The Star Wars Legends continuity significantly enhances Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith with added context for the prequel trilogy’s final installment. Revenge of the Sith closes the book on the Star Wars saga’s prequel era, showing the tragic end of the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order, as well as the corruption of Anakin Skywalker.

In the real world, Revenge of the Sith was surrounded by supplementary material – mostly from the original Clone Wars multimedia project – which improved the viewing experience of the already-great film for those who followed said material. In 2005, what is now known as Star Wars Legends was called the Expanded Universe, and its various non-movie materials were officially canon.

In April 2014, however, the Star Wars franchise was partially rebooted, and while Revenge of the Sith itself (along with the rest of the saga films) remained canon to both timelines, nearly all other Star Wars properties became part of an alternate timeline. Despite this, Legends-era stories remain popular, with the original Star Wars continuity recontextualizing Revenge of the Sith in the following ways.

25

The Clone Wars Multimedia Project Extensively Explored The Clone Wars

While the prequel films only show the beginning and portions of the end of the Clone Wars, the Legends continuity’s Clone Wars multimedia project comprehensively explored the full-scale war in multiple exciting properties. These included various Dark Horse comics, such as the Star Wars: Republic series, as well as multiple video games and novels. The original Star Wars: Clone Wars microseries brought the Clone Wars to television in 25 chapters, with the final four chapters leading directly into the opening of Revenge of the Sith.

24

Who Were The “Heroes On Both Sides?”

Revenge of the Sith’s opening crawl mentions “heroes on both sides” of the Clone Wars, which is a seemingly odd statement, considering how vile the Separatist leadership is. Yet there were citizens and soldiers of the CIS who believed the Separatist movement, which divided the galaxy, was a just cause.

One such heroic Separatist, an unnamed Viidaav military commander, appears in the aptly-тιтled “Heroes on Both Sides” comic story.

Naturally, there were Separatists who acted heroically. One such heroic Separatist, an unnamed Viidaav military commander, appears in the aptly-тιтled “Heroes on Both Sides” comic story. The commander sacrificed his life to save his troops, the beings of the planet Viidaav, and even the Republic forces on the planet.

23

The Clone Wars Microseries Showed General Grievous’ Brutal Kidnapping Of Palpatine

The Battle of Coruscant and General Grievous’ kidnapping of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine is shown in James Luceno’s novel Labyrinth of Evil and the final three chapters of Clone Wars. As Republic and Separatist forces clashed in space, a vicious surface battle took place simultaneously, though both were a mᴀssive, costly, distraction to allow General Grievous to abduct Palpatine.

Coruscant debuted in Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire before making its live-action debut in the 1997 special edition of Return of the Jedi.

Grievous and his MagnaGuards viciously kill Jedi, clone troopers, and a Senate Guard before capturing Palpatine. Mace Windu, however, briefly encounters Grievous, inflicting a critical wound on his organs that leaves him with his signature cough.

22

General Grievous’ Tragic Backstory In Star Wars Legends

General Grievous’ original backstory makes him a tragic figure. Grievous’ people, the Kaleesh, fought against Yam’rii invaders during the Huk War, which claimed the life of the Kaleesh warrior Ronderu lij Kummar, who Grievous loved. In their desperation to win the war, the Yam’rii used political connections to bring the Republic and Jedi to their side, ending the war and leaving Grievous with a bitter hatred of all parties.

Grievous’ body would be ravaged by a shuttle bombing years later, necessitating his cybernetic reconstruction. The bombing was secretly orchestrated by Dooku and falsely attributed to the Jedi and Republic.

21

“Sith Lords Are Our Specialty”

Obi-Wan’s quip about Sith Lords before dueling Count Dooku references more than Darth Maul. While Dooku and Maul are the only true Sith Lords Obi-Wan battled at that point, he and Anakin did encounter other technical members of the Sith Order during the Clone Wars.

The most famous of these unofficial Sith is Asajj Ventress, a Rattataki who disappeared after the Battle of Boz Pity. Dooku trained numerous Dark Acolytes during the Clone Wars to serve as elite Separatist operatives, with some, like Sora Bulq, being former Jedi.

20

When Was The Last Time Anakin & Dooku Met?

Anakin Skywalker claims that his power has doubled since the last time he faced Count Dooku, and in the Legends continuity, Anakin had not truly dueled Dooku since the Battle of Geonosis. A month after the Clone Wars began, Anakin initiated a duel with Dooku on Raxus Prime, but the battle lasted only a few seconds before Anakin was incapacitated by a blaster set to stun.

