"A War on Two Fronts" represents the second installment of the fifth season of the television show Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It was initially presented to fans at a special Lucasfilm Ltd. screening at the Letterman Digital Arts Center on September 21, 2012, before its broadcast on Cartoon Network on October 6. The episode that comes before this one in the timeline is "Revenge," which is the last episode of the fourth season.
After being contacted by rebels from Onderon, among whom is Lux Bonteri, a friend of Ahsoka Tano who hails from that planet, the Jedi High Council deliberates on how to support their struggle against the Separatists. Anakin Skywalker suggests training the rebels in unconventional warfare, thereby forcing the Separatist forces to divide their resources across two fronts. The Council, however, expresses reservations about this strategy, fearing that it could foster the growth of terrorism, a tactic the Jedi are fundamentally opposed to using. Despite these concerns, the Council acknowledges the validity of Anakin's arguments and recognizes that there are no other viable options for assisting the Onderonians. Consequently, Anakin, Ahsoka, and Rex set off for Onderon, accompanied by Obi-Wan Kenobi, who intends to moderate Anakin's enthusiasm throughout this mission.
Upon arriving in the Onderon wilderness, the group encounters Steela Gerrera, one of the rebel leaders, and is escorted to their base, where they also meet Saw Gerrera and Lux. The Jedi then begin to train the insurgents in effective combat strategies and teamwork. During the training, a rivalry emerges between Lux, who is motivated by the well-being of his home planet, and Saw, who sees himself as the natural leader of the rebellion. Saw regards Lux as a weak politician unfit for combat, and Ahsoka becomes aware of this tension during the training. Furthermore, she notices that Steela has a strong personal interest in Lux.
As fate would have it, the Jedi's arrival did not go unnoticed, prompting the Separatist occupation forces to deploy three recon droids for investigation. After the rebel base is located, a contingent of battle droids is dispatched to eliminate them. The droids disrupt a meme shooting practice session, compelling the Jedi and the rebels to engage in their first joint battle, during which Lux and Saw successfully destroy an enemy tank together. Following this triumph, the Jedi and the rebels devise a clandestine operation to attack the droids stationed in the capital city, Iziz. They infiltrate the city disguised as a group of hunters and gatherers, then split up to secure essential supplies. When Anakin expresses his satisfaction with his suggestion to train the rebels, Obi-Wan responds with tempered enthusiasm, describing his feelings as "hopeful."
Initially, Star Wars Insider reported that "A War on Two Fronts" would be the premiere episode; however, "Revival" ultimately took its place as the season's first episode.
"A War on Two Fronts" was produced before "Revival," which explains the presence of Adi Gallia despite her death in "Revival," which aired before "A War on Two Fronts." The episode guide acknowledges this inconsistency, along with the appearance of Yoda's older character model, although it suggests that it might actually be Stass Allie, Gallia's replacement on the Jedi Council. It was later confirmed that "Revival" must occur after "A War on Two Fronts" due to the presence of the Ohnaka Gang pirate post, which had not yet been destroyed, in "Tipping Points." Subsequently, the online guide for the episode "A Necessary Bond" verified that "Revival" indeed took place after "A War on Two Fronts" because Hondo's base was destroyed by Grievous in "A Necessary Bond," as Hondo mentions in "Revival." The issue was resolved with the home video release of Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season Five, which places "A War on Two Fronts" as the season premiere and "Revival" in its proper chronological position as the thirteenth episode.
During the training of the insurgents, Anakin congratulated them, saying, "Impressive. Most impressive," echoing his compliment to Luke Skywalker after Luke avoided being frozen in carbonite during their duel in The Empire Strikes Back.