5 years after Star Wars officially brought Star Wars: The Clone Wars to an end with season 7, and 1 year after the conclusion of its spiritual sequel series Star Wars: The Bad Batch, the franchise has just introduced a perfect Clone Wars-era spin-off story that I'm desperate to see. Because The Clone Wars series was always focused primarily on its main characters, namely Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, and Captain Rex, we didn't get to see a lot of the other inner workings of the Grand Army of the Republic. There's much more left to explore.

Now is the perfect time to do so, too, as the Clone Wars time period is more beloved now than ever before. The live-action Clone Wars sequence seen in Ahsoka episode 5 has seemingly revitalized Star Wars fans' adoration of that era, and it has left the fandom as a whole pleading for more of that from Star Wars. If the franchise wants to explore a refreshingly new story set in this era, then I know the perfect way to do it, and they've just opened up the perfect avenue for them to explore it further.

Star Wars Just Confirmed The Republic's Secret Black Ops Division

These Secret Operatives Are Known As "Ghost Agents"

The existence of the Galactic Republic's secret black ops division has just been confirmed in the brand-new comic miniseries Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories — The Bad Batch — Ghost Agents, written by Michael Moreci and penciled by Reese Hannigan. In its first issue, Clone Force 99 is summoned to Coruscant by Mace Windu for a mission involving the Republic's "Ghost Agents." Windu explains the role of these operatives to the Bad Batch, essentially confirming that these Ghost Agents are a part of a secret black ops division.

Initially, after hearing about "clandestine" roles in the Clone Wars, Hunter suggests that they're spies, to which Windu responds with the title of "Ghost Agents." Windu's elaboration is that these operatives risk their lives to feed the Republic "valuable information" about the Separatists, and that their identities being compromised would put their lives in utter jeopardy, as they are "the backbone of the Republic's intelligence community." There is, perhaps surprisingly, some precedence for this concept already in the Star Wars franchise.

There's Already Evidence Some Jedi Served As Ghost Agents Too

They Likely Made Up Most Of The Ghost Agents Division

Windu's concern about the identities of the Ghost Agents likely results from many, if not all, of them being Jedi Knights. This concept was explored in Jedi: Survivor with Bode Akuna, a former Jedi Knight who served Republic Intelligence during the Clone Wars by taking on various undercover missions under the command of Lank Denvik. It's not impossible to imagine that Bode's role as a member of Republic Intelligence was one of a Ghost Agent, particularly if he was indeed mainly going undercover as he gathered intel about the Separatists.

It's even possible that Jedi like Quinlan Vos served as Ghost Agents, too, especially given how many underworld missions the Kiffar Jedi was given during the war - including the hefty task of assassinating Count Dooku with Asajj Ventress' help. With Ventress set to appear in a later issue of this comic miniseries, it seems only more fitting that this could be the case for someone like Vos. As it stands, however, there aren't any solid details we know yet about these Ghost Agents, though it certainly seems like they could be mostly composed of Jedi.

Mace Windu Appears To Have Been The Leader Of The Ghost Agents

His Experience & Reputation Make Him Ideal For This Role

Perhaps the largest piece of evidence for the Jedi being these Ghost Agents, however, has everything to do with Mace Windu seemingly being their leader. He's the one who gives the Bad Batch their mission face-to-face on Coruscant, emphasizing the level of its secrecy in the process - something that would not have been common knowledge, not even among the Jedi Council. Clone Force 99 themselves don't even adhere to a regular chain of command; The Clone Wars season 7 sees Hunter refusing to tell the likes of Anakin Skywalker who they report to.

It stands to reason, then, that Mace Windu is a key leader of Special Forces in the GAR, and that he likely oversees these Ghost Agents specifically in addition to various other units, Clone Force 99 included - hence why he entrusts them specifically with this mission. Windu was revered during the Clone Wars era for his efforts as a tactician, and his talent in lightsaber combat and other forms of battle are among the best. Him serving as the Ghost Agents' leader makes complete sense, given his own reputation for his strength (and his brushes with the dark side).

This Clone Wars Spinoff Is Just Too Good Not To Make

The Ghost Agents Would Be A Fascinating Story To Explore

Honestly, everything about these titular Ghost Agents just sounds way too fascinating for the story to be left unexplored. If Star Wars is looking for a way to bring the Clone Wars back into live-action for a new, refreshing story, then this would be the best one to pursue. There's no telling exactly what these Ghost Agents would see and do on a regular basis, and it would give audiences such interesting insight as to what the Clone Wars was like from a brand-new angle. It could even weave in familiar characters like the Bad Batch should the opportunity arise.

With the foundation for this story being set by the ongoing comic miniseries and pre-established characters like Quinlan Vos and Bode Akuna, Star Wars already has a good head start on this idea. Mace Windu would get to play an even more important role than he does in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, showcasing a new side of the beloved Jedi Master. There are seemingly endless benefits to exploring this story in more depth, but above all, it's just one that I really want to see - because I think it's worth bringing to light.

If Star Wars is looking for a way to bring the Clone Wars back into live-action for a new, refreshing story, then this would be the best one to pursue.

Star Wars has been doing a fantastic job as of late in creating more stories that aren't so rooted in the Jedi, the Sith, and the Force, but this angle on the Jedi would be a refreshing one that would still uphold that same principle. We would get to see these Force-sensitive Ghost Agents deciding when they have to withhold their Force powers and when it's safe enough to use them again, and the level of danger for them all would increase tenfold. I truly hope Star Wars continues exploring the Ghost Agents once this comic comes to an end.