In addition to a brand-new episode this Friday, “Duel of the Droids,” there is a lot of excitement around Star Wars: The Clone Wars – not the least of which is the addition of a new Saturday morning encore presentation. At 9:30 a.m. each Saturday, Cartoon Network will re-air the previous evening’s 30-minute episode. As fans know, a new episode premieres every Friday at 9 p.m.

And after each week’s premiere, StarWars.com continues the Clone Wars excitement. Complementing each episode is an online comic, exclusive to StarWars.com and written by Star Wars expert Pablo Hidalgo. Four different artists offer unique and intriguing interpretations of the signature style of Lucasfilm Animation, and the stories serve as a “prequel” to individual episodes, showcasing the backstory that precedes the on-screen action.

The online comics are available only at StarWars.com, which debuts a new story every Monday.

For fans who can’t wait for the Cartoon Network encore airings throughout the week, each episode is also available as streaming video on both StarWars.com and CartoonNetwork.com beginning at 12 a.m. Saturday. Both sites offer two streaming episodes at a time, so you never have to miss a moment of the action-packed, animated excitement of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Fans also have an opportunity to put the lightsaber in their hands and play the Clone Wars adventures in Star Wars The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels on Wii and Star Wars The Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance on Nintendo DS, available this week in stores nationwide.

And for the holiday season, products based on Star Wars: The Clone Wars are among the most popular and exciting gift ideas. A press release issued today by Lucasfilm Ltd., detailing many of the most sought-after Clone Wars products, is attached.