Since its premiere in 2002, Attack of the Clones has not been warmly received by all Star Wars fans, with many considering it to be one of the weakest films in the entire franchise.
While we entirely appreciate the arguments made by some, there is no denying that the inclusion of the legendary Sir Christopher Lee as the movie’s antagonist was by far the best aspect of it.
Lee took over as Count Dooku’s next apprentice under the evil Darth Sidious.
We discovered that Dooku was formerly a revered Jedi who served on the Jedi Council.
He served as Qui-Gon Jinn’s master and as Master Yoda‘s apprentice.
He quit the Jedi Order after becoming disenchanted with it to assume the Count of Serenno’s responsibilities.
The Confederacy of Independent Star Systems (CIS), a collection of planets that are no longer intended to serve as members of the Republic, chose him as their leader when Sidious recruited him.
He was known as one of the best duelists in the galaxy, a very fearsome opponent, and he ended up being the most truthful villain in history when he practically revealed to Obi-Wan the entire storyline, which of course was thought to be a lie.
With his appearance in The Clone Wars movie and TV series, the character’s popularity would skyrocket.
His final chronological appearance would end up being crucial in the story as a whole, as you’ll surely remember.
We are going to look at 10 things you didn’t know about the Count since, despite all of his appearances in other media, there are still many things even the biggest Star Wars fans are unaware of.
Christopher Lee Did Most Of His Own Sword Combat
This truth has more to do with the actor playing the part than the character.
However, because it is technically related and features Christopher Lee, why not add it?
Almost all of the close-up swordplay scenes in Episodes II and III feature Lee, who was an expert swordsman in real life despite being in his early 80s at the time of filming.
Longer shots required the use of a double, which Lee’s head was attached to during pre-production.
Later, Lee admitted that he was taken aback by how much of his own swordplay still remained in the shot.
Incredibly, Lee actually held the record for the most sword fights in motion pictures. As if he weren’t already perfect for the part!
He Deleted Records Of Kamino From The Jedi Archives
Obi-Wan Kenobi was pursuing Jango Fett, a bounty hunter, during the events of Attack of the Clones.
When he asked an old acquaintance for assistance in detecting a poisonous dart fired by Fett, he pointed him in the direction of the cloners on the planet Kamino.
Kenobi checked with Chief Librarian Jocasta Nu after scouring the Jedi Archives but coming up empty-handed.
If it wasn’t in the archives, she brashly asserted, it didn’t exist.
However, one of the younglings implies that it was removed from the archives after Master Yoda was consulted in the presence of the younglings.
It was claimed that only a Jedi was capable of doing it, raising more questions about its members.
However, it was eventually established that Dooku was the culprit during the Clone Wars’ events.
He Had A Brother And Sister
Dooku has appeared in other media, including books and comics, like many other movie franchise characters.
We have discovered a lot more about him through this other media than we have through his time on film.
It turns out that Dooku had a sister and an older brother.
Prior to him, his brother Ramil held the position of Count of Serenno, but after Ramil was killed by Dooku, Dooku assumed that position.
He had never met his sister Jenza until a fortunate encounter at a festival.
Dooku ordered his pupil, Asajj Ventress, to assassinate her after she attempted to persuade him to turn away from the Dark Side.
Even his own family was not immune to his power.
He Is Responsible For The Creation Of The Clone Army
According to Attack of the Clones, Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas gave the order to build the clone army.
Ten years before the movie’s events, he died, and no one on the Jedi Council was aware of it.
The Clone Wars contained the entire narrative at last.
Tyranus had Sifo-Dyas killed when he commanded the clone army at Dooku’s advice and went on to communicate with the Kaminoans.
Tyranus is also responsible for finding Jango Fett on one of Bogden’s worlds to serve as the model for the clone army.
Additionally, he made sure that each clone had the inhibitor chip inserted so that they would abide by Order 66.
Dooku was the one who made it all happen, even though it turned out to be a part of Palpatine’s larger strategy.
He Suffered An Embarrassing Defeat
Even though he was ultimately defeated by Anakin Skywalker at the start of Revenge of the Sith, Dooku was able to hold his own against some of the most powerful figures in the world, including Master Yoda.
Dooku, however, experienced a setback in season one of The Clone Wars that a character of his size just shouldn’t have.
Dooku crash landed on the planet Vanquor in The Clone Wars’ first season after being pursued by Anakin and Obi-Wan.
He was then taken prisoner by the pirate Hondo Ohnaka and his crew.
The Count was double-crossed and held for ransom despite having made a deal with the pirates to arrange his release.
Perhaps a lot of harm could have been prevented if Hondo had simply taken his life when he got the chance.
