This marks just over the half way point for the entire series and Star Wars: The Clone Wars only gets better and better as each season rolls along. Unlike season 3, season 4 deals less with politics and this is a very welcome change. The arcs also seem to last longer with each one almost feeling like its own movie. There are also not as many standalone episodes this time around. BUT there are some amazing lightsaber battles!! Let’s take a look at what happened in that galaxy far, far away…
The season starts off with an arc of episodes that centers around a familiar battle if you have watched the Genndy Tartakovsky animated shorts. In that cartoon the Quarren people are trying to seize control of the planet of Mon Calamari and with the help of Jedi Master Kit Fisto the Mon Calamari people fight back. 
Of course the plot is much more elaborate when it comes to the newer show and it’s a pretty epic arc. It is nice to see what is happening on the other worlds when it comes to The Clone Wars and as a whole this show does a great job at showing off the many races in the Star Wars universe. In fact even the Gungans show up to help the Mon Calamari, seeing that they are an aquatic race it only makes sense to make them “saviors”. We also get to see Ackbar in action for the first time as he secures his place in Star Wars history.
Jar Jar Binks makes a hero of himself in an episode called ‘Shadow Warrior’, but his antics and spotlight are immediately forgotten by the end of the episode when Anakin and Dooku square off in an EPIC lightsaber battle, sorry Jar Jar. This time around the young Jedi is a bit more prepared to face the Sith Lord but the end result is the same as the first time the two faced off, well without him loosing another hand. Speaking of comedy relief, the original duo R2D2 and C-3P0 have their time to shine once again. If you are familiar with the classic animated series Droids then you will appreciate this series of episodes in Season 4.
The 501st take center stage when Anakin Skywalker is called away from their mission and he leaves Jedi Master Pong Krell in charge of his battalion. 
We quickly learn the Krell is not the most sympathetic Jedi in the Order and his respect for Clones is very low as well. Throughout the series we have grown attached to many of the Clones as they have developed their own personalities and even gone as far as naming themselves. I like this aspect of the show as it teaches us that there is way more to war than most know. Krell on the other hand doesn’t have a good bone in his body. I don’t want to go to far into details about what happens but things go from bad to worse for our Republic soldiers. It’s up to Captain Rex, who is easily one of my favorite characters on the show, to make the right decision for his brethren.’
The topic of slavery is tackled once again and as usual it hits Anakin hard. When a group of Togrutas (Ahsoka’s race), disappear from their colony, Anakin and his team are on the job. There are a few episodes where I really start to question the power of the Jedi and why at certain points they can do wondrous acts and at others seem to “hold back” their powers. There was something of an explanation that I pulled from the Prequel Trilogy, that the presence of the Dark Lord of the Sith has caused their powers to diminish, but at the same time it seems that some of the physical power that they possess, or should possess, is not there. I don’t know maybe it’s just me nitpicking. Obi-Wan is the prime example of this. When he is captured I just feel like he doesn’t use his powers to escape and instead allows himself to be broken by the slavers. In the next Arc we see the return of Lux Bonteri, who will continue to play a big role as the series goes on. This time around the orphan is looking for revenge on Dooku for the death of his mother so he decides to ask Death Watch for help. Of course you can’t trust these Mandalorian terrorists/traitors and Bonteri soon learns this the hard way. I’ll tell you what though, Pre Vizla’s Darksaber is one of the coolest weapons I have ever seen, I like that it’s not your general issued vibroblade.
Obi Wan goes undercover and literally changes his persona in order to get to the bottom of a plot to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine. 
Faking his own death, Obi-Wan takes on the appearance of Rako Hardeen and works his way into the Underworld of the Star Wars universe. There’s something to mention here. This plan is known only to a few and one of them is not Anakin. What were they thinking?! Don’t you think he should have been the first person to know? Anakin is not known for being the most stable of Jedi’s and with his Master’s murder this only tips the balance even more. The series of events that happen during the arc is a lot of fun and we come across a ton of baddies and bounty hunters. My favorite scene from this arc is when the bounty hunters are put through a series of tests to prove their skills. They are all put into a series of tests called “The Box” and must make it through deadly obstacle after obstacle in order to survive. One of my new favorite characters, Embo, returns to show off just how awesome he is. With Obi-Wans skill and prowess, he is able to make it through along with SOME of the other participants. Cad Bane also plays a big role in this arc as he and Obi-Wan (still disguised) are forced to work with each other. They even form a certain level of trust with each other. I really liked where they took these episodes as they were fresh and well received.
Asajj Ventress returns and this time around she has to defend her clan of Nightsisters from Dooku’s attack. This episode along with the next are really important when it comes to Ventress’s story. Especially for those of you who want to read the latest “in-canon” novel Dark Disciple. After Dooku’s betrayal remember that Ventress went to the Nightsisters for help and they created Savage Oppress, well Dooku wants revenge for the attack on him. So he is taking it to the Nightsister’s home planet of Dathomir. The battle between the Dark Jedi and the droid army is amazing and not to be missed. One of my favorite parts of the episode is when Mother Talzin does a little voodoo on Dooku, haha, but Dooku sends Grievous to deal with her. Things don’t work out too well for the Nightsisters but Talzin is able to escape and Ventress heads out on her own to find a new path. One that leads her into the bounty hunting business. 
Teaming up with Boba Fett and his motley crew, they take on the task of “escorting” a package for some scumbags. As usual things aren’t always what they seem and Ventress is forced to pick a side, right or wrong. This episode marks the beginning of her bounty hunting career. I really like the focus on the underworld and villains this season. I always believe that without a good stable of bad guys stories tend to fail.
Season Four wraps up with the return of everyone’s favorite Zabrak Sith Lord, Darth Maul. Last we saw Savage Oppress he had been shown the path to finding his brother by Mother Talzin. Oppress eventually finds Maul but he is not as we remember. Whoever found him after his battle with Qui Gon and Obi Wan helped to rebuild his lower half, giving him spider-like cybernetic leg implants. But years of solitude and madness have only made him more of a monster, but one thing still remains, his hatred for Obi-Wan. Savage takes his brother back to Mother Talzin who repairs his mind and gives him new cybernetics. The two are now united together to hunt down the Jedi and get their revenge. Obi-Wan goes alone to take on the villains and crosses paths with Ventress. The two team-up, again something that is alluded to in Dark Disciple, showing that she is not truly a villain. Yet the duo are not strong enough to take down the brothers, only slow them down. Savage and Maul are left adrift in space, plotting their next move as the season ends.
This season had great pacing and some amazing arcs, each giving many of the characters their time in the spotlight. That alone makes this show one of my favorite stories in Star Wars canon by creating something that makes the Prequel Era that much more special. I am really hoping that Rebels does the same thing, hasn’t let me down yet. See you in Season 5 and may the Force be with you.
