CLONE WARS (STAR WARS)

The 'Clone Wars' (also known as the 'Clone War') are a series of fictional intragalactic battles in George Lucas's science fiction saga ''Star Wars''. The conflict is first mentioned in '' (1977),^[1] but not featured in ''Star Wars'' fiction until the second and third episodes of the six-part ''Star Wars'' film series: '' (2002) and '' (2005). The animated microseries '' (2003-2005) chronicle the major campaigns of the war. Additional events and stories are detailed in a multimedia campaign consisting of ''Star Wars'' literature and video games. Many of the events featured have parallels in history, politics, and mythology from which Lucas and other writers drew inspiration. Critics and film historians debate which parallels are most prominent or consistent.
The Clone Wars begin during the Separatist Crisis when thousands of star systems seceded from the Galactic Republic to form the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS). The first battle occurs on the CIS planet Geonosis where the Republic's new clone army, led by Jedi generals, combats the Separatists' battle droids. War quickly spreads across the galaxy and eventually reaches the Republic's capital, Coruscant. The Clone Wars end shortly after the Great Jedi Purge, the Separatist Massacre on Mustafar, and the establishment of the Galactic Empire. The events causing the war and those leading to its conclusion are orchestrated by the Republic's chief executive, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.^[2]

Contents

Origins

Story

Allusions

Political and military

Star Wars

Multimedia campaign

Notes

See also

Origins

The beginnings of the war are first portrayed in the 1999 film '' (the first chapter but fourth release in the series) as the Invasion of Theed and the Battle of Naboo. However, the real tension begins with the Separatist Crisis, a series of debates in the Galactic Republic that are referred to in ''Attack of the Clones'', and began about two years prior to the start of that film. By the beginning of ''Attack of the Clones'', many star systems have seceded from the Republic. The tension caused by this secession eventually leads to the outbreak of war.^[3] The war has different causes: The Republic's Chancellor Palpatine tells his people that the war began because of several different reasons such as the years of separation by the outer rim territories, the separatists capture of the Jedi and the Separatists financing of rebellions by radical states within the Republic. While these are all true, Palpatine had influenced all these events in secret with the help of his secret apprentice, Count Dooku.
By the end of ''Revenge of the Sith'', it is clear that the war was engineered by Palpatine to facilitate both his own rise to power and the formation of the Galactic Empire. He plays both sides against each other — as a Republic Senator (and later Chancellor), advocating the Republic to stop the threat of secession, and as the mysterious Sith Lord Darth Sidious, by advising the Separatists. The Clone Wars thus become the first of two major civil wars in the ''Star Wars'' galaxy, the other being the Galactic Civil War that makes up the main conflict of the second trilogy.

Story

The Clone Wars are set into motion 32 years before the events of ''A New Hope''. The prelude to the war makes up the second half of the film ''The Phantom Menace''. The Trade Federation, a major galactic trade organization, blockades the small planet Naboo and demands the capitulation of the world by its queen, Padmé Amidala. Amidala refuses and requests help from the Galactic Republic, the main governing body of the galaxy. The Republic responds by sending two Jedi ambassadors, Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi. After a few small skirmishes, the Jedi and Naboo military liberate the world with the help of the Gungans, an amphibious race indigenous to Naboo.^[4]
Shortly after these events, the Jedi Dooku resigns his commission and returns to his homeworld of Serenno.^[5] Unbeknownst to the Jedi Council, Dooku has fallen under the control of the evil Sith master Darth Sidious. Dooku and Sidious arrange for a military army of Clone Troopers to be produced by the Kaminoans under the alias of the Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas.
By this time, the Republic faces internal opposition as several thousand worlds secede from the Galactic Republic to form the Confederacy of Independent Systems, or CIS. The Republic Senate proposes the Military Creation Act, which would allow for the development of a large military in order to prevent further secession, and civil war. While most senators support the act, it sees great opposition from Padmé Amidala, who was now senator for Naboo. The act never comes to a vote, however, due to the discovery of the Confederacy's military forces on Geonosis and the subsequent Battle of Geonosis, which essentially proves the necessity of such an army. Chancellor Palpatine, the then Head of State of the Republic, is quickly granted emergency powers by the Republic Senate. He uses these powers to raise the Grand Army of the Republic, a large military force made up of the Clone Troopers illicitly commissioned by Dooku and Sidious. The Battle of Geonosis marks the end of ''Attack of the Clones''.
During the in-universe time period between ''Attack of the Clones'' and ''Revenge of the Sith'', conflict between the Republic and the Separatists increases and expands, which is chronicled in an extensive Multimedia campaign.
Three years after the Battle of Geonosis, the Confederacy attempts to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine from the Republic capital world of Coruscant. The Chancellor is rescued and Confederacy leader Count Dooku killed, thanks to the efforts of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker.
At this point in the Clone Wars timeline, the Outer Rim Sieges are in full swing, as well as numerous other battles across the galaxy. The Jedi are considered battle commanders, far outranking clones in terms of battle prowess, and are spread thin across the galaxy. One of the key battles of the Outer Rim Sieges is the Battle of Utapau, depicted in ''Revenge of the Sith''; during the battle, Obi-Wan strikes a crippling blow to the Confederacy by killing one of their most prominent leaders, General Grievous.
Left behind by Obi-Wan on Coruscant, Anakin discovers that Palpatine is also Darth Sidious, Sith leader of the Confederacy. He informs Mace Windu, who promptly comes with a posse of Jedi Knights to detain the corrupt Chancellor. A furious duel ensues, until only Windu and Palpatine are left standing. Skywalker arrives at the Chancellor's quarters to find Palpatine at the mercy of Windu's lightsaber. Anakin, promised by Palpatine enough power to save his wife Padmé from death, slashes Windu's lightsaber hand off, allowing Palpatine to kill Windu. Palpatine/Sidious takes Anakin as his new Sith Apprentice, after losing Dooku, and gives him the Sith name Darth Vader. Anakin has now completely fallen under the sway of the Dark Side.
Utilizing the attack by Mace Windu and the Jedi as a pretext, Palpatine issues Order 66, a pre-arranged military command ordering all Clone Troopers to execute their Jedi commanders. The newly-christened Darth Vader leads the with the 501st Clone Trooper Legion and kills all the Jedi in the Temple, including children Jedi living in the Temple.
The handful of survivors of the Great Jedi Purge include Yoda and Obi-Wan. With the extermination of the Jedi complete, Palpatine marks an end to the Republic, naming himself ruler of the Galactic Empire. During this time, Palpatine dispatches Vader to Mustafar to kill the rest of the Separatist leaders. With the elimination of the Confederacy leadership, Palpatine orders all battle droids to be shut down immediately, effectively ending the war.

Allusions

Like all themes within ''Star Wars'', the Clone Wars borrows from multiple mythical, literary, and historical influences and parallels. Writers and critics have debated over which parallels are most prominent or consistent.

Political and military

In the ''Star Wars'' timeline, both the Clone Wars and its results are portrayed as the process which shifted the Galactic Republic from a democracy to a dictatorship. In a 2002 TIME Magazine interview, ''Star Wars'' creator George Lucas explains:
: "All democracies turn into dictatorships—but not by coup. The people give their democracy to a dictator, whether it's Julius Caesar or Napoleon 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?"^[6]
In ''Attack of the Clones'', Palpatine orchestrates the Separatist movement (and the Clone Wars that followed) to worry the citizens of the Republic, thus forcing the Senate to grant him emergency powers. According to character Obi-Wan Kenobi, these powers increase as the Clone Wars extend into a search for General Grevious, who replaces Count Dooku as Separatist leader.^[7][8] During ''Revenge of the Sith'', Palpatine declares himself Emperor by blaming the Jedi for the Republic's problems, resulting in a Jedi purge via Order 66.^[9][10][11]
Comparisons have been made between the political aspects of the Clone Wars and the events leading up to World War II. Radio host Clyde Lewis' article on historical similarities in Star Wars claims that Palpatine's tactics parallel those of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany; both leaders used wars and scapegoats to manipulate society's emotional state, thus providing the leadership with support and power.^[12] This viewpoint was also expressed in an editorial on the Clone Wars Unofficial Website.^[13] Another writer compares the Clone Wars with World War II in general, basing his argument on the fact that Lucas was born during the baby boomer generation, and the dark times featured in the original trilogy rival the dark, uncertain Cold War.^[14] Lucas, however, cited in multiple interviews that one of his primary influences for the political backdrop behind the Clone Wars (and all of Star Wars) was the Vietnam/Watergate era, when leaders embraced corruption for what they thought was the best course of action.^[15][16]
There is a variety of opinions on the historical parallels between the political aspects of the Clone Wars and the War in Iraq. In claiming that the Star Wars galaxy under the deceitful Palpatine parallels the modern issues of the United States, an editorial on Antiwar.com states that "[Star 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".^[17] Additionally, an article from Wiretap claims that "like Palpatine, the Bush administration has been able to feed on people's fears to gain more power".^[18] However, in an interview with Kiro 7 News, ''Star Wars'' producer Rick McCallum explained:
: "George is a product of Vietnam, not a product of Bush. [The political aspects of the Clone Wars] has been in the context of every script I've ever read—every draft—way before Bush became president…"^[19]
Lucas claims, however, that "The parallels between what we did in Vietnam and what we're doing in Iraq now are unbelievable." Nevertheless, he states that "When I wrote [the backstory/Clone Wars], Iraq didn't exist".^[15]
The Clone Wars parallel the American Civil War in many respects. The Confederacy of Independent Systems shares a similar name to the Confederate States of America; it also seceded from the Republic, much like the south seceded from the Union. Like Confederate General Robert E. Lee, Count Dooku was respected by his enemies, and had he survived, he most likely would have been accepted by them.^[21] (It must be remembered, however, that few knew Dooku was secretly workng for the Sith and Palpatine. Had the general public known this, they would never have accepted him.)

