Battle of Utapau

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Battle of Utapau

TheBattle of Utapau, also known as theAssault on Utapau andliberation of Utapau, was the decisive final battle that took place on theSeparatist occupiedworld ofUtapau in19 BBY. Fought by theSeparatist Droid Army against theGrand Army of the Republic andlocal security forces, it was one of the last major confrontations of theClone Wars,the galaxy-wide military conflict between theGalactic Republic and theConfederacy of Independent Systems and was considered to be symbolically the end of the war itself.

The battle occurred as a result ofGeneralGrievous' escape during theSeparatist attack onCoruscant, where the ConfederateHead of StateCountDooku waskilled byJedi GeneralAnakin Skywalker. As theSupreme Martial Commander of the Separatist Droid Armies, Grievous became the prime target of theRepublic Military after Dooku's demise. Alerted to Grievous' presence on Utapau byClone Intelligence, the Republic deployed the7th Sky Corps underJedi GeneralObi-Wan Kenobi who personally engaged Grievous in alightsaber duel prior to the arrival of hisclone troopers. Grievous attempted another escape while hisbattle droids fought the Republicclonetroops, but ultimately theKaleeshcyborg was killed by Kenobi. Although theExecutive Separatist Council had been evacuated toMustafar before the battle started, theSeparatist control structure effectively collapsed with Grievous' death.

As the clonetroopers continued to fight the battledroids inPau City,Clone Marshal CommanderCody received a message fromSupreme ChancellorSheev Palpatine ordering him to executeOrder 66.Programmed to comply with the order toexterminate the Jedi, theClone Commander tried to have Kenobi executed fortreason. Betrayed by hissoldiers, Kenobi left Utapau inGrievous' starfighter. The clones also turned against their Utapaun allies, arrestingPort AdministratorTion Medon and placing Utapau undermilitary occupation.

The Clone Wars officially ended with Grievous' destruction during the Battle of Utapau, after which the remaining Separatist leaders wereassassinated on Mustafar by theSith LordDarth Vader. Having all but destroyed theJedi Order, Chancellor Palpatine—the public persona of theDark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious—declared the start of hisreign asEmperor of theGalactic Empire. With the transformation of the Republic so soon after the battle and Grievous's death having signaled an effective to the war in any case, the battle was remembered as the Republic's last stand.

Prelude[]

The loss of Count Dooku[]

During theClone Wars, theplanetUtapau wassubjugated by theConfederacy of Independent Systems.^[13]GeneralGrievous retreated to Utapau after escaping from theBattle of Coruscant, whereCountDooku—theSith LordDarth Tyranus—waskilled by theJedi KnightAnakin Skywalker. With Tyranus dead, theKaleeshwarlord^[1] became the Confederacy's actingHead of State.^[6]Darth Sidious, theSith Master of the late Tyranus, contacted Grievous upon the general's arrival on Utapau, instructing him to relocate theExecutive Separatist Council to theMustafar system. TheDark Lord of the Sith also assured Grievous that the war's end was near in spite of the loss of Tyranus, which Sidious deemed necessary to his plans. Sidious explained that he would soon have a newSith apprentice who was much younger and stronger than the aging Tyranus.^[1]

The general addressed the council in aconverted core ship, where he informed them that an attack by theGrand Army of the Republic was expected, and was therefore moving them to the planetMustafar, where he claimed that they would be safe. ThoughViceroy of the Trade FederationNute Gunray with support from other council members began to doubt the abilities of their new leader to keep them safe when compared to the late Dooku. A brief moment of tension arose between Gunray and the general, but he nevertheless followed his orders to relocate the council, leaving just moments before his nemesisJedi GeneralObi-Wan Kenobi's arrival.^[1]

The hunt for Grievous[]

