This article is about a fictional conflict. For
Star Wars
media named after the conflict, see
Clone Wars
.
Fictional war in Star Wars
The
Clone Wars
is a fictional conflict in the
Star Wars
franchise by
George Lucas
. Though mentioned briefly in
the first
Star Wars
film
(
A New Hope
, 1977), the war itself was not depicted until
Attack of the Clones
(2002) and
Revenge 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), and
a 3D animated series
(2008?2014, 2020). They have featured in numerous
Star Wars
books and games.
Within the
Star Wars
narrative, the Clone Wars involve a three-year war fought to prevent thousands of planetary systems from
seceding
from the
Galactic Republic
and forming their
Confederacy of Independent Systems
, often referred to as
Separatists
. The Republic uses an army of
clone troopers
led by the
Jedi Order
against the Separatist
battle droid
army. The conflict was a scheme by the Republic's Supreme Chancellor
Palpatine
, secretly the evil
Sith Lord
Darth Sidious, seeking to implement the Sith's long-term plans to wipe out all
Jedi
and take over the galaxy. Palpatine intended this by giving the clone troopers a secret command known as "
Order 66
" embedded in their brains, instantly making clones perceive their Jedi officers as traitors and kill them. He succeeded in issuing the command in
Revenge 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 the
autocratic
Galactic Empire
, a reign controlled through a
military?industrial complex
and featured in the
original trilogy
.
Lucas used the Clone Wars narrative to answer questions about the original trilogy, such as how the Empire originated and how Anakin Skywalker became
Darth Vader
. The political and military events of the Clone Wars draw inspiration from such real-world conflicts and historical events, as transition of the
Roman Republic
to the
Roman Empire
, the
American Civil War
, the
First
and
Second World Wars
, as well as contemporary events such as the
War on Terror
and the
Bush administration
during the early 21st century.
Concept and development
[
edit
]
The first reference to the Clone Wars is in
Star Wars
creator
George Lucas
' third draft of
the 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 to
Obi-Wan Kenobi
as a general who served
Leia Organa
's (then-unnamed) father
Bail Organa
during the conflict.
[2]
In drafting
The 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 developed
Lando Calrissian
as a clone from a planet of clones involved in the Clone Wars mentioned in
A New Hope
and were nearly made extinct by the war.
[4]
Boba Fett
was also initially considered as being from a group of
shocktroopers
nearly wiped out by
Jedi
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 of
Star Wars
,
[6]
even making them off-limits to licensed products and books.
[7]
Lucas has noted that
Palpatine
's rise to power is similar to that of
Adolf Hitler
in
Nazi Germany
; as
Chancellor 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 of
Star Wars,
was the
Vietnam War
and
Watergate 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'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?
[11]
The clone forces shown at the conclusion of
Attack of the Clones
comprised the largest digital army created for a film at that point.
[12]
Lucas proposed to concept artists that
Revenge 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 on
Anakin Skywalker
.
[15]
The absence of the "seven battles on seven planets" in part led to Lucas's decision to launch the CGI-animated
Clone Wars
television series; Lucas said the cartoon could "do better" at depicting the conflict.
[16]
Depiction
[
edit
]
The Clone Wars was first depicted in
Attack 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.
Film
[
edit
]
The Clone Wars are first mentioned in
A 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 the
Galactic Republic
's rising concern about the secession of thousands of star systems to the Confederacy of Independent Systems, which is publicly led by
Count Dooku
. Chancellor Palpatine manipulates
Jar Jar Binks
and the rest of the Galactic Senate into granting him emergency powers. Investigating two attempted assassinations of Senator
Padme 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, Padme, and Anakin Skywalker from the Separatists on
Geonosis
, 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 Padme 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 on
Coruscant
, Anakin learns Padme is pregnant. He becomes troubled by visions of her death in childbirth, and Palpatine lures Anakin to the dark side of
the Force
by promising to teach him how to prevent her premature demise. Meanwhile,
Yoda
is dispatched to
Kashyyyk
to stave off a Separatist invasion, and Obi-Wan Kenobi is dispatched to
Utapau
where he kills
General Grievous
. Anakin discovers Palpatine is the elusive Sith Lord Darth Sidious, but he defends him against
Mace Windu
because he needs Sidious' knowledge to save Padme. After Sidious murders Windu, he dubs Anakin his new apprentice Darth Vader. Sidious orders the
clone troopers
to execute
Order 66
, and clones 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 on
Mustafar
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 the
Galactic Empire
.
