The prequel trilogy represents one of the most important periods in the Star Wars timeline, but what exactly happened between Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones? The Star Wars prequel trilogy had a rocky reception, to say the least. In part, this was because the trilogy had massive shoes to fill following the original Star Wars trilogy, which many still consider to be three of Star Wars’ best movies.
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Despite this initial reception, the prequels have become beloved, and their significance among Star Wars’ movies and TV shows has only increased. The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith have come to define the franchise, and they continue to have a massive influence even as Star Wars moves beyond the Skywalker Saga. This significance makes it all the more surprising that little is known about the 10 years between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. Here is everything Star Wars canon has revealed about this period so far.
Anakin Skywalker Trains Under Obi-Wan Kenobi
Most Of Anakin’s Training Has Not Been Shown On Screen
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One of the most significant events that takes place in the time between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones is Anakin Skywalker’s training with Obi-Wan Kenobi. At the end of The Phantom Menace, Yoda informs Obi-Wan that he will be permitted to train Anakin as his Jedi Padawan, in spite of the Council initially rejecting Anakin from the Order entirely. When Attack of the Clones begins, Anakin—although still a Padawan at that point—is grown.
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This means that most of Anakin Skywalker’s training takes place off-screen in Star Wars. This is a massive aspect of Anakin Skywalker’s Star Wars timeline, and it would reveal so much more about the tensions between Anakin and Obi-Wan seen throughout Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, so it is a bit surprising that this has been minimally depicted on screen. It is nevertheless clear that, during that time, Obi-Wan and Anakin form a (complicated) brotherly bond and Anakin grows even stronger in the Force.
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Count Dooku Kills Yaddle & Becomes Darth Sidious’ New Apprentice
Star Wars: Tales Of The Jedi Revealed So Much More About Count Dooku
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Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi may be a fairly short animated series, but it was surprisingly illuminating. The show had two distinct arcs, one for Ahsoka Tano and one for Count Dooku. Count Dooku’s arc in Tales of the Jedi revealed more about his fall to the dark side and his sentiments about the Jedi, most notably in episode 4, “The Sith Lord,” which saw Count Dooku facing off against Jedi Master Yaddle.
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In the episode, Dooku breaks into the Jedi archives and deletes the planet of Kamino from the records—something that becomes a major plot point in Attack of the Clones. Dooku also has a secretive meeting with Palpatine/Darth Sidious, during which Dooku references Sifo-Dyas, Kamino, and the creation of the clone troopers, revealing that he had betrayed “everyone and everything” he knows. This shockingly suggests that Sidious’ preparation for the Clone Wars, including the commissioning of the clones, happened concurrently with The Phantom Menace.
This shockingly suggests that Sidious’ preparation for the Clone Wars, including the commissioning of the clones, happened concurrently with
The Phantom Menace
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Unfortunately, Jedi Master Yaddle overhears this conversation, which leads to a duel between Yaddle and Dooku. In the end, this results in Yaddle’s death and Count Dooku becoming Sidious’ new Sith apprentice. This master and apprentice relationship would come to define the events of Attack of the Clones and the Clone Wars, changing the Star Wars galaxy forever.
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The Trade Federation Escapes Justice Thanks To Palpatine
The Trade Federation Never Faced True Consequences For Their Acts In The Phantom Menace
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A major part of The Phantom Menace was the Trade Federation’s blockade and eventual invasion of Naboo. This was in fact the catalyzing event that led to Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn becoming involved in the issues on Naboo, which dovetailed into Qui-Gon encountering Anakin Skywalker and unwittingly sealing the fate of the Jedi and the Republic. Despite the Trade Federation’s crimes, they avoided facing justice—including the head of the Trade Federation, Viceroy Gunray.
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Ultimately, it became clear that this was very much by design on Palpatine’s part. Revenge of the Sith revealed that the Trade Federation and Sidious had a deal, in which Sidious promised them peace for their cooperation (although that swiftly ended when Palpatine had Darth Vader wipe them out on Mustafar). Even before that, the Trade Federation became integral to the Separatist movement, all of which was possible because they evaded consequences for their actions in The Phantom Menace.
Padmé’s Reign On Naboo Ends, And She Becomes A Senator
Padmé Was Only Queen Of Naboo In The Phantom Menace
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Between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, Padmé’s role in the galaxy also changed significantly. After serving as the teenage Queen of Naboo in The Phantom Menace, Padmé transitioned to a role in the Senate. Queen Jamillia was Padmé’s successor. She was also the very person who convinced Padmé to become a Senator, as Padmé had initially intended to take a step back from politics.
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Padmé’s role in the Senate of course ended up having a massive influence on the galaxy, not only because this led to her reunion with Anakin and their fateful marriage, but also because she played a key role in the dissent against Palpatine and the eventual Rebel movement. Although it was never shown on screen, Padmé also prioritized ending slavery, especially on Tatooine. She sent her close friend and former handmaiden Sabé to free Shmi Skywalker specifically, but she was unable to find her.
Padmé also prioritized ending slavery, specifically on Tatooine.
