"There's No Discharge In The War": Viral Star Wars Video Perfectly Captures The Horror Of The Clone Wars

This stunning Star Warsedit of Star Wars: The Clone Warsconfirms how brutal the Clone Wars era really was for the clones and the Jedi—in a way that even the show itself didn't fully capture. The Clone Wars is one of Star Wars' best TV shows, but it wasn't until Ahsoka depicted the reality of the war in live-action that the horrors of these battles were completely realized. Now, this Star Wars edit has taken that one step further, incorporating an audio that reflects how traumatizing these events were for the clones and the Jedi.

In the video, posted by thxt_space on TikTok, an audio of the poem "Boots," written by English author and poet Rudyard Kipling, plays as clips from The Clone Wars are spliced together. The poem was originally about the Second Boer War, but the internal dialogue of the soldier and the horrors the poem captures are both perfectly paired with a realistic representation of the Clone Wars in Star Wars.

It's all too easy to brush off how brutal the Clone Wars battles really were, perhaps because of the animated style of The Clone Wars or because the show incorporates plenty of humor and levity into this era, but this edit is an amazing reminder that this was a war, and it was traumatizing to those who participated in it.

Star Wars Is Beginning To Realize How Horrific The Clone Wars Really Were

The Ahsoka Show Proves Star Wars Is Taking This More Seriously

Ahsoka has been perhaps the best example to date of Star Wars finally grappling with the genuine horrors of the Clone Wars. Seeing Ahsoka Tano's actual age throughout the Clone Wars in live-action was jarring, and witnessing her confusion over the Jedi becoming soldiers when they were always meant to be peacekeepers was profound. Again, when a show is animated, there's a bit more distance between the audience and any horrors depicted in the show—although animated shows are, of course, just as legitimate as live-action shows.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch also shed new light on how grave these years really were and how they continued to affect the survivors of Order 66 and the clone troopers. Not only did the Empire treat the clones as second-class citizens (if that), but also, the clones seemed to display symptoms of PTSD, whether they had carried out Order 66 or not. It's clear that many Jedi were affected in the same way, which Kanan Jarrus also reflected in Star Wars Rebels. It's been painful but important to see Star Wars taking this war and its effects more seriously.

Will We Ever Get A Live-Action Clone Wars?

Such A Show Would Completely Reframe This Era In Star Wars

Anakin and Ahsoka at the Siege of Mandalore in Ahsoka episode 5 with Anakin looking over at Ahsoka — Anakin and Ahsoka at the Siege of Mandalore in Ahsoka episode 5

At present, Star Wars hasn't announced any plans to create a live-action Clone Wars show, although there has been plenty of discourse around this possibility in the fanbase. The concept is a divisive one, but it's undeniable that Star Wars creating a live-action Clone Wars show would also make the true nature of the Clone Wars era so much clearer. Presumably, this would also be a focus of a live-action Clone Wars show, given Ahsoka has already begun that work.

Star Wars has also been clear that the franchise is shifting its focus from the prequel trilogy era and even the Dark Times, with many shows and movies having already taken place or set to take place in the New Republic Era instead. Even so, Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor have both expressed interest in returning, and a live-action Clone Wars show would be a major draw for audiences. In the meantime, this incredible Star Wars edit is a sobering reminder of the reality of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Source: thxt_space