For the TV series, the Clone Wars logo is seen over a starfield.
The Clone Wars endeavor across multiple media spanned three years and was brought to life by Lucasfilm Ltd. in collaboration with Del Rey, Dark Horse Comics, Cartoon Network, and LucasArts.
Taking place mainly between the events of the motion pictures Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith (both chronologically within the Star Wars universe and in terms of their real-world release), the Clone Wars multimedia project aimed to present the narrative of the Clone Wars in a manner that mirrored real-time progression, accomplished through books, comics, television, and video games. This approach is reminiscent of the earlier project, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire.
The Multimedia Project adhered to an expanding chronological structure throughout the three years between the releases of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. This timeline was detailed within the books designated as "A Clone Wars Novel" and the Boba Fett series. Each form of media was listed along with the number of months that had passed since the Battle of Geonosis.
Star Wars: Clone Wars, helmed by Genndy Tartakovsky, represented the television component of the Clone Wars project. This "micro-series" initially comprised two seasons: (Season One, airing from November 7 to 20 in 2003, and Season Two, broadcasting from March 26 to April 8 in 2004). Each season featured ten episodes, each approximately three minutes long. In addition to figures from the films, the show incorporated various figures from the Star Wars: Republic comics by Dark Horse Comics. It gained recognition for introducing General Grievous in Chapter 20 and for elevating Anakin Skywalker from Padawan to Jedi Knight in Chapter 21.
The episodes were originally conceived as promotional content for the various products associated with the Clone Wars multimedia project. However, following the series' widespread acclaim and the first two seasons earning an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Animated Program," it was extended with Season Three, consisting of five episodes ranging from 12 to 15 minutes in length. These episodes chronicled the events leading up to Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. Despite facing criticism from fans (mainly due to inconsistencies with the Episode III tie-in novel Labyrinth of Evil), they proved successful, prompting George Lucas to announce plans to continue the show as a half-hour, 3D animated series, which premiered in 2008 under the title The Clone Wars.
The complete episodes of the show were released on DVD as Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume One and Volume Two. The animation style of the show served as inspiration for the Clone Wars Adventures comics. Many of the show's voice actors reprised their respective roles for various Clone Wars-related computer games, or had transitioned from such roles to the show.
There were seven official novels produced as part of the Clone Wars series. Each of them was labeled as "A Clone Wars novel."
- Shatterpoint
- Legacy of the Jedi
- The Cestus Deception
- MedStar I: Battle Surgeons
- MedStar II: Jedi Healer
- Jedi Trial
- Yoda: Dark Rendezvous
The young-adult book series, Boba Fett, also carries the Clone Wars branding. Another novel, Escape from Dagu, was completed but was superseded by Yoda: Dark Rendezvous. All Clone Wars books were published by Del Rey. The Republic Commando novels, which follow the game of the same name, are another series within the Clone Wars multimedia project. Although they were not introduced until two and a half years into the project, only Republic Commando: Hard Contact and the game are part of the Clone Wars Multimedia Project time line because the others came out after Revenge of the Sith.
Star Wars Insider also featured short stories connected to the series, including The Clone Wars: The Pengalan Tradeoff, the three-part Hero of Cartao, and League of Spies.
Although Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Republic Commando: Triple Zero, Republic Commando: True Colors, Order 66: A Republic Commando Novel, Labyrinth of Evil, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, and Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader take place during this era and cover the Clone Wars, they are not officially considered part of the Clone Wars book series.
Four short stories and e-books were also composed as part of the Clone Wars series. These included The Hive, Storm Fleet Warnings, Equipment, and Duel (the latter three of which were compiled into the _ Short Story Collection_).
The comic book aspect of the Clone Wars narrative was primarily conveyed through the Star Wars: Republic series, beginning with Issue 49 (four issues after the comic's title change from Star Wars to Star Wars: Republic) and continuing until the final Issue 83. It was in the Republic comics that Anakin Skywalker acquired the scar on his face that he bears in Episode III.
The five-part Obsession and Jedi comic series, as well as the Star Wars—Free Comic Book Day 2005 Special, Purge, and Routine Valor one-shots, served as tie-ins to the Republic Clone Wars storyline. Collectively, these comics were compiled into the nine-part Star Wars: Clone Wars trade-paperback series.
A collection of six Clone Wars Adventures comics (with four more added subsequently), inspired by the TV show's art style, were also released. Several stories from later editions of Star Wars Tales also connected with the Clone Wars storyline, with varying degrees of continuity. From May to September 2002, the Jango Fett: Open Seasons comic (the counterpart to the Bounty Hunter game) was released; while not a part of the Clone Wars series, it depicted the events leading up to the creation of the clone army.
All Clone Wars comics were published by Dark Horse Comics.
Most of the Clone Wars games were launched in 2002. Among these were Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which was released on November 28, and Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, a game that centered around the events that led to the clone army's formation and served as a tie-in to the Jango Fett: Open Seasons comic. The game Republic Commando debuted on March 1, 2005.
Other games depicting the Clone Wars include Star Wars: Battlefront, which featured several levels that depicted Clone Wars battles from the original media as well as those from movies, comics, and games, which was released on September 20, 2004. The sequel, Star Wars: Battlefront II, also included Clone Wars missions and was released on November 1, 2005. Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter was released on March 10 in 2002, with Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: Clone Campaigns released soon after Episode II and the Episode III video game (May 5, 2005).
A number of characters in the computer games were voiced by the same voice actors as those in the Star Wars: Clone Wars show.
Hasbro Inc. and other Star Wars licensees have created a wide array of toys to coincide with both the multimedia project and the more recent TV series.
On April 25, 2014, the elements of the Clone Wars multimedia project were designated as part of the Star Wars Legends continuity and deemed non-canon overall. However, certain book titles remained in publication under the "Legends" banner. Before this declaration, much of the content within the Clone Wars multimedia project had been directly contradicted by material from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which often disregarded previously established continuity within this project and was declared part of the new canon continuity. One such instance was the episode "Nightsisters," which presented a significantly different background for the character of Asajj Ventress compared to that depicted in earlier material.
- Star Wars: Clone Wars on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- Official Clone Wars timeline on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- "So what happened in between Eps II and III?" — Keeper of the Holocron — Leland Chee's StarWars.com Blog (content now obsolete; backup link)