[19]
Animation
[
edit
]
Clone Wars
[
edit
]
The
2D-animated
Clone Wars
series (2003?2005) depicts several Clone Wars battles and was meant to generate interest in
Revenge of the Sith
. It also depicts the prelude to the opening battle of
Revenge of the Sith
and Palpatine's capture by General Grievous. It was released on home video in two volumes.
The original
Clone Wars
TV series is no longer considered canonical, since on 25 April 2014,
The Walt Disney Company
declared that all the existing
Star Wars
works and products except for the original and prequel films and the later
The Clone Wars
were now part of the separate
Star Wars Legends
continuity.
The Clone Wars
[
edit
]
Several years later, Lucas chose to reboot the series as a 3D CGI series developed by
Dave Filoni
. After several years of production on the new television series, Lucas decided to spin off the first four episodes as
a standalone film
.
[20]
The film, released in 2008, introduces
Ahsoka Tano
as Anakin's apprentice and depicts the Republic and the Separatists battling and attempting to gain permission to travel through
Jabba the Hutt
's territory.
The
television series that followed
(2008?2014, 2020) is likewise set against the backdrop of the Clone Wars, with the series finale taking place at the same time as the climax of
Revenge 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
[
edit
]
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 the
Star Wars
universe, as the Empire shifts from clone production to conscription
[21]
[22]
Live Action
[
edit
]
The Mandalorian
[
edit
]
The series
The 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]
Ahsoka
[
edit
]
The Clone Wars are featured in
Ahsoka
Episode 5, where a flashback suggests the scene occurs on Ryloth, referencing Ahsoka's experiences in
The Clone Wars
, in live-action form. Additionally, scenes from the iconic Siege of Mandalore are featured.
[25]
[26]
Novels
[
edit
]
The 2008
novelization of
The Clone Wars
by
Karen Traviss
[27]
begins a series of five novels by Traviss and
Karen Miller
published by
Del Rey Books
between 2008 and 2010.
The Clone Wars: Wild Space
(2008) was written by Miller and focuses on Obi-Wan and
Bail Organa
.
[a]
Traviss returned to write
The Clone Wars: No Prisoners
(2009), in which Ahsoka is temporarily assigned to
Captain Rex
. Finally, Miller wrote the two-part
Clone Wars Gambit
(2010), subtitled
Stealth
and
Siege
, which deals with a bioweapon threat by
Neimoidian
general Lok Durd.
[28]
[b]
Dark Disciple
(2015) novelizes a story arc about Asajj Ventress and Quinlan Vos from eight unfinished episodes of
The 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, Padme, and
Thrawn
.
[31]
Brotherhood
(2022) is set during the Clone Wars, focusing on Obi-Wan and Anakin.
Comics
[
edit
]
Dark Horse Comics
published various comics set during the era, many of which were collected in a series of
trade paperbacks
over nine volumes. Dark Horse also published a ten-volume
graphic novella
series titled
Clone 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 an
11-volume
series of graphic novellas released between 2008 and 2013.
Marvel
's comic series
Kanan
(sometimes subtitled
The Last Padawan
) depicts the
Star Wars Rebels
character
Kanan Jarrus
as Jedi Padawan Caleb Dume during the conflict.
Video games
[
edit
]
LucasArts
also produced video games like
Republic Commando
and
The Clone Wars
that depict the conflict.
Analysis
[
edit
]
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.
[33]
Another writer compares the Clone Wars with World War II in general, basing his argument on the fact that Lucas was a
baby boomer
, and the dark times featured in the original trilogy rival the dark, uncertain
Cold War
.
[34]
Referring to Lucas's statements that the conflict in
Star Wars
was inspired by the cultural backdrop of the
Vietnam War
, journalist Chris Taylor said the Clone Wars are a parallel to World War II.
[6]
Anne Lancashire from the
University of Toronto
also points out some similar nomenclature between the Clone Wars and the
American Civil War
.
[35]
Several publications compared the political context of the Clone Wars to the
Iraq War
. 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".
[36]
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".
