Since 2008, animated projects have played a significant role in the Star Wars universe, and I’m sick of seeing them neglected. Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which premiered in 2008, breathed life into the franchise’s animation after several unsuccessful attempts. Although I must confess that I didn’t watch The Clone Wars until the late 2010s, its chronology placed it in between the final two parts of the prequel trilogy, and it marked the beginning of a significant era for Star Wars storylines portrayed through animation.
This significance will probably continue to be reflected in the upcoming TV series, with more animated series anticipated in the not-too-distant future. The forthcoming Star Wars films will see the franchise go back to its original cinema, but the announcement of new animated projects excites me just as much. Regrettably, I don’t think a lot of the Star Wars fandom shares this enthusiasm. Even if there are people who value Lucasfilm’s animated films just as much as I do, live-action Star Wars TV series and films are frequently given preference in rankings, whereas animated films are disregarded.
People Think the Movies Have Better Content
The main reason I find it annoying is that Star Wars animation isn’t given as much credit as it deserves. Some of the stories it tells are better than those in live-action. Eight of the top ten highest-rated TV episodes in the whole Star Wars canon on IMDb are from animated series.
Outside of live-action, some of the best narratives that most embody George Lucas’ vision can be found in Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. These high ratings might contradict what I’m saying, but overall, there is less attention focused on the animated series, and that attention is more positively slanted.
People Don’t Realize the Shows Affect the Live-Action Projects
As previously mentioned, some of the most intriguing tales in the Star Wars franchise can be found in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. They also feature some of the best original characters, such as Ahsoka Tano, Captain Rex, Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger, and the rest of the Ghost Crew from Star Wars Rebels. Each program delves deeply into character development, and they both explore the Force and the Jedi in ways that live-action television seldom does.
Maul, for instance, is among the series’ greatest villains, in my opinion. A moviegoer might mistakenly believe that I’m speaking a foreign language. He only appeared briefly in the movies and only said a few lines. But in the shows, he’s a major villain for a few seasons. It’s funny how different the versions of Maul are from one another—I’m not trying to come across as condescending, either. That’s why he made an appearance in Solo without any warning. Because the show explored his character so much, he deserves to return.
In addition to these two shows, there are other endearing family stories, such as the Clone Wars spin-off Star Wars: The Bad Batch. The Bad Batch gives important background information for key Skywalker Saga plot lines. But it also delivers a moving tale that George Lucas would be proud of about the price of war, finding family, and standing up for what’s right. Then there’s Star Wars: Visions, an animated non-canonical series that features the finest talent from global animation studios and provides endlessly fascinating new viewpoints on how different people view the franchise.
Animation is Not Respected Over Live-Action
Sadly, I am left with the depressing realization that publicity does not equate to the caliber of Star Wars animated productions. Animation is still frequently disregarded in favor of live-action, a fact that is not unique to the Star Wars film series. Live action will always be preferred over animation in the eyes of the general public.
Looking at IMDB, there are 598,000 reviews for live-action shows like The Mandalorian (rated 8.6 by viewers). But only 124,000 reviews for Star Wars: The Clone Wars (rated 8.4 by viewers).
Theoretical discussions that preceded the premiere of live-action television series such as Ahsoka and Obi-Wan Kenobi serve as one example of this.
Regarding the former, a lot of people speculated that it might have been a reenactment of the season 2 finale of Star Wars Rebels, where Ahsoka battled Darth Vader and discovered he was indeed her former master, Anakin. Similar theories were advanced regarding Obi-Wan Kenobi and his pivotal confrontation with Maul in Star Wars Rebels. Audiences wanted these situations to be replicated in live action rather than accepting that they had already occurred. Why? Probably because live-action is thought to be more respectable and worthy of people’s time than animation. A tragic fact that is shared by more than just Star Wars.
Star Wars Animation Will Never Get The Attention & Appreciation It Merits
The general public will always rank live-action Star Wars films higher than their animation, as much as I hate this fact. The sad fact is that live-action is still regarded with greater seriousness than animation, which does not go away. The latter is frequently referred to as being only kid-friendly, and as such, it lacks sophisticated storytelling that elevates it to the same level as live-action. That might be because animated Star Wars shows in the 1980s, like Droids and Ewoks, were Saturday morning shows for kids. That hasn’t been true for decades.
This is not the case, as seen by the inclusion of some of the most adult stories in the whole Star Wars canon in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Even with this, animation will always be disregarded. This is not just a Star Wars problem, either. Many people believe that animated films are better suited for younger audiences and that adults should enjoy them but not esteem them as highly as children. To overcome the obstacle of the lower respect the medium obtains, gore, vulgarity, and mature topics must be conspicuously present in an animated project that aims to depict a mature story, such as Amazon Prime’s Invincible. Sadly, Star Wars is no exception.
