The Book of Boba Fett, the latest live-actionStar Warsshow, concluded last month with an hour-long finale that saw Din Djarin reunited with his adopted son, Grogu, and the defeat of the Pyke Syndicate from Tatooine. The series overall received mixed reviews, with some fans criticizing the relatively uneventful first four episodes that were then followed by a jarring turn of focus towards the Mandalorian in Chapters 5 and 6.
Despite that reception,The Mandalorian’s two seasons thus far have garnered almost universal praise from fans and critics alike, and it’s this that is arguably the main reason why the show has been positioned at the center of the future of theStar Warsfranchise. LikeThe Mandalorian, Star Wars’ animated series have, at times, overridden the divisiveness that often exists in the fandom to be liked by the vast majority of audiences, which is quite a feat. This begs the question of if these animated shows are better than their live action counterparts, especially with the mixed reception toThe Book of Boba Fett. The answer, though, is complex, and is not as black and white as to say that one medium is better than the other for this iconic franchise.
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The animated shows have arguably delivered some ofthe best moments inStar Warshistory, whichThe Clone Warshighlights extremely well. For example, the Mortis arc of the prequel-era series had much of what makesStar Warsso amazing in the first place, with excellent character dynamics between Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka, as well as the ancient battle between good and evil. Anakin’s turn to the dark side is expanded upon greatly in this arc in particular, as it’s truly tragic to see the young Jedi Knight haunted (but ultimately forgetting, to maintain canon) by his future as a Sith Lord. This arc also expandsStar Warslore in a significant way, and handled extremely well by Dave Filoni and co.The live-action prequel films were criticizedfor expanding lore at the expense of the characters and their development, but the Mortis arc perfectly balances both responsibilities to craft a truly memorableStar Warsstory.
Another example ofStar Wars’ excellent animated shows is theSiege of Mandalorearc in the seventh and final season ofThe Clone Wars. The animation is some of the best in recent years,not just fromStar Warsbut the entire mediummore broadly. Maul and Ahsoka’s lightsaber battle is one for the ages and has already gone down in the history books as an all-time action sequence inStar Warshistory, as has the series finale. Darth Vader appeared as he picked up the lightsabers he gifted to Ahsoka when he was still Anakin Skywalker in a tragic and emotional conclusion to the Clone Wars era of the franchise.
Star Wars Rebelsis the other major animated seriesin the franchise, and has since garnered a following similar in size toThe Clone Wars, especially as both shows are inherently connected. In particular, the season 2 finale, which brought back Maul once again and saw the Inquisitors finally defeated, is held in high regard byStar Warsfans. It’s this two-part conclusion to the season that is one of the most memorable plots of the series, proving to be epic and another example of the strength and quality of these animated series.
While it’s true that the animated shows often surprise fans with their quality, the comparison of if these series are better than the Disney+ live-action series is more complicated than that. At times,The Clone WarsandRebels’ best episodes outshine some of these live-action outings, specifically when one compares a more one-off episode of a show likeThe Mandalorian, likeChapter 10: The Passenger, and even some ofThe Book of Boba Fett.
However, the opposite can also be said, with moments ofThe Mandalorianproving to be some of the bestStar Warscontentfans have seen in years, at least in the modern era.Chapter 13: The Jedi, for example, was written and directed byStar Wars' former animation mainstay Dave Filoni and again was an incredible episode of TV. EvenThe Book of Boba Fett, a mixed reviewed show as mentioned previously, hadReturn of the Mandalorian, an episode that felt out of place in the context of the series it was placed in but was still an incredibly enjoyable and uplifiting outing in the franchise, highlighting many of the themes that madeStar Warsso popular in the first place.
Ultimately, the debate of live-action vs animatedStar Warsseries proves that both mediums have had their ups and downs in terms of quality, but that’s to be expected to a certain extent. Still, there’s room for both to coexist in this 40+ year old franchise, andStar Warsis better for it.
