One of the main qualities that The Clone Wars series has been praised for by its fans is the way it was able to expand the Star Wars universe. There are millions of articles, books, clips of Star Wars that build on story and add different insights, yet it was The Clone Wars series that brought many planets and cultures onto the screen for the first time. Mandalore, Dathomir, Geonosis, Onderon...all planets with rich sources that were featured in the Clone Wars.

Whatculture’s article, Star Wars: 8 Reasons why the Clone Wars was better than the Prequels, explains how the Clone Wars enhanced the Star Wars Universe:

But there are certain things that the prequels really needed to address, and then didnt. For example: the clone army that is the centerpiece of the Clone Wars. We know they were grown from a single template, they follow orders, they will kill whoever they are told to kill, and they are good in battle. Thats it. We dont know what they think of themselves, what they think of the life they were bred into. We dont know if they have individual personalities. We dont know how they see the Jedi around them.

Or, take the Jedi younglings. Their murder was a big deal in Revenge, but what do we know about them? Just that theyre Jedi in training. Theyve got no personalities, no history, no context. Now theyre dead, and we should care because they were kids. They have personalities, histories, relationships. And depressing as it is to watch them and know theyll die, it certainly creates more emotional investment than that someone deleted it from the archive memory thing.

"The very first episode of Clone Wars focuses on the adventures of Yoda and three clones. Those clones individual personalities, and Yodas ability to perceive them, are the central emotional drama of the episode."

Later episodes sometimes exclude Jedi characters entirely, focusing instead on drama among the clones, on their ideas about war, the Jedi, each other, and themselves. Theres even a clone who goes rogue, marries a local woman and has a child, because he questioned what he was bred for. These are important issues, and the show dealt with them while the movie brushed them aside.

Hollywood’s article: 15 Reasons Why The Clone Wars was Star Wars at it’s Best explores the Clone Wars development of the wider universe.

Ventress was also revealed to be a Nightsister, and rather just exiting galactic history stage-right near the end of the war, as in the comics, on the show she became a bounty hunter and, eventually, a quasi-ally to both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka Tano.

George Lucas, who had a hand in most, if not all, of the TV show’s plot points, personally steered Ventress’ arc in that direction. And you’ve got to admit it’s more interesting than what had already been established in the EU.

The same goes for Barriss Offee, who in the Season 5 where the series finale revealed herself to be a traitor to the Jedi Order and the person framing Ahsoka for murder and terrorism. In the comics, she was just another anonymous casualty of Order 66. On The Clone Wars, however, she was given a far more compelling exit.

Another dimension the Clone Wars brought to the Star Wars Franchise, was the ability to answer important questions and build off the live action movies.

In Whatculture’s article: Star Wars: 8 Reasons why the Clone Wars was better than the Prequels elaborates on how the Clone Wars built and enhanced questions surrounding the Prequels.

The prequel opened up the opportunity to ask a lot of interesting questions. We knew the fate of the characters, but how would they interact with that fate? Would the see it coming? Would they fight it to the last? If Anakin knew the end of his path, what would he do?

The movies completely ignored these questions, but Clone Wars occasionally played around with them. There was an episode where Anakin got a vision of the future, was faced with Vader, and reacted with terror and revulsion. He was willing to do anything if he could stop that fate.

Thats the biggest one, but there were moments scattered here and there that played with the fact that we knew the future. The show pulls no punches about the fact that Palpatine is Sideous, unlike the prequels. At one point, Obi-Wan fakes his own death, and Anakins grief-fueled reaction to that is central to the plot. And, of course, its really hard to get attached to the Jedi younglings when you know they're going to be sliced to pieces in a few years.

While most shows must stick primarily to one set of main characters and one plotline at a time, The Clone Wars manages to jump from planet to planet, character to character, without losing relevance to the main overarching conflict and plot.

Benefit of Stories Through Episodes and Arcs

Though it is understood that Anakin Skywalker is the main character--as it was with the prequel movies-- the series does well in establishing that not all the important events revolve around Skywalker.

Even though their animation had improved from Season 1 to Season 5, the show has aged well and many still rewatch the show. In addition, since the return of Star Wars popularity to mainstream, a curiosity towards the show has resurfaced.

Potential new fans start watching to learn more backstory, and all stay for the stories and characters that have been so skillfully developed.

Such a feat would likely be underdeveloped in the hands of less passionate developers, but The Clone Wars was handled with care and consideration towards its fans. This work obviously paid off, and even two years after the cancellation of the show, it still gathers new fans towards its viewership.

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Enriching the Story

Reasons:

Reason #17: Developing a Wider Universe