For most Star Wars fans out there, their introduction to the franchise would have been one of the nine films of the Skywalker saga, a phenomenon that far exceeds everything else in Star Wars in of mainstream significance. Over the few years, though, Star Wars has cultivated an incredible catalog of canon television which has massively rewarded fans.
These shows, three, in particular, have added so much to the canon and have improved every movie in the Skywalker saga. In of quality, they have managed to feature big moments, tell stories, and make characters better than some of the movies ever could.
When There Was A Clear Plan
It has been a well-voiced criticism over the past couple of years that the sequel trilogy suffered from a lack of a coherent plan. Some stuff getting done on the fly, is to be expected, but it is clear Star Wars excels with a plan in place.
Notably, The Mandalorian have managed to do this not only better than the sequel trilogy but even the original trilogy, which did some stuff on the fly. Dave Filoni always had a clear set of goals for what he wanted to achieve with Rebels and, in four seasons, managed to do so perfectly. Then on The Mandalorian, one only needs to watch the Gallery series on Disney+ to realize how perfectly laid out the ideas for that show are.
When Both Sides Of The Clone War Were Showcased
It's clear that The Clone Wars does so much stuff excellently, usually resulting in the prequel trilogy getting improved as a result. In doing so, though, the series so often outshines the movies.
"Heroes On Both Sides" is a fascinating tale on the show, showcasing the Separatist perspective on the war and making the audiences aware that the Separatists were also being manipulated. Politics, in general, were a big complaint of the prequels by some, particularly in their execution. For the most part, maybe excluding some banking clan stuff, The Clone Wars' depiction of galactic politics is far superior, something exemplified by this story.
When The Jedi Got Developed
The arrogance and hubris of the Jedi were depicted throughout the prequel trilogy, but the entire idea of the Jedi being not only too attached to the Jedi Code but being too prideful and too blind was shown far more in The Clone Wars.
Mace Windu was straight-up unlikable, as at points were other Jedi like Ki-Adi Mundi and Luminara Unduli. A big theme of the show is the people losing faith in the Jedi, and even Jedi losing faith in the order. The Clone Wars brilliantly deals with this through characters like Ahsoka, Anakin, Barriss, the Martez sisters, and other citizens. On top of that, fans got to know more and love more, the likable Jedi like Obi-Wan, Yoda, Plo Koon, and Kit Fisto.
When Existing Villains Were Developed
The Jedi were not the only group from the prequels that were improved by the TV shows, with every prequel villain being made better by the shows, as was the case for original villains like Vader and Tarkin.
Dooku got some fantastic scenes throughout The Clone Wars and was made infinitely more cool and impressive. Grievous likewise but to a lesser extent. Palpatine's sheer power and genius also got showcased in far more depth through The Clone Wars and Rebels. Tarkin and Vader were both made more badass and powerful by Rebels, with Tarkin getting backstory in The Clone Wars. Then, of course, there is Maul, a character brought back from death to become the best television villain out there. These villains were better in the shows than in the movies, except for the original trilogy trio.
When Anakin & Pé's Relationship Was Showcased
One of the more significant letdowns to many fans of the prequel trilogy was the relationship between Luke and Leia's mother and father, Anakin and Pé.
In The Clone Wars, it is a far more natural relationship. There is definite chemistry between the two. On top of that, fans get to see a more toxic side of Anakin when Rush Clovis emerges, and Pé is simply a far tougher character in the show than in the prequels.
When Each Show Delved Into The Force
The prequels did not delve too much into the idea of the Force, more just leaving audiences with ideas like midi-chlorians and the chosen one. The originals established the phenomenon, while the sequels showed more of its power and capabilities.
The shows, though, delved into the Force's intricacies far more, into the wilder possibilities of it. The Mortis arc and Yoda's journey, as well as episodes like "The World Between Worlds," all look at the Force in a different light and arguably, give a far more imaginative, detailed insight to it than any of the movies did, with perhaps the exception of Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back.
When The Shows Had Some Of Star Wars' Best Lightsaber Battles
It always seemed unlikely that lightsaber duels such as Luke vs. Vader, the Duel of the Fates, and the Battle of the Heroes could be topped, especially not by animated TV. But, Rebels and Clone Wars certainly gave them a run for their money.
Duels like Ahsoka vs. Vader, Maul vs. Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan vs. Maul, are all far superior to most movie duels such as Obi-Wan vs. Vader and Dooku vs. Anakin and Obi-Wan. Maul vs. Ahsoka, in particular, flows so beautifully and is expertly crafted that it gives the aforementioned duels a run for top spots, while Ahsoka vs. Vader and Obi-Wan vs. Maul are pure storytelling brilliance.
When The Shows Improved The Story Of Anakin's Downfall
Just like his relationship with Pé, there has been a lot of criticism and disappointment directed towards the depiction of Anakin's downfall in the prequel trilogy.
Thanks to The Clone Wars, it becomes far easier to understand why Anakin fell to the dark side. He was lied to, used, and mistrusted by the Jedi Council, Revenge of the Sith due to how Anakin's fall was shown in the series.
When The Tragedy & Individuality Of Clones Were Delved Into
One of the best parts of The Clone Wars, which later popped up again in Rebels and is currently getting looked at in The Bad Batch, are the clones and their individuality and their place in the Galaxy. They are people, not simply numbers.
The Umbara arc, the Rookies arc, the Bad Batch arc, Fives' conspiracy arc, the Siege of Mandalore, and then over to Rebels with Wolffe, Gregor, and Rex. All of these stories make the bland clones from the prequels so much better, and the shows have done an infinitely better job than the movies at making fans care about them.
Everything Mandalore
When Star Wars goes Mandalore, it just works. There have so rarely been times when dealing with Mandalore and Mandalorians has led to less than incredible content. The entire story of Duchess Satine on Mandalore, followed by Maul's takeover, is all immense. Even the Mandalorian stuff in Rebels is great and of course, The Mandalorian speaks for itself.
The Siege of Mandalore is when the content really proves itself, though, as that entire arc is set up like a movie and actually exceeds a lot of the Skywalker saga in quality. Obviously, personal preference comes into play, but it is very easy to put the Siege of Mandalore (and even The Rise Of Skywalker, and even some of the more universally beloved movies in of quality.