Meanwhile, theGalactic Republic'sClone Intelligence had managed to discover the location of Grievous. this led to theJedi High Council deciding to sendJedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi to lead the battle after rejectingSupreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine's recommendation of sending Anakin Skywalker to Utapau. After saying farewell to Skywalker in what would be the last time they spoke as friends, Kenobi organized afleet ofVenator-class Star Destroyers and an army ofclone troopers^[1] three times larger than the standard deployment size a small system would otherwise call for. Due to the clear importance the battle would hold,^[9] the Republic assembled two fullbrigades^[4] made up of multiplebattalions,^[9] many of whom were sourced from the7th Sky Corps led by Kenobi andClone Marshal CommanderCody. Among the 7th Sky Corps for the battle was the212th Attack Battalion. At least one41st Elite Corps trooper was also among the clones' number.^[1]

En route to Utapau, Kenobi spoke viahologram to Skywalker's formerPadawanAhsoka Tano, who was leading forces in theSiege of Mandalore to capture his other nemesis, the formerSithLordMaul. Tano asked for information about Sidious, who Maul had mentioned, and Kenobi told her that Darth Sidious was the Sith Lord theJedi believed to be behind the Clone War and playing both sides of the conflict from its very start. However, as Count Dooku was now dead after being killed by Skywalker, they could not gain any more information out of him and requested she capture Maul to discover his old master's secret identity. Tano asked Kenobi if he and Skywalker could help her or send more men, but he told her that was not possible due to his mission to Utapau to hunt down General Grievous, and Skywalker having been appointed tospy on Chancellor Palpatine. Kenobi asked Tano to speak with Skywalker regarding his concerns about the assignment, but the conversation ended whenClone CommanderCT-7567 "Rex" reported an attack onMandalore. Tano asked Kenobi to tell Skywalker of how the Council isn't always right before they signed off.^[14]

Kenobi arrived on Utapau in hisEta-2Actis-class interceptor under the pretense of refueling his ship. He was greeted byTion Medon, thePort Administrator ofPau City, observed from a distance by one of Grievous'IG-100 MagnaGuards. Medon discreetly revealed information that the Confederacy was occupying thecity and thePau'ans were being held as hostages so that they could use Pau City as a hiding place for the Separatist Council, Grievous, and his army ofbattle droids. Kenobi sent the droidR4-G9 back to his fleet to inform the clones of the situation, but he stayed in city to engage Grievous. Kenobi commandeered avaractyl beast namedBoga as a mount, and rode in secret to infiltrate the hangar of the modifiedcore ship and went onto a platform overlooking the hangar where he witnessed the summit being held by the Separatist leadership.^[1]

The battle[]

Engaging Grievous[]

After the Separatist Council departed thehangar, Kenobi revealed himself by dropping from the catwalk above the hangar, and was immediately surrounded bybattle droids and found himself confronted by four of Grievous' IG-100 MagnaGuards. Kenobi defeated them quickly, usingthe Force to dislodge a cargo module hanging from the ceiling and crushed three of them, casually decapitating the sole survivor. Grievous'sdroids were preparing to open fire on Kenobi, but were called off as Grievous decided to challenge Kenobi himself. Drawing fourlightsabers at once, he then spun them rapidly in a buzzsaw motion and advanced on Kenobi. Kenobi slowly retreated before thrusting his lightsaber into the swirling energy blades, engaging Grievous in a spectacular, though brief, display of swordsmanship. Grievous remained unable to penetrate Kenobi's defense, so he ramped up his attacks even further.^[1]

Grievous' usual, more wide-ranging fighting style was neutralized by Obi-Wan limiting his movement to the catwalk. After so many experiences with Grievous, Kenobi kept the fight close to the cyborg.^[15] Kenobi was able to amputate two of Grievous' robotic arms, as Kenobi's blade, instead of intercepting Grievous's blade, sliced the cyborg's left lower wrist. Staring in surprise at his smoking stump, Grievous lunged in another attack. After another brief bout of fencing, another of Grievous' lightsabers, still clutched in his metal hand, bounced on the deck.^[1]