Do Star Wars Fans Have to Watch the Animated Shows?
Filoni is interested in bringing a large portion of the content from his animated series into live-action, given how much the Ahsoka series borrows from Rebels and how much The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett have already borrowed from Rebels and The Clone Wars.
Bo-Katan Kryze, who had previously appeared in animation, was elevated in season three of The Mandalorian. This is one of the reasons why a lot of people are starting to wonder if watching the animated Star Wars series is still necessary. Dave Filoni, the chief creative officer of Lucasfilm, is conscious of people’s worries and doesn’t want viewers to feel as though they must complete homework to understand the upcoming projects.
So does this mean Star Wars fans have to go back and watch every animated series since 1980? That’s an almost impossible task. If you were just to binge-watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008–2014, 2020), you’d have to watch 137 episodes (about 23 minutes each), which is approximately 2 days, 4 hours, and 31 minutes worth of content. That’s a lot to ask.
Thankfully, Filoni stated quite forcefully in an interview with IGN that new viewers don’t have to watch the earlier animated series to keep up with the current releases. He said, “We never want to put you in a position where you feel like you’re missing out if you haven’t seen these things. No. To comprehend Ahsoka, you don’t need to have seen [Clone Wars].”
He also mentioned that since Episode IV marked the beginning of the Star Wars saga, viewers have been thrust into the center of the action on several occasions. Filoni is following suit with Ahsoka, plunging straight into the narrative and allowing viewers to get to know the characters and the setting as they go.
Filoni and Jon Favreau went above and beyond to re-establish those characters and stories so that they made sense for new audiences when The Mandalorian moved elements from the animated series into live-action television.
So should you watch all the animated shows? It’s not required to enjoy Star Wars, but you’ll miss out on the rich stories and character development the shows bring.
Do you think the animated Star Wars shows are worth watching?
Star Trek is known for beautiful and strong women. Some women have been so lovely that they’ve won awards in beauty pageants.
A turbulent year of pageant controversy ended with the crowning of the new Miss USA. After the shocking resignation of the 2023 winner, Alma Cooper from Michigan, was elected Miss USA on Sunday, August 5, 2024, making her the third winner of the title this year.
Let’s look back at the winners of Miss USA, Miss America, and Miss Universe who went on to shine in the Star Trek universe.
7. Mona Grudt in Star Trek: The Next Generation as Ensign Graham
Winner: Miss Universe (1990)
Grudt was raised in the nearby village of Hell after being born in Stjørdal, Norway. She was the first Norwegian winner of the Miss Universe pageant, having taken first place in 1990. She called herself, perhaps ironically, “The Beauty Queen from Hell,” considering her home village (though in Norwegian, “Hell” really means “luck”). Her role as co-host of the Miss Universe Pageant on television began in 1991. In addition to her Star Trek role, she appeared in the daily soap opera Santa Barbara when she was living in the United States.
In the episode “Identity Crisis” from Season 4 of Star Trek: The Next Generation, she portrayed Ensign Graham. She was the flight control officer during the mission to the planet Tarchannen III.
6. Lynda Carter in Star Trek: Voyager as Captain Kathryn Janeway
Winner: Miss World USA (1972)
Lynda Carter represented Arizona in the 1972 Miss World USA pageant, which brought her national prominence in the United States after she won a local beauty pageant in the state. She was among the top 15 in the international Miss World 1972 competition, representing the United States. But she’s best known for her role as Wonder Woman in the 1970s TV show.
She, along with several other actresses, auditioned for the part of Captain Janeway on Star Trek: Voyager. Lynda Carter was one of several women the producers looked at after Geneviève Bujold resigned, although she was never formally offered the role of Janeway. She was allowed to try out for the Janeway role, but Kate Mulgrew was chosen instead.
5. Vanessa Williams in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as Arandis
Winner: Miss America (1984)
Williams, from the Bronx in New York City, was the first African-American woman to win the title of Miss America in 1984. However, she resigned from the position later that year after her unapproved nude images appeared in Penthouse magazine. In the same year, she appeared in her debut acting role in The Love Boat episode as “Miss America 1984”. Shortly after, guest appearances in episodes of TV shows including T.J. Hooker, The Redd Foxx Show, and Partners in Crime (starring Amy Hill) ensued.
In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fifth season episode “Let He Who Is Without Sin…” Williams plays Curzon Dax’s ex-lover. The Risan named Arandis.
