Three years after Star Wars: The Phantom Menace brought a whole new generation on its first trip to a galaxy far, far away, the prequel trilogy took its next step forward with Attack of the Clones. Unfortunately, much like its predecessor, Episode II isn’t remembered all that fondly by many in the fan community.
Still, regardless of whether you loved or hated the film, there are quite a bit of behind-the-scenes facts that even the most hardcore Star Wars fans probably aren’t aware of. So, with that in mind, here are 10 things you might not know about Attack of the Clones:
An Unlikely Teacher
When we first meet Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back (we’ll ignore the dreaded Holiday Special), he’s quite the skilled bounty hunter. As it turns out, though, it wasn’t just his father who taught him the tricks of the trade. According to George Lucas, Boba takes note of Obi-Wan hiding from Jango Fett in Geonosis’ asteroid field, which is why he isn’t fooled by Han Solo in Episode V when the scoundrel uses a similar approach to evade the Empire.
Bring on the Clones?
It’s no secret that Attack of the Clones makes heavy, heavy use of CGI. However, the full extent of the film’s digital imagery is actually quite staggering. For instance, every single Clone Trooper in the Battle of Geonosis is computer generated. In fact, zero Clone Trooper suits were even built for the film. Instead, Industrial Light & Magic employees simply wore Clone Trooper helmets and, in some instances, boots, and the rest was all rendered digitally.
Saber Swap
There’s a lot going on during the Battle of Geonosis, so you’d be forgiven if you missed this. However, eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed that when Ki Adi Mundi first ignites his lightsaber in the arena, it’s blue. Then, after Yoda and the Clone Troopers arrive, it’s green. Finally, when he boards the ship, it’s blue again.
Say My Name
Nute Gunray and Shmi Skywalker appear in both The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. Oddly enough, though, neither character is referred to by name until the latter film.
‘I Want a Purple One’
This one has started to become common knowledge, but the reason Mace Windu wields a purple lightsaber is that Samuel L. Jackson wanted to be able to identify himself onscreen during the Battle of Geonosis’ hectic arena melee. He specifically requested this from Lucas, and when he was told that Jedi lightsabers only came in blue and green, he simply said, “Yeah, but I want a purple one.” The rest, as they say, is history.
The Origin of Sifo-Dyas
Although we never truly meet Sifo-Dyas in Attack of the Clones, he plays an important role. In the film, it’s stated that he’s the one who ordered the creation of the Clone Army, despite the rest of the Jedi Order believing him long dead. Initially, though, the name “Sifo-Dyas” was “Sido-Dyas,” which was an alias of Darth Sidious. The “Sifo” prefix was the result of a simple typo, but Lucas liked the name and used it to expand upon the Clone Trooper subplot by creating the Sifo-Dyas character.
The Droid Factory
Some fans have complained that the droid factory scene in Attack of the Clones feels out of place. Well, that could be because it was hastily added to the film during reshoots. You see, Lucas felt the pacing was off so he added the droid factory scene during the planned reshoots, but the pre-visualization had to be rushed. What’s more, the live-action shots were done in under five hours.
Master and Apprentice
Lucas and company when through several concepts while developing the character of Count Dooku. At one point, he was intended to be a female Sith Lord, and while the idea was eventually scratched, elements of it were later used to create his apprentice, the fan-favorite Asajj Ventress.
The End of an Era
While not a huge bit of trivia, it’s worth noting that Attack of the Clones is the last Star Wars film to be released on VHS cassette and to earn a PG rating from the MPAA (subsequent films have all been PG-13).
Bye Bye Bye
In December 2001, when the boy band *NSYNC was still at the height of its popularity, it was rumored that several members of the group would be extras in Attack of the Clones. This was later confirmed by Lucasfilm, and while Joey Fatone, JC Chasez, and Chris Kirkpatrick did film scenes, they were cut from the film, largely believed to be a result of fan backlash.