[CGnews]

Mentioned twice in passing in the original Star Wars movie, the Clone Wars have remained a tantalizing enigma, an element of the prequel trilogy that, until now, has remained tightly under wraps. Fans have been longing to explore this era for decades, but the Clone Wars have been roped off from storytellers until all the pieces of the new Star Wars trilogy were in place.

Episode II ignited the Clone Wars, exploding on the screen as the Battle of Geonosis, the first engagement of the lengthy conflict. It was the largest ground battle ever depicted in a Star Wars movie to date, with unending legions of clone troopers led into war by heroic Jedi Knights. Their opponents: the soulless droid army of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

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Attack of the Clones was just a prologue. In Episode III, viewers will see the climactic finale of the Clone Wars. The stories that take place between the Episodes are now being told, fittingly, between the releases of the films.

"General Kenobi, years ago you served my father in the Clone Wars..." – Princess Leia Organa

Like the Galactic Civil War waged by the Rebellion and the Empire, the Clone Wars are too big to contain in just the films. The Expanded Universe has now opened up the conflagration, chronicling the events in print, toys, games and television. Put together, the Clone Wars multimedia publishing program gives greater insight into a crucial time in the history of the galaxy, a time that will forever seal the fates of the Republic, the Jedi order, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.

The comics from Dark Horse Comics have already told of epic engagements on Jabiim, devastation on Naboo, and tales of valor from individual Jedi. Del Rey Books has started their Clone Wars novel with Shatterpoint, a dark look at the brutal face of war. Scholastic Inc. is chronicling the tales of young Boba Fett fighting to survive in the midst of the wars. Star Wars Insider has published original Clone Wars short fiction and continues to provide a look into the propaganda of both sides via HoloNet News. LucasArts Entertainment Company is letting gamers fight on the Clone War battlefields in various titles. Hasbro is giving collectors and young fans a chance to craft their own adventures with Clone Wars action figures and accessories.

And now, the Cartoon Network is bringing the Clone Wars to life in action-packed animation, the first time original Star Wars programming has been on television in fifteen years.

As Count Dooku says, "This is only the beginning." For more information and to get involved head over to http://www.starwars.com/clonewars - the Clone Wars central for online fans, bringing you the latest news, chronicling the latest battles, and collecting the excitement of this explosive new era in Star Wars storytelling.

Begun, the Clone Wars have.