Clone Intelligence reported Kenobi's battle with Grievous on an encrypted communication channel, which was monitored byTech, a member ofClone Force 99 during thesquad'smission onKaller. Though assigned to Jedi GeneralDepa Billaba after her reinforcements were recalled to Coruscant, Tech surmised that the outcome of the Battle of Utapau could mark the end of the Clone Wars.Echo, another member of Clone Force 99, commented that Grievous' death would cause the Separatist command structure to collapse, along with their droid armies according to Tech. Though intrigued by the clone's theory, Billaba told them to focus on the Republic operation on Kaller, knowing that they were too far away to affect the outcome of a battle on another planet.^[3]

Republic arrival[]

At that moment, Republic forces led byCommander Cody arrived,^[1] storming^[16] and descending upon the war-torn Utapaun landscape.^[17] Overall, each member of the212th Attack Battalion would play a vital role in the battle.^[16] All the while, star destroyers pounded fire on Separatist defensive positions. As Republic forces descended into Pau City, the Separatists deployedVulture Droids to counter the Republic's aerial forces that had begun attacking the droid garrisons. While the clonetroopers were held back byLM-432 crab droids and other droid forces, Grievous prepared to resume thelightsaber duel, advancing on his opponent. However, KenobiForce pushed the general, sending him flying up and crashing against the ceiling. Dropping his two remaining lightsabers as he plummeted to the hangar floor, an unarmed Grievous chose to flee. Grievous crawled to hisTSMEU-6 personal wheel bike and mounted it, speeding out of the hangar and dropping to the lower levels of the city, crushing everything in his path as he raced towards the docking platform where his private ship waited.^[1]

Kenobi pursued on his varactyl, Boga, but lost his lightsaber after the jarring impact on the way down, the lightsaber eventually landing at the feet of Commander Cody who later informed the Jedi Council members about Kenobi's current pursuit and battle with Grievous, to which Jedi MasterMace Windu then had Skywalker deliver the news to Chancellor Palpatine. Windu and the other council members secretly voice their suspicions regarding Palpatine's intentions, with Windu mentioning the possibility that they would have to remove Palpatine from office should he refuse to give up his emergency powers after the defeat of Grievous, stressing that the council would need to take control of theGalactic Senate to ensure a peaceful transition of power for a new Supreme Chancellor. However,Grand MasterYoda acknowledged they had to take grave care, believing that their current plan would them to a dark place.^[1] Yoda also told Ahsoka Tano that Kenobi had engaged Grievous when she joined the meeting before wishing the Force to be with her.^[2]

Kenobi pursued Grievous in a furious chase through the streets of Pau City as the battle raged around them. As Kenobi caught up to the General, Grievous thrust at Boga with anelectrostaff he stashed in the wheel bike. Kenobi managed to grab hold of the shaft of the weapon and wrench it from the cyborg's hands. Kenobi then attempted to destroy the wheels on Grievous's vehicle with it before attacking the General himself with it. Grievous managed to regain hold of it, and pulled it back, and Kenobi along with it. As the two grappled for control of the wheel bike, Grievous pulled out ablaster and attempted to shoot Kenobi, though the Jedi evaded the shots. Unfortunately, Kenobi's movements overbalanced the wheel bike, causing it to flip as they arrived at Grievous' landing platform. While they were thrown off, the bike rolled off the platform and fell into the sink hole below.^[1]

The two opponents recovered quickly, Kenobi brandishing the electro staff against the blaster-wielding Grievous. Disarming the General, Kenobi began unleashing a series of jabs against the cyborg's torso, knocking Grievous over. Grievous retaliated with a kick that threw Kenobi across the platform. As Kenobi regained his feet, Grievous closed the distance, engaging Kenobi in a melee. While Grievous' mechanical exoskeleton provided him with a clear advantage, Kenobi managed to pry apart the plates protecting Grievous's internal organs before being thrown to the ground. Kenobi counter-attacked by kicking Grievous's leg, but only injured himself against the hard,durasteellimb.^[1]

