Your Complete Guide To The Star Wars Cinematic Universe

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack Of The Clones

Released: May 16th, 2002

Runtime: 2hrs 22mins

Directed by: George Lucas

Written by: George Lucas, Jonathan Hales

Starring: Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Christopher Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, Frank Oz, Ian McDiarmid, Pernilla August, Temuera Morrison, Jimmy Smits, Ahmed Best, Anthony Daniels, Daniel Logan, Kenny Baker, Liam Neeson

Significant characters introduced: Count Dooku, Jango Fett, Senator Bail Organa

Notable universe developments: Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker fall in love and secretly marry; Obi-Wan Kenobi discovers a Republic clone army; Anakin avenges the death of his mother by killing Tusken Raiders; Yoda fights Count Dooku; Count Dooku delivers the plans for a Death Star to Darth Sidious.

Opening crawl: “There is unrest in the Galactic Senate. Several thousand solar systems have declared their intentions to leave the Republic. This Separatist movement, under the leadership of the mysterious Count Dooku, has made it difficult for the limited number of Jedi Knights to maintain peace and order in the galaxy. Senator Amidala, the former Queen of Naboo, is returning to the Galactic Senate to vote on the critical issue of creating an ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC to assist the overwhelmed Jedi…”

Ten years have passed, and the Galactic Republic now finds itself under threat from Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) – a former Jedi Master – and the Separatist movement he is leading. Padme Amidala – once Queen, now Senator – heads to Coruscant to participate in an important vote that would see the creation of an army that is supposed to help the overwhelmed Jedi in their mission to promote peace and justice throughout the galaxy. An assassination attempt sees Amidala placed under the protection of Obi-Wan and the now grown Anakin Skywalker. Obi-Wan Kenobi is tasked with investigating the source of the assassination attempts, while Anakin escorts Padme home to Naboo – and a romantic relationship blossoms between the two.

In the course of his investigations, Obi-Wan discovers that the Republic is building a clone army – based on bounty hunter Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison) – on the plant of Kamino. Obi-Wan follows the bounty hunter, who leads him to the planet Geonosis and a secret Separatist meeting led by Count Dooku.

Meanwhile, Anakin begins to have visions of his mother being in trouble, and heads home to Tatooine with Padme to help her. There, he finds that his mother, Shmi, remarried and built a new family after Anakin left home with Qui-Gon Jinn. Her husband is Cliegg Lars (Jack Thompson), and Anakin’s step-brother is Owen (Joel Edgerton). Anakin is told that his mother was taken by Tusken Raiders and is presumed dead. He sets out to retrieve her and, upon finding her near death in a Tusken Raider camp, he massacres each Tusken present in a cold-blooded rage – then confesses his crime to Padme.

Obi-Wan discovers that Count Dooku ordered the murder of Padme and is in cahoots with the Trade Federation. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine takes the opportunity to activate the clone army, initiating the Clone Wars. Anakin, Padme and Obi-Wan are captured, then rescued by a fleet of Jedi led by Yoda and Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson). Obi-Wan and Anakin engage Count Dooku in a fight, but Yoda intervenes, causing Dooku to eventually flee. He delivers plans for a Death Star to Darth Sidious (Supreme Chancellor Palpatine) on Coruscant, as Anakin and Padme secretly marry.