Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones

Set a decade after the events of The Phantom Menace, the Galactic Republic faces a critical juncture. A Separatist movement spearheaded by the former Jedi Master Count Dooku, also known as the Sith Lord Darth Tyranus, endangers the peace, prompting the Galactic Senate to consider a Military Creation Act to establish a standing army for the Republic's defense. Senator Padmé Amidala, previously the Queen of Naboo, intends to return to the Senate to cast her vote against the Act, despite the dwindling number of Jedi capable of maintaining order in the galaxy.

Upon arriving on Coruscant, she barely survives an assassination attempt that results in the death of her decoy, Cordé. Consequently, Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine requests that Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, safeguard her.

That evening, the assassin Zam Wesell launches another assault on Amidala, but the Jedi thwart her scheme. They pursue her through Galactic City, ultimately subduing her at the Outlander Club. As Obi-Wan and Anakin interrogate her outside the establishment, she is fatally struck by a mysterious man's saberdart before she can reveal the identity of her employer. Returning to the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan is tasked by the council with locating the assassin's killer. Meanwhile, Anakin continues his assignment of protecting the Senator and is asked to escort her back to her home planet of Naboo. Anakin welcomes the opportunity, as he often becomes angry and frustrated by Obi-Wan's criticism and is glad to have an opportunity to be on his own. Further, he has become infatuated with Padmé and relishes the chance to spend time with her. Junior Representative Jar Jar Binks takes over Amidala's duties in her absence, despite the Senator being mad at not being at the Senate when the fate of the Military Creation Act is decided.

During his investigation, Obi-Wan is led to a mysterious planet called Kamino— absent from the Jedi Archives— where he uncovers a clandestine clone army being created for the Republic. Prime Minister Lama Su informs him that the military was commissioned nearly ten years prior by Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas— although Obi-Wan was "under the impression" that Sifo-Dyas was killed before that time. A [bounty hunter](/article/bounty_hunter] named Jango Fett was hired as the template for the clones. Obi-Wan encounters Jango on Kamino and suspects him to be the killer he has been pursuing. He attempts to apprehend Jango, resulting in an intense duel between them. Jango utilizes his blasters and missile systems, ultimately defeating Obi-Wan by sending him plummeting into the tumultuous sea below. Believing him to be dead, Jango departs Kamino with his son Boba. Unable to capture Jango, Obi-Wan attaches a homing beacon to his ship, Slave I, and tracks him to the planet of Geonosis.

In the meantime, Anakin and Padmé have been spending much time together on Naboo, enjoying each other's company and playfully frolicking in the fields. Eventually, Anakin reveals his deep love for her, vowing to do whatever she requests. However, Padmé resists, explaining that it would be impossible for the two of them to be together since she is a Senator and he is a Jedi. Anakin is angered by this and experiences inner conflict between his strong desires for her and his duties as a Jedi.

Anakin is also troubled by a newfound sense that his mother is in grave danger, and he beckons for Padmé to accompany him to his home planet of Tatooine— in the process, disobeying Obi-Wan's orders to remain on Naboo. Upon arriving, Anakin tracks down his former owner Watto, from whom he learns that his mother has married a moisture farmer named Cliegg Lars, and travels to the Lars moisture farm. There, Anakin and Padmé find C-3PO, and the droid introduces Anakin to his step-brother Owen. Cliegg tells Anakin the horrible truth that his mother was kidnapped a month ago by a pack of Tusken Raiders. Anakin travels through the night and finds her tied and beaten in a Tusken camp. Within moments, she dies in his arms. Enraged and heartbroken, he massacres the Tusken community: men, women, and even children. On Coruscant, Yoda senses a terrible darkness in the Force as the slaughter continues (Qui-Gon Jinn's voice shouts "Anakin, Anakin, no!" during this scene). Anakin then brings his mother's body back to the homestead, where her funeral is held.

On Geonosis, Obi-Wan overhears a meeting between Count Dooku and the leaders of the commerce guilds and learns that they are behind the separatist movement and have built up a new droid army. He also knows that it was Nute Gunray who ordered the assassination of Amidala as revenge for the defeat of the Trade Federation at the Battle of Naboo. Obi-Wan transmits his findings to the Council, relayed by way of Anakin and Padmé's ship, though he is surrounded by droidekas and captured before he can finish his report.

With the Jedi Council now aware of Dooku's army, Jedi Master Mace Windu leads a battalion of Jedi to Geonosis. Unbeknownst to them, Anakin and Padmé also make their way there to rescue Obi-Wan. Meanwhile, Representative Binks calls for Chancellor Palpatine to be given emergency powers, with which he can reach the recently discovered clone army into battle.