Months later, Anakin fought and killed a dark side-generated doppelgänger of Count Dooku. These duels appear in the video games Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: The New Droid Army.

19

An Imperial Naval Officer From The Empire Strikes Back Nearly Brought Down General Grievous

After Dooku’s death, a Republic Venator-class Star Destroyer battles Grievous’ flagship, the Invisible Hand. As revealed in Matthew Stover’s novelization of Revenge of the Sith, this Venator was captained by Lorth Needa, a Lieutenant Commander at the time.

Needa stood up to Grievous himself, demanding evidence that Palpatine was alive, unharmed, and present aboard the Invisible Hand before opening fire on the Separatist dreadnaught when Grievous provided no such evidence. Needa would later become a captain in the Imperial Navy and, as shown in The Empire Strikes Back, be executed by Darth Vader after failing to capture the Millennium Falcon.

18

The Siege Of Saleucami Connects Revenge Of The Sith To The Thrawn Trilogy

After the report on the Outer Rim Sieges, Obi-Wan Kenobi references a conflict on Saleucami. This seemingly minor line actually references a Republic storyline that patches up a major continuity snarl in the Legends timeline, specifically regarding the nature of the clone army.

The Separatist clones were not grown from the template of Jango Fett, but instead that of Bok, a ᴅᴇᴀᴅly Nikto warrior and a member of the Morgukai secret society.

Timothy Zahn’s iconic Thrawn trilogy describes the Clone Wars significantly differently from the prequel films and other Legends-era properties, but the Siege of Saleucami arc kept the Thrawn trilogy’s version of the Clone Wars canonical – albeit recontextualized as a portion of the Clone Wars which saw Jedi Knights and clone troopers battling Separatist-aligned clone soldiers known as the Morgukai Shadow Army.

17

Anakin Was Not The First Knight On The Jedi Council

Anakin Skywalker infamously protests the decision to grant him a seat on the Jedi Council, but not the rank of Jedi Master. The Revenge of the Sith novelization makes this moment far more meaningful, as Anakin sought the rank solely to allow him to access otherwise restricted Jedi knowledge in his search for a way to save Padmé.

Anakin is also notably incorrect to say that no Jedi has been part of the Council without being a Master. In Legends, Ki-Adi-Mundi took the seat of Micah Giiett when he was only a Knight, though he eventually earned the rank of Master.

16

Yoda’s History With The Wookiees

When Jedi Grandmaster Yoda elects to defend the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk from the Separatists, he references having “good relations” with the species. Indeed, Yoda was once the Jedi Watchman of Kashyyyk.

Kashyyyk itself makes its second live-action appearance in Revenge of the Sith. The planet’s first appearance (live-action or otherwise) is in The Star Wars Holiday Special.

Jedi Watchmen, who are often yet not exclusively Jedi Sentinels (since Yoda was a Consular rather than a Sentinel), are Jedi who guard a specific planet or system. Yoda’s past as the Jedi Watchman of Kashyyyk earned him the тιтle of Defender of the Home Tree, a high honor from the Wookiee species.

15

Who Was Darth Plagueis?

Palpatine famously tells Anakin Skywalker the “Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise” to entice him to join the Sith. Darth Plagueis, originally known as Hego Damask II, was extensively characterized in James Luceno’s novel Darth Plagueis, which also thoroughly explored the life of Palpatine himself.

Palpatine did indeed murder Plagueis in his sleep shortly after becoming Supreme Chancellor. It was thanks to Darth Plagueis’s teachings that Palpatine returned from the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ multiple times after Return of the Jedi, as shown in Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy’s Dark Empire comics.

14

Star Wars Legends Humanized Clone Troopers

The modern Star Wars canon did an excellent job of humanizing clone troopers in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, but the Legends continuity did this first. Throughout properties like the Clone Wars microseries, Republic comics, and the Star Wars: Republic Commando video game, clone troopers of all ranks and varieties are demonstrably shown to possess free will.

The minimally-modified ARC troopers and the ARC trooper-trained clone commanders expressed individuality the most often and overtly. Even standard clone troopers, however, were shown to be good men who formed strong friendships with their fellow clones and Jedi leaders.

13

General Grievous’ Training Under Count Dooku (& How He Lost To Obi-Wan Kenobi)

Before dueling Obi-Wan Kenobi on Utapau, General Grievous notes that Count Dooku trained him in lightsaber combat. The Clone Wars microseries shows Grievous’ training in one of its best scenes, with Dooku tutoring the General not only in technique but also psychological warfare.

