Clone Wars (Star Wars)

This article is about a series of battles in the Star Wars fictional universe. For other named topics, see Clone Wars (disambiguation).

The Clone Wars are a galaxy-wide conflict that forms a major part of George Lucas's space opera/science fiction franchise Star Wars. The conflict is first mentioned in the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977), but no details are given (except for the implication of clones being involved) and the wars themselves are not featured until Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002), which shows the beginnings of the conflict, and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005), which shows its conclusion.

The 2D animated microseries Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003–2005) and 3D CGI animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008–2014) expand on the war and chronicle some of its major campaigns. Additional events and stories are detailed in a multimedia campaign that ran from 2002 to 2005, 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.

Within the Star Wars narrative, the Clone Wars begins when thousands of 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 planet, Coruscant. The entire war is orchestrated by the Republic's chief executive, Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, who uses the Clone Wars to manipulate the Republic's Galactic Senate into granting him emergency powers, which he then uses to turn the Republic into the Empire.

Pre-Clone Wars: Separatist Crisis

The beginnings of the war are first portrayed in the 1999 film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace as the Trade Federation invades the planet of Naboo, causing Senator Sheev Palpatine to win the sympathy vote to become Supreme Chancellor. 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 that began about two years prior to the start of that film. By the beginning of Attack of the Clones, many star systems have seceded and left the Republic. The tension caused by this secession eventually leads to the outbreak of war. 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, as well as the separatists' capture of the Jedi and financing of rebellions by radical states within the Republic. While these are all true, Palpatine had covertly influenced and created these events with assistance from his secret apprentices..

In Episode II the Galactic Senate perceives the Separatist movement as a hostile threat under Count Dooku and fear that the Jedi Knights are too few in number to defend the Republic against a Separatist attack; war is perceived to be inevitable. The young Senator Amidala returns to Coruscant in order to vote against the Military Creation Act, which would create an Army for the Republic to aid the Jedi in the event of a Separatist invasion. Unbeknownst to the rest of the Senate, however, Palpatine had manipulated events such that the creation of a military force would be the most logical choice, and counted on the Senate's fears of an invasion. He had prepared an army of clones on the uncharted planet Kamino just for such an opportune time. After an assassination attempt on Senator Amidala at the Republic capital when the Military Creation Act was called to vote, the Senate was convinced that military action was the only answer.

Obi-Wan's investigation implicated the Separatist's involvement in the terrorist attacks on Amidala's life on Coruscant. After his confirmation that a droid army was being prepared for the Separatists (consisting now of the Trade Federation, who had attacked Naboo in the past; the Commerce Guild, who were renowned for their military strength; and the Corporate Alliance, who have pledged their armies to the movement) under Count Dooku, the Senate deploys a preemptive military strike on Dooku's location in Geonosis. This is widely regarded as the beginning of the war and is the eponymous Attack of the Clones.

End of the Separatist Crisis, Initiation of the Clone Wars Campaign: Battle of Geonosis

A clone army is created for the Republic on the planet of Kamino. Led by Master Yoda, these clones travel to the planet of Geonosis to rescue captive Jedi and capture or kill the Separatist leaders. This leads to the Battle of Geonosis, the first battle in the Clone Wars.

Story overview

The conflicts leading up to the Clone Wars began 32 years before the events of A New Hope and ended 19 years before it. During the film The Phantom Menace, the Trade Federation, a major galactic trade organization under the control of the Neimoidians, blockades the small planet Naboo and demands its capitulation. Its queen, Padmé Amidala, refuses their demands and requests help from the Galactic Republic, the main governing body of the galaxy. The Republic sends two Jedi ambassadors, Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi, to oversee the situation and negotiate with the Trade Federation. The Federation, wary of the Jedi and secretly taking orders from Sith lord Darth Sidious, attempts to murder the Jedi, who escape to Naboo just as the Federation begins a full-scale invasion. Following a brief occupation, the Trade Federation is defeated by an alliance of the Naboo Royal Guard and the indigenous Gungan Tribes, with the help of the Jedi, and the Viceroy is forced to surrender and deactivate his droid armies.

