REVIEW: ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars,’ Season 7, Episode 10 – “Phantom Apprentice”

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is back this week with episode 10, “Phantom Apprentice”. The previous episode had us following Ahsoka as she and her clones led an assault on Mandalore in order to find and capture Maul. However,  things don’t go according to plan when Ahsoka walks into a trap set by the Mandalorians and Maul himself.

“Phantom Apprentice” begins immediately where the last episode left off. Maul seems rather surprised that Ahsoka is leading the assault on Mandalore instead of Kenobi and Skywalker. However, when Ahsoka reveals that the two Jedi had more important matters to attend to, Maul seems to know exactly what is happening and mentions that Darth Sidious is behind all of this. But, before much else can be revealed, Ahsoka’s clones crash the party and Maul escapes. Can Ahsoka capture Maul and find out who this mysterious Darth Sidious is and what he has to do with the Clone Wars?

We are nearing the end of this season. With so few episodes left and with many of the previous episodes feeling like filler, I’m glad to say that “Phantom Apprentice” has a great deal of plot in it. We’re getting pretty close to connecting many of the canon timelines during the Clone Wars era and filling many of the plot holes that have been overlooked so far. If anything, this episode was satisfying because it ties up so many loose ends.

For a series that has so many seasons and is connecting a large number of stories and timelines together, the writing is surprisingly consistent. Between characters’ personalities over the seasons and their dialogue, there is very little that seems off about this episode. This consistency can even be seen in the current state of the Mandalorians; we can still see the large effect of the schism in ideologies introduced in previous seasons.

Personally, one of the best things about The Clone Wars is how it breathes life into characters and superimposes nuances onto the rigid ideals and systems we’ve seen in the Star Wars universe, such as the Jedi Council. This is extremely evident with how this series has featured Maul. A character well-known from The Phantom Menace, Maul’s role in the film was significant but there was very little personality to contend with. But through the seasons of The Clone Wars, this series has done an amazing job in developing Maul into a much more well-rounded character and it shows in this episode.

Similarly, we’ve been given hints at Anakin’s thought processes and feelings that lead him to the dark side. This character advancement has been done wonderfully, making you unsurprised for what’s hinted at to come in this episode. But it doesn’t make it any easier. Seeing both Kenobi and Ahsoka concerned with Anakin’s well-being as he betrays the trust of someone close to him plays at your heartstrings because you already know how this story is going to end.

As always, the voice acting and the animation are gorgeous. We also get a special treat in this episode. It’s been quite some time since we’ve gotten a good lightsaber battle, but this episode is here to fix that. The fight choreography is dynamic and fluid, and Ahsoka’s two lightsabers are a wonderful counter to Maul’s double-bladed saber.

At its core, “Phantom Apprentice” is a wonderful episode because it ties up so many loose ends succinctly and with very few, if any, incongruencies. But it’s also a great episode because it breathes so many nuances into its characters and their ideologies, so much so that it’s a sad thought that this season is coming to an end.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars “Phantom Apprentice” is exclusively on Disney+ now.

Quinn

Quinn is an editor and comic and video game writer with a love for Transformers and cyberpunk. As a nonbinary person, Quinn also takes pleasure in evaluating the inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons in media.