TheClone Wars, also known as theSeparatist Crisis, is a fictional three-year conflict in theStar Wars franchise byGeorge Lucas. Though mentioned briefly inthe firstStar Wars film (A New Hope, 1977), the war itself was not depicted untilAttack of the Clones (2002) andRevenge of the Sith (2005). The Clone Wars are also the setting for three eponymous projects:a 2D animated series (2003–2005),a 3D film (2008), anda 3D animated series (2008–2014, 2020). They have featured in numerousStar Wars books, comics and games.
WithintheStar Wars narrative, the Clone Wars involve a three-year war fought to prevent thousands of planetary systems fromseceding from theGalactic Republic and joining the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS), colloquially referred to as the Separatists or Separatist Alliance. The Republic uses an army ofclone troopers led by theJedi Order against the Separatistbattle droid army. The conflict was a scheme by the Republic's Supreme ChancellorPalpatine, secretly the evilSith LordDarth Sidious, seeking to implement the Sith's long-term plans to wipe out allJedi and take over the galaxy. Palpatine intended this by giving the clone troopers a secret executive command, "Order 66" (in the form of a control chip) embedded in their brains, instantly making clones perceive their Jedi officers as traitors and kill them. He succeeded in issuing the command inRevenge of the Sith promptly leading to the deaths of numerous Jedi around the galaxy, allowing Palpatine to gain total power and ultimately convert the democratic Galactic Republic into thefascistautocraticGalactic Empire, a reign controlled through amilitary–industrial complex and featured in theoriginal trilogy.
Lucas used the Clone Wars narrative to answer questions about the original trilogy, such as how the Empire originated and howAnakin Skywalker becameDarth Vader. The political and military events of the Clone Wars draw inspiration from such real-world conflicts and historical events, astransition of theRoman Republic to theRoman Empire, theAmerican Civil War, theFirst andSecond World Wars, as well as contemporary events such as thewar on terror and theBush administration during the early 21st century.
The first reference to the Clone Wars is inStar Wars creatorGeorge Lucas' third draft ofthe first film, which mentions the grizzled cyborg General Kenobi's "diary of the Clone Wars".[1] The wars were mentioned twice briefly in the final version of the film, referring toObi-Wan Kenobi as a general who servedLeia Organa's (then-unnamed) fatherBail Organa during the conflict.[2] In draftingThe Empire Strikes Back (1980), Lucas considered introducing a clone character who had been involved with the Clone Wars.[3]Leigh Brackett's first draft of the film initially developedLando Calrissian as a clone from a planet of clones involved in the Clone Wars mentioned inA New Hope and were nearly made extinct by the war.[4]Boba Fett was also initially considered as being from a group ofshocktroopers nearly wiped out byJedi during the Clone Wars.[5] However, these concepts were not included in the final version of the film. Lucas was more guarded about the details of the Clone Wars than any other element ofStar Wars,[6] even making them off-limits to licensed products and books.[7]
Lucas has noted thatPalpatine's rise to power is similar to that ofAdolf Hitler inNazi Germany; asChancellor of Germany, the latter was granted "emergency powers", as is Palpatine.[8] Lucas has also said that one of the primary influences for the political backdrop behind the Clone Wars, and all ofStar Wars, was theVietnam War andWatergate scandal era, when leaders embraced corruption for what they thought was the best course of action.[9][10] In 2002, Lucas said:
All democracies turn into dictatorships—but not by coup. The people give their democracy to a dictator, whether it'sJulius Caesar orNapoleon or Adolf Hitler. Ultimately, the general population goes along with the idea. What kinds of things push people and institutions in this direction? That's the issue I've been exploring: how did the Republic turn into the Empire? ... How does a good person go bad, and how does a democracy become a dictatorship?[11]
The clone forces shown at the conclusion ofAttack of the Clones comprised the largest digital army created for a film at that point.[12] Lucas proposed to concept artists thatRevenge of the Sith would open with a montage of seven battles on seven planets.[13] Lucas then radically re-organized the plot;[14] instead of opening the film with various Clone Wars battles, Lucas decided instead to focus onAnakin Skywalker.[15] The absence of the "seven battles on seven planets" in part led to Lucas's decision to launch the CGI-animatedClone Wars television series; Lucas said the cartoon could "do better" at depicting the conflict.[16]
| Confederacy of Independent Systems | |
|---|---|
  Emblem and Flag of the Confederacy of Independent Systems | |
| Universe | Star Wars |
| First appearance | Attack of the Clones (2002) |
| In-universe information | |
| Type | Confederation,Separatist alliance |
| Founded | 24 BBY (creation) 22 BBY (official founding) |
| Defunct | 19 BBY |
| Fate | Systems absorbed by the Empire CorporationsImperialized Separatist holdouts established |
| Location | Star Wars galaxy (Outer Rim) |
| Leader | Head of State:
|
| Key people | Separatist Executive Council
|
| Technologies | Droid Army |
| Affiliations | Sith (in secret) |
| Enemies | Galactic Republic Jedi Order |
The Clone Wars was first depicted inAttack of the Clones, the release of which brought an end to Lucas's embargo on licensed material set during the era. Numerous novels, comic books, and video games exploring the conflict have been sanctioned by Lucas Licensing.