Following these events, Jedi Master Dooku resigns from the Jedi Order and returns to his homeworld of Serenno, taking on his hereditary title of Count. However, the Jedi Council is unaware that Count Dooku has fallen under the control of Darth Sidious and is secretly training as his new apprentice (under the name Darth Tyranus) and organizing a separatist coalition of planets and civilizations with the intention of seceding from the Republic. During this time, the Separatists begin forming their own armies, which primarily consist of battle droids constructed by the Trade Federation and its allies.

Ten years later, following the attempted assassination of now-Senator Padmé Amidala, the investigation by Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker puts them on the trail of Jango Fett, an interstellar bounty hunter. Tracking him to the unlisted world of Kamino, Kenobi discovers that the Kaminoans have used samples of Fett's DNA to clone a vast army of soldiers, referred to as Clone troopers. The order for the soldiers had been secretly submitted to the Kaminoans by Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas, who was killed after making the order. Meanwhile, the Republic faces internal opposition, as several thousand worlds publicly secede from the Galactic Republic and form the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS). The Republic Senate deliberates passing the Military Creation Act, which calls for the formation of an army to serve the Republic to keep order across Republic Star Systems and prevent further secession. As deliberations stall, Shadow Senator for Naboo Jar Jar Binks proposes (after suggestion from Chancellor Palpatine) that the Chancellor be granted emergency powers in order to resolve the issue of the Clone Army that is awaiting approval on Kamino and to take decisive action to put down the rebellion. This is greeted to by applause from the majority of the Senate Chamber, and Chancellor Palpatine describes it as a "purely temporary measure".

The Clone Army of the Republic first sees battle engaging the Separatist forces on Geonosis, rescuing a small group of Jedi trapped by Dooku's forces. The Republic army in this engagement is commanded by Master Yoda, and the Battle of Geonosis marks the end of Attack of the Clones and the beginning of the Clone Wars.

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 for Revenge of the Sith.

Three years after the Battle of Geonosis, CIS forces under the command of the cyborg General Grievous kidnap Chancellor Palpatine from the Republic capital world of Coruscant. The Chancellor is rescued and Confederacy leader Count Dooku is killed by Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, who ironically later takes his place as Darth Vader.

The Clone Army and the role of the Jedi Order during the Battle of Geonosis

In the film Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, the beginning of the Clone Wars occurs. The clone army of the Republic is formed on the planet Kamino, and, in a state of emergency, Jar Jar Binks, the representative of Naboo granted emergency powers to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to approve the use of a clone army. Two hundred Jedi were dispatched to Geonosis with Mace Windu leading them. They stormed an execution arena where Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Padmé Amidala were about to be sentenced to death by three blood-thirsty monsters (an Acklay, a Reek, and a Nexu). A battle occurred in the arena, and a lot of Jedi were slain by Count Dooku's droid army. However, a massive army of clone troopers, led by Master Yoda, entered the arena and evacuated the surviving Jedi, taking them to where a great battle was taking place. Mace Windu, Kit Fisto, and Ki-Adi-Mundi led the clone army against the droid army and were successful, while Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi went to duel Dooku. Anakin and Obi-Wan were defeated by the Sith Lord, but Yoda arrived and fought Dooku off, forcing him to retreat to his master's fortress. The Clone Wars had begun.

Ongoing Clone Wars battles and campaigns

Battle of Christophsis and Skirmish on Teth

Six months after the onset of The Clone Wars in Episode II, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi were sent to defend the world of Christophsis against a Separatist invasion. Starved for reinforcements and supplies, the Jedi held off the droid armies while awaiting backup from Admiral Yularen. When the transport arrived, a Jedi youngling by the name of Ahsoka Tano stepped off the ship and revealed herself to be Skywalker's new Padawan learner. Reluctantly, Anakin partnered with Ahsoka to defeat the Separatist threat on Christophsis. Following the battle, Yoda assigned both the new master and apprentice the task of finding Jabba the Hutt's son in order to improve relations with the Hutt clan.

After a skirmish on Teth, it became obvious that the Separatist Asajj Ventress was behind the kidnapping of the young Hutt and intended to frame the Jedi. After preventing the Separatist plot, Anakin and Ahsoka traveled to Tatooine to reunite Jabba with his son. Dooku attempted to stop them, but he failed to do so. Jabba brokered a peace with the Republic for saving his son, which allowed them to use Hutt-controlled space.

