The Star Wars universe is a big place, and it needs to be to make room for the galaxies of sometimes-squabbling devotees. There are the Originalists, fans of the first Star Wars movies starting with “A New Hope” in 1977, and the Enthusiasts, fans of the three prequels beginning with “The Phantom Menace” in 1999. For an Originalist, watching a cartoon Star Wars seems to diminish one of the movie’s greatest mythologies. But what The Clone Wars: The Complete Season One (available now) lacks in stature, it makes up for in passion for the characters George Lucas has created over the past 30 years.
The Cartoon Network series focuses on Anakin and Obi-Wan while they try to prevent the Republic’s slide into an empire. The animation, especially on Blu-ray, feels three-dimensional, and the battle sequences are as intense as they were on the movie screen. And the presence of Yoda, C-3PO and R2-D2 can make any Star Wars fan feel at home. As Yoda might say, “Buy it, you must.”