Grievous grabbed Kenobi by the collar and threw him across the platform, with Kenobi barely managing to grab onto the edge. Grievous retrieved the electrostaff and advanced on Kenobi to deliver the killing blow. Desperately hanging from the edge, Kenobi used the Force to summon Grievous' E-5 blaster to his hand. Blasting five well-placed shots through the gaps in the general's armorplast chestplates at the organs that he had exposed, Kenobi ignited the tissue, violently combusting the internal organs and painfully killing the Separatist leader, although Obi-Wan felt especially disgusted about using a blaster to do so, even going as far as to call it "so uncivilized". Grievous's death was later reported to the Jedi Council, with Windu preparing to go to Palpatine's office to inform him of this development in the hopes that he lay down his emergency powers, until Skywalker revealed Palpatine's stance as a Sith Lord.^[1]

Continued fighting[]

The droid army and itsartillery^[12] continued to engage the clone troopers across Pau City during the duel between the Jedi Master and the general, with the droids trying to hold back the advancing Grand Army.^[1] Some battle droids, however, were ensnared by nativeginnthos during the battle.^[18] While Cody continued to commanded the clones safely from behind Republic lines, where he was able to catch Kenobi's fallinglightsaber as the fighting waged around him.^[1]

After killing Grievous, Kenobi made his way back to the battle. TheB1-series battle droid2638 fired down close to the Jedi, but the droid was blasted by enemy fire as heavy fighting continued as the Republic had finally started to push the droids from the edge of the sinkhole deeper into the city, with heavy street fighting occurring at multiple points in the city as the Republic advanced. Kenobi soon arrived to Cody's command position and had his lightsaber returned to him before charging up a cliff ledge to finish the battle.^[1]

Order 66[]

Meanwhile, onCoruscant, Anakin Skywalker turned to thedark side of the Force and became Sidious's Sith apprentice, Darth Vader. The newly anointed Sith Lord led the501st Legion'sattack on theJedi Temple. It was then that Cody received a message from Sidious who was publicly Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, instructing him to executeOrder 66 as part of apurge on theJedi Order.^[1]

With Sidious issuing the order to Cody, Cody'sbio-chip activated and immediately brainwashed him into believing that Kenobi was a traitor to the Republic that needed to be executed.^[19] Despite serving under Kenobi and being his friend, his loyalty was forcibly abolished due to the activation of his Biochip.^[20] Cody then ordered a nearbyAll Terrain Tactical Enforcer to fire its maincannon at the Jedi, who was ascending the cliff heading up to the Separatist command headquarters on the tenth level. The tank fired a single bolt that almost hit Kenobi, who fell into the depths of the sinkhole below.^[1]

Aftermath[]

With the successful routing of theSeparatist Droid Army, Pau City^[1] wasoccupied by the Republic, which began to round up and arrest theUtapaun resistance, includingPort Administrator Tion Medon,^[4] all before readying to leave the sinkhole world.^[1] With the death of Grievous, the Separatist leadership fell apart. News of the battle's outcome spread throughout the galaxy^[3] even though numerous other fronts were still active. Despite the Separatist Council's continued efforts to lead their movement and military,^[1] the breakdown of CIS command left the war to have technically already ended with Grievous's defeat.^[3]

When Clone Force 99 returned toKamino after witnessing the execution of General Billaba, they encountered a large contingent ofclone shock troopers of theCoruscant Guard stationed inTipoca City. One of the shock troopers, aquartermaster, informedWrecker,Clone SergeantHunter, and the rest of the squad that the Clone Wars concluded with Grievous' defeat on Utapau and the subsequent collapse of the Separatist leadership, confirming Tech's prediction of the war's end.^[3]

As the Grand Army proceeded to depart, however, Cody, all too aware of Jedi prowess, was not convinced of Kenobi's death.Probe droids were deployed to the sinkhole floor to find the Jedi Master's body and ascertain whether he was dead or alive. Kenobi then used stealth to make his way back up to Pau City, get toGrievous' starfighter and escape Utapau, becoming one of the few Jedi to escape the destruction of the Jedi Order. As he fled theUtapau system, Kenobi established contact withSenator ofAlderaanBail Prestor Organa, who had already rescued Grand Master Yoda fromKashyyyk, where he had been attacked by the41st Elite Corps during theBattle of Kashyyyk, and reached theAlderaanian diplomatic cruiserTantive III.^[1]

