” But they’re lanky, bird-like and savage, just like dinosaurs tend to be.
“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” has often been where the true developments of the “Star Wars” canon has been made, especially in the age of Disney. It’s a sandbox testing ground for creators to try new things with “Star Wars” before they bring it onto the big stage. An example of this can be seen with the darksaber, which appeared on “Clone Wars” and “Star Wars Rebels” before it made a brief appearance in “The Mandalorian.”
Because of this episode, “Star Wars” has now dipped its toe into the fantasy realm, effectively blending the mix of fantasy and science fiction. The show is not merely a science fiction epic now. It’s a fantasy show with warring tribes, soaring sky creatures and political drama.
For “Star Wars” to survive, it needs to separate itself from what it’s been done before. The franchise needs to dip into new territory, introducing new creatures and droids that shift our line of thinking about what it means to be a “Star Wars” show. Introducing the concept of flying creatures, like dragons, gives “Star Wars” another tool for the future.
If “Star Wars” wants to survive, it’s taken another step toward that with the “Clone Wars.” But it will need to continue to grow if it wants to last beyond where it has been.