Military Creation Act / Legends The Military Creation Act was a bill proposed in the Galactic Senate during the Separatist Crisis , in the years leading up to the Clone Wars . Created in response to increasing secessions from the Galactic Republic , the Act authorized the creation of an Army of the Republic , to aid the local security forces , Judicials , and Jedi that made up the Republic ' s peacekeeping forces . The Act remained in limbo for two years until , on 13 : 3 : 6 , a vote was at last set for it two months hence . Over the following weeks , vociferous debate and intense campaigning ensued as Senators and many others sought to either advocate or oppose the measure . A number of major events marked the course of the Military Creation Act ' s debate , including the closing of Corellia ' s borders , protests from Chandrila to Coruscant , a plea from Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to Separatist leader Count Dooku for peace , and an outpouring of arguments , demonstrations , and endorsements . Senator Onaconda Farr produced an allegorical play favoring the Act , while Senator Jollin Resbin secured the endorsement of podracer Boles Roor . Jedi Depa Billaba and Sar Labooda joined the opposition as the planet Carida , home to a prestigious military academy , supported the Act . On the day of the vote , 5 : 16 , leading member of the opposition Padmé Amidala was attacked by an assassin . In the wake of the attack , the vote was postponed and Amidala was sent offworld . Meanwhile , a clone army was discovered on Kamino , and after it was learned that the Separatists were raising an army of their own , Representative Jar Jar Binks called for emergency powers to be granted to Chancellor Palpatine so he could activate the clone army for Republic use . The motion was successful , and the new Grand Army of the Republic went on to fight in the Clone Wars . Description . The Military Creation Act authorized the formation of an Army of the Republic . Chancellor Palpatine did not reveal the articles of the Act or the scope of the vote beforehand , but had it been put to a vote , it would likely have been a yes / no matter on the issue , according to HoloNet News . If then passed by the Galactic Senate , a commission of Senators would need to be established to determine resource allocation for the Republic ' s new military . Certain sector and planetary forces would be chosen to contribute to the Army , though which forces would be used was a matter for further discussion . Military academies on worlds such as Carida , Raithal , and Corulag would serve to train the soldiers , and the Jedi were proposed by some as leaders of the eventual army . History . Galactic change . At the time of the Separatist Crisis , the Republic had enjoyed peace for a thousand years , with planetary security and sector forces , Judicial Forces , and the Jedi Order serving as its peacekeepers . The Stark Hyperspace War of 44 BBY , however , had led some to conclude that these peacekeeping forces were merely a stop - gap solution and a more unified military , led from Coruscant , was needed . In 24 BBY , former Jedi Master Count Dooku reappeared on the galactic stage , decrying the Republic ' s corruption and preaching separatism . Dooku formed a new , secessionist government , the Confederacy of Independent Systems , and thousands of planets began to rally to him . Rumors of a Military Creation Act began to circulate before the Act was announced , but Supreme Chancellor Palpatine refused to come out in favor of an army . That year , the official Military Creation Act was at last proposed in response to the Separatist threat , allowing for the creation of an Army of the Republic to counter Separatist threats . However , this would not be resolved swiftly . Two years of bureaucratic stalemate began , with the Act going nowhere as more worlds joined the Separatist cause . 22 BBY arrived with no solution to the deadlock ; meanwhile , the issue itself pushed away other worlds , including Ando , which was insulted by the Republic ' s own plan to militarize after the forced demilitarization of their world . On 13 : 3 : 6 , Chancellor Palpatine at last announced , in an address on the HoloNet , a vote date for the Act : 5 : 16 , two months later . This gap would give time for Senators to return to Coruscant , as well as poll their constituencies . Both support and opposition forces to the Act were relieved to see an end to the stalemate , though both cautioned the consequences of a wrong vote ; Senator Tikkes was concerned of the time that additional discussions would take . Despite being publicly against the Act , Palpatine made no partisan comments during his announcement . In response to the announcement , the 575 employees of Chandrila ' s Public Safety Commission staged a walk - out in protest . The great debate . Seven days after Palpatine ' s announcement , following a week of closed - door discussions between Corellian Senator Garm Bel Iblis and Diktat Shyla Merricope , Corellia surprised the Republic by announcing that it was invoking its right of " Contemplanys Hermi " and closing its borders . Withdrawing his vote on the Act , Bel Iblis announced that it was a threat to Corellia ' s sovereignty , and Corellia would not be party to it . Merricope concurred , declaring that Corellians would not be drafted to