Shmi Skywalker Is Freed From Slavery And Marries Cliegg Lars
As Revealed In Attack Of The Clones, Shmi Was Freed From Slavery
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Sabé was very likely unable to find Shmi because she had already been freed by and married Cliegg Lars, the father of Anakin’s step-brother, Owen Lars. Although this was obviously a positive turn for Shmi Skywalker’s story, it ended up being detrimental to Shmi in the long run. It was because Shmi was on the Lars farm that the Tusken Raiders captured her, which resulted in her death at their hands.
While this would be sad enough, this also became one of the defining moments in Anakin’s fall to the dark side. When Anakin lost his mother, he tapped into his rage and murdered every man, woman, and child at the Tusken Raider camp where his mother had died. Although this alone did not turn Anakin to the dark side, it was in many ways the beginning of the end for him.
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The Confederacy Of Independent Systems Is Established
The Separatists Would Come To Define The Clone Wars Era
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The Confederacy of Independent Systems, most often referred to simply as the Separatists, was also established during this period. This alliance was led by Count Dooku, who was acting in Sidious’ best interests, not with legitimate political intentions (although even the Jedi were deceived by this for some time). This division between the Separatists and the Republic ended up being the very reason the Clone Wars broke out, which in turn led to Order 66, the fall of the Jedi, and the fall of the Republic.
The Confederacy of Independent Systems, most often referred to simply as the Separatists, was also established during this period.
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While Dooku’s intentions were not pure whatsoever, there were many Separatists who genuinely believed in the movement and had no idea they were feeding a war intentionally being crafted by a Sith Lord so that he could gain power and eventually rule. Star Wars: The Clone Wars made that clear, as Padmé’s close friend, Mina Bonteri, vocally supported the Separatist ideology. Notably, the Republic was being duped by Palpatine and Dooku as much as the Separatists were.
The Military Creation Act Is Proposed
This Act Changed The Future Of The Galaxy
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In addition to the Separatist Alliance being established, the Military Creation Act was a major factor in the initiation of the Clone Wars. In fact, the two were directly related, as the Military Creation Act enabled the Republic to form an army to defend against the Separatists. As mentioned, the groundwork had long been laid by Palpatine for this precise change; clearly, the clones were commissioned long before the events of Attack of the Clones.
This was also precisely why there was an assassination attempt on Padmé’s life at the beginning of Attack of the Clones. Padmé was very vocal about opposing the Military Creation Act, as she did not want a war to break out. This made her a massive threat to Palpatine’s plans, as he needed the Clone Wars for his power grab to be successful. In the end, these attempts failed, but they pushed Anakin and Padmé together that much more, which only cemented Palpatine’s plans.
Asajj Ventress Becomes Count Dooku’s Assassin
Ventress Became A Major Character In Star Wars: The Clone Wars
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Although Asajj Ventress was not included in the prequel trilogy movies, she is very important in Star Wars. She became a major player in The Clone Wars, and her return in Star Wars: The Bad Batch suggests her role in the galaxy is not over yet. Ventress is a Nightsister of Dathomir, but her most significant role in The Clone Wars was as Count Dooku’s assassin.
It was during this period between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones that Dooku hired Ventress. This proved particularly interesting, as Ventress had already had quite a tumultuous life, having been taken from the Nightsisters as an infant only for a Jedi to find her, take her on as his Padawan, and die in front of her. Interestingly, despite being Dooku’s assassin, it was not Ventress who was hired to kill Padmé.
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Count Dooku Plots The Assassination Attempt On Padmé
This Attempt On Padmé’s Life Kicked Off Many Crucial Events In This Era Of Star Wars
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Immediately before Attack of the Clones, Count Dooku plotted the assassination attempt on Padmé’s life in response to her opposition to the Military Creation Act. This ended up failing twice, both when her ship was blown up, killing her decoy, Cordé, rather than her, and when Zam Wesell failed to kill her after being hired by Jango Fett. Nevertheless, it was because there was an attempt to kill Padmé that she and Anakin ended up on Naboo together, where they ultimately fell in love.
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There’s likely so much more that happened during this time in Star Wars that has yet to be revealed, if it ever will be. The galaxy went from a period of relative peace to full-blown war in a decade, and many factors contributed to that massive change. Even so, just the little that is currently known about this era makes it clear that the events between Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones had a massive impact on the galaxy.
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8.7/10 Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
The beginning of the Skywalker Saga, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace sees young Anakin Skywalker put on his path to discovering his ability to influence the Force. While attempting to thwart the nefarious Trade Federation in their plans for the planet of Naboo, two Jedi discover an exceptionally-gifted slave with the ability to wield the Force. Little do they know, rescuing him is just the beginning of a saga that will span generations of the Skywalker family.
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7.4/10 Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
Years after the events of The Phantom Menace, the Skywalker Saga continues with Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. When Senator Padme Amidala’s life is threatened, Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are tasked with her protection. While Obi-Wan uncovers a clone army made in secret, Anakin falls in love with Padme, marking the beginning of his inevitable fall to the dark side of the Force.
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