The Clone Wars are first mentioned inA New Hope when Obi-Wan explains to Luke that his father fought in them, to which Luke expresses doubt. It is later mentioned by Leia in her message that Obi-Wan served her father, who will later be identified as Bail Organa, in the Clone Wars.[2]
Attack of the Clones, set at the beginning of the Clone Wars, opens with theGalactic Republic's rising concern about the secession of thousands of star systems to the Confederacy of Independent Systems, which is publicly led byCount Dooku. Chancellor Palpatine manipulatesJar Jar Binks and the rest of the Galactic Senate into granting him emergency powers. Investigating two attempted assassinations of SenatorPadmé Amidala, Obi-Wan Kenobi discovers Dooku used the identity of a dead Jedi Master to secretly arrange the creation of a massive clone army on the Republic's behalf.Yoda leads the clone army to rescue Obi-Wan, Padmé, and Anakin Skywalker from the Separatists onGeonosis, and the first battle of the war ensues. At the battle's conclusion, Yoda declares: "Begun, the Clone War has." In the final scene of the movie, Anakin and Padmé get married in secret, in violation of Anakin's Jedi vows.[18]
Revenge of the Sith shows the waning days of the three-year Clone Wars, in which clone troopers and their Jedi generals fought against the Separatist droid army. After killing Dooku and rescuing Palpatine from the Separatists during their assault onCoruscant, Anakin learns Padmé is pregnant. He becomes troubled by visions of her death in childbirth, and Palpatine lures Anakin to the dark side ofthe Force by promising to teach him how to prevent her premature demise. Meanwhile,Yoda is dispatched toKashyyyk to stave off a Separatist invasion, and Obi-Wan Kenobi is dispatched toUtapau where he killsGeneral Grievous. Anakin discovers Palpatine is the elusive Sith Lord Darth Sidious, but he defends him againstMace Windu because he needs Sidious' knowledge to save Padmé. After Sidious murders Windu, he dubs Anakin his new apprentice Darth Vader. Sidious orders theclone troopers to executeOrder 66, and they kill their Jedi generals across the galaxy. Sidious then dispatches Vader to the Jedi Temple along with several clone troopers to kill the remaining Jedi and Padawans in the temple, before sending Vader to kill the Separatist leaders onMustafar and to issue a "shutdown command" to their droid army. With their demise, Sidious declares an end to the Clone Wars and the Republic's reformation into theGalactic Empire.[19]
The2D-animatedClone Wars series (2003–2005) depicts several Clone Wars battles and was meant to generate interest inRevenge of the Sith. It also depicts the prelude to the opening battle ofRevenge of the Sith and Palpatine's capture by General Grievous. It was released on home video in two volumes.
The originalClone Wars TV series is no longer considered canonical, since on 25 April 2014,The Walt Disney Company declared that all the existingStar Wars works and products except for the original and prequel films and the laterThe Clone Wars were now part of the separateStar Wars Legends continuity.
Several years later, Lucas chose to reboot the series as a 3D CGI series developed byDave Filoni. After several years of production on the new television series, Lucas decided to spin off the first four episodes asa standalone film.[20] The film, released in 2008, introducesAhsoka Tano as Anakin's apprentice and depicts the Republic and the Separatists battling and attempting to gain permission to travel throughJabba the Hutt's territory.
Thetelevision series that followed (2008–2014, 2020) is likewise set against the backdrop of the Clone Wars, with theseries finale taking place at the same time as the climax ofRevenge of the Sith. The show offers additional details about the clone army's creation, establishes each of the clones as distinct characters, depicts numerous confrontations and developments from the conflict, and portrays the interaction between the clone troopers and their Jedi commanders. For example, the series reveals that each clone has an "inhibitor chip" in his body that makes most of them obey Order 66.
The Bad Batch begins shortly after the immediate end of the Clone Wars with the issuing of Order 66, which marks the Jedi as traitors and leads to their widespread extermination by their own clone troopers, who have been programmed to obey this order. The Bad Batch, being genetically distinct and having developed resistance to the programming, find themselves grappling with their identities and loyalties in the wake of the Republic's demise.
