Clone Wars

"Designed by the Dark Lord of the Sith, this web is. For now, play his game, we must."

- Yoda

The Clone Wars, sometimes referred to as simply the "Clone War" during the conflict itself, was the galactic conflict fought between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems in the waning days of the Republic. The war was engineered by Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, who was secretly the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, to amass total control over the Republic and destroy the Jedi Order. The Grand Army of the Republic, made up of clone troopers secretly created by the Sith, was led by the Jedi Order, while the Separatists were led by the Sith Lord Count Dooku and later General Grievous.

The conflict
"The shroud of the dark side has fallen. Begun, the Clone War has."

- Yoda

The conflict was the result of tension between the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, which was made up of thousands of star systems that had grown weary of the Republic's government. The war officially began during the Battle of Geonosis and engulfed the galaxy in turmoil for approximately three years. The war was waged across the galaxy, on battlefields such as Christophsis, Ryloth, Umbara, and more. Beyond the battles, the conflict was marked not only by military efforts but also by political machinations; as Palpatine's central authority grew, small bands of Galactic Senators began to push back against his rule. Many worlds were swayed to both sides by political maneuvering, while some planets, such as Mandalore, went to great lengths to remain neutral.

By the war's end, public approval of the Jedi had weakened, while Palpatine remained a popular figure. The Jedi killed Count Dooku and General Grievous, leaving the Separatists in tatters. Palpatine seduced Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker to the dark side, and Skywalker became the Sith Lord Darth Vader. Following their failed attempt at arresting Palpatine for being a Sith, Palpatine declared the Jedi traitors and issued Order 66, a command that triggered the clone forces to kill the Jedi across the galaxy, while Vader assaulted the Jedi Temple. When the temple attack was complete, Vader traveled to Mustafar and killed the remaining Separatist leaders, bringing an end to the Clone Wars.

Battle of Geonosis
"No, Sir, I wasn't involved in the first assault on Geonosis." "Well, you didn't miss much. Last time, I was chained to a pole and attacked by several humungous monsters." "That sounds... entertaining." "It was... for the Geonosians."

- Commander Cody to Obi-Wan Kenobi

The first battle of the Clone Wars occurred approximately twenty-two years before the Battle of Yavin and initially began as an execution for then Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and Senator Padmé Amidala after being caught and sentenced to death under the charge of espionage. After a brief struggle in the Geonosis arena with a reek, nexu and acklay, a team of two hundred Jedi led by Mace Windu confronted Count Dooku, Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray, Archduke Poggle the Lesser and Bounty hunter Jango Fett who were watching the planned execution. Count Dooku was nevertheless undeterred, and called upon numerous B1 and B2 battle droids to assault the Jedi. During the ensuing battle, Fett managed to kill a Jedi warrior threatening Dooku's life and engaged Mace Windu with his blaster pistols, but was grounded after his jetpack malfunctioned. Unable to escape, Fett was promptly killed by Mace Windu, much to the dismay of Dooku and of his son, Boba Fett. With superior numbers, the battle eventually turned in the favor of Dooku and his Separatist Droid Army, and after surrounding the remaining Jedi, Dooku offered to spare the survivor's lives in return for their surrender. Mace Windu however, refused the offer.

About to be executed, the timely arrival of Jedi Master Yoda and the Grand Army of the Republic spared the lives of the remaining Jedi, engaging the droids in the arena with several LAAT gunships while larger Acclamator-lass assault ships loomed overhead. After the successful extraction, the remaining Jedi were thrust into the now larger battle erupting outside of the Geonosis arena with thousands of clone troopers and battle droids from the recently formed Confederacy of Independent Systems assaulting one another. With the outcome of the battle now appearing grim for the Confederacy, numerous Separatist leaders such as Gunray and Rune Haako escaped Geonosis in numerous starships, while Poggle the Lesser entrusted the plans for an unfinished superweapon to Count Dooku. Before Dooku could make his escape however, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi confronted him in a Geonosian hangar, where a brief and vicious conflict erupted. Despite Kenobi's advice, Anakin Skywalker impulsively attacked the Count causing him to be thrown aside by Force lightning. Dooku eventually managed to injure Obi-Wan and cut off Anakin's arm, however the arrival of Yoda forces the Count to hasten his escape. Using the force to collapse a large pillar over the bodies of Anakin and Obi-Wan as a distraction, Dooku managed to win the valuable time needed to escape on his solar sailer as Yoda diverted the pillar with the Force. Not long after the encounter, Count Dooku under the Sith title of Darth Tyranus traveled to an industrial sector of Coruscant to meet with his Master, Darth Sidious, who reassured the Count that the war was proceeding as planned.  

In the Jedi Temple, Yoda, Windu and others pondered Dookus warning that the Sith controlled the Senate, in which Yoda was hesitant to believe, reminding the Council that the dark side was capable of breeding fear and mistrust. At the same time, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and Onaconda Farr oversaw the deployment of thousands of clone troopers onto Acclamator-class assault ships. The Clone Wars had truly begun.

Battle of Christophsis
"What's our plan of attack, sir?" "Follow me."

- Clone trooper to Anakin Skywalker

Well after the Battle of Geonosis, Republic forces on the urban planet of Christophsis were suffering supply shortages and incessant Separatist attacks due to a naval blockade by the cunning Separatist Admiral Trench. Realizing the severity of the situation, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Admiral Wulff Yularen revealed a prototype stealth ship to Anakin Skywalker, in the hopes of getting much needed supplies to the ground forces below.

Aftermath
"No longer certain that one ever does win a war, I am. For in fighting the battles, the bloodshed already lost we have. Yet, open to us, a path remains that unknown to the Sith is. Through this path, victory we may yet find. Not victory in the Clone Wars, but victory for all time."

- Yoda

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, however, 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 led to the fall of Palpatine and his Empire.

Legacy
"General Kenobi, years ago you served my father in the Clone Wars. Now he begs you to help him in his struggle against the Empire. ... ... This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope."

- Princess Leia Organa appealing for Obi-Wan Kenobi's help in a holographic recording

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, where they were forced to deal with shabby maintenance and low-paying jobs. Despite this, some, such as Skelly, 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 to 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.

Behind the scenes
The Clone Wars were first mentioned in canon in the original Star Wars film, Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. There were no other mentions of the conflict anywhere in the original trilogy, but the Expanded Universe, now known as the non-canon Star Wars Legends brand, occasionally made brief references to details of the conflict. The canon details of the conflict were revealed in the prequel trilogy films Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. A number of Legends stories expanded upon the war with stories set between the two films. 2008 saw the inception of an animated television series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, as well as a film by the same title. Both The Clone Wars film and the television series are part of the official Star Wars canon, as they reflected the vision of George Lucas, while Legends stories about the war became non-canon.