The heroes of the Republic get a visual upgrade in “Heroes on Both Sides,” an all-new episode of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS premiering at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, November 19 on Cartoon Network. TM & © 2010 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.

When Padmé Amidala and Ahsoka Tano travel in secret to Raxus to forge a peace agreement with the Separatists, Ahsoka must confront her own prejudices and preconceptions when she comes face to face with the enemy. She will learn that there are “Heroes on Both Sides” in an all-new episode ofSTAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS – airing at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, November 19 on Cartoon Network.

In addition to exploring some of the complexities of the war itself, the episode is notable because it introduces all-new character models for some of The Clone Wars’ heroes – including Obi-Wan, Anakin and Ahsoka.

“Over the course of the series so far, our characters have been affected by the conflict, so the changes we are seeing are a reflection of what they’ve gone through and how they’ve changed,” says Supervising Director Dave Filoni. “We’re getting closer to the events of Episode III, and the look of the series is moving toward that look and those designs. We don’t have a live-action point of comparison for Ahsoka, but her development is definitely as pronounced as anyone’s. When the war began, she was just a kid; she was strong and capable, but she had a lot to learn – and she’s been through a lot. She’s been changed by the things she’s seen and done, and now we’re seeing that reflected in her look. She’s older, more mature. In this episode, we see a significant step for her emotional development, in addition to her aesthetic development. Coming face to face with the enemy is going to be an eye-opening experience for her.”

In addition to showcasing the series’ character development and its progression toward the Episode III aesthetics, the new CG models also reflect a change in the way that The Clone Wars is produced.

“Our production keeps getting better; as we move forward, we’re able to incorporate new techniques and improved animation,” says Filoni. “As a weekly series, we’ve been pushing ourselves to do things that haven’t been done in TV animation, and it’s always a struggle just to get it done at all. But we are learning tricks that help to streamline the process, and we continue to build our asset library. We’re at a place where we can explore and develop new and improved character assets for some of our primary players. In addition to the look change, these new models are so much more expressive.”