George Lucas' daughter, Katie Lucas, had cameos in Star Wars' Prequel Trilogy that were very publicized, but few realize she also worked as a writer on Star Wars: The Clone Wars. And while she started by working on individual episodes that were part of arcs written by multiple writers, her later writing credits feature some of the series’ most pivotal stories, including the introduction of the Nightsisters, the return of Darth Maul and Fives’ discovery of the inhibitor chips.
The Clone Wars may have come to an end, but the arcs written by Katie Lucas still have an enduring effect on the Star Wars franchise to this day. With that said, let's look at all of the stories she had a hand in crafting.
The Individual Episodes
Lucas' tenure as a writer for the show began with individual episodes. In her first episode, "Jedi Crash," Ahsoka Tano and Aayla Secura seek medical help for Anakin Skywalker after their cruiser crashes on the planet Maridun. Her second episode, "Sphere of Influence," was co-written with Stephen Melching and focuses on Pantoran Chairman Notluwiski Papanoida and his family. In an attempt to intimidate Chairman Papanoida into working with the Separatist movement, the Trade Federation kidnaps Chi Eekway and Che Amanwe, Papanoida's daughters. Ahsoka works with Senator Riyo Chuchi to find Chi Eekway, and Papanoida and his sons are able to rescue Che Amanwe. In Lucas' third episode, "Assassin," with Drew Z. Greenberg as a supervising writer, Senator Padmé Amidala faces assassination attempts during a vital conference on humanitarian aid for war refugees. Working together, Ahsoka and Padmé create a trap to capture the culprit, Aurra Sing, who was hired by Ziro the Hutt.
These individual episodes share a common focus on Ahsoka. In an interview with syfy.com, Lucas explained that the padawan is one of her favorite characters because she is "a positive, empowering influence" and shows both strength and vulnerability. Ahsoka's friendship with Padmé that's set up in this arc continues throughout the series, with the Senator serving as another mentor for the young Jedi as she grows up.
The Nightsisters' Introduction
After leaving individual episodes behind, Lucas' first full arc in The Clone Wars' third season introduces the Nightsisters. After Darth Sidious forces Count Dooku to betray Asajj Ventress in the arc's first episode, "Nightsisters," she flees to Dathomir and reunites with Mother Talzin and the rest of the Nightsisters. After a failed assassination attempt by Ventress, Dooku seeks out Mother Talzin for a new apprentice. Then, in "Brothers," Mother Talzin holds a deadly competition to choose the apprentice, and through training and torture, turns Savage Opress into a double agent against Dooku. In the arc's third episode, "Monster," Savage Opress begins a rampage against the Jedi, and Count Dooku takes him on as his new apprentice, not knowing that Opress plans to betray him. The arc ends with "Witches in the Mist," where Savage Opress betrays Dooku and fights him alongside Ventress. After a rough battle, Opress flees back to Dathomir, and Mother Talzin sends him on a mission to find his long-lost brother, Maul.
While the Nightsisters existed in Legends canon long before the episode aired, these episodes are now their canon introduction to the franchise. Throughout the arc, Mother Talzin proves to be a powerful character, making plots within plots while her true goals remain clouded. These episodes also reveal that Maul actually survived the events of The Phantom Menace and teases his later return in the series.
The Fate of the Nightsisters and the Return of Darth Maul
In Lucas' second full arc, she writes the end of the Nightsisters and the return of Darth Maul to the series. In the first episode "Massacre," Asajj Ventress returns to the Nightsisters and decides to commit to becoming one of them. She undergoes the ceremony, but Count Dooku arrives, prepared to retaliate against Mother Talzin, who is slowly murdering him from afar. Mother Talzin calls upon the elder Old Daka to raise the corpses of dead Nightsisters to create an undead army, but their forces are not strong enough to win. Most of the Nightsisters are massacred, but Asajj Ventress and Mother Talzin survive. In the next episode, "Bounty," Ventress joins Boba Fett's crew of bounty hunters on a mission, and she realizes along the way that she doesn't want to be as cruel as she was in the past.
While the first half of the arc focuses on Ventress, the second half of the arc shifts Savage Opress to the forefront. In the arc's third episode, "Brothers," Opress finds Maul, who is still suffering from his injuries. He takes Maul back to Mother Talzin in "Revenge," the fourth season finale, and after she heals him, Maul takes Opress as his apprentice, and the two begin their quest for vengeance against Obi-Wan Kenobi.
This arc is significant because it features the fall of the Nightsisters, Darth Maul's return and introduces a new kind of zombie to the franchise. And while Obi-Wan escapes at the end of the last episode, it's clear that Maul's quest for vengeance will continue.
The Clone Conspiracy
The Clone Conspiracy arc of the series opens Season 6 of The Clone Wars. After Clone Trooper Tup kills a Jedi in "The Unknown," his best friend, Fives, insists that Tup would never do so willingly. The Separatists then try to kidnap the troubled Clone, making it even more clear that something is amiss with his actions. Fives accompanies Tup to Kamino in "Conspiracy," and works with medical droid AZ-3 against Kaminoan Doctor Nala Se's wishes. They realize that Tup had a "tumor" that caused his erratic behavior, and while Fives and AZ-3 are able to remove it, Tup still dies.
In "Fugitive," Fives realizes that Nala Se still is trying to cover information up and learns that all Clones have similar "tumors" that really house inhibitor chips, which, of course, contain the programming for Order 66. After Fives removes his own chip, Jedi Master Shaak Ti believes his findings and accompanies him to Coruscant to inform Chancellor Palpatine. But during their meeting in "Orders," Palpatine frames Fives for an attack on his life, and Fives realizes that Palpatine is part of the conspiracy. Fives tries to warn Captain Rex and Anakin Skywalker, but his pleas land on deaf ears. With nowhere left to run, Fives is killed by Clone Troopers before he can convince anyone of the truth.
While the Clone Conspiracy arc is Lucas' final arc of the series, it remains one of Star Wars: The Clone Wars' most tragic storylines. Fives comes so close to both revealing Order 66 to the Jedi and to saving his fellow Clones from Palpatine's control, but Palpatine's machinations are too strong and his influence is too entrenched. Overall, this arc is a strong finish for Lucas on the series and clearly paves the way for the tragedy of Order 66 and Revenge of the Sith.