Back on Geonosis, Count Dooku tries to persuade Obi-Wan to join him, using the fact that he was once Qui-Gon's master, that Qui-Gon, if alive, would have joined Dooku and that the Republic and Jedi have lost their ways and must be fought against. Obi-Wan refuses to join Dooku, saying that Dooku is wrong about the Republic and Jedi losing their ways and that Qui-Gon would have never joined Dooku if Qui-Gon was alive. Anakin and Padmé arrive on the planet but are quickly captured by Jango Fett and sentenced to death, joining Obi-Wan in the Geonosis arena, where they are to be executed. Moments before heading outside, Padame and Anakin confess their love to each other. In the high stands, Count Dooku, Nute Gunray, Rune Haako, Poggle the Lesser, Jango Fett, and Boba Fett watch the start of the planned execution. The trio are forced to battle a reek, a nexu, and an acklay while in chains. During their struggle, Mace Windu arrives with his Jedi strike team, and they battle Dooku's droid army in the arena. Upon seeing so many Jedi in one place, Jango Fett jetpacks down to the arena floor and engages Windu. After a short struggle, Windu kills Jango due to his jetpack malfunctioning. While the Jedi put up a fight, they are eventually overwhelmed by the Droid Army's numerical advantage and appear to be heading into defeat. Yoda unexpectedly arrives with the Republic's new clone army, but only a handful of Jedi have survived.

A larger-scale conflict then erupts outside the arena, pitting the Republic's clone troopers against the Confederacy of Independent Systems' droid forces. Subsequently, Nute Gunray and Rune Haako retreat in Gunray's ship. The Clone Army gains the upper hand, which eventually leads to the Droid Army retreating. Poggle the Lesser entrusts Count Dooku with the early plans for the Death Star. Dooku attempts to escape, but Obi-Wan and Anakin track him to a secret hangar. Anakin immediately disobeys Obi-Wan's orders to take Dooku together and rushes at Dooku, who fires Force lightning at Anakin, tossing him to the side to some rocks and knocking him unconscious temporarily. Obi-Wan circles Dooku cautiously, the latter saying that his powers are far beyond Obi-Wan's and subsequently firing force lightning at him, Obi-Wan blocking it with his lightsaber and saying that he does not think so as Dooku ignites his curved hilted crimson red lightsaber. Obi-Wan rushes at Dooku, engaging him in a lightsaber duel. Unfortunately, while Obi-Wan is powerful, he is no match for Dooku who taunts him that Master Yoda praises Obi-Wan greatly and that he is disappointed in Obi-Wan's lack of skill. The battle lasts around half a minute as Obi-Wan is defeated. Dooku swings his blade high over his head and brings it down as Anakin, who had just awoken from being tossed to the rocks, leaped foward and blocked Dooku's killing strike on Obi-Wan, engaging Dooku, who toyed with him for several minutes before slicing off Anakin's right hand and force pushing it to the ground next to the defeated Obi-Wan. Dooku puts away his lightsaber. Yoda appears just as Dooku is about to escape, and the two masters of the Force go head-to-head in a fierce battle of the force and then a lightsaber duel with Yoda using his acrobatic style and Dooku using his elegant style. Dooku, realizing he can't defeat Yoda, attempts to topple a large pillar on Obi-Wan and Anakin as a distraction. While Yoda uses the Force to divert the pillar, Dooku flees in his solar sailer. Flying to the Works in the Industrial sector of Coruscant, he meets up with his master, Darth Sidious, who is pleased that the war has begun as planned.

Within the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan, Mace, and Yoda deliberate on Dooku's warning regarding Darth Sidious's control over the Senate. Yoda expresses reluctance to accept this, emphasizing the dark side's capacity to sow fear and distrust. Nevertheless, he and Windu concur on the necessity of closely monitoring the Senate. Meanwhile, Chancellor Palpatine, alongside several senators, including Bail Organa, oversees the deployment of vast clone trooper legions.

Returning to Naboo, Anakin, now fitted with a new mechanical arm, and Padmé exchange secret wedding vows, with C-3PO and R2-D2 as their sole witnesses.

John Knoll shared with Star Wars Insider that the adaptation to digital cameras posed the most significant challenge for his team as production commenced on Attack of the Clones. However, the advantage of digital cameras—their ability to instantly replay footage whenever desired—became apparent to Knoll, who thoroughly enjoyed shooting with them. In a 2005 interview with Temuera Morrison during an episode of The Tem Show, Rick McCallum revealed that New Zealand was among their initial filming location choices before Australia, but the concurrent filming of The Lord of the Rings films in New Zealand presented complications. Despite the challenges of filming in New Zealand, Lucasfilm Ltd. casting directors still scouted the country, selecting several actors, including Bodie Taylor and Daniel Logan.

In December 2001, rumors circulated that members of *NSYNC had been filmed as extras in Attack of the Clones. The story gained traction in the following days, with reports that three band members—Joey Fatone, JC Chasez, and Chris Kirkpatrick—had been cast as Jedi and Naboo citizens by producer Rick McCallum. Lucasfilm later confirmed the news but refuted claims that it was done by George Lucas as a favor to his daughters Katie and Amanda, who were fans of the band. Additionally, Justin Timberlake clarified that he and Lance Bass were not involved, but that Joey Fatone's brother Steven Fatone was. Many Star Wars fans reacted negatively to the news, seeing this incident as further evidence of Star Wars "selling out," similar to some Star Wars fans' reactions to Jar Jar Binks or the Ewoks. On January 12, 2002, a Saturday Night Live sketch showed a satirical "first look" at Attack of the Clones, wherein the movie ground to a halt to allow *NSYNC to perform an impromptu musical number entitled "I'm a Jedi Knight in these Jedi Days." Joey Fatone later announced that the singers' parts had been cut from the film because of the negative fan reaction. However, Lucasfilm's Lynne Hale denied this, saying that it was up to Lucas, and that "the final edit of the film is what he determines it will be."

