Clone Wars/Legends

"It is possible that the war itself has been only one further move in some greater game."

―Palpatine

The Clone Wars (22–19 BBY), also known as the Clone War and the Great Clone War, was the name given to the major galactic conflict fought between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The war was named after the clone troopers utilized by the Republic against the battle droid forces of the Separatists. These armies, the Grand Army of the Republic and the Separatist Droid Army, were two of the largest ever pitted against each other in galactic history, and the fighting between them rapidly spread to countless inhabited worlds.

Beginning with the First Battle of Geonosis, both sides scored significant victories over the other, and at different times during the war either seemed likely to triumph. The first two years of the war saw both sides skirmish with and raid each other, while fighting a handful of significant battles and trying to gain allies while they built up their respective war industries. A series of Republic defeats in the war's second year culminated in Operation Durge's Lance, a major strike into the Core Worlds led by the Supreme Commander of the Droid Armies, General Grievous. After the defeat of Grievous' forces in the Core, however, the Republic gained traction when it mobilized its greater industrial base. Using superior numbers, the Republic drove Separatists from the Core and Colonies and engaged them in their own territories, a series of attritional campaigns known as the Outer Rim Sieges. In an effort to reverse the course of the war, Grievous launched a massive strike on Coruscant through the Deep Core. Much of the Confederate fleet was lost and their Head of State Count Dooku was killed over Coruscant. General Grievous was subsequently killed at the Battle of Utapau. The issuing of Order 66, which forcibly turned the Grand Army of the Republic against the Jedi, and the deactivation of the droid army, brought an end to the fighting. At the time, it was the largest galactic conflict to date.

Unbeknownst to most of those involved, the conflict was started, maintained, and eventually ended by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who was actually the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious, whose ultimate goal was the transformation of the Republic into the Galactic Empire with him as Emperor as well as the eradication of the Jedi Order. Sidious used his double identity to control the war on both ends, and deceive both sides. He eventually eradicated the Jedi Order through the Great Jedi Purge. The conflict led to the Order of the Sith Lords controlling the dominant galactic government.

Origins

Tensions in the Rim

"I will not let this Republic which has stood for a thousand years be split in two. My negotiations will not fail."
"If they do, you must realize there aren't enough Jedi to protect the Republic. We are keepers of the peace, not soldiers."

―Palpatine and Mace Windu

Although the Clone Wars officially began in 22 BBY at the Battle of Geonosis, their origins could be found over a century earlier. Though a fictive event controlled by Darth Sidious, the war had its origins in the age-old divide between the galaxy's inner and outer systems. In 124 BBY, the Galactic Senate passed two critical pieces of legislation: the entire Outer Rim Territories were declared a Free Trade Zone, repealing numerous sector-level taxes. Since the Ruusan Reformations of 1000 BBY and the abolition of a centralized Republic Navy, the Outer Rim had been plagued by piracy and slavers, breeding political isolation. The act hoped to jump-start legitimate commerce and so restore ties between the Core and the Rim. Additionally, the status of "functional constituencies" was extended to include Senatorial representation of the galaxy's largest guilds and corporations.

These twin acts benefited various mega-corporations, including the InterGalactic Banking Clan and the Corporate Alliance, but none more so than the Trade Federation, a Neimoidian trade cartel. The Trade Federation rapidly expanded into the Outer Rim, stifled competition, and enforced deals with its powerful Trade Defense Force. By 67 BBY it enjoyed full voting privileges in the Galactic Senate, and within a decade commanded the votes of hundreds of systems. Many on Coruscant supported the Trade Federation, admiring the TDF's rapid extinction of piracy on the major hyperlanes. Others bemoaned Trade Federation corruption and the extinction of representation for the systems it controlled.

The issue of the Outer Rim polarized the Senate. By 52 BBY, a faction known as the Militarists had emerged on Coruscant, calling for the restoration of the centralized Republic Military to restore order on the Rim. Meanwhile, a terrorist group known as the Nebula Front declared its intention to fight the Trade Federation by any means necessary. Amid this political storm began the career of one Senator Palpatine of Naboo, representing the Chommell sector. Unbeknownst to all at the time and unclear to the rest of the galaxy until many decades later, Palpatine was in fact Darth Sidious, apprentice to the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Plagueis. Over the next two decades, he would manipulate the tensions between the Core and the Rim and the government and the Trade Federation to finally fulfill Darth Bane's Grand Plan, a thousand-year scheme by the Order of the Sith Lords to foment a war that would destroy the Republic. Palpatine had been using his double identity to infiltrate, deceive and eventually destroy the Jedi and Galactic Republic.

As Sidious, he fomented the Stark Hyperspace War of 46 BBY, a ruse cooked up by him, the Federation, and Iaco Stark so that the Trade Federation could demand additional rights to increase protection on its ships. As Palpatine, he worked his way into Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum's confidence as an opponent of the Trade Federation. In 33 BBY, he encouraged Valorum to restore taxation on the Outer Rim trade routes in order to break the Trade Federation's power. In exchange, Valorum offered the Neimoidians the right to unlimited defense of their merchant ships. However, the attack on their finances through taxation drove the Trade Federation, the IG Banking Clan, and the Corporate Alliance together. After a disastrous summit on Eriadu that saw four Federation board members murdered at Sidious' behest, Nute Gunray was elevated to the position of Trade Federation Viceroy. With the Trade Federation radicalized and Baktoid Armor Workshop and Haor Chall Engineering filling its ever-larger orders for a new Droid Army, Darth Sidious approached Gunray and encouraged him to make a stand that would force the Senate to back down over the taxation of trade routes.

The Battle of Naboo

"Why bring the war to Naboo?"
"How quickly you forget; after all, the war started here years ago!"

―Anakin Skywalker and Count Dooku on Naboo's role in the Clone Wars

At Sidious' behest, the Trade Federation began a blockade of Palpatine's homeworld of Naboo. The entire incident made Valorum look weak, and in the Senate debate over what action to take over the blockade. Sidious, as Palpatine, manipulated and deceived the enraged Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo to demand a Vote of No Confidence in his leadership. In the aftermath, Sidious betrayed and murdered Plagueis to become the Sith Lord, and a strong sympathy vote for Naboo rode Senator Palpatine to the office of Supreme Chancellor. Thus, a Sith Lord had control of the Galactic Republic.

The invasion of Naboo saw the continued existence of the Sith exposed to the Jedi Order after Sidious' apprentice Darth Maul killed Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn during the liberation of the planet. Additionally, events during the escape of Queen Amidala from Naboo to Coruscant saw the discovery of Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine, whom Qui-Gon had believed to be the Chosen One, the prophesied being who would bring balance to the Force. With Qui-Gon's death, Anakin was apprenticed to Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi.

As Chancellor, Palpatine promised to bring an end to the corruption that had so often plagued the Galactic Senate, but was really deceiving the Jedi and Republic. The first few years of his tenure saw very little done to fulfill that promise, however. The demilitarization of the Trade Federation was viewed by many as little more than a slap on the wrist, and Nute Gunray, Viceroy of the Trade Federation, managed to avoid any serious charges against him for his role in the Naboo conflict despite opposition from Padmé Amidala.

The Formation of the Confederacy

"Pay heed to the way the Republic and the Jedi Order deal with them. The Federation will be dismantled, and the precedent will be set. Unless you take steps to begin a slow, carefully planned withdrawal from the Senate, taking your home and client systems with you, you, too, risk becoming the property of the Republic."

―Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Plagueis to a holo-audience of the Commerce Guild, the Techno Union, and the Corporate Alliance, on how the Republic had dealt with the Trade Federation upon enacting the blockade of Naboo to protect its interests

Darth Sidious contacts Count Dooku.

During this time, Palpatine, in his alter ego Darth Sidious, had contacted the experienced Jedi Master Count Dooku. Having lost his apprentice Darth Maul during the Naboo conflict, Palpatine was in need of a new apprentice and Dooku, whose own faith in the Republic had been shattered following the Battle of Galidraan and the subsequent inaction over Naboo, seemed the perfect one to mold. Having betrayed and killed his old friend Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas to seal his fate and become Darth Tyranus, Dooku was then ordered to eliminate any reference to Kamino from the Jedi Archives: having had a vision that war was imminent, Sifo-Dyas had contacted the Kaminoans to organise the creation of a clone army for the Republic. Sidious did not intend to have the Jedi discover the clone army secretly being grown for them until they were desperate for an army. After being deemed worthy, Jango Fett was commissioned by Dooku to be the template for this army. Sifo-Dyas had an inhibitor chip he wanted instilled in each Clone, which was supposed to be a safeguard against rogue Jedi's. However, Dooku and Sidious retooled the chips to brainwash the Clones into murdering the Jedi for being perceived traitors to the Republic, upon its activation. Posing as a Jedi, Dooku presented the chip to the Kaminoans and tricked them into believing Sifo-Dyas's intention.

While the future Grand Army of the Republic was being prepared on Kamino, however, other forces of clone warriors were already active in the galaxy. Cloners and their products were no secret to Jedi like Obi-Wan Kenobi and fringers like former gunrunner Dexter Jettster, and around the time that Outbound Flight was destroyed in 27 BBY, the Galactic Republic's military forces were engaged in combat with clone warriors, rendered dangerously unstable and prone to clone madness by being very rapidly grown to maturity. Veterans of these campaigns, such as the future Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon, would later consider these campaigns as the start of the Clone Wars, but to most people, they were probably only a symptom of the unrest in the Republic at the time.

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Clone troopers being produced on Kamino

In 24 BBY, Palpatine's eight year term as Supreme Chancellor was coming to an end. At roughly the same time, Dooku emerged on Raxus Prime. In the Raxus Address, Dooku declared his disillusionment with the Republic and his intention to form the Confederacy of Independent Systems, a group of disenfranchised organizations and governments whose goal was to secede from the Republic. The Raxus Address triggered a wave of secessions, beginning the Separatist Crisis. Fearing instability amid the crisis, the Senate permitted Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to stay in office longer than the term limits the Galactic Constitution permitted.

Over the next two years, many systems left the Republic to join the Confederacy, including Geonosis and the Elrood, Danjar, Tantra and Sluis sectors, bringing most of the Rimward leg of the Rimma Trade Route under the control of the Confederacy. From the beginning the Separatists' territory was highly dispersed, dominated by a pocket in the New Territories based around Muunilinst, the southern Rimma, a pocket stretching Coreward down the Perlemian Trade Route from the Tion Cluster, and an enclave on the Corellian Run stretching from the Allanteen system to Mon Gazza. The wave of secessions intensified after the disastrous Battle of Antar 4, where the Republic suffered a humiliating early defeat trying to overthrow a Separatist-affiliated insurgent government, and had to resort to heavy-handed tactics that harmed many Gotals to put down the insurrection.

Later, these systems would be joined by the corporate entities of the galaxy: the Baktoid Armor Workshop, the Commerce Guild, the Corporate Alliance, the Techno Union, the InterGalactic Banking Clan and of course the Trade Federation. These corporations were leaving the Republic over trade route taxation and seeking their own business-friendly government. Other seceding systems simply wanted independence and were wary of forming a new centralised government. In time, the military and economic power of the megacorporations would see them as members of the Separatist Council and override the authority of the democratic Separatist Parliament.

Allies of the Confederacy

Asajj Ventress, General Grievous and Durge.

Count Dooku, prevented from openly taking his own apprentice by the Rule of Two, nonetheless sought out several Force-sensitives to act as Dark Acolytes. These individuals included Asajj Ventress, Sev'rance Tann, Sora Bulq, Tol Skorr, Kadrian Sey, Artel Darc, Karoc, Vinoc, Saato, Trenox, and even Jedi Master Quinlan Vos for a time. All of them, with the exception of Ventress and Vos, were killed during the course of the war.

In addition to this group of Dark Jedi, he recruited the Chistori warrior Cydon Prax and the Gen'Dai bounty hunter Durge. Durge gladly joined the Confederacy, if for no other reason than to eliminate the Republic's army of clone troopers bred from the DNA of Mandalorian Jango Fett, as Durge hated Mandalorians.

The most important and the most famous ally recruited to the Confederate cause was the Kaleesh warrior Qymaen jai Sheelal, whose body was horribly maimed in a shuttle crash arranged, though not known to Sheelal, by Dooku himself. His broken body was taken to Geonosis where he was offered a new life and the help of the InterGalactic Banking Clan for his people by the InterGalactic Banking Clan Chairman San Hill. All the Kaleesh had to do in exchange was lead the Confederacy Droid Army against the Republic who had wronged his people.

Sheelal took the opportunity afforded to him, merged with his new droid body and he became the feared General Grievous, Supreme Commander of the Droid Armies.

The road to war

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Battle droids being built on Geonosis.

Coruscant found itself the target of many terrorist attacks. As violence became an increasing part of the Separatist movement, the Galactic Senate debated passing a Military Creation Act that would allow the Supreme Chancellor to re-establish a centralized Republic Military. Not all were content to wait: the Judicial Forces Captain Zozridor Slayke mutinied, and with his crew established a private army to combat Separatist forces in the Sluis sector. Slayke's "Sons and Daughters of Freedom" won a series of victories, and embarrassed the Jedi Order after they defeated the Jedi Knight Nejaa Halcyon, sent to rein them in, and captured his flagship.

A bomb explosion on Coruscant in the final weeks leading up to the war was aimed to take the life of the Naboo Senator Padmé Amidala (ordered by Dooku and Viceroy Gunray and carried out by Jango Fett and Zam Wesell) upon her return to vote on the Military Creation Act. After a second attack on Amidala's life, the Jedi Council selected Obi-Wan Kenobi to investigate who was behind the attempted assassinations on the Senator, while Anakin Skywalker escorted Senator Amidala back to Naboo. Kenobi's search took him to Kamino, where he discovered the clone army, by this time numbering two hundred thousand units with a million already in production. He also met Jango Fett, who attempted to escape with his son to Geonosis, but was followed by Kenobi. Kenobi discovered that the Separatists and its many corporate entities were constructing a massive droid army to wage war on the defenseless Republic. Obi-wan managed to send a message to the Jedi Council, but was captured. On Tatooine, Skywalker was ordered by Mace Windu to stay where he was and protect Amidala. Amidala, however, decided to travel to Geonosis to rescue Kenobi. Skywalker and Amidala were then captured as well and they, along with Kenobi, were, by order of Archduke Poggle the Lesser (who was revealed to be another prominent Separatist leader) sentenced to be executed.

With the knowledge of the Separatist Army, the Senate, at behest of Representative Jar Jar Binks, himself manipulated by Vice Chair Mas Amedda, gave Chancellor Palpatine emergency dictatorial powers. The Chancellor legalized the creation of the clone army to serve in the Grand Army of the Republic.