Training on Kamino

Shortly after the treaty with the Hutts, a squad of clone cadets neared the end of their training on the rainy world of Kamino. Trained by bounty hunters Bric and El-Les and designated Domino Squad, Hevy, Cutup, Droidbait, Fives, and Echo ran through their final exercises in preparation for their final test, the Citadel. Despite their training and preparation, they failed their examination after making several fatal mistakes. As such, they were scheduled to be left behind when the new batch of clones left for war. But El-Les petitioned for them to have a second chance, a petition that Jedi Shaak Ti granted. After learning to come together as a unit and look past themselves, Domino Squad was able to overcome the Citadel, joining their clone brethren on the battlefield.

Rishi Moon Assault

The rookies of Domino Squad were assigned to the Rishi moon outpost guarding Kamino. General Grievous sent a squad of commando droids to eliminate the clones and take the station without alerting the Republic. The droids did so, killing the commander, Sergeant O'Niner, Droidbait, and two other clones. Hevy, Fives, Echo, and Cutup escaped through a ventilation shaft, but Cutup was killed by a Rishi eel. Commander Cody and Captain Rex came to the moon soon afterwards on an inspection tour and were alerted to the presence of the droids. The officers then engaged the droids in combat. The shuttle was destroyed, and they were forced to retreat.

The clones teamed up and tricked the droids to let them in. They destroyed the droids and tried to contact the Republic. The comm link was jammed, and they realized the only way to get the Republic's attention was to blow the station up. Meanwhile, General Grievous sent a droid unit to check the outpost out. Cody, Hevy, and Fives engaged the droids while Echo and Captain Rex set up the bomb.

Cody and his men retreated to the command center to detonate the bomb. When the bomb didn't work, Hevy volunteered to stay behind to fix it. Hevy tried to fix it, but it was to no avail. The droids came, and Hevy made a last stand with his chaingun. He was wounded, and his only option was to detonate the bomb manually. He did so, sacrificing himself, in order to alert the Republic.

The Republic forces then came, expelling the Separatist forces. A gunship evacuated the survivors and brought them to the Jedi to be honored. Echo and Fives were given medals, and Captain Rex appointed them into the 501st Legion. The Separatists assaulted Kamino several months later and lost.

End of the Clone Wars

At this point in the timeline of the Clone Wars, the Outer Rim Sieges are in full swing and numerous other battles rage across the galaxy. The Jedi are considered generals, because their lightsaber combat skills and powerful drive to do what is right far outrank clones in terms of battle prowess and leadership abilities, and they 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, General Obi-Wan Kenobi strikes a crippling blow to the Confederacy by killing General Grievous, after Count Dooku was killed by Anakin Skywalker during the Battle of Coruscant (the opening battle in Revenge of the Sith). However, the entire Battle of Utapau is a diversionary tactic, intended to remove Kenobi from Anakin Skywalker's immediate circle of influence in order for Chancellor Palpatine to draw Skywalker toward the dark side of the Force.

Left behind by Kenobi on Coruscant, Skywalker discovers that Palpatine is secretly Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith and the de facto leader of the Separatist Alliance. He informs Jedi Master Mace Windu, and Windu promptly confronts the corrupt Chancellor with several other Jedi. A furious duel ensues in Palpatine's personal chambers, 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. Skywalker, recoiling at the idea of executing Palpatine without trial and promised by Palpatine enough power to save his wife Padmé from death, cuts Windu's lightsaber hand off, allowing Palpatine to defenestrate Windu. Sidious takes Skywalker as his new Sith apprentice and dubs him Darth Vader. Falsely believing that the dark side of the Force is the only key to save Padmé's life, Vader submits himself to Palpatine's teachings. As a newly anointed Sith Lord, Vader has now completely fallen under the sway of the dark side.

Utilizing the attack by Mace Windu as a pretext, Chancellor Palpatine issues Order 66, a pre-arranged military command ordering all Clone Troopers to execute their Jedi commanders in the event that the Jedi "betray" the Republic. Darth Vader leads the raid on the Jedi Temple with the 501st Clone Trooper Legion and kills all the Jedi in the Temple, including Jedi younglings living in the Temple.

With the extermination of the vast majority of the Jedi complete, Palpatine marks an end to the Galactic Republic, naming himself the galactic emperor of the first Galactic Empire. During this time, Emperor Palpatine dispatches Vader to Mustafar to kill the rest of the Separatist leaders. With the elimination of the Confederacy leadership accomplished and his plan for total domination complete, Emperor Palpatine (as Darth Sidious) orders all battle droids to be shut down immediately, effectively ending the Clone Wars.

