The Mysterious Case of Sifo-Dyas: Unraveling the Enigma of the Clone Army

The Enigma of Sifo-Dyas

It took 20 years, but Star Wars has finally wrapped up one of the biggest mysteries from Attack of the Clones. Faced with the Confederacy of Independent Systems led by Count Dooku, the Republic miraculously found itself with an entire clone army trained and ready to fight the droids of the Separatist Alliance. However, the creation of the army was mysteriously ordered by a Jedi Master.

The Enigma of Sifo-Dyas

Known as Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas, it took Star Wars quite a bit of time to fully flesh out Sifo-Dyas' origins and background as well as his involvement in the clone army. Although George Lucas had every intention of revealing Sifo-Dyas' role in Revenge of the Sith, the key context was ultimately cut. Instead, the mystery of Sifo-Dyas has finally been fully explained years later across multiple projects, some of them being quite recent additions to the Star Wars timeline and canon.

A hologram of Sifo-Dyas

Unveiling the Secrets

As seen in Attack of the Clones, Obi-Wan Kenobi arrives on the stormy ocean world of Kamino, home to the greatest cloning engineers in the galaxy. This was after a lengthy investigation into a bounty hunter (Jango Fett) who originated from this world and Obi-Wan's discovery that Kamino had been erased from the Jedi Archives, all signs pointing to a hidden conspiracy. Upon meeting the Kaminoans, Obi-Wan learned that the cloners had created a massive army on behalf of the Republic which had been ordered by one Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas a decade prior.

Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) brandishing his red lightsaber in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and Count Dooku (Corey Burton) brandishing his blue lightsaber in Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi..

However, the details surrounding Sifo-Dyas were never revealed in Attack of the Clones, and they were omitted in Revenge of the Sith. For a significant period of time, the specifics behind Dooku and Jango Fett's involvement were left somewhat ambiguous, as well as Darth Sidious' role considering the entire Clone Wars and both sides were secretly manipulated by Palpatine himself as the precursor that set up his rise to power, eventually turning the Republic into his very own Empire.

Sifo-Dyas's corpse in the Star Wars comic The Eyes of Revolution.

The Tragic Betrayal

While the Dooku: Jedi Lost novel by Cavan Scott revealed more about Dooku's Jedi origins and background, it also revealed more about Sifo-Dyas' history as well. Tragically, Dooku and Sifo-Dyas were great friends and allies as they grew up in the Jedi Order, eventually becoming Jedi Knights and masters. However, while Dooku became more and more opposed to the Jedi Order's complacency and gradual compromise due to its service to the Republic, Sifo-Dyas became a member of the Jedi Council, largely due to his unique gift of premonition and foresight.

A young Count Dooku uses the Force in Tales of the Jedi.

Sifo-Dyas' ability to foresee the future explains why he was so determined to forge a clone army for the Republic. Despite his requests being rejected, Sifo-Dyas knew that a clone army would be needed, though he tragically did not see his own demise at the hands of Dooku, nor how the clone army would become coopted by the Sith Lords as a critical piece toward Palpatine's rise to power.

Star Wars Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas