Ahsoka leaps into action in “The Academy,” an all-new episode of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS premiering at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, October 15 on Cartoon Network. TM & © 2010 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.

Much to her chagrin, Ahsoka Tano is assigned to teach a class at the cadet academy on Mandalore. Soon after she arrives, however, some of her students are drawn into a treacherous plot. “The Academy” finds its heroes not among the super-powered Jedi or even the ranks of the highly-trained clone everymen. Instead, the protagonists are intrepid youngsters on a principled quest – to uncover the corruption that is poisoning their homeworld. Delving ever deeper into the dysfunctional social mechanics of Mandalore, it’s an all-new episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars – airing at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, October 15 on Cartoon Network.

Next week’s episode marks the return of deadly assassin Aurra Sing (voiced by Jaime King). Check out this exclusive sneak peek at the episode Assassin.

Padmé and Satine begin their investigation into Mandalore’s dirty politics in “Corruption,” an all-new episode of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS premiering at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, October 8 on Cartoon Network. TM & © 2010 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.

On a diplomatic mission to Mandalore, Senator Padmé Amidala uncovers a sinister plot lurking beneath the pacifist planet’s serene façade. With the help of Duchess Satine, she investigates a mysterious illness spreading among Mandalore’s children, discovering corruption that extends into the highest levels of the Mandalorian government. An all-new episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, “Corruption,” airs at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, October 8 on Cartoon Network.

“Corruption” explores a system divided. Deep in the midst of an identity crisis made even worse by the widespread turmoil of the Clone Wars, the people of Mandalore find themselves torn between their violent past and their leader’s promise of peace for the future.

“It’s a fascinating culture at a really interesting time,” says Dave Filoni, Supervising Director of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. “Mandalore has a long history of violence, and they’re trying to move away from that. But this is all taking place in the middle of a galaxy-wide civil war, so it’s difficult for Satine to make a case for peace when there’s so much violence all around. And that’s exactly why peace is so important to her.”

While Season Two’s visit to Mandalore saw the schism reflected in the explicit aggression of the Death Watch, the latest plot indicates a far more subversive threat – reaching into the highest echelons of the Mandalorian power hierarchy.

“There are bigger threats to peace than the Death Watch,” says Filoni. “We’ve seen their approach in Season Two; they used violence as their message. But political corruption can be far more damaging in the long run. The scale’s so much broader here, and the stakes are system-wide. Ultimately, Mandalore’s allegiances are key to the Clone Wars, so every little transgression can have ripple effects throughout the war. Corruption can spread, and it’s threatening to poison Satine’s best efforts.”

Without the explosive threats of the Death Watch, the story necessarily takes an altogether different tone. Teamed with Padmé for the investigation Satine sets out to uncover the threat to her power – and to Mandalore’s peaceful future. Though they come under fire as the investigation heats up, the two women face dangers with far-reaching consequences even greater than mere threats to their own personal well-being.

“Whenever we visit Satine, we’re going to see a war of ideals,” says Filoni. “She’s very steadfast in her beliefs, and that’s what makes her a good leader. She’s got a tough job, though. She is often undermined by her own people, and her core beliefs are even at odds with the beliefs of the other Clone Wars heroes – including the Jedi and the Senate. Ultimately, they all want the same thing – peace – but they have different thresholds. With an endgame that is so important to the entire galaxy, compromises can be difficult – even when it comes to the means by which peace is achieved.”

Matt Lanter gives us a look at what makes Anakin Skywalker tick, with some scenes from the upcoming episodes in Season 3 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

When Pantoran Chairman Papanoida’s family is kidnapped and held for ransom, Ahsoka Tano must team up with Senator Riyo Chuchi to aid the new chairman in recovering his family. It’s a journey deep into the dark underbelly of the Coruscant crime scene, with an unlikely – and immediately recognizable – protagonist painted into a corner and forced into action in “Sphere of Influence,” an all-new episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars – airing at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, October 1 on Cartoon Network.

Seen only briefly as a background character in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, Papanoida will nonetheless appear very familiar to Star Wars fans, film buffs and pop culture aficionados. He is, of course, modeled after Star Wars creator George Lucas – who also wore blue face paint for the character’s live-action cameo debut.

“My appearance in Episode III was just for fun. Mostly, I did it for my kids,” says Lucas. “I was wrapping the series, and I’d never been on-screen in a Star Wars film, even though I’d been making them for decades. With The Clone Wars, I get the best of both worlds, because I get a starring role but don’t have to do any acting or wear any blue make-up.”