Final battles of the Clone Wars

Battle of Coruscant

After the CIS finds a secret hyperspace route through the Deep Core, the Confederacy's fleet, including General Grievous's flagship Invisible Hand, initiates a surprise attack on Coruscant. In an unprecedented move, Chancellor Palpatine is kidnapped and jailed in the Invisible Hand. Coruscant responds by sending a fleet of Venator-class Star Destroyers. Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, meanwhile, on a mission from the Jedi Order, infiltrate the flagship and rescue the Chancellor. Anakin kills Count Dooku, the leader of the Confederacy, at the Chancellor's urging. As the Invisible Hand falls out of orbit, General Grievous ejects all the escape pods, leaving the Jedi and the Chancellor trapped inside. Anakin manages to land half of the burning ship on Coruscant. Without their lead ship, the CIS fleet enters hyperspace and leaves.

Battle of Kashyyyk

Upon receiving news of the Separatist assault on Kashyyyk, Jedi Master Yoda, having previous experience and good relations with the Wookies, is dispatched with a force of clone troops to aid them, as the Republic cannot afford to lose the system. A battle occurs on a beach, with the Confederacy utilizing amphibious and aerial vehicles and droids, only revealing themselves in shallow water, using it as cover. Order 66 was issued during the battle, but Master Yoda was one of the few Jedi to survive it.

Battle of Utapau

The Battle of Utapau was a clone invasion of the planet where Clone Commander Cody and Obi-Wan Kenobi fought. General Grievous was eventually killed by Obi-Wan towards the end of the battle. Order 66 was given at the end of the battle, causing Clone Commander Cody to order an AT-TE to shoot Obi-Wan. The blast hit the rock ledge beneath Kenobi and his varactyl Boga, sending them into free fall where they eventually landed in a lake where Obi-Wan survived.

Aftermath and CIS insurrectionist campaign

Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi survive the initial purge of Order 66 and are picked up by Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan aboard his diplomatic cruiser Tantive IV. Organa, after witnessing the young Jedi Zett Jukassa being killed by clone troopers, has secretly remained loyal to the Jedi. Returning to Coruscant, Masters Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi enter the Temple long enough to re-encode a secret retreat signal being broadcast by the in-house communications ordering all Jedi to return to the Jedi Temple, instead warning all surviving Jedi about the treachery and to take precautions. Kenobi and Yoda then attempt to kill the Sith Lords, with Yoda engaging Sidious in combat, and Obi-Wan fighting Vader. Yoda fights Sidious into a stalemate and is forced to flee at the last moment and escapes; whereas Kenobi defeats and mortally wounds his former apprentice, leaving him to die. However, Vader is rescued by the Emperor and fitted with the black life-support suit he wears for the remainder of his life.

Realizing that they are in no position to oppose the Empire for the time being, Kenobi and Yoda go into hiding. Additionally, they decide that Luke and Leia, the children of Anakin and Padmé (who dies giving birth to them), would need to be raised separately and in hiding to protect them from Sidious and Vader. Bail Organa volunteers to adopt Leia with his wife on Alderaan. By Yoda's decision, Luke would be raised by Anakin's stepbrother, Owen Lars, on Tatooine, while Kenobi watches over him from a distance. Yoda, for his part, chooses exile on an uninhabited planet in the Dagobah system, where strong dark side energies would mask his presence from the Emperor, to await the day the Jedi would rise again and need his assistance in training them.

A Jedi Padawan named Caleb Dume also survives Order 66 and escapes capture from the stormtroopers ordered to kill him while participating in the battle of Kaller with his master Depa Billaba, who is killed by the stormtroopers. He changes his name to Kanan Jarrus and takes odd jobs through the galaxy. Eventually, he joins a small rebel crew later, which is fighting against the Empire. To avoid attention, he re-designed his lightsaber as a two-part weapon, and he later joins the initial stages of the Rebellion. It is during these stages that he meets another survivor, Anakin Skywalker's own former apprentice Ahsoka Tano, who is also part of similar rebel movements and who also escaped capture due to having left the Jedi Order a year before Order 66. The Rebellion was also joined by Rex and his fellow clones Wolffe and Gregor, who played no part in Order 66. The Empire enlisted Sith-like enforcers called Inquisitors to hunt down the Jedi and kill them while attempting to recruit Padawans to their side.

