On February 21, one of the best pieces of Star Wars will make its epic return to screen. That’s right, after being cancelled after season 5 only to be picked up for a season on Netflix, Clone Wars has pulled a Palpatine and come back from the dead once more. 

The 12 episode final (final?) season of the show will be released weekly on Mondays from February 17 through, poetically, May the Fourth. Covering three arcs, the show will seemingly cross over with Revenge of the Sith, which was the original plan for the series. Between the “Bad Batch”, Ahsoka post-leaving the Order, and the much anticipated “Siege of Mandalore”, the final season will have a lot to offer. 

If you haven’t already been catching up on the show, it may be a bit too late to make it through the entire series before the first episode drops. If you are going to make it work, hey, I’m not here to judge. But if you are looking for a quick refresher with regards to the important arcs that will be covered, here are three arcs, an episode a day, that will have you more ready than Cara Dune in a fight with an Imperial. 

The Revenge of Darth Maul

Episodes: Revival, Eminence, Shades of Reason, Lawless (Season 5 Episodes 14-16)

If “revenge” and “Maul” aren’t enough to make you want to watch this one on a loop, how about throwing in “Mandalorians”, “Kenobi”, “Bo Katan”, and “The Mandalorian”. This arc fully realizes Darth Maul’s return to the galaxy, as he manipulates the Mandalorians and crime syndicates to put himself on the throne of Mandalore and the underworld. 

For one, Maul is a continually fascinating character, even though his is the same ole story on repeat. Always angry, always acting to hastily, and always blinded by his own ego, this arc is Maul in prime form. As intimidating as he is in The Phantom Menace, this Maul is much scarier because he is confident. He has no shadow of a doubt that he will prevail. Which, of course, he does. Until Sidious comes around and…well…

Maul has to survive the Siege, as he’s in both Rebels and Solo. How that happens will be fascinating to see. It is quite possible that his manipulation of Death Watch could come back to bite him, leading to the Death Watch we see in The Mandalorian, a group that is more protective than domineering. Bo Katan’s role in all of this comes into question too, knowing that she is in Rebels, but doesn’t have the Darksaber after Return of the Jedi. A lot of questions remain to be answered, including where Obi-Wan Kenobi is at after losing Satine, and what “other uses” Sheev may have for everyone’s favorite Zabrak. 

Ahsoka’s Trial

Episodes: Sabotage, The Jedi Who Knew Too Much, To Catch a Jedi, and The Wrong Jedi (Season 5 Episodes 17-20)

While looking forward to seeing what happens with Maul is a major factor in the excitement about Clone Wars’ return, without a shadow of a doubt Ahsoka’s story is what most fans are looking forward to. Chronologically, the last time we see Ahsoka is when she walks away from the Order. Then we jump to the Ahsoka novel, which is post-Siege, and then we don’t see her again until she climbs down the ladder in Rebels.

None of what happened in Rebels would have happened save for this arc, arguably the most painful and gut wrenching of the entire series. The events of these four episodes are what leads to Ahsoka not being around during Order 66 (at least as far as we know unto this point), going into exile, and eventually becoming Fulcrum. 

Equally as important to the overall story of Star Wars is what we see with the Jedi, who are so paranoid and lost that they cannot sense their own folly, and Anakin. In an effort to find his Padawan, Anakin goes full Vader on Asajj Ventress. Losing Ahsoka is a major factor in his turn to the dark side (which we may even see in this season). He was unable to prevent his mother’s death, Ahsoka’s leaving, nor Padme’s future. Three strikes, your a Sith. 

At one point, we will see Ahsoka and Anakin together again, as he graces her the 501st to help with the Siege (as he goes off to save the Chancellor). Without doubt this will hit right in the feels, and it will be interesting to see if there are any connections between the last time Obi-Wan and Anakin speak in Revenge of the Sith. Regardless, Order 66 is coming and there is no way to be prepared for what Dave Filoni is going to do to our hearts. 

The Onderon Arc

Episodes: A War on Two Fronts, Front Runners, The Soft War, Tipping Points (Season 5 Episodes 2-5) 

Admittedly, this is my dark horse candidate. Some might argue for Mortis or even Yoda’s Force journey in season six. However, considering the topics that season seven is going to cover, this arc seems to have more in common thematically. 

In the Ahsoka novel, we see Ahsoka’s journey from lost former Padawan to full-fledged Fulcrum. On Onderon, she has to work in the background to help a group of rebels overthrow a tyrannical king to replace him with the rightful ruler. According to George Lucas, this arc is the eventual beginnings of what would become the Rebellion we know and love. Eventually, Ahsoka does have to reveal herself to the public, and in doing so is able to inspire the people, a la her revealing her Fulcrum identity to the rebels.

Chronologically, this arc takes place before Ahsoka leaves the Jedi, and therefore before the Siege of Mandalore. The lessons she learns militarily will likely come into play, but more importantly will be how she inspires the people. She was able to do it on Onderon; will she be able to rally the people of Mandalore?