Star Wars Fans Still Disappointed Revenge of the Sith Didn’t Solve This Mystery

Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith left a major mystery hanging at the end of the prequel trilogy, and when you think about it, it’s a pretty egregious omission. The trilogy is all about the Clone Wars — their buildup, the fallout, and the eventual conquest of the Sith — yet we never actually learn why the clone army was commissioned in the first place. Of course, this question has been answered in other Star Wars media, but it’s still odd that it wasn’t important enough to reveal in the movies. We learned about Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas in Episode II — Attack of the Clones, so it definitely feels like an answer is coming. As fans revisit Revenge of the Sith this weekend, many are wondering how this loose thread was left hanging.

In Episode II, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker foil a plot to assassinate Senator Padme Amidala, but when they catch the assailant, she is killed with a unique poison dart by bounty hunter Jango Fett, who was watching from the shadows. That projectile leads Obi-Wan to the planet Kamino to investigate. When he arrives, the Kaminoan cloners assume he is there to check up on their progress on creating a clone army for the Jedi High Council.

Obi-Wan learns that this army was commissioned by Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas over a decade earlier. Sifo-Dyas had been a member of the Jedi High Council at the time, and had ordered the army on their authority even though he was acting alone. In the movie, the whole council is surprised and disturbed by this revelation, especially since Sifo-Dyas had been missing for years at that point. Still, with war looming, the Jedi reluctantly employed the clones to fight on the side of the Republic. Only later did they realize they had been deceived, when the Emperor activated a sleeper agent code within all the clones to turn on their Jedi commanders and kill them.

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At the time, many fans expected this kind of betrayal to be accompanied by a revelation of why Sifo-Dyas commissioned the clone army and how the plan was corrupted by Darth Sidious. It was not explained within the movie itself, and it’s bothering fans all over again this week as they celebrate the 20th anniversary of Revenge of the Sith. The movie is playing in theaters throughout the country this week, and the re-watch has brought this issue back to light.

In one Reddit post, fans even revealed their own theories and assumptions from the time when the movie was first released. Many believed Sifo-Dyas had been killed by the Sith, and that either Palpatine or Dooku had used his name to order the clone army. Others believed through context clues that this was an alias for Qui-Gon Jinn.

The truth, according to the latest canonical material we have, is that Sifo-Dyas was particularly gifted in the power of foresight, and he foresaw the war against the Sith years in advance. He wanted the Republic to be prepared, but his proposal for a clone army was denied by the Jedi Council. Sifo-Dyas then commissioned the army himself in secret, hoping he could be forgiven later, but in the meantime, Palpatine and Dooku learned of his scheme.

The Sith duo took control of the cloning project, with Dooku meeting with the Kaminoans posing as another Jedi. He ordered them to alter the clones’ behavior modification biochips to include Order 66, so that the emperor could wipe out the Jedi when the time was right. The clones would then go on to become the first Storm Troopers.

This is all interesting information, and it definitely would have had a dramatic impact if it was revealed towards the end of Revenge of the Sith. However, fans are under no illusions that this movie is perfect, and they love it all the more for that. Revenge of the Sith is playing now in theaters around the U.S., while the entire Skywalker Saga is streaming now on Disney+.