Capitalism

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"And let me remind you of our absolute commitment to capitalism… to the lower taxes, the reduced tariffs, and the eventual abolition of all trade barriers. Signing this treaty will bring you profits beyond your wildest imagination. What we are proposing is complete free trade."

―Count Dooku, to major galactic business leaders^[1]

Count Dooku promised the Separatist Council that the Separatist Alliance was dedicated to capitalism and would usher in a new era of profit.

Capitalism was an economic and political system used in the galaxy.^[1] In 22 BBY,^[2] during a business meeting^[3] with major galactic business leaders who sat on the Separatist Council, Count Dooku promised the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS) was totally faithful to capitalism, promising that their support would increase their profits to unseen levels thanks to completely free trade: Dooku stated the CIS would offer lower taxes and reduced tariffs, with the ultimate aim of removing all barriers to trade.^[1] Ultimately, the corporations agreed to help Dooku and his confederacy. However, such companies were also were willing to maintain business with the Galactic Republic to profit off both factions in the ensuing Clone Wars.^[3]

Behind the scenes

"And let me remind you of our absolute commitment to capitalism… of the lower taxes, the reduced tariffs, and the eventual abolition of all trade barriers. Signing this treaty will bring you profits beyond your wildest imagination."

―Count Dooku, in the Attack of the Clones script^[4]

Capitalism is a real-world economic model that was first mentioned within the Star Wars universe through the script of^[5] the 2002^[6] film Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones.^[5] In the July 4, 2000–dated script by George Lucas and Jonathan Hales, Dooku mentions to the corporate leaders^[4] who will become the Separatist Council^[6] that his Separatist state will have an "absolute commitment to capitalism," which will entail reduced taxes and tariffs, which will, in time, be followed by the abolition of any barrier to trade. Concluding his pitch to these leaders to sign onto the CIS, he promises the government will allow their profits to reach unseen levels.^[4]

While Dooku's line is cut down in the final film,^[6] removing the outright mention of capitalism,^[5] its mention was retained in the novelization by R. A. Salvatore,^[1] the Mighty Chronicles adaptation by John Whitman,^[7] and issue three of its comic book adaption by Henry Gilroy.^[8] Therefore, capitalism was first outright mentioned in a Star Wars source through the novelization^[1] and Mighty Chronicles adaptation,^[7] which were both released on April 23, 2002,^[9]^[10] ahead of the film itself on May 16 of that year.^[9] Meanwhile, Attack of the Clones issue three had been released on May 1 of that year.^[11]

The Separatist command ship Invisible Hand shares its name with the "invisible hand" theory of capitalist economics. — The Separatist command ship *Invisible Hand* shares its name with the "invisible hand" theory of capitalist economics.

Elsewhere in the prequel trilogy, in the opening to the 2005 prequel film Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith,^[12] Separatist General Grievous is shown to be in command of a starship known as the Invisible Hand. In the real world, one theory surrounding capitalism is economist Adam Smith's idea of the "invisible hand" of the market.^[5] The Invisible Hand name was coined by Matthew Stover, author of the Revenge of the Sith novelization, "as a sort of inside joke," as he revealed in 2025; according to Stover, the name functions as both a way to allude to Palpatine as the secret puppet master behind the Clone Wars and "a subtle dig at the conservatives who idolize Adam Smith." Stover made the latter point because of the connection between the Trade Federation and the robber barons of real-world history.^[13]