fight the Republic ' s wars , nor would they allow the Republic ' s soldiers to be placed in their homes . The next day , HoloNet News published a " Point / Counterpoint " article on the Act , with Judicial Terrinald Screed endorsing it and Caamasi Senator Eeshrin Ot ' Hyne arguing for the opposition . Some still continued to push for peace . Chancellor Palpatine made a 12 - minute public address on the HoloNet — overriding almost every channel and feed — to the secretive Count Dooku , asking for a parley so the two could come to a peaceful solution . Senator Onaconda Farr of Rodia criticized Palpatine for the move , believing it to be a cowardly attempt to stop the Act . On 3 : 20 , Senator Horox Ryyder of Gravlex Med , one of those who had campaigned against the Act , retired . His successors Zo Howler and Fo Kuna promised to continue his work opposing it . Palpatine received further criticism from some in the Senate when he revealed the members of the Republic ' s new Loyalist Committee — an advisory body for dealing with the Separatist Crisis — on 3 : 28 . Though the committee consisted of Senators on both sides of the Military Creation Act debate , many Senators believed that Palpatine was forming a partisan body to affect the impending vote , with Farr again claiming that the Chancellor was trying to subvert it by gathering his allies . Campaigning . As the final month before the vote began , the debate continued . On Chandrila the Legislative Youth Program held a mock vote on the Act , using a conjectural version of its as - yet - unknown articles . Presided over by Junior Chancellor Kennis Radi , the mock Senate session included Needo Farr of Rodia in the support and Dashé Borreno of Naboo in the opposition ; many delegates could not attend , some because their homes had seceded , some due to fears of travel in the current situation , and in the case of Trevor Insevade of Alderaan , due to illness . The Act passed with a margin of 52 - 48 percent ; Borreno believed that Insevade could have turned the vote had he been present . In the real Senate , the expected vote tally was even in the last weeks . Rumors that Palpatine was dealing with health problems , and would take a vacation before the vote , were meanwhile denied by his aide Sate Pestage . On 4 : 18 , the government of Carida , home to the longstanding Academy of Carida , joined the campaigning for the Act , donating billions of credits towards regional campaigning efforts and offering the Academy for Republic use in training its new army , if the Act passed . Ambassador Golfhan of Carida vowed to continue the military traditions of the Republic that had given rise to the Academy . The move was met with praise by some , including Terrinald Screed , but others like Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo — campaigning against the Act in her native Chommell sector at the time — saw it as a bid solely to promote the interests of the Academy . Senator Farr , meanwhile , aided in his side of the campaigning by bankrolling and writing the story of a play that was also a political message : " The Trickery of Vosdia Nooma " , produced by the Rodian government ' s Drama Council . Laden with allegory and symbolism , the play promoted Farr ' s pro - military positions and a pro - Military Creation Act stance in particular . Farr himself had a cameo in the play , though drama editor Korvit Domesa of HoloNet News , who reviewed the play , believed this was a mistake that could hurt his platform ; Domesa nonetheless thought that the production would inspire discussion on both sides of the debate . But all interactions were not peaceful ; in the weeks leading up to the vote , the number of vocal opponents and supporters rose outside the Senate Rotunda on Coruscant . Approximately 7 , 000 activists gathered around the building , most in protest ; a number of isolated fights broke out between them and the smaller — but still vocal — group of pro - Act demonstrators . On 5 : 9 the Senate Guard attempted to relocate the crowds . When the protesters pushed back , violence broke out , and the guards fired stun blasts into the crowd . Thirty - eight individuals were arrested , many of them students from the University of Coruscant , and four activists and two guards had to be rushed to the hospital . As the vote neared , Senators and representatives began their final tallies of the consensus of their constituents . The Mid Rim in particular filled with campaigning as every sector tried to make its voice heard . Though each Senate vote was decided by the local custom of the sector , most used some sort of referendum to hear the will of their constituency . Senator Amidala continued her efforts against the Act in the Chommell sector , while Senator Yudrish Sedran of Chalacta came out against it as well after consulting with the Chalactan Temple of Illumination , a decision that was supported by Chalactan Jedi Depa Billaba and Sar Labooda . Meanwhile , Senator Jollin Resbin of Sneeve , a supporter of the Act , gained the endorsement of retired podracing champion Boles Roor , who not only appeared in advertisements for Resbin , but even came out of retirement to participate in a series of charity races around the Mid Rim to spread the Senator ' s message . However , political analysts agreed that it would ultimately be the say of the Core Worlds that decided the vote . With seven days left until the vote , many Senators began returning to Coruscant . The night before the vote , 5 : 15 , Palpatine made an address to the Republic announcing his confidence in negotiations towards a peaceful sentiment , regardless of whether the Act passed ; his words were perceived by the media as acceptance of a likely " yes " vote . Assassination attempt and the Grand Army of the Republic . 5 : 16 , the day of the vote , came at last . Senator Amidala was amongst those returning to Coruscant , and with many knowing that fact and not wanting her to cast her vote , she was under heavy protection . As her starship landed on one of Coruscant ' s platforms and her decoy Cordé disembarked , a bomb detonated , killing Cordé but leaving Amidala alive . The would - be assassin was Zam Wesell , a bounty hunter hired by Jango Fett , in turn an employee of Count Dooku . Amidala was presumed dead , and HoloNet News even published an obituary shortly thereafter . As these events were occurring , the Act was at last coming to a vote in the Senate , intended to be decided by 0800 . The recent demonstrations around the Senate and general atmosphere of fear had driven the Senators into an uproar , but they were soon silenced when Palpatine announced that Amidala had been assassinated . Even this news would not stop the call for a vote , however , and Ask Aak of Malastare declared that Amidala ' s death was further proof of the need for an army . Palpatine urged the Senate to push for peace and a storm of arguments again rose , but the Senate was silenced for a second time when Amidala herself appeared . After concurring with the Chancellor ' s plea for peace , the Senator made an announcement to the surprised body of legislators , announcing her suspicion that one of her political enemies had been behind the attempt to kill her . Amidst another round of argument , Senator Orn Free Taa moved that the vote be deferred , and Palpatine adjourned the Senate and delayed the vote until a later session the following day . The pro - military faction soon claimed that Palpatine had overstepped his authority in the delay , with Senator Candabrine Bu of Lansono doubting that the Chancellor had ever intended the vote to be held that day . Palpatine meanwhile conferred with the Jedi Order , expressing his desire to hold off the vote and his fear that it would tear the Republic apart . Palpatine had other motives , though , as he secretly wanted the measure passed . To remove Amidala and her vote from the Senate , he assigned the Jedi Obi - Wan Kenobi to protect her , knowing full well that his apprentice , Anakin Skywalker — who he knew harbored feelings for the Senator — would be present with him , to protect her , and after another assassination attempt on Amidala ' s life that night , the Chancellor ordered her to go into hiding with Skywalker on Naboo . Though upset that she would not be on Coruscant to spearhead the opposition to the Act , Amidala complied . Meanwhile , Skywalker ' s master Obi - Wan Kenobi , in the process of investigating the assassinations , discovered a clone army on the world of Kamino , commissioned by the long - dead Jedi Master Sifo - Dyas . Kenobi soon came across evidence that the Separatists had developed an army of their own and were preparing to use it against the Republic . With the Senate still deadlocked over the issue of the army , the Loyalist Committee , heads of the Jedi Order , and Chancellor Palpatine decided on a new tactic . Representative Jar Jar Binks , standing in for Amidala while she was away , would call for emergency powers to be invested in the Chancellor , allowing him to activate the clone army . With Amidala ' s noted anti - military stance , the support of Binks , as her proxy , would draw over many of the others on her side . It was successful ; Palpatine was granted the powers , activating the clones to form a Grand Army of the Republic . The Clone Wars began with their first action on Geonosis . After the outbreak of war , the former opposition to the Act received significant criticism from the pro - military factions , who saw the war as the danger they had sought to protect the Republic from . Controversy . Senate and public opinion were deeply divided over the issue of the Military Creation Act . In a HoloNet News poll on the Act , the day after Palpatine ' s scheduling of the vote , the results were 70 % in favor and 30 % opposed . Endorsements came out for both sides , from the public appearances of celebrity podracer Boles Roor for the Act to the quieter opposition of Jedi Depa Billaba and Sar Labooda . Advocates of both sides could be extremely vocal , and violence was known to occur between them , with large - scale rioting on the verge of breaking out on Coruscant . Support . Those who supported the Act , like Republic Judicial Terrinald Screed , believed that the scope of war had gone beyond that which the extant Republic peacekeeping forces , such as sector security or the Jedi , were capable of handling . They pointed to the inefficiencies of the Stark Hyperspace War as an example of the necessity of a unified military . With sectors and worlds seceding , local forces could not be indefinitely relied on to support the Republic , and private armies , many consisting of droids that were both cheap and numerous , were more common . If the Separatist forces were to consolidate an army , an army would be needed to oppose them ; the victory of the Gungans over the Trade Federation in the Invasion of Naboo ten years prior was pointed to as an example of the value of keeping a standing military in peacetime . Screed also saw support of the Act as a matter of loyalty , and along with Ambassador Golfhan of Carida , whose government donated billions of credits towards campaigning efforts for the Act , appealed to the military tradition of the Republic as a source of pride . Some Senators , like Onaconda Farr , thought war was inevitable . Farr ' s Rodian culture , as well , gave him a long tradition of militarism that drove him to support the Republic ' s efforts towards an army . Senator Aks Moe of Malastare believed the lack of an army gave the Separatists time to conspire against the Republic , and Senator Tikkes worried that at the rates of secession there would be no worlds left in the Republic by the time it got an army . In the brief time that Senator Amidala was believed to be dead , her presumed assassination provided further proof for the Act ' s supporters that an army was needed . Other supporters included Darsana of Glee Anselm ; Jollin Resbin of Sneeve ; Candabrine Bu of Lansono ; Ask Aak of Malastare , a longtime proponent of greater military force and a critic of the Jedi ; and Ronet Coorr of Iseno , whose homeworld had a long history of military presence . Two were more uncertain : Orn Free Taa , who was expected to vote for the army but against any spending increases that came out of his budgets ; and Bail Organa of Alderaan , who despite not being a strong militarist had spent the last years calling for action against the Separatists . Opposition . A wide variety of arguments existed against the Act . Some , like Senator Tendau Bendon of Ithor , argued that authorizing a military would provoke the Separatists into war . Caamasi Senator Eeshrin Ot ' Hyne took this view as well , arguing that the pro - army stance was rooted in fear and that rather than being a solution to that fear , a military would only increase violence , a cycle that he said occurred many times throughout the Republic ' s history . Ot ' Hyne beseeched the Republic to address the causes that would lead to a war , saying this would prevent war itself . Senator Padmé Amidala — a particularly vocal opponent of the Act who , despite having campaigned against the Act since its announcement , nonetheless left her vote to the choice of her constituency — believed it would be a threat to the Galactic Constitution . Amidala headed the Campaign against Republic Militarization , which received a share of controversy . Amidala ' s strong opposition to the measure would , ultimately , be what led to the creation of an army ; the trust she earned among the rest of the opposition provided the political capital that her proxy , Representative Binks , needed to reverse her position and grant emergency powers to Chancellor Palpatine . Pragmatic arguments existed as well . Chandrilans working in public safety , like Ocandra Leeds , argued that taxes reserved for local forces would have to be transferred to the Republic , depersonalizing the services they offered . The Aqualish of Ando saw it as an insult , as the Republic had many times before ordered them to demilitarize . Ot ' Hyne suggested that the military funds would be better spent on the Diplomatic Corps and Refugee Relief Movement , and he declared that commercial interests wanted to capitalize on the conflict for their own ends . Senator Garm Bel Iblis of Corellia , meanwhile , argued that the costs of the Army would be great , and would all come from Republic taxpayers ; planetary security forces , he stated , had worked and would continue to work , and worlds like his own would not want to pay for both an Army of the Republic and their own forces . Bel Iblis also believed that the Act threatened Corellia ' s sovereignty , and the Diktat of Corellia did not wish for Corellians to fight and die for the Republic , far from their home planet , nor for soldiers to be billeted in Corellian homes . While the pro - Act movement had several large special interests providing funding , the opposition did not have any donors nearly as sizable . In the final month before the vote , a number of students from the University of Coruscant protested the Act in front of the Senate Rotunda . Other opponents included Horox Ryyder , Zo Howler , and Fo Kuna of Gravlex Med , Yudrish Sedran of Chalacta , Mon Mothma of Chandrila , Fang Zar of Sern Prime , and Lexi Dio of the peaceful and independent agriworld Uyter . Supreme Chancellor Palpatine himself publicly stated he opposed the Act , though in several announcements he remained nonpartisan on the issue ; some Senators , however , believed many of his political actions were attempts to undermine it . In secret , Palpatine sought to pass the Act , even attempting to remove influential votes against it like those of Senator Amidala . Behind the scenes . Created as a major element for the plot of , the Military Creation Act was introduced in HoloNet News , a regular online feature preceding the release of " Attack of the Clones " . The Act , and the circumstances surrounding it , formed a running narrative throughout HoloNet News up until the movie ' s release .