Williams’ most well-known role is as Wilhelmina Slater in the 2006–2010 ABC comedy-drama series Ugly Betty. For her performance, she is a nominee for a 2007 Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
4. Michelle Yeoh in Star Trek: Discovery as Captain Philippa Georgiou
Winner: Miss Malaysia World (1983)
Yeoh was the 1983 Miss Malaysia World winner at twenty years old. She represented Malaysia in the Miss World 1983 pageant held in London, finishing in eighteenth place. She began her career starring in Hong Kong action movies but soon rose to international fame thanks to her roles in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). Her more recent roles include the Netflix-produced sequel Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny and the series Marco Polo (both 2016). In 2017, she also cameoed as Aleta Ogord in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017).
Yeoh plays Captain Philippa Georgiou, the commanding officer of the USS Shenzhou, in Star Trek: Discovery, as well as the mirror universe’s emperor of the Terran Empire. She’s appeared in five episodes of Discovery and several episodes of Short Trek. It’s been announced that she’ll be returning to the franchise in the Discovery spin-off Star Trek: Section 31. “I’m beyond thrilled to return to my Star Trek family and to the role I’ve loved for so long,” the Everything Everywhere All at Once Oscar winner says in a statement. “Section 31 has been near and dear to my heart since I began the journey of playing Philippa all the way back when this new golden age of Star Trek launched.”
3. Lee Meriwether in Star Trek: The Original Series as Losira
Winner: Miss America (1955)
Meriwether was born in Los Angeles, California, and won Miss San Francisco before Miss California in 1954. She was crowned Miss America in 1955 with her recital of a monologue by John Millington Synge. After that, she transitioned to acting and played in a few science fiction/fantasy cult productions between 1966 and 1969. Today, she’s best known for Land of the Giants (1968), The Time Tunnel (1966), and Batman: The Movie (1966).
She also appeared in the Star Trek episode “That Which Survives” (1969) as an evil alien. Losira, a female Kalandan, led a Kalandan outpost as its commander. She had set up the outpost’s computer to use her image for defense before she passed away. The USS Enterprise later found the outpost in 2268, along with a computer-generated duplicate of Losira.
While Meriwether went on to more famous roles, she called her appearance “wonderful” and her now famous line, “I… am for you” perfect.
2. Persis Khambatta in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1983) as Lieutenant Ilia
Winner: Femina Miss India (1965)
The first time Persis Khambatta was well-known was when a series of her photos appeared in a lucrative soap company advertisement. She later turned into a model and became the third Indian to compete in the Miss Universe contest as a result of this.
Khambatta later played the female Deltan Starfleet officer Lieutenant Ilia. She was a member of Captain James T. Kirk’s crew on board the USS Enterprise in the middle of the 2270s. Following Ilia’s absorption by the V’ger probe, V’ger constructed a near-identical artificial probe to gather data and serve as a communication link between V’ger and the “carbon units” that had “infested” the Enterprise. The Ilia unit was described as “no longer functioning” in the probe. After a medical examination, it was discovered that the duplicate Ilia probe had the same molecular structure as Ilia. Her personality and memories were probed; however, they were both repressed due to V’ger’s programming.
In 1980, Khambatta made history as the first citizen of India to present an Academy Award. Because of her work in Star Trek, she received a nomination for the Saturn Award for Best Actress.
She became an internationally known actress for the part. But after this role, she appeared in several low-budget films and minor television roles. She was brought to the Marine Hospital in south Mumbai in 1998 after complaining of chest pains, and on August 18, 1998, at the age of 49, she passed away after a severe heart attack.
1. Jeri Ryan in Star Trek: Voyager as Seven of Nine
Winner: Miss Illinois (1989)
Ryan was crowned Miss Illinois in 1989. She placed third runner-up in the Miss America 1990 pageant during her participation. Actress Jeri Ryan gained notoriety for her role as Seven of Nine on Star Trek: Voyager, which she began in “Scorpion, Part II” and continued through the fourth season. Later, she returned to the show Star Trek: Picard, appearing in the first season as a recurrent guest star before being elevated to the main cast for the second and third seasons.
Born Annika Hansen, Seven of Nine was a female Human who was assimilated by the Borg and renamed Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01 at six years old. After twenty-four years, the crew of the USS Voyager freed Seven, as she was eventually named, from her life as a Borg drone, and she joined the crew under Captain Janeway’s guidance. In 2378, she played a crucial role in helping the crew return to the Alpha Quadrant.
While Ryan has appeared in numerous television shows and movies, she’ll always be remembered as the sexy Borg Seven of Nine.