History

"The chronology of the Clone Wars is confusing."

―Luke Skywalker

The Battle of Geonosis

"Victory? Victory, you say? Master Obi-Wan, not victory. The shroud of the dark side has fallen. Begun, the Clone War has."

―Yoda

The Battle of Geonosis was the first battle of the Clone Wars. The battle occurred after Separatist forces captured Obi-Wan Kenobi on Geonosis and charged him with spying for the Republic. Anakin Skywalker and Senator Padmé Amidala attempted to rescue Kenobi, but were also captured and sentenced to death. A Jedi strike team led by Mace Windu stormed the Petranaki arena, where the prisoners were to be killed. The ensuing battle resulted in the deaths of many Jedi and the bounty hunter and template of the clone army, Jango Fett. This was the first time the Jedi have ever faced B2 Super Battle Droids and were overwhelmed by their upgraded intelligence, armor, and weapons.

The Jedi managed to hold their own for some time but were being beaten back by the outnumbering droid forces. As they prepared to fight to the end, the clone army, under Yoda's command, dropped from the sky in Republic gunships. Managing to rescue the Jedi from the arena, the clones engaged the droid army on the fields of Geonosis, in order to prevent their escape.

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Count Dooku faces off against Jedi Master Yoda.

However, the battle on the surface was not the only conflict. In the space battle, the clone pilots, led by Adi Gallia, took out valuable Trade Federation battleships, and in the subterranean battle, fought between clone commandos—most notably the commandos of Delta Squad—and Separatist forces, saw victory for the Republic by eliminating foundries and Geonosian leaders, such as Sun Fac.

Count Dooku, after the battle lost, took the plans for the Separatists' Ultimate Weapon and fled to a secret hangar. Intercepted by Kenobi and Skywalker, he managed to best them both, even severing Skywalker's right arm at the elbow. However, he was unable to defeat Yoda as easily, and was forced to resort to trickery in order to escape.

Traveling to Coruscant, Dooku met with Darth Sidious at The Works. It seemed clear to the two Sith Lords that, while the Battle of Geonosis was a defeat, it was but the first move in a much larger game.

Year three (20–19 BBY)

"The CIS mutiny ends here!"

―Unidentified clone trooper

The war in the Core

Operation Durge's Lance

General Grievous hoists the flag of the Confederacy over the conquered Duro.

The Republic's war effort reached its nadir when General Grievous launched Operation Durge's Lance. Driving from Yag'Dhul and Thyferra, two Confederate fleets advanced into the Core Worlds, and after several weeks of campaigning, had reached Duro. Separatist warships destroyed the defending Republic fleet and captured one of the planet's orbital cities in less than a week. This was followed by a wave of orbital bombardments and the landing of a massive droid army on a conquered Duro. Following the battle, the Senate Bureau of Intelligence investigated causes of the defeat. A month later, in a report issued by Agent Inglemenn Barezz, it was revealed that the three Venator-class Star Destroyers that were to have been assigned to protect Duro had been reassigned to "shakedown cruises" by the Senate Action Subcommittee for Corellian Trade Spine Defense.

Having conquered Duro, Grievous continued his rampage throughout the Core, wreaking havoc along the Corellian Trade Spine. From the bridge of his flagship Invisible Hand, he supervised attacks on 26 strategic Loyalist worlds. Among his atrocities, Grievous was responsible for an hour-long orbital bombardment which depopulated and melted the crust of Humbarine, an ancient city world and Core Founder. Another Core Founder, Kaikielius, was occupied by Confederate forces. At Loedorvia, he unleashed the Brainrot Plague into the Weemell sector, killing most of the Sector's Human inhabitants. On Vandos and Nadiem, civilians and soldiers alike were massacred on his orders. Grievous also collected the lightsabers of Jedi fallen by his blade as trophies of war. Due to these acts of wanton destruction, Grievous soon became an avatar of terror in the eyes of the citizens of the Republic.

The Foerost Siege

With Grievous raiding throughout the Core, Separatist forces besieged at Foerost took this opportunity to break out. The ancient shipyards at Foerost in the Deep Core had been churning out warships for millennia. Toward the last centuries of the Republic, the Techno Union had purchased the Foerost shipyards. With the advent of the Clone Wars, Foerost was blockaded by the Republic Navy in the hopes that the starved shipyards would wither and decay. But the Republic was unaware that for two years after the Battle of Geonosis, the besieged Techno Union engineers had been designing the Bulwark Mark I—a 1,000 meter-long warship equipped with powerful weapons and enough armor for ramming smaller vessels. Under the command of the Sullustan Admiral Dua Ningo, the Bulwark Fleet smashed through the Republic blockade at Foerost and proceeded to terrorize Republic worlds within Sector Zero.

In response to the Bulwark Fleet, the Republic launched its Victory I-class Star Destroyers six months early. The product of the Victor Initiative Project between Kuat Drive Yards and Rendili StarDrive, the Victory-class warships formed the Victory Fleet and were divided into two task forces led by Captain Terrinald Screed and Jan Dodonna. They saw action against the Bulwark Fleet at Ixtlar, Alsakan and Basilisk. At the Battle of Anaxes, Ningo was killed and his fleet finally defeated. Screed and Dodonna would return to Coruscant as heroes for the Republic.

The Dreadnaughts of Rendili

The Core World of Rendili, a major starship producer, voluntarily defected to the Separatists. Its defense fleet was composed of the then state-of-the-art Dreadnaught-class Heavy Cruisers. However, the fleet commander had not yet decided which side he was on. In response, a Republic fleet under Jedi Masters Saesee Tiin and Plo Koon arrived with orders to destroy the Dreadnaught cruisers if they refused to join the Republic.

However, during the negotiations, Plo Koon and Captain Jan Dodonna became the prisoners of a group of pro-Separatist officers in the Dreadnaught fleet led by Lieutenant Mellor Yago. Yago hoped to break the Republic blockade with these hostages. However, Saesee Tiin refused to back down. Soon, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Quinlan Vos arrived, having just escaped from Asajj Ventress. Since Quinlan Vos had failed to obtain the SIP from Honoghr, Count Dooku wanted him dead and his role as a double agent was over.

Both Jedi rescued the hostages from the Dreadnaught cruisers before engaging Separatist fighters. Meanwhile, Anakin sabotaged the Dreadnaughts to prevent their escape into hyperspace. During the battle, Yago was slain by Jace Dallin. With the end of the battle, the captured Dreadnaughts were modified into prisoner transports and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine made a new law that nationalized all similar, planetary-level defense fleets. Meanwhile, Quinlan Vos appeared before the Jedi Council and admitted he had joined the Dark Side during his time with Dooku and presented himself for sentencing. However, the Council agreed to allow him to rejoin the Order after he had endured a period of meditation and repentance. However, he was still secretly serving Count Dooku.

Meanwhile, a vengeful Asajj Ventress slipped into the galactic capital Coruscant and tried to kill Anakin Skywalker in retaliation for Kenobi escaping her at Rattatak. During that battle, which took place on an industrial catwalk high above the skyscrapers of Coruscant, she scarred Skywalker's face with her lightsaber. However, Skywalker won the fight and then used the Force to hold her high above the surrounding metropolis and then throw her down, presumably killing her. However, Ventress survived and managed to escape Coruscant.

