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Synopsis:
War! The Republic is crumbling under attacks by the
ruthless Sith Lord, Count Dooku. There are heroes on
both sides. Evil is everywhere.
In a stunning move, the fiendish droid leader, General
Grievous, has swept into the Republic capital and
kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine, leader of the Galactic
Senate.
As the Separatist Droid Army attempts to flee the
besieged capital with their valuable hostage, two Jedi
Knights lead a desperate mission to rescue the captive
Chancellor...
The Galactic Republic
is in the midst of an epic war, the Clone Wars, with the
Confederacy of Independent Systems under the leadership
of the Sith Lord, Count Dooku. The Confederacy's cyborg
military leader, General Grievous of the Separatist
Droid Army has infiltrated Coruscant and captured
Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, leader of the Galactic
Senate.
As the Droid Army attempts to escape Coruscant, a
massive space battle erupts, into which race Jedi Knight
Anakin Skywalker and Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, leading
a mission to rescue the Chancellor. The two Jedi crash
land into the hangar of the Trade Federation Cruiser
Invisible Hand, the Separatist flagship. Anakin and
Obi-Wan make their way through the flagship, fighting
through an army of droids. The Jedi reach the General's
Quarters, finding the captive Chancellor Palpatine. They
are confronted by Dooku himself, and a lightsaber battle
ensues. During the battle, Obi-Wan is rendered
unconscious when Dooku uses the Force to hold him in
mid-air before hurling him against a railing.
Anakin continues the battle, winning the duel by giving
in to his anger, cutting off Dooku's hands and taking
the Sith Lord's lightsaber. With Dooku on his knees,
Anakin scissors the lightsabers to Dooku's neck, and,
with encouragement from Palpatine, beheads the helpless
Count.
An explosion occurs deep in the ship, brought on by the
attacks of the Republic battle cruisers, causing the
Invisible Hand to begin an uncontrolled descent into
Coruscant. Despite Palpatine's persuasions that he
should leave him, Anakin carries the unconscious Obi-Wan
on his back, and manoeuvres through the ship with the
Chancellor. Obi-Wan later regains consciousness.
After Grievous has the bridge crew regain control of his
flagship, he makes certain the two Jedi and their ward
are captured. Having fallen foul of a ray shield trap,
the three are brought to the bridge under custody, but
R2 successfully creates a distraction, allowing the Jedi
to retrieve their lightsabers and break free. The Jedi
close in on Grievous, though the wily General smashes a
window and is swept outside. Using an escape pod,
Grievous speeds for the safety of a Trade Federation
battleship. Once again, the Invisible Hand begins to
descend in a free-fall into Coruscant, but Anakin takes
the controls and pilots the ship into a hard landing on
Coruscant.
On Coruscant Anakin meets secretly with his wife Padmé
Amidala and they share a kiss in the shadows of the
Republic Executive Building, keeping their love secret.
She reveals to him that she is pregnant with their
child. Later, Anakin awakens in a panic, covered in
sweat. He reveals to Padmé that he has been dreaming
about her dying in childbirth, and he vows not to let
this dream come true.
The Senate has granted Chancellor Palpatine further
emergency powers, giving him direct control of the Jedi
High Council. Palpatine confides in Anakin his fear,
distrust, and contempt of the Masters. He appoints
Anakin to be his personal representative on the Council.
The High Council begrudgingly accepts Anakin's
appointment, but does not grant him the rank of Master.
Anakin reacts angrily at this perceived slight. Ignoring
his outburst, the Council goes on to discuss matters
concerning the war. It is decided that Anakin will be
assigned to protect the Chancellor, and Yoda will take a
battalion of clones to reinforce the Wookiees on
Kashyyyk. Anakin is angry and disappointed. Obi-Wan
later tells Anakin that the Council wants Anakin to
report on all the Chancellor's dealings, essentially
spying on him. Anakin is confused and upset, feeling
torn between two friends and loyalties. Obi-Wan himself
is unhappy with the situation.