He Trained Some Interesting Characters
Fans of the movies are well aware that Dooku taught General Grievous how to use a lightsaber and instructed Qui-Gon Jinn.
Those who have only watched the movies, however, are unlikely to be familiar with the other well-known figures he also trained after becoming Darth Tyrannus.
The most well-known trainee is arguably Asajj Ventress.
Dooku, however, also trained Savage Opress (the brother of Darth Maul) and even tutored former Jedi Quinlan Vos after the latter turned to the Dark Side throughout the course of the television series The Clone Wars.
It says a lot about Dooku’s abilities as a teacher that these individuals are regarded as some of the best fighters and fearsome adversaries in their own right.
He Was A Vampire In Canon
Yes, you read that right – the cunning Count was once a vampire!
Cavan Scott’s Star Wars Adventures: Tales from Vader’s Castle series debuted with its first issue back in 2018.
In the second issue, Count Dooku discovered a species of bat-like monsters that could transform people into creatures of a similar nature.
Although it might appear ludicrous in the Star Wars universe, it’s actually a really wonderful tribute to the renowned Christopher Lee, who gained fame for playing Dracula, another Count.
The series is still regarded as canon.
He Was An Apprentice Of Yoda
Dooku trained under Yoda as a Padawan while still a youngling.
Under Yoda’s direction and supervision, Dooku learned about the Force and finally acquired the title of Jedi Master.
Later on, Dooku would become a member of the Jedi High Council and hire his own apprentices, with Qui-Gon Jinn among them.
He Was Originally Going To Be Female
The idea of the main enemy in Attack of the Clones being a female Sith was included in early drafts.
The concept was eventually replaced when actor Christopher Lee was added to the team, as with many other drafts, notably in Star Wars.
Despite the fact that we were not given the chance to see a female sith in Episode II, the concept was put on hold and returned for The Clone Wars in the form of another fan favorite, Asajj Ventress.
His Lightsaber Hilt And Fighting Form Made Him More Deadly
Dooku was recognized as one of history’s finest swordsmen.
He would be extremely difficult to deal with, and it would be quite unlikely for anyone to survive without injury.
He used Form II, often known as the Contention Form or Makashi.
This fighting technique was created especially for use against other saber users and emphasized grace, fluidity, and balance, all of which perfectly complemented Dooku’s personality.
It was technique-driven rather than power-driven, allowing the user to concentrate on fending off force strikes while also engaging in swordplay.
Dooku invented the distinctive curved hilt because he was a complete master of the form and wanted to further hone his lunges, slashes, and parries.
By the time we met Dooku, barely anyone was using the form because it was actually developed and used during the time of the Old Republic.
This made Dooku one of the most deadly lightsaber users in the galaxy because it meant that even fewer Jedi or lightsaber users had ever encountered an opponent utilizing the form.
Dooku furthered this distinction by studying the form his entire life.
His Work Lived On Throughout The Trilogy
Dooku managed the production of battleships, droids, and other weapons for the Separatists while he was on Geonosis, but he also gave the Geonosians the means to develop one of the most lethal weapons ever made.
Attack of the Clones contains a brief moment in which we see a little orange hologram of the space station that Dooku kidnapped and promised to give to his master, Sidious.
Even while the Jedi were able to halt much of the construction of Geonosis, they were unable to prevent Dooku from handing Sidious the blueprints.
Last Of The Lost Twenty
The Star Wars universe has expanded dramatically over the course of its more than 40-year history, with countless new characters and narratives being developed across a wide range of media.
As a result, many characters, organizations, and even planets have received brand-new backstories as a result, including the Jedi Order itself.
Throughout its history, there have been many noble and pure Jedi who have turned to the Dark Side of the Force, yet few people have heard of The Lost Twenty.
This was a group of Masters that left the Order voluntarily due to ideological disagreements rather than being drawn in by darkness and power.
They firmly believed that the Jedi were in the wrong.
They are recognized by this name because the Order believes that they are people who reflect poorly on them and lead to their failures.
The hall of the Jedi Archives had bronze busts of each of the Twenty, acting as a reminder for everyone in the Order to constantly strive to become a better version of themselves.
In a scene that was cut from Attack of the Clones, Jocasta Nu talked about the tremendous accomplishments he had accomplished while a member of the Order, and they brought up the bust of Dooku.
After Order 66, the Jedi were effectively extinct, and Dooku was the last of them.
Final Thoughts
Dooku made a great contribution to the Star Wars universe and will always be remembered as a particularly memorable antagonist.
It makes perfect sense that the late Sir Christopher Lee’s character would continue to appear in different media because he always seems to be having fun whenever he is on screen.
Hopefully, this list has been an eye-opener, and you’re now more knowledgeable about the legendary Count Dooku.