Star Wars geeks

At work today we were discussing inconsistencies in sci-fi plots and we got round to talking about why the clone army was commissioned in Star Wars Episode 2: Attack Of The Clones.

Being the complete geek and Star Wars nut that I am I decided to make it my mission to uncover the truth to show that although it wasn't touched up in the film it was not an inconsistency and could be fully explained. After much tail chasing I managed find out some facts on Sifo-Dyas, the man who placed the order of the clone army to be created.
I found a thread on the Star Wars forum that ran to 405 pages so quickly gave up reading that.

Sam and I watched all the extras and deleted scenes from The Phantom Menace, Attach Of The Clones and Revenge Of The Sith but still drew a blank trail.

In the end I discovered a wonderful timeline document that ran to 1200 pages and was pulled together from just about every Star Wars source imaginable and found this:

"As a result of Qui-Gon Jinn’s death and the Senate’s use of Jedi as tools of their will, Count Dooku, a respected Jedi Master (former Master of Qui-Gon and former Padawan of Yoda), leaves the Jedi Order. He soon comes under the influence of Darth Sidious (Palpatine), who intends to use the fully-trained Jedi, with a bit of Sith training to add to his skills, as a replacement for Darth Maul as his Sith Apprentice. Before he will do so, though, Dooku must complete a final test. Dooku’s old friend, Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas, had been far to close to Dooku in the last few years. More importantly, Sifo-Dyas has sensed the gathering darkness in the galaxy and has taken steps to prepare the Republic for the coming dark times. Sifo-Dyas goes to Kamino, where he commissions a clone army for the Republic, striking a deal with Prime Minister Lama Su. All that remains is to find a suitable template for the clones, which Sifo-Dyas assures Lama Su will be forthcoming. Before he can find a suitable template and send him to Kamino, Sidious sends Dooku to confront Sifo-Dyas. In his final test to become a Sith Lord, Dooku kills Sifo-Dyas, earning the title “Darth Tyranus” and leaving the existence of the clone army a secret known to the Dark Lords of the Sith, which will allow Darth Sidious to manipulate the confrontation he needs to gain control of the Republic all the more easily. As for Sifo-Dyas, the circumstances of his death are unknown to the Jedi, who remain unaware of the involvement of the Sith. Dooku returns home to Serenno, where he uses his family’s fortune to begin building up a fledgling Separatist movement, aimed at direct conflict (a decade from now) with the Republic, as part of the Sith’s scheme to dominate the galaxy."

So there you are, Star Wars geeks rule and JOB DONE!