The Northern Campaign

Drongar and Bota

By this time, many on both sides of the conflict had died and many more were injured. In response, the Republic began deploying MedStar Frigates which escorted Republic fleets into combat and carried mobile field hospitals known as Republic Mobile Surgical Units or RMSUs ("Rimsoos"). It was amid this medical crisis that Drongar, a primordial planet of tropical climates and monsoons, with the most advanced plant life being varieties of fungi, became significant,

One such Drongar growth was bota, an "adaptogenic" which worked as an antibiotic, a painkiller, or even an intoxicant, depending upon the species. Having realized its importance, and that bota deteriorated quickly after picking, both sides maintained harvesting operations on Drongar and battles were fought over the bota fields. It was here that Jedi Padawan Barriss Offee arrived to practice her skills as a Jedi healer, and discovered that bota enhanced her Force powers.

Offee's co-workers at Rimsoo Seven were, among others, the protocol droid I-5YQ, a young surgeon named Jos Vondar, and a Sullustan HoloNet reporter named Den Dhur. She discovered that Admiral Tarnese Bleyd, commander of the local MedStar, was profiting from a bota smuggling ring. Though he was stopped, the Republic operations on Drongar continued to be harassed by the Confederacy, which continually attacked their bota fields until the intervention of a Venator-class Star Destroyer ended the hostilities. Later, Offee returned to Coruscant and was promoted to the rank of Jedi Knight.

The devastation of Honoghr

Included among the many tragedies of year three was the devastation of the planet Honoghr. A Republic force under Aayla Secura's command engaged the Separatist Core Ship Gahenna in orbit of the planet, forcing it to crash land on the surface. Unfortunately, the ship still carried the deadly toxin Trihexalophine1138, which spread across the entire planet and dramatically damaged its ecosystem, leaving little plant life except for plains of kholm grass.

It was also here that Aayla Secura and Commander CC-5052 attempted to recapture the Scientific Instrument Package aboard the Gahenna which had been captured by the native Noghri and kept in an ancient Rakatan temple. Meanwhile, the traitor Quinlan Vos attempted to retrieve the SIP for Dooku. However, Quinlan failed when Aayla made him realize that his obsession with hunting the second Sith might not be worth the choices he had made earlier. Doubting himself ever since he had joined Dooku, he left Honoghr empty handed though it was changed forever.

Republic terrorism

During the conflict, the Republic had caused grief for many inhabitants of the galaxy on several occasions, including the devastation of Orleon by stone mites. Prior to this, the Separatist scientist Jenna Zan Arbor had created stone mites—bioengineered insects that could devour buildings—with the help of Arkanian geneticists. These insects had ruined countless worlds since their introduction. On one occasion during a trip to Coruscant's busy Westport, the freighter Spinner, which had been affected by stone mites, crash-landed on Kishi.

The stone mites then ravaged Kishi until Jedi healers proficient in the art of Morichro destroyed them. Armand Isard, director of the Senate Bureau of Intelligence denounced the incident as a Separatist act of terror and his agents traced the Spinner to a small Mid Rim world Orleon. Believing the planet had bioweapons facilities, he unleashed Republic-altered stone mites on the planet. However, he was wrong, since Orleon had no bioweapons facilities and the stonemites destroyed much of the planet. Nothing could be done and the planet's 800 million inhabitants were forced to flee.

The Southern Campaign

Targeting Grievous

Grievous' atrocities in the Core prompted many Jedi to call for the cyborg General's assassination. However, Master Yoda opposed such extreme measures, fearing that the actions of the Jedi assassins would lead to their fall to the dark side. Despite this, some risked excommunication to carry out what they saw as justice. This included Padawan Flynn Kybo, Coway Jedi Master B'dard Tone and a few others.

This group of Jedi tracked the infamous cyborg general in the Ison Corridor. On the Ugnaught homeworld Gentes, Grievous's forces had conquered the planet and enslaved its inhabitants. Strip-mining also took place on the planet. He also captured a group of Padawans on Gentes and intended to make them into cyborgs though his attempts were foiled by Kybo and Tone.

Uprising on Bpfassh

The suppression of a Dark Jedi uprising on Bpfassh would later be considered to be one of the turning points of the war. The Sluis sector was in a state of near-constant fighting as the Sons and Daughters of Freedom continued to attack Separatist forces in the region. The stress of the ongoing Sluis sector battles triggered an outbreak of fanatical militarism within Bpfassh's Jedi Praxeum, and, fully in the grip of the dark side, the Jedi there joined the Separatist-aligned Jensaarai.

Bpfasshi Dark Jedi were responsible for a rampage of terror and destruction throughout the Sluis sector, setting themselves against the Sons and Daughters of Freedom before the insurrection was quelled by a Jedi task force led by Yoda. Yoda's task force secured the sector, but the uprising was considered a fiasco by many veterans involved, and the Bpfasshi would harbor a strong dislike for the Jedi for many years afterwards.

The Republic gains momentum

The Outer Rim Sieges

"The strategy is working perfectly, my lord. The Jedi and their forces are spread thinly across the Outer Rim territories in a vain attempt to contain our new offensive."

―Grievous to Palpatine

Map of the progress of the Outer Rim Sieges and the final months of the Clone Wars.

Despite the upset of Operation Durge's Lance and the terror spread by Grievous throughout the Core, the Republic was at last gaining traction and now had the momentum on its side. With the Bulwark Fleet destroyed and the Rendili Dreadnaughts secured, Duro was liberated. Along with victories at Commenor, and Balmorra, this battle was instrumental driving the Confederacy from its bases in the Core Worlds and the Colonies regions of the galaxy. Meanwhile, steady pressure by the Ninth Army had cleaved Separatist holdings in the New Territories into two pieces, while the Separatist enclave on the Corellian Run Coreward of Ando had been reclaimed by the Republic. Separatist holdings on the Rimma Trade Route had also been reduced to a few enclaves around Xagobah and Yag'Dhul.

The Confederacy reinforced its Rim territories including its vast holdings on either side of The Slice. Emboldened, the Republic deployed nearly every fleet element and troop transport to the Rim in an attempt to crush the Separatist fortresses. The Republic was now able to bring its vast industrial superiority to bear to crush the Confederacy with sheer weight of numbers. Thus began the Outer Rim Sieges, which marked the final phase of the conflict.

The Outer Rim Sieges were conducted in six theaters, named after the key Separatist worlds in each - Mygeeto, Serenno, Felucia, Siskeen, Yag'Dhul and Praesitlyn. In the Praesitlyn theater, the Nineteenth Army advanced against Bomis Koori IV, where Corporate Alliance Koorivar General Oro Dassyne commanded a Separatist fortress-city. Anticipating a massive Jedi force would storm his fortress, he had constructed a gigantic network of defensive guns that covered the side of the city facing the open plains, and he reinforced his position with a powerful energy shield. Dassyne was disappointed when he learned that instead of the huge army he had envisioned two Jedi had infiltrated his fortress and deactivated the ray shields. These Jedi were the legendary Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, who then attacked with an army small and fast enough to avoid fire from the massive defense batteries of Dassyne's fortress. With the shield down, the base was decimated by orbital strikes and starfighter bombardment. During the ensuing firefight, Dassyne was killed.