Meanwhile surviving Separatist Council members, who were stationed on the planet before they were moved to amining complex on Mustafar just prior to the battle on the orders of Darth Sidious, were demoralized by their recent defeats,^[1] as the fighting decreased.^[3] With Grievous' death, the council only wanted to sue for peace. However, they would be betrayed by Sidious who had them killed by Darth Vader. Vader was then instructed by Sidious to transmit the order to deactivate all remaining droid units of the Separatist Droid Army. With the Republic's transformation into the Empire so soon after the Battle of Utapau^[1] and the battle's result as a de facto ending point for the Clone Wars,^[3] the battle was remembered as the Galactic Republic's final stand.^[17]

Sometime between19 BBY and5 BBY,^[21] the former Sith Lord, now turnedcrime lord,^[22] Maul searched for worlds to give himself the advantage he needed over his nemesis, Sidious and Kenobi,^[23]one of which brought him to aSith castle on an ash-gray planetDamanos^[24] in theOuter Rim.^[25] Avision of "Grievous," whom Maul found deep within the castle, took the opportunity to mock Maul by reminding him of their last meeting, when he murdered his lovingMother Talzin. "Grievous" mocked him further, asking how it felt to know his sworn foe Kenobi was the one who killed him, robbing Maul of a chance for revenge.^[24]

Behind the scenes[]

The Battle of Utapau first appeared in the2005 filmStar Wars: Episode IIIRevenge of the Sith, the third installment of theStar Warsprequel trilogy.^[1] TheStarWars.comEncyclopedia entry for Tion Medon stated that two entire Republicbrigades fought in the battle,^[4] but General Grievous's laterDatabank entry instead stated abattalion of clone troopers were deployed.^[26] The encyclopedia "The End of the Clone Wars" then later said multiple clone battalions were deployed to Utapau due to the battle's importance. This article assumes the databank is incorrect.^[9]

According to stunt coordinatorNick Gillard, six IG-100 MagnaGuards were originally intended to join Obi-Wan Kenobi and General Grievous during their duel to defend the latter. WhileEwan McGregor trained for a week to get the choreography right,George Lucas rewrote the scene by having Kenobi crushing just four bodyguards with a piece of the ceiling as Lucas realized that the fight wasn't essential to the story, as well as the production running short of time.^[27]

Appearances[]

• Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy – A Graphic Novel
• Star Wars Battlefront II(Mentioned only)(DLC)
• Star Wars: Episode IIIRevenge of the Sith(First appearance)
• Revenge of the Sith Read-Along Storybook and CD
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "The Phantom Apprentice"(Indirect mention only)
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Shattered"(Indirect mention only)
• "The Duel for Peace" —5-Minute Star Wars Stories Strike Back(andaudiobook)
• Star Wars: The Bad Batch — "Aftermath"(Mentioned only)
• Reign of the Empire: The Mask of Fear(andaudiobook)(Indirect mention only)
• Sanctuary: A Bad Batch Novel(Indirect mention only)
• Ahsoka(andaudiobook)(Indirect mention only)
• "The Ghosts of Maul" —Stories of Jedi and Sith(andaudiobook)(Indirect mention only)
• Obi-Wan 3(Indirect mention only)
• Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures — "Obi-Wan Kenobi"(In flashback(s))
• Force Collector(andaudiobook)(Mentioned only)

Non-canon appearances[]

• LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales — "Crisis on Coruscant"(In flashback(s))
• LEGO Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith picture book
• William Shakespeare's Tragedy of the Sith's Revenge: Star Wars Part the Third
• LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

Sources[]

