Star Wars: The Clone Wars is an American CGI animated television series created by George Lucas and produced by Lucasfilm Animation. Set between Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005), it follows Jedi Knights Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter), Obi-Wan Kenobi (James Arnold Taylor), and Anakin's Padawan, Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) as they lead the Galactic Republic's clone army (Dee Bradley Baker) against the Separatist Alliance, commanded by Count Dooku (Corey Burton) during the Clone Wars.

The series originated from Lucas's desire to explore the untold stories of the Clone Wars era including characters and planets briefly mentioned in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Development began as early as 2004, with Lucas working closely with supervising director Dave Filoni. The creative team drew inspiration from a variety of sources, including the original Star Wars trilogy and Ralph McQuarrie's concept art, while also drawing on elements of anime, manga, and Genndy Tartakovsky's Clone Wars (2003–2005) microseries. The series was preceded by an animated theatrical film of the same name in August 2008, originally intended to serve as its first episodes. It officially premiered on October 3, 2008, on Cartoon Network and ran for five seasons before its initial cancellation in 2013.

Following its cancellation in 2013, a project titled The Clone Wars Legacy adapted unfinished story arcs into other formats such as comics and novels. The series was later revived with a sixth season on Netflix in 2014 and a seventh and final season on Disney+ in 2020, which concluded with the critically acclaimed "Siege of Mandalore" arc, set parallel to the events of Revenge of the Sith. Although plans for an eighth season were ultimately scrapped, the series was followed by several sequels, including Star Wars Rebels (2014–2018), as well as the spin-offs The Bad Batch (2021–2024) and Ahsoka (2023–present).

The Clone Wars was a ratings success for Cartoon Network. While viewership fluctuated across seasons, the series consistently performed well, showing significant year-over-year growth. In its later years, the series experienced a surge in demand on streaming platforms, coinciding with the debut of The Mandalorian (2019–2023), and the release of its seventh season, becoming the most in-demand sci-fi series in the United States. It also received critical acclaim and garnered numerous awards and nominations, including Daytime Emmy Awards and the Annie Awards.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is an animated series set between Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005), during the Clone Wars, a three-year conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Separatists. The series "flesh[es] out the adventures of Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker" while exploring characters and planets introduced in the prequel films. It follows the Republic's fight against the Separatists, with the Jedi leading clone armies against droid forces commanded by Count Dooku and General Grievous. In addition to focusing on Anakin and Obi-Wan, the series explores other Jedi, introduces new and returning villains, and gives more attention to the Troopers and their experiences in the war.

Spanning 133 episodes, the series delves into the moral complexities of war, blurring the lines between good and evil, echoing Revenge of the Sith's opening crawl: "There are heroes on both sides. Evil is everywhere." This portrayal helped establish the series as a significant part of Star Wars lore, expanding the mythology in ways the films did not. It also bridges the gap between the prequels and the wider Star Wars universe, offering insight into the stakes leading up to Revenge of the Sith. Along the way, it deepens key characters like Anakin and Obi-Wan while introducing new ones such as Ahsoka Tano, Cad Bane, Saw Gerrera, and Mandalorians like Duchess Satine Kryze and Bo-Katan.

Pablo Hidalgo explained on his Twitter in 2016 that the series followed a complicated production schedule. Often, more episodes were produced than broadcast during a given season, resulting in episodes being released out of order. Typically, the production team followed a 26-episode schedule, which resulted in a few episodes being held back and aired the following season. For example, in season five, the team decided to air only 20 episodes instead of the usual 22. This decision led to further adjustments. If they had gone with a 19-episode season instead, the Clovis arc (season six, episodes 5–6), which was originally part of the season four production slate, would have been included in season five, and the Younglings arc (season five, episodes 6–9) would have been cut.

While considering the future of the Youngling arc, Lucas envisioned it as the basis for a standalone series. He had the episodes edited into a pilot film, which was screened at that year's Star Wars Celebration. However, the motivation to create a spinoff was eventually abandoned, and the pilot idea was scrapped. As a result, the episodes remained part of season five. Additionally, only 13 of the intended 24 episodes aired in season six, and just 12 of 24 episodes aired in season seven. To help viewers understand the narrative timeline, the official Star Wars Twitter account shared an article in 2014 presenting the series in chronological order. This marked the first time Lucasfilm had promoted the episode guide on social media, and the list was later updated after the final season aired.