Leading up to the release, Lucasfilm launched another series of web documentaries and experimented with various promotional strategies, including Episode II Select and Ahmed Best's on-set videos. On May 11, 2002, TV Guide released three different covers to promote the film.

The film's soundtrack was released by Sony on April 23, 2002.

A book version of the movie was written by R. A. Salvatore. It includes scenes created by Salvatore and unique to the novel. The book's prologue describes Anakin, while flying to Ansion with Obi-Wan, having a nightmare of his mother turning into glass and shattering. The following pages relate the events leading up to Shmi Skywalker's capture by Tusken Raiders and Cliegg Lars's loss of his leg while attempting to rescue her. These scenes give a more detailed insight into Shmi's life on the moisture farm and her relationships with Cliegg, Owen, Beru, and C-3PO than can be provided in the film. Interspersed with these events are scenes of Senator Amidala on Naboo prior to her departure for Coruscant to vote on the Military Creation Act. She discusses with her sister the question of retiring from politics to start a family and receives reports about the unrest (briefly mentioned in the film) among spice miners on Naboo's moons. The book also delves more deeply than the film into the father-son relationship of Jango and Boba Fett, making Jango's death more emotionally meaningful. (However, it also has several inaccuracies concerning Jango. For example, the author referred to his Armor as grey, when it is actually white with blue accents.) The first of the Boba Fett series of young adult novels draws upon this material.

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones was released on VHS and DVD on November 12, 2002. The VHS included six deleted scenes and a segment of Star Wars: Connections. Attack of the Clones would be the final VHS release of any kind for Star Wars in the United States. As such, it is impossible to acquire a full VHS set for the Prequel Trilogy since there would not be one for Revenge of the Sith (though Revenge of the Sith did receive a VHS release in other countries such as the UK and Australia). The DVD contains certain elements edited or added by George Lucas that make the DVD a slightly different version from its theatrical release.

• Disc 1 DVD Menu themes based on planets from the movie: Coruscant, Kamino, and Geonosis Available subtitles: English Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1 EX), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround) Commentary by writer-director George Lucas, producer Rick McCallum, animation director Rob Coleman, and ILM visual effects supervisors John Knoll, Roger Guyett, and sound designer Ben Burtt DVD Credits with Blooper reels DVD-ROM content including website archive of HoloNet News[15]

• Disc 2 Main DVD Menu's theme is based on the Jedi Library Eight exclusive deleted scenes with introductions of George Lucas, Rick McCallum, and Ben Burtt "From Puppets to Pixels: Digital Characters in Episode II": all-new full-length documentary about the creation of digital characters in Episode II "State of the Art: The Previsualization of Episode II": witness the vital role of the animatics team "Films Are Not Released: They Escape" sound documentary Three featurettes examining the story line, action scenes, and love story through behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the cast and filmmakers 12-part Web documentary "Across the Stars" music video: an original composition by John Williams crafted exclusively for this DVD Exclusive production photos One-sheet posters International outdoor campaign Trailers and TV spots "R2-D2: Beneath the Dome" mockumentary trailer ILM visual effects breakdown montage Exclusive DVD-ROM content Production photo gallery College Want Ads Campaign gallery Easter egg (enhanced DVD-ROM multimedia content when you click on the weblinks of any of the posters in the image gallery, featuring downloadable wallpapers and messenger icons)[15] DVD-ROM content includes a free trial of Hyperspace

The film was released on Blu-ray in September 2011.

On April 7, 2015, the Walt Disney Studios, 20th Century Fox, and Lucasfilm jointly announced the digital releases of the six released Star Wars films. As Lucasfilm had retained digital distribution rights to Episodes I through III and V through VI, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released Attack of the Clones for digital download on April 10, 2015.

Despite the Walt Disney Company's 2012 purchase of Lucasfilm Ltd. and the release rights to all future Star Wars films, Fox was to retain original distribution rights to Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, which they co-produced and co-financed, in perpetuity in all media worldwide. Fox was also to retain theatrical, nontheatrical, and home video rights worldwide for the franchise's five subsequent films, which Lucasfilm produced and financed independently, through May 2020, at which time ownership was to transfer to Disney. This complex relationship between Fox and Disney, particularly in regards to Fox's perpetual rights to Episode IV, was to create an obstacle for any future boxed set comprising all nine films. On December 14, 2017, The Walt Disney Company announced that it was acquiring most of Fox's parent company, 21st Century Fox, including the film studio and all distribution rights to A New Hope. On March 20, 2019, the deal was officially completed. On April 12, 2019, a Blu-ray box set containing the nine main instalments of the Star Wars saga remastered in 4K was reportedly announced to be in development for a 2020 release.