In 2002, the much anticipated sequel to Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace was finally released. People were concerned; the first prequel was not particularly well received, and in the end Episode II got mixed reviews as well. Still, we all knew what was coming. At some point, the prequel movies would depict the Clone Wars, the conflict referenced offhandedly by Luke and Obi-Wan way back in Episode IV. They would also depict a love story between Anakin and Padmé, setting up for the birth of their children, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. And they would depict Anakin's fall to the Dark Side. Elements of each of these plots can be found here in Episode II: Attack of the Clones.
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| Episode II movie poster. Image from Wookieepedia. |
For this post, I consumed the following:
- Episode II: Attack of the Clones (film by George Lucas, 2002)
- Episode II: Attack of the Clones (novel by R. A. Salvatore, 2002)
- Episode II: Attack of the Clones 1-4 (comic miniseries by Henry Gilroy, 2002)
- Full of Surprises (mini-comic by Jason Hall, 2002)
- Most Precious Weapon (mini-comic by Jason Hall, 2002)
- Practice Makes Perfect (mini-comic by Jason Hall, 2002)
- Machines of War (mini-comic by Jason Hall, 2002)
I watched the film on Disney+, read the hardcover edition of the novel, and read the comic miniseries in Omnibus: The Complete Saga. I read the four mini-comics in Omnibus: Menace Revealed.
Story:
In Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi is sent to investigate multiple assassination attempts made against Senator Padmé Amidala while his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, protects her. Obi-Wan learns that a long-dead Jedi Master commissioned the creation of a clone army, using a bounty hunter named Jango Fett as a template. He also learns of a conspiracy by the various business armies of the galaxy, such as the Trade Federation, to arm the nascent Separatist movement and attack the Republic. The Jedi, with the help of the clone army, intervene, but they're unable to stop the leader of the Separatists, former Jedi and now Sith Lord Count Dooku, from escaping. The Clone Wars have officially begun. Meanwhile, Anakin and Padmé have fallen in love and marry in secret, though the former has had his first real brush with the Dark Side of the Force, slaughtering a tribe of Tusken Raiders on Tatooine when they kill his mother.
The four mini-comics depict small adventures of the movie's main characters shortly before or during the events of the movie.
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| Cover of Episode II: Attack of the Clones #4. Image from Wookieepedia. |
Thoughts:
Though this opinion is unpopular, Attack of the Clones is my favourite of the three prequel movies. The love story is cheesy and badly written, but that can be entertaining. Certain sequences, such as the 1950s diner and C-3PO's adventures in the droid factory are annoying, but the battles, including the speeder chase on Coruscant, the duel between Obi-Wan and Jango Fett, the arena sequence, the Battle of Geonosis, and the lightsaber fights at the end, are all fantastic. Anakin comes across as whiny but that's part of the character. Particularly bad things from Episode I, like the chaos of Jar Jar Binks, are reduced significantly. If given the choice between watching Episodes I, II, or III, I'll likely pick this one.
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| Cover of Episode II: Attack of the Clones hardcover novel. Image from Wookieepedia. |
The novel, unfortunately, might be my least favourite Star Wars novel consumed so far. It contains many additional scenes, though all they do is slow the story down. The opening scene of the movie does not happen until page 70 of a 350 page book. The novelization does flesh out a few scenes, but doesn't really answer any questions like the Episode I novelization did. The comic adaptation was not much better; not enough new is added (and nothing unique from the novel) to make it worthwhile. Indeed, both of these make some errors relative to the movie, like have a character be on the Republic side in the movie but among the Separatists on Geonosis in the adaptations.
The mini-comics were fun little ten-page side stories, but their purpose was clear. These comics were written in cooperation with Hasbro and Toys 'R' Us to promote Episode II tie-in toys. They are skippable. If anything, they introduce some plot holes into the story. For example, we learn in Machines of War that the Republic Gunship can shoot its beam weapons forward, but the Gunship carrying Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padmé can't fire on Dooku's speeder because it is "out of rockets."
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| Cover of Machines of War, the fourth Hasbro/Toys 'R' Us mini-comic. Image from Wookieepedia. |
Episode II: Attack of the Clones sets in motion the next era of Star Wars stories. The Clone Wars begin in this movie and ends in the next one. In between, there are 16 novels and around 70 comic issues, not to mention multiple short stories, kids books, and video games, plus two cartoons (one of which I already consumed as part of a New Canon read-through). There are not too many eras of Star Wars that can so clearly define themselves. I look forward to the next ten Legends posts all featuring the Clone Wars.
Next:
My next Legends post (Part 18) will cover the first few stories of the Clone Wars, including some set within days or weeks of Episode II. Also coming soon is a return to the New Canon and discuss Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, its adaptations, and related stories.
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