Following the creation of the Galactic Empire, the Empire tried to sweep away the memories of the troubled times of the Clone Wars. They housed veterans of the struggle in poorly maintained places like Crispus Commons on the planet Gorse, where they were forced to deal with shabby maintenance and low-paying jobs. Despite this, some, such as Skelly, a former veteran on the side of the Old Republic, managed to piece together the truth about the Clone Wars. There were those, such as Bail Organa, who remembered the bravery of those like the Jedi Knights during the Clone Wars. He passed this knowledge onto his daughter, Princess Leia Organa, who later sent a holographic message to Obi-Wan Kenobi appealing to him in the name of his service during the Clone Wars. It would remain as one of the most destructive conflicts in galactic history, with billions of casualties on both sides.

The war accomplished exactly what Palpatine had set out to achieve: the Jedi Order was destroyed, and the Republic was transformed into the first Galactic Empire, with Palpatine as its Emperor. The Empire expanded its reach across the galaxy, using the memory of the Clone Wars by promising order to a galaxy tired of war. After it became clear that the Empire was oppressive, the Rebel Alliance was created to oppose the Empire's rule. Palpatine's victory in the Clone Wars lasted just over two decades, as the Galactic Civil War eventually led to the fall of Palpatine and his Empire.

Allusions

See also: Star Wars sources and analogues

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, governmental and militarily

The Clone Wars and its results are portrayed as the catalyst that 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?"

The prequel trilogy depicts Palpatine using a false flag to gain power: In Attack of the Clones, he 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 the character Obi-Wan Kenobi, these powers increase as the Clone Wars extend into a search for General Grievous, who replaces Count Dooku as the Separatist's leader. 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.

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. This viewpoint was also expressed in an editorial on the Clone Wars Unofficial Website. 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. Lucas, however, has said 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.

There are 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". 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". However, in an interview with Seattle station 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..."

Lucas claims, however, that "The parallels between what we did in Vietnam and what we're doing in Iraq now are unbelievable." Nevertheless, he has stated that: "When I wrote [the backstory/Clone Wars], Iraq didn't exist".

Parallels between the Clone Wars and the American Civil War also seem to exist with the secession of territories, the name "Confederacy of Independent Systems" and the Republic's army being called the Grand Army of the Republic, as well as fighting the "Rebels" in response to a separatist movement from the Republic, whereby it declared itself the final authority, and the presiding official usurped illegal power to himself, while declaring all protesters to be "enemies of the Republic."

Media/entertainment portrayals (film, books, games)

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. Other examples of technological continuity are displayed at the Battle of Coruscant, in which ARC-170 starfighters were designed with S-foils, much like X-wings of the original films. Other Vehicles include the AT-RT and the AT-OT.

In the original trilogy, the Clone Wars are only referenced in A New Hope. Lucas claims that he first designed a backstory which preceded the original film trilogy—the events surrounding the Clone Wars era.

Merchandise (accessories and toys)

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 recounted events with an ambitious multimedia campaign.

The videogame Star Wars: The Clone Wars 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, Star Wars: Bounty Hunter ties in to the beginning of the war and the creation of the Clones. Also Star Wars: Battlefront, Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter, Star Wars: Republic Commando, and Star Wars: Battlefront II expand the scenarios of the conflict and add new angles to previously covered battles but are not part of the multimedia campaign.

The cartoon microseries Star Wars: Clone Wars 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.

The comic series Star Wars: Republic 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. Multiple series of novels based on all aspects of the Clone Wars have been published, as well.

An animated feature film based on the Clone Wars, titled Star Wars: The Clone Wars, was released on August 15, 2008. It introduced the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series, which began airing in the fall of 2008. It was planned to consist of at least one hundred episodes and is an expansion to the previous TV cartoon. A video game titled Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes was released on October 6, 2009.

See also

• Galactic Civil War
• Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003 TV series) – the traditionally animated TV series
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars (film) – the 3D CGI-animated feature film, that introduces the following 3D CGI-animated TV series
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series) – the 3D CGI-animated TV series
• Star Wars: Clone Wars (comic book) – the 9 part comic book series
• Clone Wars Adventures – the 10 part comic book series
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2002 video game) – the video game for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Nintendo Gamecube

External links

• Clone Wars on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki