Exact Answer: 3 years
The Star Wars saga is composed of multi parts. Attack of the Clones was released as the second installment in the prequel trilogy. The film was released as a major motion picture in 2002. Written and directed by George Lucas, the narrative of the film highlights the efforts of Obi-Wan Kenobi in assassinating a senator as several planetary systems secede from the Galactic Republic.
As a part of the prequel trilogy, Revenge of the Sith was released in 2005 and it follows the events after Attack of the Clones and the subsequent clone wars. Skywalker is tasked to spy on the secret Sith lord in this film. The Sith lord turns Anakin to the dark side as Darth Vader.
How Long After Attack Of The Clones In Revenge Of The Sith?
Much like all movie franchises, the Star Wars universe has two timelines. One that caters to the real-world scenarios and is calculated using the release dates of movies and the other is the reel-world timeline that is measured in terms of the events in the narrative.
In the case of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, the time difference between these two installments of the Star Wars prequel series is 3 years. This is because The Attack of the Clones was released in 2002 and Revenge of the Sith was released in theaters in 2005. This implies a 3-year time-lapse happened between the two films.
Alternatively, in terms of chronological storytelling and reel-world time gaps, the situation is quite different. However, in this instance, we find an exception to this norm. This is because the on-screen events of Revenge of the Sith happen exactly 3 years after the events of Attack of the Clones. This implies that even in the reel-world Revenge of the Sith takes place 3 after the 2nd film in the Star Wars: Episode 2 order.
Fans resort to debates about this timeline because the movies in the Star Wars universe are not created in chronological order. There are films in the universe that depict the current timelines while many others tend to go back in time to address the origin stories of characters. However, this confusion is not one you have to think about in the case of these two films. This provides an added sense of clarity in the minds of most movie enthusiasts.
In Summary:
| Assessment Perspective | Time Lapse Between the Films |
| Real World | 3 years |
| Reel World | 3 years |
Why Is Revenge Of The Sith So Long After Attack Of The Clones?
Attack of Clones was released in 2002. The studio then went on to prepare for the next installment of the franchise. Since all Star War films are magnanimous and entail significant CGI edits, it takes time to make these movies. This necessitated the 3-year time gap between the two films.
In terms of the on-screen storyline, there is an equal amount of time gap depicted in Revenge of the Sith as it picks up 3 after the last event shown in Attack of the Clones. The reasons of course are quite different from the off-screen reasons. However, they too are pertinent in understanding the story arch of these movies and their subsequent parts.
It was during this time gap that an important event in the story happened- i.e. the clone wars. Attack of the Clones ends with the beginning of these wars. In this installment, the Jedi are scattered across the universe, attempting to annihilate the separatist and end the clone wars.
In this film, Obi-Wan Kenobi is tasked to kill the separatist army overlord named General Grievous. It was hoped that this assassination would end the clone wars that started at the end of the previous installment.
The clone wars have been extensively covered by a series released later by the studio. This helps bridge the understanding of fans in terms of what happened in those three years with regard to the onscreen storyline of the Star Wars universe. It helps forge a more holistic image of the storyline the prequel trilogy tried to depict for fans.
Conclusion
The Star Wars universe is quite complicated and diverse. Fans are confused about the order of the films since the narratives jump timelines and the movies released over the years have not necessarily been in chronological order. This confusion holds true for both Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.
The two films have a real-world difference of 3 years. This is in terms of their respective release dates. However, unlike other fantasy films, the onscreen time difference in these films is also 3 years. Inside the cinematic universe of the storylines, the events in Revenge of the Sith follow 3 years after the ending of Attack of the Clones. Revenge of the Sith happens after the clone wars have been waging for 3 years.