The Clone Wars - S7E11: Shattered
THE CLONE WARS - DISNEY +Star Wars: The Clone Wars is in the endgame now. After seven seasons of build-up, that dreaded Order 66 has finally been executed, and Ahsoka is fending for her life against the very clones whose helmets are painted in her honour.
Shattered represents The Clone Wars at its best. It has simplicity, gravitas and character. Despite two consecutive episodes of cinema-level animation, Shattered feels poised to be the most cinematic in the entire show, unless, of course, the final episode can top it. There is very little dialogue to be found here, and the words that are spoken are likely essential. Most of the straightforward story —Ahsoka transporting Maul back to Coruscant when Order 66 occurs — is told through editing, the very technique that separates film from theatre.
Keven Kiner’s score is yet again a high point here. He has done phenomenal work throughout this season, but this episode sees his talents take on an even more critical role. With very little dialogue, the score has to carry the emotional baggage of the episode, and it does so superbly. It feels ominous and longing. Ahsoka and Maul feel the disturbance in the force, and Kiner ensures the audience does too.
Despite the brilliance of Star Wars, in the past few years, Disney has taken to making movies and shows that feel like they are only meant to fill in the canon’s timeline: Rogue One explained how the rebels stole the Death Star plans, and Solo explained a significant number of things about Han that were better left unexplained. Shattered thankfully does not fall into this trap even though it easily could have. The climax is about Ahsoka removing the inhibitor chip in Rex that makes him execute Order 66, but it does not feel like it is merely explaining how Rex resisted the order. This feels like precisely the thing that Ahsoka would do in this situation. She cares about Rex and wants to save her friend.
Nothing about the episode is ham-fisted or superfluous. Everything is urgent. Lives are at stake like they have never been before. Where most Clone Wars episodes feel relatively unimportant on an overall scale, by narrowing this one’s focus to just Ahsoka aboard her ship, Shattered makes consequences feel a lot denser. This episode will go down in the canon as one of the very best associated with Clone Wars, and for a good reason. It has character, stakes and emotion, all lovingly wrapped in masterful animation and drenched in a tense, aching score.