In the same theater, troops from Eriadu under Wilhuff Tarkin broke out from the salient and besieged Triton, Sluis Van and Xagobah. Around the same time, Jedi Master Nem Bees led Deviss and K Company to depose an illegal government on Orto. In the Serenno theater, the Republic defeated the Confederacy at the Battle of New Bornalex and again at Ord Radama, hoping to clear the way to the hyperspace crossroads of Celanon and Dooku's homeworld of Serenno.

In the New Territories, Plo Koon defeated the Confederacy at the Ywllandr system, clearing the way for Ki-Adi-Mundi's forces, including the Galactic Marines, to assault the key InterGalactic Banking Clan stronghold of Mygeeto. The Battle of Mygeeto would last weeks, carrying on to the very end of the war.

The Felucia theater

Clone troopers on a field of battle

The fiercest fighting of the Outer Rim Sieges came in the Felucia theater, which included the Foundry of the Confederacy. At the Battle of Murkhana, the Republic scored a propaganda victory when it successfully closed down the CIS Shadowfeed. On Bal'demnic, the Confederacy of Independent Systems discovered traces of cortosis in the sea cliffs and attempted to enslave the Kon'me and mine the cliffs for the lightsaber resistant substance. The Kon'me rebelled and started the Battle of Bal'demnic. Soon enough, a clone regiment led by Sha Koon and Halagad Ventor landed on the planet but were attacked by the natives, and soon the Separatists and Republic were expelled from the system.

The Battle of Felucia proved to be one of the most fiercely-contested battles of the Outer Rim Sieges, fought in what a veteran of the 501st Legion described as horrendous jungle conditions. Commerce Guild President Shu Mai returned to her headquarters on the planet to make arrangements concerning the liquidation of her holdings. However, the newly Knighted Barriss Offee and the Selonian Padawan Zonder went to Felucia and attempted to capture her, although they were captured. Later, Aayla Secura and Clone Commander CC-5052 came to the rescue. Unfortunately for them, Shu Mai unleashed a deadly bioweapon into Felucia's water systems before escaping.

On Saleucami, the fallen Jedi Sora Bulq established a Separatist base. He hired elite Anzati assassins to train the Confederacy's own clone army, which was grown from the genetic material of Nikto Morgukai warriors. In response, Quinlan Vos and Oppo Rancisis led a huge Republic force that consisted of A'Sharad Hett, K'Kruhk, Sian Jeisel, Aayla Secura, and others, to lay siege to Saleucami, thus beginning the Siege of Saleucami.

The Clone Wars spreads over the world of Boz Pity.

To prevent a relief of Saleucami, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Mace Windu, A'Sharad Hett, Adi Gallia, and several other Jedi agreed to launch a pre-emptive assault on Boz Pity. The Intervention dropped out of hyperspace behind the Separatist fleet, but it was caught in the planet's gravity and was forced to crash-land on the surface. With the element of surprise on their side, the Jedi and their clone troopers were able to quickly secure the surface installations. In space, the rest of the Republic fleet arrived shortly and engaged in a fierce battle with the Confederacy ships. Meanwhile, the Jedi attacked the Confederacy headquarters, where Dooku, Grievous, and Ventress were waiting. Soon Bayts was killed by Grievous. Later on, Jedi Master Adi Gallia was also murdered by Grievous, held by the neck by Grievous's hand while he gutted her with a lightsaber. Kenobi confronted Ventress, managing to redeem her at the last moment, but Dooku and Grievous escaped. Ventress, trying to reach Dooku, was blasted down by a MagnaGuard, which was reacting upon orders from Dooku, who did not want Ventress to delay his escape. Critically injured, Ventress warned Kenobi about the upcoming attack on Coruscant, and apparently died. She later was revealed to be alive, thanks to her healing techniques, as she hijacked a shuttle and took off into parts unknown.

Hunt for the Confederate leadership

In an attempt to precipitate the end of the war, the Jedi began actively hunting for the Separatist leadership, including Count Dooku, General Grievous, and the Council of Separatists. Many of the Confederacy's top commanders were killed or captured during the course of the Outer Rim Sieges, such as the bounty hunter Durge, who met his end thanks to Anakin Skywalker during the latter's mission to Maramere, when his escape pod was driven into a star. On a temporary leave from the battlefront, Obi-Wan Kenobi took on a personal mission to find and neutralize the Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress, whom he believed was still alive and dangerous. With the help of Skywalker, Kenobi followed the trail to Boz Pity, a major Confederacy base surrounded by a fleet of over a hundred warships. By chance, the two Jedi were found by Bail Organa, who was investigating the situation in the Outer Rim. Kenobi then called in a full Republic assault force to lay siege to Boz Pity.

On different occasions, Wat Tambor, Nute Gunray, and Shu Mai were all nearly captured when they fled to their respective personal strongholds on Xagobah, Cato Neimoidia, and Felucia. Eventually, General Grievous decided to take the entire Council under his personal protection.

Other theaters

Republic forces deployed from Rothana and Excarga sought to clear the outer Corellian Run of Separatists in the Siskeen theater, engaging at Ryloth. In the Trans-Hydian, a Republic task force spearheaded by the Praetor-class battlecruiser Quaestor attacked the Separatist shipbuilding world of Pammant in Mon Calamari Space. Aiming to destroy Pammant Docks, tragedy struck when a hyperdrive mishap caused the Quaestor to collide with Pammant, fracturing the planet to the core and irradiating the atmosphere. Hundreds of other engagements throughout the Rim locked up millions of Separatist warships in battles with the Republic navy, which was now unable to break off its attack, should the Confederacy once again gain the advantage.

The Jedi Generals were spread thinly throughout the galaxy, and they had only their clone soldiers to accompany them. The Republic's heartland was now vulnerable to an attack by General Grievous' personal battle fleet, which was exactly what the Sith wanted: the Yag'Dhul theater was abruptly all-but abandoned by the Confederacy to supply warships for General Grievous' strike at Coruscant itself. Massing at Abregado-rae, thousands of Confederate warships prepared for a jump through the Deep Core to make a final desperation strike at the Republic's capital.

The end of the war

The Battle of Kashyyyk

"The droids have started up their main power generators."
"Then now, the time is, Commander."

―Clone Marshal Commander CC-1004 and Yoda

The war arrives on Kashyyyk.

As the Separatists were driven off Coruscant and the Outer Rim Sieges resumed, the end of the war was in sight, but Palpatine stressed that the Separatist threat would not end until General Grievous was destroyed. However, the Jedi soon had more pressing concerns.

On Kashyyyk, a combined Republic/Wookiee force repelled a second Separatist invasion. Kashyyyk was a major navigation hub for the eastern quadrant of the galaxy, making it a strategically important system which had long been a target for the Separatist military. Confederate leaders requested the Wookiees join their rebellion, but the Kashyyyk royal families proved indecisive. General Grievous, having become impatient regarding their decision to join the Confederacy, decided to send battle droids to "persuade" them. The droids unintentionally killed Prince Rikummee, and an enraged King Grakchawwaa decided to oppose the Separatists in revenge.

After a number of probing attacks throughout the war the Separatists finally decided on a full scale invasion of the city of Kachirho in the Wawaatt Archipelago. This was to serve as a literal beach head into the rest of the forest covered planet. To this end the Separatists made particular use of the age old enmity between the native Wookiee and their system neighbors the Trandoshans to prepare for their attack. The Trandoshans did this in a number of ways, in particular by raiding the city and taking its leader, General Tarfful prisoner, using their slaving activities as a cover for the true objective. In secret the Separatists landed a large droid force and prepared for their attack. However, while the system was an important strategic location and both sides believed the battle to be straightforward, it was in fact little more than a diversion by Darth Sidious.

