REVIEW: ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars,’ Season 7, Episode 12 – “Victory and Death”

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is back for its grand finale this week with episode 12, “Victory and Death.” The previous episode left us off with Ahsoka being hunted down by the clones after Order 66 commenced. However, she manages to nullify the effects of the chip in Rex’s head that initially forced him to betray her.

Now, in “Victory and Death,” Ahsoka and the newly awoken Rex must figure a way off the ship whose occupants are trying to kill both of them. However, Maul is running amuck on the ship and ends up destroying the engines. The uncontrollable ship is careening into the nearest moon. Now, if the clones don’t kill Ahsoka and Rex, the impact of the ship surely will.

For the final episode of this season, I don’t think they could have focused on a more appropriate pair of characters. Of course, the last few episodes have been centered around Ahsoka so it just makes sense to continue the trend and storyline. But the creators could have easily tried to summate the ending of the series and this season by taking a look at where all the main characters are. From other canonical sources, we technically already know what’s happened to the other characters. What we don’t know is what happens to Ahsoka and Rex. They made a good choice with the focus of this final episode.

I’m glad that, even in this final episode, we still get to see how much Ahsoka has grown. Part of the enamor of The Clone Wars was the way the series focuses on character growth. And, just between Anakin and Ahsoka alone, you bet this series has dealt with a whole lot of growth. Ahsoka really shows just how strong she has become over the seasons, both emotionally and physically, in this finale. Ahsoka sticks by her morals even in the most dire situations and her use of the Force has become extremely powerful.

Although an episode with significantly less plot, especially when compared to previous episodes, the greatness of this episode is in its suspense and emotion. Rex and Ahsoka fighting their way off a ship in a losing battle against the very people they once called family is heartbreaking. In fact, this entire episode has a somber tone to it that’ll sit with you even after the end.

This episode, especially the ending, has a quality about it that really separates it from the rest of this season. The score by Kevin Kiner is beautifully done and makes each scene that much more impactful. The animation is so emotive and the voice acting so raw that there’s nothing you can do but feel for these characters. The very end of this episode brings all these elements together for a finale that I couldn’t be happier with.

It’s sad to know that the series finale is here, but it’s good to know that this final episode is handled beautifully. They couldn’t have picked a better pair of characters to focus on and the ending, although very morose, is going to sit with you for a long time.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars “Victory and Death” 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.