This showed Grievous how to gain the advantage over Jedi by intimidating them first to keep them off-balance.

This showed Grievous how to gain the advantage over Jedi by intimidating them first to keep them off-balance. Dooku also stressed that Grievous should retreat if he lacked this advantage, and Grievous’ failure to heed this advice resulted in him being defeated by Mace Windu on Coruscant and Obi-Wan on Utapau.

12

The Secret Sith Artifacts Palpatine Displayed In His Office

Palpatine’s suite in the Republic Executive Building notably contains several ancient Sith artifacts. These include a Sith incense burner, statues of the Four Sages of Dwartii (who were revered by the Sith), a large Mᴀssᴀssi sculpture gruesomely depicting the Great Hyperspace War, and even a pair of Sith urns – one of which contains the ashes of Darth Plagueis.

Palpatine openly displayed these Sith artifacts as an act of mockery, as he knew the Jedi who frequently visited his suite would not recognize them. Sith history and culture had fallen into obscurity in the millennium after the Ruusan campaign.

11

Who Were The Jedi Who Confronted Palpatine With Mace Windu?

The three ill-fated Jedi Masters who confront Palpatine alongside Mace Windu each have a rich history in the Legends continuity. Agen Kolar is shown to be one of the Jedi Order’s finest lightsaber (and hand-to-hand) combatants in the Republic comics. Saesee Tiin is similarly renowned for his brute strength in lightsaber combat and for being one of the Jedi Order’s best pilots.

Kit Fisto is one of the finest pracтιтioners of lightsaber combat Form I – Shii-Cho, and an astounding combatant who led the Republic to victory in numerous battles. Palpatine was simply faster and more skilled than all three.

10

Mace Windu & Palpatine’s Powerful Lightsaber Combat Forms

Palpatine and Mace Windu both use different versions of lightsaber combat Form VII. Palpatine’s preferred Form is Juyo, fittingly seen as the signature fighting style of Sith Lords. Juyo is extremely aggressive, and its users augment their ferocity with the Force (or, more often, the dark side).

Unsurprisingly, practicing Juyo is extremely rare and highly frowned upon by Jedi, but Mace Windu created and uses a variant of Juyo called Vaapad. This form is extremely difficult to master, but allows Jedi to use a Juyo-like Form without tapping into the dark side.

9

How Sith Lords Get Their Names

When granting Anakin Skywalker Sith Lordship and his Darth тιтle, Palpatine pauses before renaming him Darth Vader. As explained in the Revenge of the Sith novelization, Palpatine received this name from the dark side of the Force itself at this moment. As other properties, like the Darth Plagueis novel, show, this process is a Sith tradition when one becomes a true Sith Lord.

8

Star Wars Legends Makes Order 66 Far More Tragic

The Order 66 montage shows Jedi across the galaxy being ᴀssᴀssinated by their clone officers, and each Jedi has a rich history in the Legends continuity. In some cases, the Jedi in question had strong friendships with their clone officers, making the sudden betrayal far more tragic.

Aayla Secura herself debuted in the Legends-era Republic comics before appearing in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.

Aayla Secura, for instance, was friends with Commander Bly, and the two fought together on numerous battlefields, as shown in the Republic comics.

7

What Compelled Clone Troopers To Betray The Jedi In Star Wars Legends?

The modern canon explored the mechanism of Order 66 in detail, revealing that clone troopers were brainwashed to follow the order and become loyal minions of the Empire due to a brain implant. The Legends continuity similarly established that clones were brainwashed, but the method was less clear.

Legends-era properties never mention an implant, but they do reference some form of indoctrination, confirming that the clones are good men in their right minds. The original Legends lore also establishes that Order 66 is not a secret, but rather one of 150 known contingency orders for the Clone Army.

6

Bail Organa’s Aide Is The Mother Of Winter (Princess Leia’s Best Friend & Trusted Agent)

After his brief (and nearly fatal) visit to the Jedi Temple during Order 66, Bail Organa leaves Coruscant to seek the surviving Jedi. Bail Organa is accompanied by several aides aboard his consular ship, including Raymus Antilles and Sheltay Retrac. The latter is the mother of Winter, who becomes a childhood friend and later trusted agent of Princess Leia. Winter appears in numerous properties, debuting in the Thrawn trilogy.