To help you pass the time between seasons 2 and 3 of The Clone Wars, Jovial Jay Shepard weighs in on the topic of political affiliations in the Star Wars Universe. Take it away, Jovial Jay...

I believe it was on the Clone Wars Roundtable for "Senate Spy" that we discussed the confusion about who Rush Clovis was, which group was he working for, and how were the Neimoidians related to the Trade Federation and the Senate. The confusion of the political arena of the prequels could easily take the most proficient politico and turn them upside down.

We have disputed trade routes within the Republic by one of its major corporations. There's the secession of a numerous amount of planets. There are splinter groups, bounty hunters, and other factions that vie for attention in the galaxy far, far away.

Jason has spoken about getting Karl Rove to write a political explanation of the Star Wars universe, but why should he get to have all the fun?

To that end, I've spent some time creating a graphic, that should help show the factions, relations, groups, and allegiances between the various characters in the Prequel era, circa The Clone Wars. As with any work of this type, it's always a work in progress. So expect that updates for this will occur over time.

If anyone has any suggestions or comments, please feel free to address them to jay@rebelscum.com.