Star Wars — Episode II: Attack of the Clones ending explained

Just after reviving its franchise in 1999 with The Phantom Menace, Star Wars was back once again with the follow-up to that movie, Episode II: Attack of the Clones.

In this film, we pick up about 10 years after the events of The Phantom Menace. Anakin Skywalker is progressing through his Jedi training quite well as a Padawan, and he and his Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, make an incredible duo in the Jedi Order.

But of course, peace doesn’t last for long. And after an assassination attempt happens against Padme Amidala, Anakin and Obi-Wan are tasked with protecting the Naboo senator. As events progress, Anakin is then personally assigned to guard Padme on her home planet to keep her safe. And Obi-Wan investigates who’s behind the attempt, eventually stumbling upon the creation of the clone army and Jango Fett himself. By the end of the movie, an enormous battle against the Separatist droids erupts on Geonosis. And in the final moments, we see Padme and Anakin marry on Naboo, despite the rules of the Jedi.

This, of course, is just a quick explanation of events in Attack of the Clones. But there’s more to explore in the context of the prequels and the Skywalker saga as a whole.

Star Wars: Episode II ending explained

Several major story plot points were brought up in the movie, the biggest of them being the start of the Clone Wars. The Battle of Geonosis is considered to be the first-ever battle of the Clone Wars, as it was Dooku’s Separatist droids against the Grand Army of the Republic’s brand new clones.

Star Wars — Episode III: Revenge of the Sith skips over much of the warfare that goes on during this era. But the animated series The Clone Wars dives right into all of the battles and events that happened between the two movies.

Additionally, more seeds were planted about Palpatine’s control over the senate. Dooku himself revealed that a “Darth Sidious” was silently controlling the senate, and it made Obi-Wan and the others begin to wonder if that was the truth and who that figure was. As we know, once Palpatine gains order of the senate, he eventually uses that to turn it into his Empire, sparking the events of the original trilogy. But that isn’t for another two movies.

Lastly, we also begin to see hints of Anakin’s rise to the Dark Side. There’s the instance where he goes to Tatooine and slaughters the entire camp of Tusken Raiders that kidnapped his mother. And as he shows no remorse for that action, we know it’s only a slippery slope from there as the Dark Side seduces him.

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