The clone commandos of Delta Squad were dispatched to find Tarfful and unite the Wookiees against the Separatists. After rescuing a Wookiee Chieftain, the commandos aided the Wookiee resistance in Kachirho against the Separatist forces, destroying a Commerce Guild destroyer in orbit. RC-1207 was lost while fighting, and Delta Squad pulled out on a gunship as the Separatist counterattack came. During the aftermath, they discovered they were an advance group for a Republic invasion force.

File:WookieeCharge-ROTS.png

Wookiees defend their homeworld from invading Separatist forces.

Kashyyyk was considered too important to lose to the Separatists, so battalions of clone troopers from the 41st Elite Corps supplemented by units assigned to the 501st Legion were dispatched to the Wookiee homeworld to aid the Wookiee forces engaged in battle with a Separatist droid army. Yoda held good relations with the Wookiees, and thus became the commanding officer for the Republic forces sent to the system. He was assisted in the direction of the combined forces by General Tarfful and Chewbacca, heads of the local Wookiee defense force. Jedi Masters Luminara Unduli and Quinlan Vos (having been reassigned from Boz Pity) were also present.

The Separatists were already blockading the planet by the time Yoda's forces arrived. However, General Yoda's fleet was able to penetrate the blockade and land on the surface. The space battle continued, cutting the detachment of droids already landed off from the rest of the Separatist Fleet. The droid battalions established their command posts and attacked.

On the vehicle front, Wookiee flying catamarans were aided by Juggernauts, AT-AP and AT-RT walkers and other assault vehicles. They faced enormous opposition from Separatist droid tanks, OG-9 homing spider droids and HMP droid gunships.

Despite the best efforts of the combined Wookiee/Republic defense, Kachirho soon became in danger of being overrun by the Separatists. Two things managed to save the Wookiees: the death of General Grievous at the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Utapau, and the subsequent deactivation of the droid army. Unfortunately, both of these actions would bring about a disaster that would be far worse for them.

The Battle of Utapau

"I'll keep them distracted until you get there. Just don't take too long."
"Come on, when have I ever let you down?"

―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Clone marshal commander CC-2224

Commander CC-2224 leads the 212th Attack Battalion against the Separatists on Utapau.

The turning point finally came when Clone Intelligence located the Separatist stronghold on Utapau and the Jedi Council assigned Kenobi the task of bringing the General to justice. Arriving on Utapau, he was greeted by Tion Medon, who informed him of the General's location. After selecting the services of a varactyl named Boga, Kenobi made his way to the tenth level of Pau City, where he engaged in a brief duel with the General. Not long after, the 212th Attack Battalion, led by Commander CC-2224 arrived and engaged what little remained of the Separatist droid army.The clones proceeded to destroy the Anti-Air Turrets so that LAAT reinforcements could be brought in.

Taking the opportunity to leave, Grievous boarded a Tsmeu-6 personal wheel bike and fled the scene. Kenobi pursued the General throughout the battle until they reached the General's personal Belbullab-22 starfighter, where they fought once more. Grievous appeared to have the upper hand on Kenobi until the Jedi Master called Grievous's blaster to him using the Force. Then he shot him several times, destroying his organs.

General Grievous, one of the greatest threats to the Republic in its history, was dead at last. Republic forces continued to push back the droid forces until they received Order 66.

Order 66

"What I remember about the rise of the Empire is… is how quiet it was. During the waning hours of the Clone Wars, the 501st Legion was discreetly transferred back to Coruscant. It was a silent trip. We all knew what was about to happen, what we were about to do. Did we have any doubts? Any private traitorous thoughts? Perhaps, but no one said a word. Not on the flight back to Coruscant, not when Order 66 came down, and not when we marched into the Jedi Temple. Not a word."

―Account of the siege of the Jedi Temple from an unidentified clone trooper

File:AnakinandtheChancellor.png

Supreme Chancellor Palpatine further pushing Anakin Skywalker to the dark side of the Force.

File:Mace's Death.png

Mace Windu is killed by the devastating Force lightning of Darth Sidious.

During the events of the Clone Wars, Palpatine became a father figure to Anakin Skywalker. The young Jedi felt comfortable discussing events with the Chancellor that he hid from even Kenobi or Amidala. Palpatine used Skywalker's growing mistrust of the Jedi Council to his advantage, playing against his insecurities by saying that he could offer him much more than the Council ever could. He also revealed his secret identity as Darth Sidious to Skywalker, knowing that he would go to the Jedi Council and report this.

Skywalker did report this information to Mace Windu, who arrived at the Chancellor's Office with fellow Jedi Kit Fisto, Saesee Tiin, and Agen Kolar, intent on bringing an end to the Chancellor's reign. Within moments, however, Windu was the only one alive facing off against the powerful Sith Lord. Skywalker, against Mace Windu's orders, arrived at the Chancellor's Office and witnessed Palpatine disarmed and cornered by Windu. Taking advantage of the scene, Palpatine succeeded in seducing Skywalker. As Windu was about to deliver the killing blow, Skywalker betrayed Windu by severing his lightsaber hand, allowing Palpatine to hurl Windu out the window to his death using Force Lightning. Having committed an act of betrayal against a fellow Jedi, Skywalker knew that his options were limited. Betraying the Jedi and pledging himself to Palpatine, he became a Sith and was given the name Darth Vader. His first task was to lead the 501st Legion to the Jedi Temple and eliminate every single Jedi inside. He was then ordered to go to Mustafar to eliminate the Separatist Council. The Great Jedi Purge had begun.

File:FlamingTemple.png

The Jedi Temple lies in ruins after the attack by Darth Vader and the 501st Legion.

Clone troopers of the 501st Legion whom were assumed to be under the influence of Sidious's secret protocol, order 66, were transported to Coruscant in several Venator-class Star Destroyers that stayed over the city throughout the operation. Marching silently to the gates of the Temple with the clones, Vader commenced Operation: Knightfall, the destruction of the Jedi Temple and all within it, Masters, Padawans and Younglings alike. As Operation: Knightfall was nearing its conclusion, Senator Bail Organa arrived to investigate and witnessed the execution of Padawan Zett Jukassa. The clones who executed Jukassa prepared to fire on Organa, but Clone Sergeant Fox ordered them to stand down, feeling that enough had been killed that night. Fox politely told Organa it was time for him to leave. Organa left, but decided to warn any surviving Jedi of what happened.

As Vader eliminated the Jedi at the Temple on Coruscant, Palpatine sent a message to the Clone Commanders stationed across the galaxy, telling them to execute Order 66. With this transmission, the Clone troopers' inhibitor chips activated and brainwashed them into viewing the Jedi as traitors of the Republic that needed to be eliminated immediately. On Utapau, troopers under the command of Cody opened fire on Kenobi and Boga. With the clones assuming Kenobi dead, the fight went on as normal until the battle droids were shut down. On other parts of the galaxy, the Clones gunned down their Jedi Commanders. The Jedi were caught of guard by the sudden betrayal of their Clone Troopers, but only a handful survivied. On Kashyyyk, Yoda sensed a grave disturbance in the Force as the battle was winding down. This was Order 66, which was being carried out throughout the galaxy. Clone Commander CC-1004 received a comlink-call on a frequency-locked channel reserved for the commanders. The image of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine instructed him to carry out the order to kill the Jedi Master, General Yoda. As the clones prepared to execute him, Yoda drew his lightsaber and in one fell swoop decapitated his would-be assassins. Yoda then proceeded to escape into the nearby jungle along with Wookiee warriors Tarfful and Chewbacca.

