Greetings,
Rebelscum fans! We’re continuing our coverage of the
Star Wars prequel saga with a week dedicated to
Attack of the Clones. Make sure to check out our “
Expand Your Mind” section exploring the film’s development, our “
Character Profile” spotlighting Count Dooku, and our “
Timeline Breakdown” which explored other connections to the Star Wars universe. Make sure to check out
Bobby’s videos adding additional commentary, and exploring the coolest
Attack of the Clones merchandise for collectors.
In “
Expand Your Mind,” I made my case for why
Attack of the Clones deserves another shot from
Star Wars fans who would place it lower among their rankings. It’s a more complex story about the events that directly precede a galactic conflict, showing Palpatine’s maneuvering of the galaxy’s weaknesses in order to orchestrate the Clone Wars. It's interesting to see Obi-Wan investigating the Kamino cloning practices, and new villains Count Dooku and Jango Fett became integral to
Star Wars mythology.
We’re considering our appreciation of
Episode II with some fun trivia about the film. Check out our “Force Facts” for
Attack of the Clones.
- George Lucas loyally stuck by his Gungan. The working title for Attack of the Clones was jokingly known as Jar Jar’s Great Adventure. Jar Jar plays an important role in the film in granting emergency powers to Palptaine, setting the stage for the creation of the Galactic Empire.
- Samuel L. Jackson specifically requested the use of a purple lightsaber. Lucas had informed him that Jedi lightsabers are either blue or green, but Jackson wanted a standout color in order to distinguish him as Yoda’s second-in-command.
- Kenny Baker only appears as R2-D2 during the wedding sequence. Baker’s role was more prominently featured in the behind-the-scenes mockumentary R2-D2: Beneath the Dome released on the Attack of the Clones initial DVD release.
- The teaser poster makes a continuity error. In the live-action teaser poster featuring Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala standing back-to-back, Anakin’s padawan braid is on the wrong side.
It was the first Star Wars film not to be the highest-grossing film of the year. In 2002, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Spider-Man all outgrossed Attack of the Clones.
- A few Jedi have names that are in-jokes. The Jedi Master that Jango Fett kills in the Geonosis arena is named Coleman Trebor, a reference to visual effects designer Rob Coleman. The Jedi young Liam’s name was a nod to to Qui-Gon Jinn actor Liam Neeson.
- It was the last Star Wars film to get a major VHS release. Revenge of the Sith was only released on VHS in international territories, but not in North America.
- It was heavily rumored that the pop band *NSYNC would have cameos. This has actually been confirmed by members of the band that some of them did in fact film scenes as extras, but they were eventually cut from the final edit. *NYSNC members parodied the prospect by appearing in a Saturday Night Live sketch in which they performed the parody song “I’m a Jedi Knight in these Jedi Days.”
- The novelization explores more of Shmi Skywalker’s life. R.A. Salvatore’s official novelization gives detail on Shmi’s happy marriage to Cliegg, C-3PO’s reconstruction, and Owen’s marriage to Beru.
- The death sticks dealer actually did manage to (somewhat) rethink his life as Obi-Wan suggested. In the Boba Fett novels, the death sticks dealer Elan Sleazebaggano supplies a young Fett with weaponry shortly after Jango’s death. The Expanded Universe describes him as a failed Coruscant medical student who lost his ways.
What do you think,
Rebelscum fans? What do you always look for when rewatching
Attack of the Clones? Do you have a favorite piece of trivia? Let us know in the
forums, and as always, may the Force be with you!
