Click HERE to see this thread with all of the graphics, features, and links.

Ok, this has been bugging me for a long time. I can't watch Episode II without getting a headache thinking about this, so if anyone can help me that would be great.
First, Count Dooku is the leader of the Separists, but also is the apprentice of Emperor Palpatine who is on the Empire's side. This confuses me. Is the whole point to get rid of the Jedi? I just can't clear this up. PLEASE HELP.

sure ... I'll help... don't watch the movie again

yes, the idea is to get rid of the jedi, they need a huge war to kill them off, cause without them the republic is lost cause the only thing they have is a clone army that is under the control of palpatine and the seperatists army, also under his control.
So by playing it out nicely, he can kill the jedi off and become the evil sith emperor

Darth Sideuous wants to rule the galaxy. In order to do this he must remove the republic. In order to do this he must discredit it, this he achieves via the busines in episode 1. Next he must set up an opposition to the republic.....a civil war. This he achieves in episode 2.

The Trade federation and the "separatists" are tools in the Dark lords hands.

So, what will happen in Ep 3? The Jedi and the Clone army will be facing off against the Seperatists and their droid army, when all of a sudden Dooku or Palpatine gives an order or pushes a button or somehow or another instructs the clone troopers to switch over and fight WITH the droids against the Jedi? The Jedi will be severely out-numbered and caught completely off-guard, forced to scatter, flee or die, and the Dark Side deception is finally complete, the army is MASSIVELY HUGE, the Clone Troopers become Storm Troopers, the Clone War ends and the Age of the Dark Empire begins...

or something??

Nicely said!!

the whole formation of the confederacy and it's defeat was to create socialism under the empire. all big business automatically falls under imperial control with the death of the seperatists.

Thanks everyone. So, everyone's out to get the Jedi. Sucks for them.

the only people who are/were really in on things at this point are Darth Sidious, Count Dooku/Darth Tyrannus, Assajj Ventress, Sly Moore, Mas Ammedda, Sate Pestage, Jango Fett, and General Grievous. The only other people who even know of Darth Sidious' existance are the four neimoidians heads of the trade federation, Obi-wan Kenobi, Darth Maul, and the Jedi Council.

well, ... assajj won't make it to the movie and is up to this point not canon yet... and I'm not sure about Sly and Mas or that Sate (that's that green dude?) know it.
And OB1 and the JC know that someone has been impersonating for Sidious, they don't know the truth yet

Errrr... socialism???

Ok, here's the deal. A republic is always its weakest when it's at war. Sidious knew the only way he could get the Republic to hand him the powers he wanted was to create a dire threat to the Republic. That's where Dooku and the Separitists come in. Once the Empire rises, they'll be cast aside as playthings and destroyed.

socialsim, the federalization of all private business. and Sate Pestage has been palpatine's accomplice since his earliest days as a senator. he's the lead "deligate" of the dark side adepts in ROJ (pale, pointy nute gunrayish hat). he is the grand vezier and handles all imperial duties not requiring palpatine's undevided attention. he essentially runs the empire.

The way the Empire operated has absolutely nothing to do with socialism! Nationalisng business does not socialism make, not by a long chalk! It is far more akin to facism, and the Empire is partly run BY commercial interests.