Explore all of Wookieepedia'simages for this article subject. Boga in theEncyclopedia(original site is defunct) Clone Commander Cody in theEncyclopedia(original site is defunct) General Grievous in theEncyclopedia(original site is defunct) Obi-Wan Kenobi in theEncyclopedia(original site is defunct) Tion Medon in theEncyclopedia(original site is defunct) Utapau in theEncyclopedia(original site is defunct) Star Wars Helmet Collection: TIE Fighter PilotDatabank A-Z: Jar Jar Binks–B'omarr Order(Indirect mention only) Star Wars Helmet Collection: General GrievousHelmets: General Grievous Star Wars Helmet Collection: Commander Cody Star Wars Helmet Collection: Commander CodyHelmets: Commander Cody Star Wars Helmet Collection: Commander CodyHighlights of the Saga: Intrigue on Utapau Star Wars Helmet Collection: Commander CodyWeapons & Uniforms: The Utapauns Star Wars Helmet Collection: Jango FettDatabank A-Z: 'Occupier' Tank–Oola Star Wars: Card TraderSet:Base Series 1 Star Wars: Card TraderSet:Base Series 1, Card:General Grievous - Separatist(Indirect mention only) Star Wars: Card TraderSet:Base Series 1, Card:Tion Medon - Port Administrator(Indirect mention only) Ultimate Star Wars Star Wars Helmet Collection: MagnaGuardHighlights of the Saga: Duel to the Death Star Wars Helmet Collection: Tusken RaiderDatabank A-Z: Rush Clovis–Coruscant Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 35Starship Fact File:Venator-class Star Destroyer Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know Star Wars Helmet Collection: Utapau Clone Trooper Star Wars Helmet Collection: Utapau Clone TrooperHelmets: 212th Attack Battalion Star Wars Helmet Collection: Utapau Clone TrooperHighlights of the Saga: Escape from Utapau Star Wars Helmet Collection: Odd BallHelmets: Odd Ball Star Wars Helmet Collection: Zam WesellDatabank A-Z: Kwazel Maw–Sly Moore Star Wars Helmet Collection: Kylo RenDatabank A-Z: Greedo–Gundarks Star Wars Helmet Collection: First Order SnowtrooperDatabank A-Z: Zeb Orrelios–Pau City(Indirect mention only) Star Wars Helmet Collection: 4-LOMDatabank A-Z: Unknown Regions–Utai Star Wars: Galactic Atlas Star Wars Helmet Collection: Captain RexDatabank A-Z: Valorum–Vassek Star Wars Helmet Collection: Galactic MarineHelmets: Galactic Marine(Indirect mention only) Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia Star Wars: On the Front Lines Star Wars Bust Collection: StormtrooperCharacter: Stormtroopers(Picture only) Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary, New Edition Star Wars: Alien Archive Star Wars: Complete Vehicles (2018)(First identified as liberation of Utapau) Collapse of the Republic Star Wars By the Numbers:Every Droid in Star Wars on the officialStar Wars KidsYouTube channel(original link is obsolete) "On the Wings of Keeradaks" Episode Guide | The Clone Wars onStarWars.com(backup link)(Picture only) "The Phantom Apprentice" Episode Guide | The Clone Wars onStarWars.com(backup link)(Indirect mention only) "Shattered" Episode Guide - The Clone Wars onStarWars.com(backup link)(Indirect mention only) "Aftermath" Episode Guide | The Bad Batch onStarWars.com(backup link) Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy 10 of Obi-Wan Kenobi's Greatest Moments (So Far) onStarWars.com(backup link) Star Wars: Shatterpoint — Hello There Squad Pack(Indirect mention only) 2023 ToppsStar Wars – Epic ClashesCard:Obi-Wan Kenobi / General Grievous (backup link) "This is Obi-Wan" —Star Wars: Meet the Galactic Heroes "A Certain Point of View" —Star Wars Insider 223 Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy Wookiee Basketball, Kid Han Solo, and a Kenobi Dummy: 20 Fun Facts aboutStar Wars: Revenge of the Sith onStarWars.com(backup link) Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece Series(Sixth Scale Figure:#851: 212th Attack Battalion Clone Trooper) (backup link) Battle Droid in theDatabank(backup link) Boga in theDatabank(backup link) Clone Commander Cody in theDatabank(backup link) General Grievous in theDatabank(backup link)(First identified as Battle of Utapau) General Grievous' TSMEU-6 Wheel Bike in theDatabank(backup link) Obi-Wan Kenobi in theDatabank(backup link) Tion Medon in theDatabank(backup link) Utapau in theDatabank(backup link)

Notes and references[]