Lucas’ children – Amanda, Katie and Jett – also appeared with the director in the live-action outing, and they, too, make their Clone Wars debut in “Sphere of Influence.” None of the Lucas family provides voice-acting for the series, however; Jett’s doppelganger is voiced by Robot Chicken’s Seth Green, while Amanda and Katie’s avatars are voiced by Meredith Salenger (who also voices Barriss Offee) and Nika Futerman (Asajj Ventress), respectively. Lucas himself is voiced by Clone Wars regular Corey Burton (Count Dooku, Cad Bane) – who based the character’s distinctive sound on Orson Welles’ Harry Lime from The Third Man.

While Papanoida is featured fairly passively in his live-action incarnation, the character has an opportunity for a considerably more active role in The Clone Wars. Taking him deep into the Coruscant underground, the Pantoran Chairman’s mission gives him the chance to demonstrate his chops in a few decidedly action-oriented sequences.

“We actually made Papanoida into kind of an action hero,” says Dave Filoni, supervising director of The Clone Wars. “The bad guys have his family, and he goes after them, blasters blazing. Shoot first, ask questions later. His character is very focused on finding and protecting his kids; it’s a desperate situation, and he steps up. It’s a fun episode with a lot of action – and it’s unique, in that our normal heroes give up the spotlight while Papanoida takes matters into his own hands. This was a surreal episode to produce, since the guy on screen was sitting right next to me while we were making it.”

Jedi Master Di and rebel leader Cham Syndulla formulate their battle plan in “Supply Lines,” an all-new episode of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS premiering at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, September 24 on Cartoon Network. Trademark information for Star Wars: The Clone Wars images: TM & © 2010 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ryloth is under siege. Trapped on the surface, Jedi Master Di rallies the local forces with the help of rebel leader Cham Syndulla. Desperate to save them, Senator Bail Organa and Representative Jar Jar Binks are dispatched to the planet of Toydaria, where they must convince the King Katuunko to send aid to Ryloth – before it’s too late.

“This is one of the fun aspects of being this deep into the series,” says Dave Filoni, supervising director of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. “Now that we have two seasons already under our belt, we can go back and look at some different aspects of key moments from the Clone Wars; we can jump around in the timeline. We can explore different aspects and different stories. We have a neat opportunity to blow out stories that we’ve seen already, and look at them from a different perspective, a different point of view – and that’s been an important aspect of Star Wars since the original trilogy.”

Taking place before Yoda’s fateful meeting with King Katuunko on the moon of Rugosa – chronicled in the series premiere episode, “Ambush” – “Supply Lines” sheds light on some of the dramatic events that forged The Clone Wars. It also explores the origins of the Ryloth occupation and the subjugation of the Twi’lek people occupation, explored in the first season’s two-part season finale.

“This conflict is vast, to say the least,” says Filoni. “It’s a big galaxy, and there’s a lot going on at all times. Even two seasons in, we’re only seeing a fraction of the war – key moments that are really focused on the primary heroes from the films. But those moments are framed by heroism and villainy, too, just as there are important events happening concurrently with the key scenes we’ve explored.

We’ve got 22 minutes per episode and 22 episodes per season, and we’re still only scratching the surface of the Clone Wars.”

Serving to support existing stories and to build on the overall mythology of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, “Supply Lines” nonetheless promises its own action and surprises.

Featuring the return of some fan-favorite characters from the live-action films, the episode also introduces some brand new characters – such as Jedi Master Di.

“We’re going to meet Jedi Master Di,” says Filoni. “I like him a lot; he’s cool and I’d like to be able to do more with him. But you should remember that this is a prequel, and that it takes place before the episodes we’ve seen already. There may be a reason we haven’t seen him after the events of this episode. Here’s a hint: Star Wars characters have a history of suggestive names. Greedo was a greedy bounty hunter. Lobot’s a guy with a computer implanted in his brain, like a lobotomy. General Grievous and Darth Maul are both intent on causing pain and suffering. Han Solo’s a loner.

So I’m just saying that maybe Jedi Master Di should watch his back.”

Check out these two clips from the season premiere episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Clone Cadets and ARC Troopers!

Both episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars premiere Friday, September 17th on Cartoon Network at 9pm PT/ET and on Teletoon the same night at 8:00pm PT/ET

And don’t forget to head over to our forums at forum.starwarsdaily.com to discuss these clips and everything else Clone Wars!