Later, Anakin joins Palpatine and is told that their
Clone Intelligence units have located General Grievous
and that he's hiding in the Utapau system. Anakin is
excited that they may finally be able to capture
Grievous and end the war. Palpatine tells Anakin that
he'd question the competence of the Jedi Council if they
don't send him for the mission. Palpatine continues to
seduce Anakin to the dark side, making him mistrust the
Jedi by telling him that the Order wishes to overthrow
the Republic and that if he has suspected it, Anakin
must surely have sensed it. Anakin confirms that the
Jedi don't trust him, a fact that Palpatine expands to
include the Senate, the Republic and democracy as a
whole. Anakin tells Palpatine that his trust in the Jedi
has been shaken and Palpatine deduces that the Council
wants Anakin to spy on him and that it makes Anakin feel
dishonest. Palpatine takes Anakin back to some of the
early political lessons Palpatine tried to teach him,
about how all those who gain power are afraid to lose it
and that includes the Jedi. But Anakin tries to defend
the Jedi by saying they use their powers for good. But
according to Palpatine good is only a point of view,
noting that in almost every conceivable manner,
including a quest for greater power, the Sith and the
Jedi are exactly alike. Anakin compares them by saying
that the Sith depend on their passions for their
strength and they only think of themselves whereas the
Jedi are selfless, thinking only of others. Palpatine
asks if Anakin has ever heard the tragedy of Darth
Plagueis The Wise and Anakin says he hasn't. Palpatine
describes how Darth Plagueis was so powerful and wise
that he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians
to create life, having such power and knowledge of the
dark side that he could use it to save people he cared
about from death. When Anakin asks if it is possible to
learn the power to stop death, Palpatine simply replies,
"Not from a Jedi," further alienating Anakin
from the Jedi Order.
Obi-Wan is sent with a clone task force to Utapau to
capture Grievous and after a fierce fight between droids
and clonetroopers and droid leader and Jedi, Grievous is
killed.
On Coruscant, Anakin tells Palpatine that General
Grievous has been killed on Utapau. But their
conversation shifts to Palpatine's knowledge of the
Force, and it is revealed that he is the Sith Lord,
Darth Sidious. Upon realizing this, Anakin ignites his
lightsaber and threatens to kill Palpatine, but then
decides to expose him to the Jedi Council. He is still
concerned with saving his wife, and believes only
Palpatine's knowledge, learned from the late Darth
Plagueis, will ensure this.
Anakin returns to the Jedi Temple and informs Mace Windu
that Palpatine is the Sith Lord whereupon Mace and three
Jedi Masters attempt to arrest Palpatine. In the ensuing
conflict Sidious kills all but Mace and just as Mace is
about to strike down Sidious, Anakin makes his choice
between the Jedi Order or saving Padmé, and kills Mace.
Anakin is horrified by his actions, yet he knows now
there is no turning back. He pledges allegiance to
Palpatine, in return for the Dark Lord's power.
Palpatine takes Anakin as his Sith apprentice, bestowing
upon him the Sith name Darth Vader. Palpatine sends
Vader to launch an assault on the Jedi Temple, ensuring
the so-called Jedi Rebellion is squashed. Palpatine
broadcasts Order 66 to all clone commanders: the Jedi
must be killed immediately.
Across the galaxy, clone troopers turn against their
Jedi Generals. On Utapau and Kashyyyk both Obi-Wan and
Yoda survive their assassination attempts, but are
forced into hiding from the clone troopers. Witnessing
the slaughter of Jedi Padawans at the Jedi Temple,
Senator Bail Organa departs Coruscant onboard Tantive IV
in an attempt to make contact with any surviving Jedi.
Organa picks up both Yoda and Obi-Wan and returns to
Coruscant and the remains of the Jedi Temple in order to
switch off a Jedi beacon. There they learn the truth of
both Palpatine's and Anakin's betrayals. Yoda decides to
confront Palpatine, now Emperor of the first Galactic
Empire, while Obi-Wan follows Padmé and Vader to
Mustafar where Vader is to kill the remaining Separatist
leaders.
Unfortunately, Yoda is unable to defeat the Sith Lord
and is forced to retreat. On Mustafar Vader kills the
Separatist leaders but when he learns that Padmé has
followed him, along with Obi-Wan, he believes she has
betrayed him to Obi-Wan and he unleashes his anger upon
her with a Force strangle that nearly kills her. Obi-Wan
intervenes to protect Padmé and the two friends now
fight each other. After a dramatic struggle Obi-Wan
finally overpowers Vader and slices through his legs and
arms. Leaving Vader to die in the lava pools, Obi-Wan
collects the dying Padmé and leaves Mustafar.
Meanwhile, Palpatine senses Vader's pain and recovers
Vader's body from the lava.
Regrouping on the isolated asteroid Polis Massa Obi-Wan,
Bail Organa and Yoda witness Padmé giving birth to
twins, Luke and Leia, before she dies. Elsewhere Vader
is encased in his armoured black life-support suit. Bail
Organa agrees to take Leia as his own daughter while
Obi-Wan is to take Luke to Tatooine and his aunt and
uncle, and to watch over him. During their exile both
Yoda and Obi-Wan are to learn a new Force skill from
Obi-Wan's previous master, Qui-Gon Jinn, that of
immortality in the Force.
Synopsis abridged
from Wookieepedia
entry. |