Summary

• Sifo-Dyas' creation of the clone army in "Attack of the Clones" was likely manipulated by Palpatine.
• Palpatine strategically used Dooku to manipulate Sifo-Dyas' visions and ensure the clone army fit his plan.
• The intricate details of Palpatine's schemes slowly unfold in the Star Wars universe, revealing just how subtle and unavoidable his grand plan was.

Over 22 years after the release of Star Wars movies introduced was the clone army, though it didn't fully explain how it came to be created.

Sifo-Dyas has been one of Star Wars' most mysterious figures for years. In Attack of the Clones, all that was known about him was that he had the clone army created. Since then, shows like Tales of the Jedi and books like "Dooku: Jedi Lost" have given more insight into Sifo-Dyas' role in the Clone Wars. There's still one major mystery about Sifo-Dyas that had never been solved, though: how he created the army at just the right moment to fit into Palpatine's plans. For years, it seemed like nothing more than a huge coincidence, but an Star Wars book will completely change Sifo-Dyas' story.

Star Wars Hints Sifo-Dyas Was Manipulated Into Creating The Clones

Palpatine could have created the vision that caused him to go to Kamino

Previously, it was thought that Sifo-Dyas created the clone army because his connection to the Force gave him visions of the future, and he believed the Republic would need an army to survive the coming war. That prediction was patently wrong, though, and the clone army actually led to the downfall of both the Republic and the Jedi. The timing of Sifo-Dyas' decision to create a clone army always seemed to fit too perfectly into Palpatine's plan. According to Chris Kempshall's "Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire," though, Sifo-Dyas' decision to commission a clone army wasn't as convenient as it seemed.

Given what we now know, and what shall be shortly discussed, it seems highly unlikely that Sifo-Dyas did this without at least some form of involvement or manipulation by Palpatine or his agents. The arrival of the clones at the exact moment they were required is far too convenient for there not to have been a long-running plan behind their creation.

As Kempshall noted in his book, the entire situation concerning the creation of the clone army was extremely convenient for Palpatine. Clones grew at accelerated rates thanks to the Kaminoans' genetic manipulation, but they still needed time to grow. Palpatine could control many aspects of the war, such as when the Separatists began the fighting, but he had no way to guarantee the clones would be ready when he needed them to. Sifo-Dyas ended up inadvertently creating exactly what Palpatine needed to destroy the Jedi at exactly the right time.

With one false vision that showed the Jedi needing the clone army, Palpatine could have made Sifo-Dyas unwittingly do his bidding in by far the most efficient and effective way.

Much of Palpatine's plan relied on Sifo-Dyas having an inaccurate vision at the perfect time, but Palpatine might not have left it up to chance; he may have planted it in his mind. The Sith were capable of creating false visions, and giving one to Sifo-Dyas would have been especially effective. His prescience was well known at the time, so Palpatine would have known that he would act on them assuming they were true. With one false vision that showed the Jedi needing the clone army, Palpatine could have made Sifo-Dyas unwittingly do his bidding in by far the most efficient and effective way.

Buy Chris Kempshall's "Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire" on Amazon.

The Newest Star Wars Retcon Finally Explains Attack Of The Clones' Last Mystery

Sifo-Dyas wasn't a perfect coincidence, but a well-used part of Palpatine's much larger plan

There's more than enough evidence to the idea that Palpatine manipulated Sifo-Dyas. The timing certainly worked well for Palpatine, and the fact that one of Sifo-Dyas' few inaccurate visions played directly into his hands also suggests Palpatine's hidden agenda. Even better, though, was the fact that Dooku became Palpatine's apprentice just after Sifo-Dyas went to commission the army. Dooku and Sifo-Dyas were friends, which granted Palpatine heightened access to the Jedi Master.

Dooku provided the perfect path to manipulating Sifo-Dyas. With his budding apprentice, Palpatine could get close enough to plant the false vision, wait until the clones had begun to be created, and even have Sifo-Dyas taken out of the picture once his usefulness was through. With Dooku's assistance, Palpatine's manipulations were more than possible, and they would prove that the creation of the clone army was never a coincidence at all, it played perfectly into his intricate plan. What was once a stroke of good fortune for the Sith now seems like a carefully plotted strategy by Palpatine.

As the years go by, the Sith's grand plan only gets more and more well-thought-out. At every step, Palpatine foresaw exactly what needed to be done, even 10 years in advance in the case of Sifo-Dyas. As Palpatine's plan continues to become more impressive, the Jedi's failure continues to seem more and more unavoidable. The intricate, fine details of Palpatine's schemes were so subtle that no one who couldn't see the full picture would ever put it all together. Star Wars has not only solved Attack of the Clones' final mystery, it's also shown just how shadowy that mystery truly was.