Star Wars

A portion of the vehicles developed by the Lucasfilm graphic designers, including the AT-TE and the AT-XT walkers, were created to enhance the technological continuity of the Clone Wars in relation to the Galactic Civil War, the central conflict in the original trilogy of ''Star Wars'' films.^[22] Other examples of technological continuity is displayed at the Battle of Coruscant, in which ARC-170 starfighters were designed with S-foils, much like those seen in the ship designs of the original films.^[23]
In the original trilogy, the Clone Wars are only referenced in ''A New Hope''. Lucas stated that he first designed a backstory which preceded the original film trilogy — the events surrounding the Clone War era.^[24]

Multimedia campaign

The Clone Wars span the three years between ''Attack of the Clones'' and ''Revenge of the Sith'', and thus are, for the most part, off-screen. The Expanded Universe is recounting events with an ambitious multimedia campaign.¹
The videogame '' was released in 2002 for PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox. It is set immediately after the final events of ''Attack of the Clones'', and spans many new worlds and settings not mentioned in the films or novelizations. Additionally, '', '', '', and '' expand the scenarios of the conflict and add new angles to previously covered battles.
The cartoon microseries '' started airing in November 2003 on Cartoon Network. It was a series of 20 episodes, each three to five minutes long, showing several of the battles of the war not mentioned in any of the films. Another five episodes, each fifteen minutes long, were made to serve as a prelude to ''Revenge of the Sith''. It is scheduled to become a 3D animated television series.^[25]
The comic series '' has also shed light on this era of the ''Star Wars'' universe, focusing in particular on the exploits of the Jedi characters Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Quinlan Vos, and Aayla Secura.¹ Multiple series of novels based on all aspects of the Clone Wars have been published, as well.

Notes

1. "Starwars.com: What are the Clone Wars?"
2. Lucas, George. The ''Star Wars'' trilogy (1977 – 2005)
3. "Palpatine at Star Wars: Databank"
4. "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Script at IMSDb George Lucas
5. "Count Dooku at Star Wars: Databank"
6. "All democracies turn into dictatorships…" TIME Magazine
7. "'OBI-WAN:' The Senate is expected to vote more executive powers to the Chancellor today." "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Script at IMSDb" George Lucas
8. "'PALPATINE:' That may be true, but with Count Dooku dead, [General Grevious] is the leader of the Droid Army, and I assure you, the Senate will vote to continue the war as long as Grievous is alive." "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Script at IMSDb" George Lucas
9. "'PALPATINE/DARTH SlDIOUS:' Commander Cody, the time has come. Execute Order Sixty-Six." "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Script at IMSDb George Lucas
10. "'PALPATINE/DARTH SlDIOUS:' Because the Council did not trust you, my young apprentice, I believe you are the only Jedi with no knowledge of this plot. When the Jedi learn what has transpired here, they will kill us, along with all the Senators."/"'PALPATINE:' Every single Jedi, including your friend Obi-Wan Kenobi, is now an enemy of the Republic." "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Script at IMSDb" George Lucas
11. "'PALPATINE:' In order to ensure our security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire, for a safe and secure society which I assure you will last for ten thousand years." "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Script at IMSDb" George Lucas
12. "The Sith Sense" Clyde Lewis
13. "The Sith Sense" Andrew Liptak
14. "Star Wars As Baby Boomer Script" Stephen Chambers
15. "'Star Wars' Raises Questions on US Policy" David Germain
16. "Lucas on Iraq war, 'Star Wars'" Chris Burns
17. "Star Wars and the American Empire" Scott Horton
18. "U.S. Politics in "A Galaxy Far, Far Away"" Brian Fanelli
19. "DVD Is Hardly End For 'Sith' Producer McCallum" Tim Lammers
20. "'Star Wars' Raises Questions on US Policy" David Germain
21. Revenge of the Sith, , Matthew Woodring, Stover, Del Rey, 2005, ISBN 0-345-42883-8
22. "AT-TE walker at Star Wars: Databank"
23. 'PILOT': We're on your tail, General Kenobi! Set S-foils in attack position. "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Script at IMSDb" George Lucas
24. ''All I Need Is An Idea'' DVD Special Featurette, [2001]
25. Star Wars to become new TV series BBC News

See also

★ Galactic Civil War

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