[37]
Lucas stated that the Iraq war "didn't exist" when he developed the Clone Wars,
[9]
but he did see parallels between the
Vietnam War
that inspired
Star Wars
and the war in Iraq.
[10]
Star Wars
producer
Rick McCallum
corroborated that the Clone Wars was developed before the Iraq War, adding that Lucas "is a product of Vietnam".
[38]
Impact and critical response
[
edit
]
The author of
How Star Wars Conquered the Universe
, Chris Taylor, calls the Clone Wars "a major part of Star Wars lore".
[39]
In its attempt to keep its
Star Wars
line of toys active after
Return 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" in
Attack of the Clones
?despite many years of fan speculation that the clones were an invading force?was "wonderfully blindsid[ing]".
[12]
After seeing the CGI
Clone Wars
television show, Zahn was grateful that
Lucasfilm
rejected his initial
Heir to the Empire
draft, which involved an insane clone of Obi-Wan created during the conflict.
[41]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
Footnotes
- ^
A prologue recounts the aftermath of the Battle of Geonosis; the rest of the book resumes after the events of the animated film.
- ^
Portrayed by
George Takei
in the 2008 animated series
[28]
Citations
- ^
Taylor 2014
, p. 122
- ^
a
b
"What are the Clone Wars?"
.
StarWars.com
.
LucasFilm
. Archived from
the original
on July 17, 2006
. Retrieved
December 9,
2015
.
- ^
Taylor 2014
, p. 231
- ^
Bouzereau, Laurent (1997).
Star Wars: The Annotated History
.
Ballantine Books
. p. 196.
ISBN
978-0345409812
.
- ^
Kaminski 2008
, p. 171
- ^
a
b
Taylor 2014
, p. 124
- ^
Taylor 2014
, pp. 288?289
- ^
Star Wars: Episode III ? Revenge of the Sith
DVD commentary featuring George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Rob Coleman, John Knoll and Roger Guyett, [2005]
- ^
a
b
Germain, David (May 16, 2005).
"
'Wars' Raises Questions on US Policy"
.
Backstage
. Backstage, LLC. Associated Press.
Archived
from the original on August 14, 2016
. Retrieved
June 30,
2016
.
- ^
a
b
Burns, Chris (May 16, 2005).
"Lucas on Iraq war, 'Star Wars'
"
. CNN.
Archived
from the original on March 4, 2016
. Retrieved
June 30,
2016
.
- ^
Corliss, Richard; Cagle, Jess; Ressner, Jeffrey (April 29, 2002).
"Dark Victory"
.
Time
. Vol. 159, no. 17.
ISSN
0040-781X
.
Archived
from the original on June 9, 2016
. Retrieved
June 30,
2016
– via
EBSCOhost
.
- ^
a
b
Taylor 2014
, p. 338
- ^
Rinzler 2005
, pp. 13?15
- ^
Rinzler 2005
, p. 36
- ^
Kaminski 2008
, pp. 380?384
- ^
Taylor 2014
, p. 375
- ^
"Confederacy of Independent Systems"
.
StarWars Databank
.
Archived
from the original on June 17, 2018
. Retrieved
December 20,
2022
.
- ^
Lucas, George, director.
Star Wars: Episode II ? Attack of the Clones
. Lucasfilm Ltd., 2002.
- ^
Lucas, George, director.
Star Wars: Episode III ? Revenge of the Sith
. Lucasfilm Ltd., 2005.
- ^
Taylor 2014
, p. 470
- ^
"
'Star Wars' finally reveals the switch from clones to stormtroopers"
.
EW.com
.
Archived
from the original on March 19, 2024
. Retrieved
March 19,
2024
.
- ^
Gullickson, Brad (August 6, 2021).
"
'The Bad Batch' Puts the Final Nail in the 'Clone Wars' Coffin"
.
Film School Rejects
.
Archived
from the original on March 19, 2024
. Retrieved
March 19,
2024
.
- ^
"
'The Mandalorian's Order 66 Flashback Confirms The Show's Biggest Flaw"
.
Inverse
. February 20, 2024.
Archived
from the original on March 19, 2024
. Retrieved
March 19,
2024
.
- ^
Horton, Cole; Hidalgo, Pablo; Zehr, Dan (2020).
