TL;DR: Here is my curated episode guide: https://clonewars-viewing-order.streamlit.app/
With May the 4th around the corner, it’s the perfect time to (re)watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars. I consider it essential — it deepens the lore, strengthens the prequels, and builds up to one of the best finales I’ve ever seen in any TV show.
That said, The show has two major issues that turn many viewers away:
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The release order is a mess.. The episodes aired out of sequence, so watching them in Disney+’s default order can be confusing. Even the official chronological order doesn’t always work well narratively — especially for first-time viewers.
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The early episodes are a bit rough. Like many shows, it gets much better over time. But watching every single episode — especially in the beginning — can be a slog. I know people who gave up just a few episodes in. But you know, you don’t have to watch every episode if you don't want to.
So I made my own watchlist
This is mostly for people who don't want to commit to watching every episode or for people who want to rewatch it through a slighlty new perspective. Either way, this is a custom episode selection and order, grouped by story arcs. I’m not the first to do this, but most guides online stick closely to the chronological order while skipping weaker episodes. I instead ordered and grouped them in a way that felt interesting and thematically consistent to me. To my knowledge, it's the only list to also include stuff from unfinished episodes (released as audio comic, etc.)
I also wanted to make the experience easy and smooth — no jumping around or looking up what to watch next. The site includes clear episode groupings by arc and direct links to Disney+ (and YouTube for unreleased or unfinished content)
Try it here: https://clonewars-viewing-order.streamlit.app/
This is just my personal take. It won’t satisfy everyone — and that’s okay. I’ll explain some of my decisions below:
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The Jedi Missions arc is a mix of various S1 episodes that introduce the Jedi, Sith, and major villains. It kicks off with the Clone Wars movie. It’s not amazing, but it sets up Ahsoka. You can also just watch the first 25 minutes — or check out my fan-edit Battle of Christophsis.
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I moved 1x09 Cloak of Darkness after 1x13 Jedi Crash because to me, Ahsoka being with Luminara makes more sense after Anakin is injured.
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2x17 Bounty Hunters comes after 2x06 Weapons Factory, based on the opening narration and setting continuity.
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2x01 Holocron Heist follows, since I like to imagine the Separatists tracked the Jedi to Felucia after their crash in 2x17.
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The Duchess of Mandalore arc isn't amazing, but it's important for later Mandalore-centric storylines.
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Ahsoka’s Adventures collects key missions that develop her character independently.
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Clone Troopers focuses on Domino Squad across different periods during the war. You see how some of them turn from rookies into ARC troopers.
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Aggressive Negotiations includes 4x14 A Friend in Need, partly because it's linked through Lux, and also because I wanted it to be the debut of Ahsoka’s new lightsabers.
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I grouped all the Dathomir content closer to the Darth Maul arcs for narrative cohesion.
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Most arcs after this point follow release order.
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4x19 Massacre comes after 3x14 Witches of the Mist because it fits thematically and I don't see why Dooku would otherwise take so much time to take revenge.
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D-Squad: This arc is divisive. Many dislike it — George Lucas loves it. I included it because it’s weird, unique, and strangely memorable.
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Younglings in Danger comes before Revival for continuity; Hondo references the earlier events.
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Crystal Crisis on Utapau: This unfinished arc (pre-vis only) has a working audio track. Despite the animation, it’s worth watching — it’s the only time Anakin expresses his feelings about Ahsoka’s departure.
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Zillo Beast = Godzilla in Star Wars. Ahsoka’s not present, so I placed it after her departure.
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Son of Dathomir bridges the gap between Maul’s duel with Sidious and the finale. It's a comic, but this amazing YouTube channel made a great version with audio.
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Ahsoka & the Martez Sisters wasn’t a fan-favorite, especially after such a long wait for Season 7. But it’s a decent arc, and it’s important to reintroduce Ahsoka before the big finale.
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The Siege of Mandalore runs in parallel with Revenge of the Sith. If you're planning to watch both, you might want to check out my fan-edit The Clone Wars (Revenge of the Sith – Extended Edition).
There are a ton of other small things I considered when creating this list, but noting them all down would take forever. If you’re curious about a specific change or have suggestions, feel free to reach out or leave a comment.
Enjoy the rewatch, and May the Force be with you!