Atrocity on Mahranee
Atrocity on Mahranee
Conflict
Outcome
Confederacy of Independent Systems[1] Jedi GeneralChubor†[1] Head of StateCountDooku(orders viahologram)[1] Variousspace forces[1] All forces[1]
- "I've been monitoring your transmissions, General, and I know that this little chat is being sent to the Jedi Council. So let me make one thing perfectly clear. As long as the Republic resists me, 'innocents' will continue to die. Every death in this war lies firmly at the feet of the Jedi. And now… it is time for you and your passengers to join the ranks of the fallen."
- ―Dooku, to Chubor[1]
TheAtrocity on Mahranee occurred in19 BBY toward the end of theClone Wars and resulted in thegenocide of allMahranrefugees who were escaping from their embattledhomeworld ofMahranee. When theConfederacy of Independent Systems targeted Mahranee for its plentiful resources, the native Mahran people appealed to theJedi Order for aid.Jedi GeneralChubor brought aGalactic Republic task force ofclone troopers to Mahranee, but they were too late to prevent theConfederate forces from laying waste to theplanet'scapital city.
Although Chubor's detachment tried to escort thousands of Mahran civilians off-world to safety, the Separatists were unwilling to leave any survivors, killing the Mahran refugees alongside theJedi andclonesoldiers. SeparatistleaderCountDooku unequivocally blamed the Jedi Order for the massacre, leading theJedi High Council to finally sanction anoperation toassassinate Dooku as a means of stemming the war's casualties.
Prelude[]
- "For almost three standard years, this war has raged. We can barely even count the numbers of the fallen. But this…"
"All directly because of one man's ambition and evil." - ―Jedi MasterPlo Koon andMace Windu discuss Dooku's determination to annex Mahranee[1]
In theyear19 BBY, near the end of theClone Wars,[2] theConfederacy of Independent Systems set its sights on capturingMahranee, a memberworld of theGalactic Republic whose abundant resources made it a valuable target.CountDooku, theleader of the Confederacy, had unsuccessfully attempted to win the planet over using false promises and lies before planning an assault to take the planet's resources by force. As a result, the planet'snativeMahran inhabitants transmitted adistress call to theJedi Order, which responded by dispatching a detachment ofclone troopers under thecommand ofJedi GeneralChubor to aid the Mahran against the Separatists.[1]
The atrocity[]
- "You've got your victory, Dooku. The planet is yours… let us have the people. We have entire families aboard, many of whom are injured. They're innocents!"
"My dear General Chubor. You should know by now that in a war, there is no such thing as an innocent."
"Count, I repeat, our passengers are civilian families. Half of the refugees are younglings. Permit them, at least, to—"
"Younglings whose parents, unwisely, chose to ally with the Republic." - ―Chubor pleads Dooku to call off the Separatist attack[1]
Dooku (pictured) refused Chubor's pleas to let the Mahran escape, resulting in their massacre.
When theMahranee government refused to capitulate to their demands, theConfederacy forces initiated an assault on the planet, turning it into a battlefield. Chubor and hisclonesoldiers arrived too late to stop the Separatists from obliterating the planet'scapital city, which was summarily reduced to rubble. Consequently, thousands of Mahran civilians—many of whom were injured—attempted to escape from their homeworld. While some of therefugees departed aboard their planet'svessels, others were ferried off-world aboard Republic craft, such as Chubor'sRepublic frigate, with clonetroopers aiding in the escort operation. The Republic and Separatist forces battled each other inorbit of Mahranee, exchanging barrages oflaser fire through thevacuum ofspace, while Mahran ships made their attempts to flee.[1]
Desperate to save the refugees, Chubor opened a directholographic transmission to Dooku. Chubor pleaded with Dooku to spare the Mahran, stating that his ownfrigate was filled with civilian families; moreover, half of the Mahran were onlyyounglings. However, Dooku was unsympathetic to the plight of the Mahran. Knowing their conversation was being broadcast to theJedi High Council, Dooku took the opportunity to blame the Jedi Order for the billions ofcasualties that the war had caused, claiming that such was the price of the Republic's resistance to his Confederacy. Chubor'sfrigate was the next ship to fall to Separatist fire, with members of Mahranee's prominentbloodline ofAshu—includingAshu-Nyamal, the Firstborn of Ashu—being among the deaths. Altogether, it took the Separatists a matter ofhours to capture Mahranee and slaughter its thousands of inhabitants, resulting in a victory for their side.[1]
Aftermath[]
- "Mahranee's fall is terrible. But it's only the most recent crime Dooku has committed against a world and its people."
"The Mahran who died today already have more than enough company. Do we want to increase those numbers? One man's life must be weighted against those of potentially millions of innocents. Isn't protecting the innocent the very definition of what it means to be a Jedi? We are failing the Republic and its citizens. We must stop this—now." - ―Anakin Skywalker and Mace Windu, explicating the latter's proposal to assassinate Dooku[1]
The massacre of the Mahran impelled the Jedi Council to sanction a plan to assassinate Dooku.
Once they had established control of Mahranee, the Confederate forces all but issued a death warrant for any surviving Mahran, claiming that they were extremely hostile and were to be killed on sight. Dooku's message to theJedi Council, meanwhile, was met with dismay and anguish from its recipients. At a subsequent session, the Council decided that thetime had come toassassinate Dooku, an act thatJedi MasterMace Windu andJedi KnightAnakin Skywalker—the latter of whom had been invited by MasterObi-Wan Kenobi to sit in on the meeting—believed would collapse the Separatist regime and also prevent further bloodshed from occurring.Grand MasterYoda also agreed to such a plan, acknowledging that Dooku's schemes placed too many innocent lives at risk.[1]
The maverick Jedi MasterQuinlan Vos was assigned the task of killing Dooku with the aid ofAsajj Ventress, Dooku's jiltedapprentice–turned–bounty hunter. Although theyfailed to execute Dooku,[1] thecount would eventually meet his demise at the hands of Skywalker during theBattle of Coruscant.[3]
Behind the scenes[]
The Atrocity on Mahranee served as the opening scene of authorChristie Golden's2015 novel,Dark Disciple, based on an unfinished eight-episode story arc for theStar Wars: The Clone Wars television series written byKatie Lucas,Matt Michnovetz, andDave Filoni.[1] The2019 reference bookUltimate Star Wars, New Edition later identified the event as the "Atrocity on Mahranee."[4] The2023 reference bookStar Wars: Timelines incorrectly dates the event to20 BBY.[5]
Appearances[]
- Dark Disciple(andaudiobook)(First appearance)
Sources[]
- Star Wars: The Dark Side
- Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition(First identified as Atrocity on Mahranee)
- Star Wars: Timelines
Notes and references[]
- ↑1.001.011.021.031.041.051.061.071.081.091.101.111.121.131.141.151.161.171.181.191.201.211.221.231.241.251.261.271.28Dark Disciple
- ↑2.02.1Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Character Encyclopedia - Join the Battle! dates the events ofDark Disciple to 19years before the events ofStar Wars: Episode IVA New Hope, which corresponds to19 BBY according toStar Wars: Timelines.Dark Disciple includes the Atrocity on Mahranee.
- ↑Star Wars: Episode IIIRevenge of the Sith
- ↑Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition
- ↑Star Wars: Timelines