All 'Star Wars' fans need to watch the last 4 episodes of Disney's animated 'Clone Wars' show even if you've never seen it before

• Lucasfilm released the final season of "Star Wars: Clone Wars" on Disney Plus starting in February 2020.
• The finale debuted Monday, May 4.
• If you're a "Star Wars" fan, you need to watch the show's final four episodes.
• They take place during the events of "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith."
• Palpatine's infamous "Order 66" is shown from Darth Maul and Ahsoka Tano's points of view.
• "Clone Wars" executive producer Dave Filoni told Entertainment Tonight he wrote these four episodes so they should be enjoyable on their own even if you never watched the animated series.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

If you're a "Star Wars" fan and have been sleeping on the final season of Disney's animated "Clone Wars" series, you need to check it as soon as possible — or at least the final four episodes.

Originally released in 2008, the show takes place between "Star Wars" "Episode II" and "Episode III." It initially ran from 2008 to 2014. At San Diego Comic-Con in 2018, Lucasfilm surprised fans with the announcement of a seventh final season which debuted in February on Disney Plus. The finale is currently streaming.

Even if you haven't been tuning in regularly to the seven-season show, that's OK. If you're a fan of the movie franchise, you owe it to yourself to watch the series' final arc, which ties directly into an historic moment from "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith."

Why would I only watch four episodes of a seven-season show?

The final four episode arc of "Clone Wars" takes place at the same time as the events of "Revenge of the Sith." The big selling point that convinced this fan to tune in was that the show revisits the moment Emperor Palpatine executes "Order 66" and shows it from the point-of-view of two other big "Star Wars" characters.

If you're not already heading to hit the play button right now, here's why that's a big deal.

"Order 66" is the moment where the Clones turn on the Republic and are ordered to execute every Jedi. The moment is glossed over in "Revenge of the Sith" in a heartbreaking three-minute montage where several prominent Jedi are slaughtered along with the Jedi younglings.

In the movie, it's assumed that the majority of Jedi, except for Obi-Wan Kenobi, are killed. We later learn, through ancillary materials like books and "Star Wars: Rebels," that wasn't the case.

In the latest four episodes of "Clone Wars," you see how Darth Maul (yes, he's still alive at this point) and fan-favorite Ahsoka Tano deal with the fallout from Order 66.

It showcases some of the best lightsaber sequences and Force-wielding moments we've received in years from the "Star Wars" universe. Darth Maul gets a great hallway sequence where he gets to put all of his powers on display. Season seven, episode 11 has a few combat moments you'll want to watch over again.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight's Ash Crossan, executive producer and writer Dave Filoni said the episodes were written so if you never watched an episode of the animated series, you could still tune in and appreciate the story line.

"The way I wrote these four was intended that if you actually had never seen any other episodes of 'Clone Wars,' these four episodes should be enjoyable on their own. That impacted the way I wrote it," said Filoni.

A few things you should know if you're only watching these last four episodes to catch you up to speed

If you're not familiar with Ahsoka Tano, she's Anakin Skywalker's padawan who was introduced in the "Clone Wars" series and has become one of the franchise's best female characters. Technically, Tano isn't a Jedi anymore after leaving the order during season five.

Darth Maul survived his fall at the end of "The Phantom Menace." (You may have realized this if you watched the "Solo" spinoff film.) If you're a fan of the character, early seasons of the show dig into his backstory and his journey to seek revenge on both Kenobi and, later, his old master Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious. He's also not pleased that Sidious wants Skywalker as his new apprentice.

It's great to see Maul and Tano interact as they were both apprentices to two of the most powerful people in the galaxy at one point.

What to watch after the 'Clone Wars' finale: Seek out earlier episodes and season two of 'Star Wars: Rebels'

If you're hooked on the final four episodes, you may want to know what comes next for Darth Maul and Ahsoka. What became of Maul and did Ahsoka ever confront her former master Anakin after he became Darth Vader?

We already have those answers. You can tune into the final two episodes of "Star Wars: Rebels" season two.

You also may be intrigued to go back and watch the earlier seasons of "Clone Wars." There are two arcs in particular that are especially great.

For more on Darth Maul and how he rose to power again, we recommend watching the final two episodes of season four.

If you ever wondered how and why the clones turned on the Republic/Jedi and started working for the Empire, that's explained thoroughly in season six. Check out the first four episodes of season six afterward for a more thorough explanation on the chips that were implanted inside the clones to make them betray the Jedi.

Read the original article on Insider