Editing Clone Wars (section)

== Concept and development ==
The first reference to the Clone Wars is in ''Star Wars'' creator [[George Lucas]]' third draft of [[Star Wars (film)|the first film]], which mentions the grizzled cyborg General Kenobi's "diary of the Clone Wars".<ref>{{harvnb|Taylor|2014|p=122}}</ref> The wars were mentioned twice briefly in the final version of the film, referring to [[Obi-Wan Kenobi]] as a general who served [[Princess Leia|Leia Organa]]'s (then-unnamed) father [[Bail Organa]] during the conflict.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url = https://www.starwars.com/clonewars/about/whatarecw.html|title = What are the Clone Wars?|access-date = December 9, 2015|website = StarWars.com|publisher = [[LucasFilm]]|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060717014316/http://www.starwars.com/clonewars/about/whatarecw.html|archive-date = July 17, 2006}}</ref> In drafting ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'' (1980), Lucas considered introducing a clone character who had been involved with the Clone Wars.<ref>{{harvnb|Taylor|2014|p=231}}</ref> [[Leigh Brackett]]'s first draft of the film initially developed [[Lando Calrissian]] as a clone from a planet of clones involved in the Clone Wars mentioned in ''A New Hope'' and were nearly made extinct by the war.<ref>{{cite book |last= Bouzereau|first= Laurent|year= 1997|title= Star Wars: The Annotated History|publisher= [[Ballantine Books]]|isbn= 978-0345409812|page=196}}</ref> [[Boba Fett]] was also initially considered as being from a group of [[shock troops|shocktroopers]] nearly wiped out by [[Jedi]] during the Clone Wars.<ref>{{harvnb|Kaminski|2008|p=171}}</ref> However, these concepts were not included in the final version of the film. Lucas was more guarded about the details of the Clone Wars than any other element of ''Star Wars'',<ref name="taylor124">{{harvnb|Taylor|2014|p=124}}</ref> even making them off-limits to licensed products and books.<ref>{{harvnb|Taylor|2014|pp=288–289}}</ref>

Lucas has noted that [[Palpatine]]'s rise to power is similar to that of [[Adolf Hitler]] in [[Nazi Germany]]; as [[Chancellor of Germany]], the latter was granted "[[Enabling Act of 1933|emergency powers]]", as is Palpatine.<ref name = "DVDcom">''Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'' DVD commentary featuring George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Rob Coleman, John Knoll and Roger Guyett, [2005]</ref> Lucas has also said that one of the primary influences for the political backdrop behind the Clone Wars, and all of ''Star Wars,'' was the [[Vietnam War]] and [[Watergate scandal]] era, when leaders embraced corruption for what they thought was the best course of action.<ref name="commondreams.org">{{Cite news|url=http://www.backstage.com/news/wars-raises-questions-on-us-policy/|title='Wars' Raises Questions on US Policy|first=David|date=May 16, 2005|agency=Associated Press|last=Germain|access-date=June 30, 2016|website=[[Backstage (magazine)|Backstage]]|publisher=Backstage, LLC|archive-date=August 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160814015526/http://www.backstage.com/news/wars-raises-questions-on-us-policy/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="cnn">{{Cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/05/16/cannes.starwars/|title=Lucas on Iraq war, 'Star Wars'|date=May 16, 2005|publisher=CNN|first=Chris|last=Burns|access-date=June 30, 2016|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304002356/http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/05/16/cannes.starwars/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2002, Lucas said:

{{quote|All democracies turn into dictatorships—but not by coup. The people give their democracy to a dictator, whether it's [[Julius Caesar]] or [[Napoleon]] or Adolf Hitler. Ultimately, the general population goes along with the idea. What kinds of things push people and institutions in this direction? That's the issue I've been exploring: how did the Republic turn into the Empire? ... How does a good person go bad, and how does a democracy become a dictatorship?<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1002323,00.html|title=Dark Victory|last1=Corliss|first1=Richard|date=April 29, 2002|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|last2=Cagle|first2=Jess|issue=17|volume=159|issn=0040-781X|url-access=subscription|last3=Ressner|first3=Jeffrey|via=[[EBSCO Information Services|EBSCOhost]]|access-date=June 30, 2016|archive-date=June 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609030049/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1002323,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

The clone forces shown at the conclusion of ''Attack of the Clones'' comprised the largest digital army created for a film at that point.<ref name="taylor338"/> Lucas proposed to concept artists that ''Revenge of the Sith'' would open with a montage of seven battles on seven planets.<ref>{{harvnb|Rinzler|2005|pp=13–15}}</ref> Lucas then radically re-organized the plot;<ref>{{harvnb|Rinzler|2005|p=36}}</ref> instead of opening the film with various Clone Wars battles, Lucas decided instead to focus on [[Darth Vader|Anakin Skywalker]].<ref>{{harvnb|Kaminski|2008|pp=380–384}}</ref> The absence of the "seven battles on seven planets" in part led to Lucas's decision to launch the CGI-animated ''Clone Wars'' television series; Lucas said the cartoon could "do better" at depicting the conflict.<ref>{{harvnb|Taylor|2014|p=375}}</ref>