The Star Wars Book: Expand your knowledge of a galaxy far, far away
. DK (published October 20, 2020).
ISBN
9781465497901
.
- ^
Glazebrook, Lewis (September 13, 2023).
"
"I Am Not Okay": Star Wars Fans Mind-Blown By Ahsoka Episode 5 Flashback Scenes"
.
ScreenRant
.
Archived
from the original on September 25, 2023
. Retrieved
March 19,
2024
.
- ^
Stevenson, Rick (September 14, 2023).
"Ahsoka Episode 5: Where Does THAT Flashback Take Place?"
.
Looper
.
Archived
from the original on March 19, 2024
. Retrieved
March 19,
2024
.
- ^
"Del Rey & LucasBooks announce Clone Wars Novels"
.
StarWars.com
. June 25, 2008. Archived from
the original
on August 3, 2008
. Retrieved
October 21,
2019
.
- ^
a
b
"Books ? Reviews | The Clone Wars: Gambit: Stealth"
.
TheForce.net
.
Archived
from the original on November 14, 2019
. Retrieved
November 14,
2019
.
- ^
"Ventress and Vos' Greatest Hits: A Dark Disciple Refresher"
.
StarWars.com
.
Lucasfilm
. July 13, 2015.
Archived
from the original on June 12, 2016
. Retrieved
June 16,
2016
.
- ^
Hall, Jacob (November 23, 2016).
"Everything You Need to Know About Star Wars Catalyst"
.
/Film
.
Archived
from the original on July 13, 2019
. Retrieved
November 24,
2019
.
- ^
Liptak, Andrew (July 25, 2018).
"Star Wars author Timothy Zahn on Thrawn: Alliances and toxic fandom"
.
The Verge
.
Archived
from the original on May 23, 2019
. Retrieved
November 21,
2019
.
- ^
"Search :: Dark Horse Comics"
.
Dark Horse
.
Archived
from the original on October 30, 2019
. Retrieved
October 30,
2019
.
- ^
Lewis, Clyde (2005).
"The Sith Sense"
. Ground Zero. Archived from
the original
on August 9, 2011
. Retrieved
June 30,
2016
.
- ^
Chambers, Stephen (April 18, 2006).
"Star Wars As Baby Boomer Script"
. Radical Center. Archived from
the original
on October 17, 2007
. Retrieved
July 6,
2006
.
[
dead link
]
- ^
Lancashire, Anne (2002).
"Attack of the Clones and the Politics of Star Wars"
.
The Dalhousie Review
. Archived from
the original
on February 6, 2012
. Retrieved
June 30,
2016
.
- ^
Horton, Scott (May 23, 2005).
"Star Wars and the American Empire"
.
AntiWar.com
.
Randolph Bourne Institute
.
Archived
from the original on April 30, 2016
. Retrieved
June 30,
2016
.
- ^
Fanelli, Brian (June 21, 2005).
"U.S. Politics in "A Galaxy Far, Far Away"
"
.
AlterNet
. Independent Media Institute. Archived from
the original
on January 12, 2017
. Retrieved
June 30,
2016
.
- ^
Lammers, Tim (November 2, 2005).
"DVD Is Hardly End For 'Sith' Producer McCallum"
. KIROTV.com. Archived from
the original
on October 17, 2007
. Retrieved
June 30,
2016
.
- ^
Taylor 2014
, p. 123
- ^
Taylor 2014
, p. 280
- ^
Taylor 2014
, p. 292
Works cited
[
edit
]
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Sword Fighting in the Star Wars Universe: Historical Origins, Style and Philosophy
by Nick Jamilla (
McFarland & Company
, 2008)
- Star Wars and History
by Nancy Reagin & Janice Liedl (
John Wiley & Sons
, 2012)
- The Science Fiction Reboot: Canon, Innovation and Fandom in Refashioned Franchises
by Heather Urbanski (
McFarland & Company
, 2013)
- Star wars: the essential chronology
by Kevin J. Anderson & Daniel Wallace (
Ballantine Books
, 2000)
- Culture, identities, and technology in the Star wars films: essays on the two trilogies
by Carl Silvio & Tony M. Vinci (
McFarland & Company
, 2007)
- The Star Wars Heresies
by Paul F. McDonald (
McFarland & Company
, 2013)
External links
[
edit
]