The series explores the fallout of Order 66, the rise of the Galactic Empire, and how the galaxy changes under Emperor Palpatine's rule. The series also explores the transition from clone troopers to stormtroopers in theStar Wars universe, as the Empire shifts from clone production to conscription.[21][22]
The seriesThe Mandalorian features both flashback scenes to the Separatist Droid Army during the Clone Wars, as well as Grogu's memories of Order 66 on Coruscant.[23][24]
The Clone Wars are featured inAhsoka Episode 5, where a flashback suggests the scene occurs on Ryloth, referencing Ahsoka's experiences inThe Clone Wars, in live-action form. Additionally, scenes from theSiege of Mandalore are featured.[25][26]
The 2008novelization ofThe Clone Wars byKaren Traviss[27] begins a series of five novels by Traviss andKaren Miller published byDel Rey Books between 2008 and 2010.The Clone Wars: Wild Space (2008) was written by Miller and focuses on Obi-Wan andBail Organa.[a] Traviss returned to writeThe Clone Wars: No Prisoners (2009), in which Ahsoka is temporarily assigned toCaptain Rex. Finally, Miller wrote the two-partClone Wars Gambit (2010), subtitledStealth andSiege, which deals with a bioweapon threat byNeimoidian general Lok Durd.[28][b]
Dark Disciple (2015) novelizes a story arc about Asajj Ventress and Quinlan Vos from eight unfinished episodes ofThe Clone Wars.[29]Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel (2016) is set during the Clone Wars and the subsequent couple of years.[30]Thrawn: Alliances (2018) features flashbacks to the last year of the war featuring Anakin, Padmé, andThrawn.[31]Brotherhood (2022) is set during the Clone Wars, focusing on Obi-Wan and Anakin.
Dark Horse Comics published various comics set during the era, many of which were collected in a series oftrade paperbacks over nine volumes. Dark Horse also published a ten-volumegraphic novella series titledClone Wars – Adventures (2004–07), utilizing the style of the 2D animated series and depicting original stories set during the era.[32] A series of comics tying into the 3D animated series was released from 2008 to 2010, collected in three volumes, and was supplemented by an11-volume series of graphic novellas released between 2008 and 2013.
Marvel's comic seriesKanan (sometimes subtitledThe Last Padawan) depicts theStar Wars Rebels characterKanan Jarrus as Jedi Padawan Caleb Dume during the conflict.
LucasArts also produced video games likeRepublic Commando andThe Clone Wars that depict the conflict.
Comparisons have been made between the political aspects of the Clone Wars and the events leading up toWorld War II. Radio host Clyde Lewis' article on historical similarities inStar Wars claims that Palpatine's tactics parallel those of Adolf Hitler andNazi Germany; both leaders used wars andscapegoats to manipulate society's emotional state, thus providing the leadership with support and power.[33] Another writer compares the Clone Wars with World War II in general, basing his argument on the fact that Lucas was ababy boomer, and the dark times featured in the original trilogy rival the dark, uncertainCold War.[34] Referring to Lucas's statements that the conflict inStar Wars was inspired by the cultural backdrop of theVietnam War, journalist Chris Taylor said the Clone Wars are a parallel to World War II.[6] Anne Lancashire from theUniversity of Toronto also points out some similar nomenclature between the Clone Wars and theAmerican Civil War.[35]
Several publications compared the political context of the Clone Wars to theIraq War. In claiming that theStar Wars galaxy under the deceitful Palpatine parallels the modern issues of the United States, an editorial onAntiwar.com states thatStar Wars "establishes first the generally agreeable premise that it's right to overthrow oppressive government, before bringing into focus something more discomforting – that the corrupt tyranny referred to is our own".[36] Additionally, an article from Wiretap claims that "like Palpatine, theBush administration has been able to feed on people's fears to gain more power".[37] Lucas stated that the Iraq war "didn't exist" when he developed the Clone Wars,[9] but he did see parallels between theVietnam War that inspiredStar Wars and the war in Iraq.[10]Star Wars producerRick McCallum corroborated that the Clone Wars was developed before the Iraq War, adding that Lucas "is a product of Vietnam".[38]
The author ofHow Star Wars Conquered the Universe, Chris Taylor, calls the Clone Wars "a major part of Star Wars lore".[39] In its attempt to keep itsStar Wars line of toys active afterReturn of the Jedi (1983),Kenner devised a storyline that would involve the return of an exiled "genetic terrorist" and his Clone Warriors.[40]
Timothy Zahn said the clones' unexpected appearance fighting for "the good guys" inAttack of the Clones—despite many years of fan speculation that the clones were an invading force—was "wonderfully blindsid[ing]".[12] After seeing the CGIClone Wars television show, Zahn was grateful thatLucasfilm rejected his initialHeir to the Empire draft, which involved an insane clone of Obi-Wan created during the conflict.[41]
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