For as much criticism as the Star Wars prequel trilogy got when it was first released and continues to get today, these movies actually did quite a bit to connect the dots of the original trilogy and still tell a fascinating story, despite the ending being known for several of the key characters. After all, these movies had to explain how exactly Darth Vader was Luke and Leia’s father, how Luke and Leia were twins who had been separated for their entire lives, and who their mother was, among many other original trilogy plot details.
The prequel trilogy also had some heavy lifting to do to bring the Jedi Order and the Republic to life, two massive institutions that needed to live up to their descriptions in the original trilogy and captivate a new audience as well. The Jedi Order in particular was a challenge, as it came with a host of rules, traditions, structures, etc., that also had to be explained. Among these answers provided in the prequel trilogy was yet another that addressed a major mystery that had been part of Star Wars since A New Hope—and it’s only gotten better since.
In A New Hope, when Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker are talking about Luke’s father, Anakin (who no one, including George Lucas, yet knew was also Darth Vader), they briefly discuss the fact that Obi-Wan had fought beside Anakin in the Clone Wars, and Luke expresses surprise that Obi-Wan was part of the war. Clearly, if Luke knew about the war, then it was a fairly significant event, given that A New Hope makes it clear just how sheltered Luke was up until the point that his aunt and uncle are murdered by the Empire.
However, A New Hope and the rest of the original trilogy then refrained from providing any clarification or elaboration on that seemingly significant historical event, so it therefore felt like it amounted to little more than a throwaway line. Even more curiously at first, no mention was made of the Clone Wars in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, which left the war feeling like a bizarre mystery that may never be addressed. Finally, though, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones revealed what exactly this war was and how and why it began.
As might be suspected from the title, Attack of the Clones was the movie that introduced the clone troopers, and although the full plot involving the clones was not yet clear, it was apparent that something unsettling was going on—audiences already knew that Palpatine would go from Chancellor to Emperor, for one, so it wasn’t a shock that something more nefarious was afoot. After the clones are revealed, the actual initiation of the war is also depicted during the Battle of Geonosis, which sees the Republic and the Separatists going to head to head with their clones and droids, respectively.
Just in case it wasn’t obvious enough to audiences, Master Yoda also drives this point home by literally saying, “Begun, the Clone Wars have.” Yet, the movie ends soon after that declaration, meaning that, in terms of the prequel trilogy, most of the Clone Wars events happen off-screen. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith does show important events like the Battle of Coruscant and ultimately depicts the end of the war as well, but the true exploration of the Clone Wars actually happened years later (and it was so much better).
Impressively, the Clone Wars have only improved in Star Wars movies and TV shows since the prequel trilogy concluded with Revenge of the Sith in 2005. Most notably, a few years later, the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars debuted, and not only did it provide significantly more insight into the Clone Wars themselves, but it also bridged so much of the gap between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. This show also introduced key concepts like the clone inhibitor chip, which made Order 66 make so much more sense.
Even after The Clone Wars, though, Star Wars has continued to improve upon this event and the situations that followed it, such as with shows like Star Wars: The Bad Batch. Thankfully, Star Wars didn’t let this line in A New Hope be a throwaway for too long, as it has now led to some of the best Star Wars content that exists today.
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