Star Wars "Clone Wars"

[kg redhead]

Immediately after the events of Star Wars-Episode II: Attack of the Clones, the Clone Wars continue. The Separatists launch masses of Battle Droids while the Republic has an entire arsonal of Clone Troopers to blow them away. Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker are also participating in the fights against Count Dooku and his defiant separaists. Jedi Masters Yoda and Mace Windu, take part in the battle as well. While down on Coruscant, Padme Amidala, Chancellor Palpatine, C-3PO and R2-D2 hope nothing but good for our heroes. Will the Republic emerge triumphant? Will Dooku and his separatists be brought to their knees? And will Anakin truly bring balance to the Force, or will he bring absolutely tyranny?

[kg redhead]

In the Star Wars saga, The Clone Wars, were a series of intergalactic battles that took place from 22 BBY to 19 BBY. The Clone Wars were featured in the second and third episodes of the six-part movie series: Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, respectively.

They were first mentioned in a message from Leia Organa to Obi-Wan Kenobi and in a brief conversation between Kenobi and Luke Skywalker in the fourth chapter of the saga, A New Hope. The Clone Wars were more thoroughly explored, however in the Expanded Universe comics, novels, games, and animated series.

The three-year war began with the epic Battle of Geonosis and ended during the Great Jedi Purge, the Separatist Massacre on Mustafar, and the establishment of the tyrannical Galactic Empire, with the abolishment of the democratic Galactic Republic.

The origins of the war go back as far as the Invasion of Theed/Battle of Naboo, but the real tension began with the Separatist Crisis, which started about two years before Attack of the Clones (24 BBY) and mainly comprised of the Galactic Republic debating what to do about the Separatists. Throughout the two years, many star systems seceded from the Republic, increasing tension until the war began.

Palpatine had engineered the Clone Wars conflict in order to facilitate his own rise to power and form the Galactic Empire. He played both opposing sides against each other, as a Republic Senator (and later Chancellor) advocating more centralized powers to keep the Republic together, and as Darth Sidious by advising the Separatists. The Clone Wars was the first of two major civil wars in the galaxy, and was between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems; the second civil war was known as the Galactic Civil War, between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance.

It is interesting to note that this conflict is called both the "Clone War" and the "Clone Wars". Most likely this is due to the fact that it is indeed one large war across the galaxy while, at the same time, it is a series of smaller wars taking place on various planets and not always between the Separatists and the Republic. It took the name Clone War more frequently at the start of it and by the end was usually referred to as the Clone Wars. Of course, only one side uses clones in the war, but this likely due to the rule that the winning side writes history and since the Republic won, it became the Clone Wars. Another interpretation is that it was the first, or perhaps only, conflict of its type in which clones were used so extensively.

The Clone War could in fact be called the "Galactic Civil War," other than there being a separate and later event which was in fact called the Galactic Civil War but should have more accurately been called the Galactic Revolution (as the winners write the history) being that Rebel Forces fought and won against their Imperial enemies and thus a successful revolution occurred.