The 2D Star Wars: Clone Wars series deserves more LEGO love

Rumours that the LEGO Group will acknowledge the 2D Clone Wars animation highlight a lack of sets inspired by this seminal Star Wars content.

The LEGO Star Wars theme remains one of the company’s most popular, with a couple of major anniversaries to commemorate over the next several months. While Return of the Jedi is (obviously) the major event – the closing chapter of the original trilogy turns 40 next year – there’s another anniversary that the LEGO Group is supposedly acknowledging. Sort of.

Recent rumours indicate that a LEGO Star Wars set will nod towards the 2D Clone Wars series – which is hitting the big 2-0 next year. The acknowledgement of the anniversary will reportedly appear on the box for 75353 501st Battle Pack – a LEGO Star Wars collection of Clone Troopers that is rumoured, but not confirmed, for release.

While the Clone Troopers do have a major presence in this animation, they’re not quite its biggest selling point. That’s because Star Wars: Clone Wars remains one of the Star Wars franchise’s most visually impressive chapters – even if the 3D Clone Wars show overwrote its events.

Star Wars: Clone Wars was released from 2003 to 2005 and famously developed by Genndy Tartakovsky, who is responsible for the likes of Dexter’s Laboratory and Samurai Jack. That influence shines through in Star Wars: Clone Wars, which features striking 2D visuals and emphasises flashy, fast-paced combat over extensive dialogue. While familiar locales like Mon Calamari and Yavin IV make an appearance, we also meet new characters like the terrifying Gen’Dai – and, more famously, the formidable Asajj Ventress.

In short, regardless of your interest in Star Wars, there’s something here for fans to enjoy – and the full series can be found on Disney+, unlike the memory-holed Star Wars: Detours. This suggests that Disney is happy for people to consume this particular show, even if our consumption doesn’t translate into fresh merchandise.

But why not? The LEGO Group has delved into the deeper corners of the Star Wars franchise before now, famously producing a single 2D Clone Wars set – 75087 Anakin’s Custom Jedi Starfighter – in 2015. This was three years after Disney acquired Star Wars makers Lucasfilm, and one year after the old Star Wars Expanded Universe was declared non-canonical. 

Since then the LEGO Group has occasionally produced oddball LEGO Star Wars sets, with 75204 Sandspeeder (released in 2018) drawing inspiration from a toy catalogue rather than any conventional Star Wars media. We’ve also seen the rerelease of various non-canonical Star Wars video games on modern games platforms, with Star Wars: Republic Commando (a kind of forerunner to the Bad Batch) a recent example. Star Wars’ past is clearly something Disney wants to preserve – or at least monetise.

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A 2D Clone Wars product or two would certainly help to spice up the Star Wars theme a little – and there’s a hefty chunk of source material, thanks to climactic scenes such as the battle on Mon Calamari, Grievous’ pursuit of Palpatine across Coruscant, and Anakin’s trials on Nelvaan. The series also features characters such as Count Dooku and Kit Fisto, who are rather elusive in minifigure form nowadays. It might not fit into the established storytelling of the main Star Wars universe – but then again, neither do recent TV shows like Star Wars: Visions, which is getting a second season in early 2023. 

In short – while nothing has been announced by the LEGO Group either way – Star Wars: Clone Wars’ vibrant world, diverse cast and thrilling action scenes deserve more than a logo on a box and a tenuous link to its source material. With luck that’s an idea that the LEGO Group and Disney will come around to themselves, particularly as more than a few Star Wars fans would thank them for it.

If you’ve never had the pleasure, Star Wars: Clone Wars can now be streamed in its entirety on Disney+. If you’re curious about 75087 Anakin’s Custom Jedi Starfighter, some examples can be found on the secondary market – but many are missing minifigures, or carry typically high prices for a set of this kind.

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