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The Clone Wars are a series of fictional intragalactic battles in George Lucas's science fiction saga Star Wars. The conflict is first mentioned in the film, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977), but no details are given (except for the implication of clones being involved), and the wars themselves are not featured until the series' fifth and sixth films, Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005), the second and third episodes of the six-part Star Wars film series. The 2D animated microseries Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003–2005) and 3D CGI animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008–present), chronicle some of the war's major campaigns. Additional events and stories are detailed in a multimedia campaign consisting of Star Wars literature and video games. Many of the events featured have parallels in history, politics, and mythology from which Lucas and other writers drew inspiration.

The Clone Wars began during the Separatist Crisis when thousands of star systems seceded from the Galactic Republic to form the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS). The first battle occurs on the CIS planet Geonosis where the Republic's new clone army, led by Jedi generals, combats the Separatists' battle droids. War quickly spreads across the galaxy and eventually reaches the Republic's capital, Coruscant. The Clone Wars end shortly after the Great Jedi Purge with the Separatist Massacre on Mustafar and the establishment of the Galactic Empire. The events causing the war and those leading to its conclusion are orchestrated by Darth Sidious, the Sith alter ego of the Republic's chief executive, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.[1]

The beginnings of the war are first portrayed in the 1999 film The Phantom Menace as the Invasion of Theed and the Battle of Naboo. However, the real tension begins with the Separatist Crisis, a series of debates in the Galactic Republic that are referred to in Attack of the Clones, and began about two years prior to the start of that film. By the beginning of Attack of the Clones, many star systems have seceded and left the Republic. The tension caused by this secession eventually leads to the outbreak of war.[2] The war has different causes: The Republic's Chancellor Palpatine tells his people that the war began because of several different reasons such as the years of separation by the outer rim territories, as well as the separatists' capture of the Jedi and financing of rebellions by radical states within the Republic. While these are all true, Palpatine had covertly influenced and created these events with assistance from his secret apprentices.

At this point in the timeline of the Clone Wars, the Outer Rim Sieges are in full swing and numerous other battles rage across the galaxy. The Jedi are considered generals, far outranking clones in terms of battle prowess, and are spread thin across the galaxy. One of the key battles of the Outer Rim Sieges is the Battle of Utapau, depicted in Revenge of the Sith. During the battle, Obi-Wan strikes a crippling blow to the Confederacy by killing Grievous. However, the entire Battle of Utapau is a diversionary tactic, intended to remove Obi-Wan Kenobi from Anakin Skywalker's immediate circle of influence in order for Chancellor Palpatine to draw Anakin toward the dark side of the Force.