Jedi that were killed during Order 66 included such well known Jedi Masters as Aayla Secura on Felucia, Stass Allie on Saleucami, Ki-Adi Mundi on Mygeeto, Plo Koon on Cato Neimoidia, and Cin Drallig, along with hundreds of other Jedi of all ranks around the galaxy. Jedi that managed to survive the attack included Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Shaak Ti (who would be killed by Galen Marek many years later), Kazdan Paratus (who would also be killed by Galen Marek years later), Rahm Kota, and A'Sharad Hett, among a handful of others.

The Mission to Mustafar

"The war is over! Lord Sidious promised us peace! We only want - "

―Nute Gunray's last words before being cut down by Vader.

File:VaderAboutToKillTambor-ROTS.png

Darth Vader shortly before killing Wat Tambor

After his mission to cleanse the Temple of Jedi, Vader took a Eta-2 Actis-class interceptor (with R2-D2 in tandem) to Mustafar. The Separatist Council, having been informed by Sidious in a deceitful manner, that he would arrive soon, assumed that he was coming to give them a handsome reward. Instead, he viciously slaughtered every single one of them without remorse. Those killed were: Nute Gunray and Rune Haako, with their aide Rute Gunnay, San Hill, Wat Tambor, Poggle the Lesser, Shu Mai and her aide Cat Miin, Passel Argente and his aide Denaria Kee, and Po Nudo and his aide. Nute Gunray was the last to be killed – he begged for peace, but Vader still cut him down.

Palpatine then ordered Vader to send a deactivation signal, which was, ironically, originally developed by Geonosian engineer Gizor Dellso (who would attempt to rebuild the Separatist Droid Army on Mustafar many years later) to prevent anyone from using the Droid Army against them. Gizor Dellso himself was at one point on Mustafar, but managed to avoid being killed by Vader.

The signal was activated and the vast majority of the Confederacy's military strength (which was largely made up of droids) simply shut down, forcing over 99% of the Separatist forts and planets to surrender to the Republic, and bringing the Separatist movement to an quick end. With the extermination of their leadership and the prompt-shutdown of most of their forces, the Trade Federation, Techno Union, Commerce Guild, and Corporate Alliance surrendered or dissolved, and their assets were soon subsumed by the Galactic Empire.

Aftermath

"Not Anakin! He couldn't!"
"He was deceived by a lie. We all were. It appears that the Chancellor is behind everything, including the war. Palpatine is the Sith Lord we've been looking for. After the death of Count Dooku, Anakin became his new apprentice."

―Padmé Amidala and Obi-Wan Kenobi

The newly self-declared Galactic Emperor Palpatine in the Senate, announces the formation of the Galactic Empire.

With both the Separatists and Jedi effectively eliminated, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine spoke before the Senate, declaring an end to the Clone Wars and the reorganization of the Galactic Republic into the first Galactic Empire, appointing himself as Galactic Emperor, ruling with absolute powers for life. He also declared the Jedi to be traitors to the Republic, displaying tampered recordings of his encounter with the Jedi, and that any remaining Jedi would soon be brought to justice. This declaration was met with thunderous applause by much of the Senate, though there were those that held reservations about what they had just heard.

Following Palpatine's declaration, major changes occurred in the fabric of the former Republic. Members of the Petition of 2000, delivered to Palpatine in the days prior to the establishment of the Empire, were arrested and charged with treason. The Commission for the Protection of the Republic, formed during the Clone Wars, was merged with the Imperial Security Bureau and renamed the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order. The clone troopers were reorganized under the name Imperial stormtroopers. The war machines of the Republic (such as the Acclamator-class transport and AT-TE) were retired from active service on the front lines in favor of new weapons of war such as the Imperial-class Star Destroyer and AT-AT. The captains of the Republic ships that participated in major conflicts of the Clone Wars (such as the Siege of Saleucami and recovery of the Rendili Dreadnaught-class cruisers) were given the credit for winning the battles, completely eliminating the Jedi's' involvement.

The assets of the Trade Federation, Commerce Guild, Corporate Alliance, Techno Union and InterGalactic Banking Clan were brought under the Empire's direct control and administration. With Nute Gunray dead, Acting Viceroy Sentepeth Findos signed a treaty with the Empire at blasterpoint, surrendering control of all Federation assets and dissolving the Trade Federation. This treaty was opposed by Federation customs vizier Marath Vooro, who led a resistance against the Empire until his defeat at the hands of Grand Moff Octavian Grant in the Five Veils Campaign.

Though Palpatine declared an end to the Clone Wars with his Inaugural Address, in truth a number of Separatist holdouts remained that the Empire would have to deal with throughout the next decade. Some battle droid forces escaped the deactivation order or were reactivated by Separatist Senators like Toonbuck Toora, who fought on against the Empire. Pockets of Separatist forces collected in the Ciutric sector, the Western Reaches, and the old Foundry of the Confederacy. The majority of these holdouts would be dealt with by 17 BBY with the Imperial Reconquest of the Rim, though the surviving Geonosian engineer Gizor Dellso attempted to continue the Separatist cause possibly as late as 12 BBY. As the last leader of the remaining Separatists, he attempted to churn out a droid army of his own on Mustafar. He was quickly destroyed, however, by the 501st Legion at the Battle of Mustafar, and the last real influence of the Separatists was eliminated.

The Clone Wars, as the largest galactic conflict ever during its day, still had consequences that lasted through the ages. It resulted in a distrust of droids by many, in the devastation of many planets, and weakening the galaxy in preparation for Imperial rule. The Clone Wars had ended, the Jedi had been exterminated, the Galactic Republic had fallen, and in its place stood the Galactic Empire.

Behind the scenes

The Clone Wars was first mentioned in A New Hope by Obi-Wan Kenobi and later Princess Leia Organa, although at the time no mention was made about what they actually were. Phrases such as 'during the Clone Wars' were often mentioned in works to give some evidence of depth in narration. Another early concept for the Clone Wars was a war between the Republic and the Mandalorians as mentioned in The Galactic Empire Scrapbook, though this was published less than a year before the script to The Phantom Menace was written.

It was widely assumed that the Clone Wars ended long before the establishment of the Empire; A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Second Edition listed the end of the Clone Wars as 35 BBY (which was later retconned into being the Great ReSynchronization), and Mon Mothma in The Farlander Papers spoke of the "decades of peace" between the end of the Clone Wars and the rise of the Empire, with Palpatine being elected President during the war but not declaring himself Emperor and exterminating the Jedi until much later. However, in Marvel Star Wars comics, the Clone Wars were said to be at a time late enough that Leia Organa was a notable figure, a grown-up Boba Fett fought in the conflict, and "The Emperor" was already in power; these errors would be collectively retconned by having Leia be mistaken for her mother, Darth Sidious later becoming the Emperor, and "Boba" actually being a rogue clone who was rumored to be the offspring of Jango Fett.

