There were two conflicting depictions of the Clone Wars for a time, but Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith acknowledged a clever Star Wars retcon that makes both iterations fit together. The Clone Wars were first mentioned in A New Hope (initially known as Star Wars) but were not fully depicted until the prequel trilogy’s second installment – Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. Before the prequels, the Clone Wars were scarcely mentioned in Legends-era materials, with key properties, like Marvel’s classic Star Wars comics and Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy, referencing the pivotal war.

The Clone Wars would finally make their onscreen debut in the action-packed finale of Attack of the Clones, but Legends-era Star Wars material would continue to depict the war throughout the original Clone Wars multimedia project. This included video games, a plethora of comics and novels, and the beloved animated micro-series Star Wars: Clone Wars. The modern Star Wars canon would also include a plethora of Clone Wars-era materials, such as Star Wars: The Clone Wars, making the Clone Wars one of the most popular and documented eras in both Star Wars continuities.

Star Wars’ Thrawn Trilogy Set Up A Very Different Clone War

Before the prequel trilogy, however, Legends-era Star Wars properties kept their few references to the Clone Wars vague, but they notably described the clones of the Clone Wars as being the enemies of the Jedi and Galactic Republic. Other details seemingly contradicted the prequel trilogy’s depiction as well. Boba Fett was once described as a combatant in the war, and both Princess Leia and Emperor Palpatine supposedly participated in the war in leadership positions as well. While the pre-prequel Clone Wars lore is seemingly incompatible with the war’s eventual depiction, the Legends-era creatives found ways to make everything equally canonical.

A rogue ARC trooper – Spar – defected to the Separatists and became the Mand’alor after Jango Fett. As the leader of the Separatist-aligned Mandalorian Protectors, Spar assumed the identity of Boba Fett and fought for Darth Sidious – who the Protectors would later refer to as Emperor Palpatine. The “Princess Leia” referenced by Spar’s successor, Fenn Shysa, was actually Padmé Amidala, with Shysa mistaking Leia for her mother during the original trilogy era. The Thrawn trilogy’s Clone Wars references – specifically the villainous clones – would appear in the Star Wars: Republic comics.

Revenge Of The Sith’s Siege Of Saleucami Explained

The “Siege of Saleucami” story arc by John Ostrander and Jan Duursema established that the Separatists created their own clone army late in the Clone Wars. Using the formidable Nikto warrior Bok – a member and leader of the Morgukai (an ancient and lethal Nikto death cult) – as a prime clone, the Separatists developed the Morgukai Shadow Army. This army was small but elite, serving as the Separatist’s counter to the Jedi Knights and clone troopers, who made quick work of the Separatist droids. The Republic engaged the Separatists on Saleucami to destroy the cloning facilities.

Although the Morgukai Shadow Army proved far superior to the Separatist droids, the Republic’s clones and Jedi were each more formidable still, resulting in a Republic victory and putting an end to the Separatists’ cloning project. The Siege of Saleucami is directly referenced in Revenge of the Sith, with Obi-Wan Kenobi mentioning the Republic’s victory as part of the Jedi Order’s report on the Outer Rim Sieges to Anakin, who missed the meeting. Revenge of the Sith’s acknowledgment of the Siege of Saleucami is more than an offhand reference, however.

Revenge Of The Sith Shows Lucas Really Did Care About The Expanded Universe

George Lucas’s attitude towards Legends-era materials and how they coincide with his Star Wars saga movies has been the subject of intense debate among viewers. Although Legends was the official canon before its 2014 rebranding, as far as Lucasfilm was concerned, George Lucas himself has been ambivalent towards the properties. Lucas has been infamously dismissive towards continuity in general and has made contradictory statements towards Legends-era storylines and characters, yet his Star Wars movies have directly acknowledged Legends-era non-movie materials numerous times.

Lucas used Timothy Zahn’s name of Coruscant for the ecumenopolis capital of the Republic and Empire and brought Aayla Secura from the Republic comics into the prequels, among many other things. The Siege of Saleucami was not only an exciting Legends-era comic story arc, but also a creative form of continuity maintenance, tying the original descriptions of the Clone Wars into the prequel trilogy’s depiction of the conflict. By referencing the Siege of Saleucami in Revenge of the Sith, Lucas further legitimized the storyline, even if he was not always consistently supportive of Star Wars Legends.