In the real world, Revenge of the Sith was surrounded by supplementary material - mostly from the original Clone Wars multimedia project - which improved the viewing experience of the already-great film for those who followed said material. In 2005, what is now known as Star Wars Legends was called the Expanded Universe, and its various non-movie materials were officially canon.

In April 2014, however, the Star Wars franchise was partially rebooted, and while Revenge of the Sith itself (along with the rest of the saga films) remained canon to both timelines, nearly all other Star Wars properties became part of an alternate timeline. Despite this, Legends-era stories remain popular, with the original Star Wars continuity recontextualizing Revenge of the Sith in the following ways.

25 The Clone Wars Multimedia Project Extensively Explored The Clone Wars

While the prequel films only show the beginning and portions of the end of the Clone Wars, the Legends continuity’s Clone Wars multimedia project comprehensively explored the full-scale war in multiple exciting properties. These included various Dark Horse comics, such as the Star Wars: Republic series, as well as multiple video games and novels. The original Star Wars: Clone Wars microseries brought the Clone Wars to television in 25 chapters, with the final four chapters leading directly into the opening of Revenge of the Sith.

24 Who Were The “Heroes On Both Sides?”

Revenge of the Sith’s opening crawl mentions “heroes on both sides” of the Clone Wars, which is a seemingly odd statement, considering how vile the Separatist leadership is. Yet there were citizens and soldiers of the CIS who believed the Separatist movement, which divided the galaxy, was a just cause.

Naturally, there were Separatists who acted heroically. One such heroic Separatist, an unnamed Viidaav military commander, appears in the aptly-titled “Heroes on Both Sides” comic story. The commander sacrificed his life to save his troops, the beings of the planet Viidaav, and even the Republic forces on the planet.

23 The Clone Wars Microseries Showed General Grievous’ Brutal Kidnapping Of Palpatine

The Battle of Coruscant and General Grievous’ kidnapping of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine is shown in James Luceno’s novel Labyrinth of Evil and the final three chapters of Clone Wars. As Republic and Separatist forces clashed in space, a vicious surface battle took place simultaneously, though both were a massive, costly, distraction to allow General Grievous to abduct Palpatine.

Grievous and his MagnaGuards viciously kill Jedi, clone troopers, and a Senate Guard before capturing Palpatine. Mace Windu, however, briefly encounters Grievous, inflicting a critical wound on his organs that leaves him with his signature cough.

22 General Grievous’ Tragic Backstory In Star Wars Legends

General Grievous’ original backstory makes him a tragic figure. Grievous’ people, the Kaleesh, fought against Yam’rii invaders during the Huk War, which claimed the life of the Kaleesh warrior Ronderu lij Kummar, who Grievous loved. In their desperation to win the war, the Yam’rii used political connections to bring the Republic and Jedi to their side, ending the war and leaving Grievous with a bitter hatred of all parties.

Grievous’ body would be ravaged by a shuttle bombing years later, necessitating his cybernetic reconstruction. The bombing was secretly orchestrated by Dooku and falsely attributed to the Jedi and Republic.

21 “Sith Lords Are Our Specialty”

Obi-Wan’s quip about Sith Lords before dueling Count Dooku references more than Darth Maul. While Dooku and Maul are the only true Sith Lords Obi-Wan battled at that point, he and Anakin did encounter other technical of the Sith Order during the Clone Wars.

The most famous of these unofficial Sith is Asajj Ventress, a Rattataki who disappeared after the Battle of Boz Pity. Dooku trained numerous Dark Acolytes during the Clone Wars to serve as elite Separatist operatives, with some, like Sora Bulq, being former Jedi.

20 When Was The Last Time Anakin & Dooku Met?

Anakin Skywalker claims that his power has doubled since the last time he faced Count Dooku, and in the Legends continuity, Anakin had not truly dueled Dooku since the Battle of Geonosis. A month after the Clone Wars began, Anakin initiated a duel with Dooku on Raxus Prime, but the battle lasted only a few seconds before Anakin was incapacitated by a blaster set to stun.

Months later, Anakin fought and killed a dark side-generated doppelgänger of Count Dooku. These duels appear in the video games Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: The New Droid Army.

19 An Imperial Naval Officer From The Empire Strikes Back Nearly Brought Down General Grievous

After Dooku’s death, a Republic Venator-class Star Destroyer battles Grievous’ flagship, the Invisible Hand. As revealed in Matthew Stover’s novelization of Revenge of the Sith, this Venator was captained by Lorth Needa, a Lieutenant Commander at the time.

Needa stood up to Grievous himself, demanding evidence that Palpatine was alive, unharmed, and present aboard the Invisible Hand before opening fire on the Separatist dreadnaught when Grievous provided no such evidence. Needa would later become a captain in the Imperial Navy and, as shown in The Empire Strikes Back, be executed by Darth Vader after failing to capture the Millennium Falcon.

18 The Siege Of Saleucami Connects Revenge Of The Sith To The Thrawn Trilogy

After the report on the Outer Rim Sieges, Obi-Wan Kenobi references a conflict on Saleucami. This seemingly minor line actually references a Republic storyline that patches up a major continuity snarl in the Legends timeline, specifically regarding the nature of the clone army.

Timothy Zahn’s iconic Thrawn trilogy describes the Clone Wars significantly differently from the prequel films and other Legends-era properties, but the Siege of Saleucami arc kept the Thrawn trilogy's version of the Clone Wars canonical – albeit recontextualized as a portion of the Clone Wars which saw Jedi Knights and clone troopers battling Separatist-aligned clone soldiers known as the Morgukai Shadow Army.

17 Anakin Was Not The First Knight On The Jedi Council

Anakin Skywalker infamously protests the decision to grant him a seat on the Jedi Council, but not the rank of Jedi Master. The Revenge of the Sith novelization makes this moment far more meaningful, as Anakin sought the rank solely to allow him to access otherwise restricted Jedi knowledge in his search for a way to save Pé.

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Anakin is also notably incorrect to say that no Jedi has been part of the Council without being a Master. In Legends, Ki-Adi-Mundi took the seat of Micah Giiett when he was only a Knight, though he eventually earned the rank of Master.

16 Yoda’s History With The Wookiees

When Jedi Grandmaster Yoda elects to defend the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk from the Separatists, he references having “good relations” with the species. Indeed, Yoda was once the Jedi Watchman of Kashyyyk.

Jedi Watchmen, who are often yet not exclusively Jedi Sentinels (since Yoda was a Consular rather than a Sentinel), are Jedi who guard a specific planet or system. Yoda’s past as the Jedi Watchman of Kashyyyk earned him the title of Defender of the Home Tree, a high honor from the Wookiee species.