During the Bantam era of the Expanded Universe, authors were limited in how they could describe the events of the conflict. Prior to the release of Episode II, the general consensus among fans was that the "Clone" in "the Clone Wars" referred to clones being the antagonists in a war against the Republic and the Jedi. Most Expanded Universe material written prior to 2002 seemed to support this belief, with the canceled Kenner toy line The Epic Continues involving one of the primary architects of the Clone Wars returning to subjugate the galaxy in the aftermath of Palpatine's death at Endor.

This changed in 2002, when Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones would tell the events that occurred during this time.

Since the release of Clones and Sith, the Expanded Universe material set in the Rebellion era and the New Republic era or later in the timeline, has made an effort to include the newly revealed information. Such examples can be seen in the Star Wars: Empire comic series (where both Acclamator-class warships and AT-TEs can be seen), the appearance of an unmasked Boba Fett in several comics and R2-D2 recounting events from Revenge of the Sith (including Operation: Knightfall and the birth of Luke and Leia at Polis Massa), during the Dark Nest Trilogy.

From 2002 to 2007, the Clone Wars era was one of the most completely and coherently documented in the Expanded Universe. While there was no date given for some events such as clone troopers adopting Phase II clone trooper armor, most major events of the war were given a specific month on the 36-month timeline of the Clone Wars, such as Anakin Skywalker's knighting ceremony, which took place 30 months into the war. However, the 2008 The Clone Wars multimedia project retconned the entire timeline to make room for the new continuity, which would not have fit anywhere on the timeline otherwise. Changes include Anakin Skywalker having been knighted shortly after the Battle of Geonosis and the addition of his Padawan, Ahsoka Tano. A definitive timeline was never released prior to the declaration of most content released prior to April 25, 2014 being part of a non-canon continuity known as "Star Wars Legends."

Translations

• In the Italian edition of A New Hope, the Clone Wars ("Guerre dei Cloni", literally: "Wars of the Clones") are called for unknown reasons "Guerre dei Quoti" ("Wars of the [results of the mathematic division if with a rimanent part]").

Appearances

The Paradise Snare (Mentioned only) Lando Calrissian and the Starcave of ThonBoka (Mentioned only) "Passages" – Star Wars Adventure Journal 7 (Mentioned only) Domain of Evil (Mentioned only) "Domain of Evil" – Classic Adventures: Volume Two (Mentioned only) Han Solo's Revenge (Mentioned only) Han Solo and the Lost Legacy (Mentioned only) Luke's Fate (Mentioned only) Star Wars radio drama (Mentioned only) Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope novelization (First mentioned) Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope (Mentioned only) Super Star Wars (Mentioned only) Tatooine Manhunt (Mentioned only) "Tatooine Manhunt" – Classic Adventures: Volume Three (Mentioned only) Starfall (Mentioned only) Graveyard of Alderaan (Mentioned only) "Graveyard of Alderaan" – Classic Adventures: Volume Two (Mentioned only) "Galaxywide NewsNets" – Star Wars Adventure Journal 5 (Mentioned only) "Galaxywide NewsNets" – Star Wars Adventure Journal 8 (Mentioned only) "Lumrunners" – Star Wars Adventure Journal 9 (Mentioned only) Star Wars (1977) 8 (Mentioned only) Star Wars (1977) 28 (Mentioned only) "Uhl Eharl Khoehng" – Star Wars Adventure Journal 8 (Mentioned only) Star Wars Missions 14: The Monsters of Dweem (Mentioned only) "Idol Intentions" – Star Wars Adventure Journal 12 (Mentioned only) Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back novelization (Mentioned only) Star Wars (1977) 47 (Mentioned only) Star Wars (1977) 53 (Mentioned only) Star Wars (1977) 66 (Mentioned only) Star Wars (1977) 68 (In flashback(s)) Shadows of the Empire novel (Mentioned only) Star Wars (1977) 69 (Mentioned only) Star Wars Journal: Hero for Hire (Mentioned only) The Mandalorian Armor (Mentioned only) The Truce at Bakura (Mentioned only) "Prophet of Doom" – Star Wars Gamemaster Screen (Mentioned only) "Den of Spies" – Twin Stars of Kira (Mentioned only) "For a Few Kilotons More" – Twin Stars of Kira (Mentioned only) X-Wing: Rogue Squadron (Mentioned only) X-Wing: Wedge's Gamble (Mentioned only) X-Wing: The Krytos Trap (Mentioned only) X-Wing: The Bacta War (Mentioned only) "Conflict of Interest" – Star Wars Adventure Journal 13 (Mentioned only) X-Wing: Wraith Squadron (Mentioned only) The Courtship of Princess Leia (Mentioned only) Heir to the Empire (Mentioned only) Dark Force Rising (Mentioned only) The Last Command (Mentioned only) Star Wars: Dark Empire (Mentioned only) I, Jedi (Mentioned only) The New Rebellion (Mentioned only) Specter of the Past (Mentioned only) Vision of the Future (Mentioned only)

Non-canon appearances

• The Epic Continues (Cancelled) (Mentioned only)

Sources

A Guide to the Star Wars Universe Star Wars: Droids toy line Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game The Star Wars Sourcebook Galaxy Guide 1: A New Hope Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back Imperial Sourcebook Galaxy Guide 5: Return of the Jedi Galaxy Guide 6: Tramp Freighters The Rebel Alliance Sourcebook Death Star Technical Companion Star Wars Miniatures Battles Heir to the Empire Sourcebook Dark Force Rising Sourcebook Wanted by Cracken Galaxy Guide 8: Scouts Dark Empire Sourcebook Twin Stars of Kira Super Empire Strikes Back Official Game Secrets The Movie Trilogy Sourcebook Death Star Technical Companion, Second Edition Han Solo and the Corporate Sector Sourcebook Star Wars Miniatures Battles, Second Edition The Last Command Sourcebook "A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded" The Rebel Alliance Sourcebook, Second Edition Galaxy Guide 6: Tramp Freighters, Second Edition Star Wars Sourcebook, Second Edition Star Wars Screen Entertainment Imperial Sourcebook, Second Edition Star Wars Technical Journal of the Rebel Forces The Star Wars Planets Collection Platt's Starport Guide "Into the Core Worlds" – Star Wars Adventure Journal 7 Galaxy Guide 2: Yavin and Bespin, Second Edition Galaxy Guide 1: A New Hope, Second Edition Galaxy Guide 5: Return of the Jedi, Second Edition "Boba Fett: Mystery Man in Not-So-Shining Armor" – Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 1 Star Wars: The Power of the Force (1995) Heroes & Rogues The Essential Guide to Characters The Truce at Bakura Sourcebook The Jedi Academy Sourcebook "Alliance Intelligence Report: TIE Fighters" – Star Wars Adventure Journal 10 The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back, Second Edition Star Wars Gamemaster Screen, Revised "Imperial Garrisons" – Star Wars Adventure Journal 12 "Star Wars Kids Answer Quest" – Star Wars Kids 3 Pirates & Privateers Cynabar's Fantastic Technology: Droids Lords of the Expanse Star Wars Trilogy Sourcebook, Special Edition Platt's Smugglers Guide "Special Military Unit Intelligence Update" – Star Wars Adventure Journal 15 "Tasariq: The Crystal Planet" – Star Wars Adventure Journal 15 The Far Orbit Project Alien Encounters Star Wars: Rebellion: Prima's Official Strategy Guide Star Wars Encyclopedia Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary The Art of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope Star Wars: Chronicles The Official Star Wars 20th Anniversary Commemorative Magazine The Galactic Empire Scrapbook The Illustrated Star Wars Universe