General Grievous

Not to be confused with General Grivas.

General Grievous
Star Wars character
Voiced by	Matthew Wood
Fictional profile
Species	Kaleesh / cyborg
Gender	Male
Position	Supreme Commander of the Droid Armies
Homeworld	Kalee
Affiliation	Confederacy of Independent Systems

General Grievous is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, an antagonist who first appeared in the Cartoon Network micro-series Star Wars: Clone Wars. He was voiced by Matthew Wood. According to the Revenge of the Sith DVD, series creator George Lucas instructed his creative team to create a villain that foreshadowed Anakin Skywalker's transformation into Darth Vader: the heavy breathing, the cyborg body, and his seduction into a malevolent faction.

Grievous is portrayed as the Supreme Commander of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, a political faction of planetary systems waging war on the Galactic Republic. Trained in all seven forms of lightsaber combat by Separatist leader and Sith Lord Count Dooku, he is a ruthless and powerful warrior devoted to the destruction of the Jedi, killing dozens from Padawans to Masters. The General's acts of wanton aggression and high Jedi body count would prompt the galaxy to give him the nickname 'The Knightslayer'. During the Clone Wars, he was one of the most feared, if not the most feared being in the galaxy. Though the notorious Jedi slayer was the being in the galaxy at the time of the Clone Wars who had killed the most Jedi in single combat, he did not hesitate to flee from battles he knew were lost.

Appearances

Star Wars films

The opening crawl of Revenge of the Sith explains that Grievous and Count Dooku have captured the Supreme Chancellor Palpatine from the galactic capital Coruscant and are holding him hostage aboard Grievous's flagship, the Invisible Hand. A rescue operation conducted by Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker and their droid R2-D2 results in the death of Count Dooku at the hands of Skywalker, effectively transferring command over the Separatist Council to Grievous. Grievous retreats from the battle after the Jedi infiltrate his command bridge.

Now the Republic's top priority, Grievous takes refuge on the sinkhole planet Utapau, where the Separatist Council is based. Under orders from Darth Sidious, Palpatine's alter ego, Grievous relocates the Council to the volcanic planet Mustafar. Sidious (as his civilian alter ego, Chancellor Palpatine) betrays the general by authorizing an invasion of Utapau under the command of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Grievous engages Kenobi in a lightsaber duel, in which Kenobi gains an early advantage. Grievous then flees the scene towards his starfighter, with Kenobi hot on his heels. The chase ends at Grievous' secret hangar, where the pair fight hand to hand. Making use of his robotic body, the general has the clear advantage in the brawl and prepares to kill Kenobi, though Kenobi manages to rip open his chestplate in the process. Using [Force (Star Wars)|the Force]] to pull Grievous' blaster to him, Kenobi fires five shots into the cyborg's heart, incinerating him from the inside.

Clone Wars

2003 animated series

Grievous's introduction into the Star Wars saga was the 2003 Clone Wars microseries by Genndy Tartakovsky, where he is portrayed as a ruthless warrior and a cunning tactician; in one episode single-handedly defeating seven Jedi. In the series' final episode, Grievous initiates the mission to kidnap Palpatine, unaware of his quarry's real identity. Grievous battles his way through the heart of the Republic, leaving a trail of dead clone troopers in his wake, where he finally reaches Palpatine's bunker and duels Jedi Masters Foul Moudama and Roron Corobb. After a short duel, Grievous slays them and captures Palpatine, though he is attacked by Shaak Ti. After subduing Shaak Ti, Grievous prepares to make his escape, but is confronted by Jedi Master Mace Windu. While Grievous prepares to confront Windu in a duel, the powerful Jedi Master uses the Force to crush the General's chestplate, which results in the hacking cough heard in Revenge of the Sith. Grievous flees in his shuttle, which then sets the scene for the film.

2008 animated series

General Grievous statues from the Clone Wars episode 10 "Lair of Grievous"

Grievous is featured as a main villain in the 2008 CGI series The Clone Wars, with Matthew Wood reprising his role from the film, first appearing as the commander of the Malevolence, a large Separatist warship armed with a number of heavy ion cannons. During the course of the Clone Wars, Grievous also clashes with Kenobi aboard the Malevolence for the first time, when he chases Kenobi aboard the warship's railway system. During the ensuing lightsaber duel, Grievous nearly gets the better of Kenobi, who makes his escape at the last minute.

A few episodes later, Grievous discovers Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka Tano infiltrating his secret listening post and seeks out to search for them. He then engages Tano and her squad of clone troopers, defeating all the troopers and then engaging in a cat and mouse game with Tano. However, Tano and Skywalker still manage to destroy his listening post. Aware of Grievous' recent string of failures, Count Dooku arranges a test for his cyborg henchman - in the form of Jedi Master Kit Fisto and Jedi Knight Nahdar Vebb. In Grievous' personal castle on the third moon of Vassek, the Jedi, along with a squad of Clone Troopers, ambush Grievous and cut off his limbs. Once repaired, Grievous duels a defiant Vebb and kills him. On the outskirts of Grievous' castle, the general climbs up from the ledge and unleashes four lightsabers on Fisto. Using the fog to his advantage, Fisto successfully cuts off one of Grievous' arms, reclaiming Vebb's lightsaber. Armed with two lightsabers, Fisto overpowers Grievous, who calls in his Magnaguards, and an outnumbered Fisto flees. Grievous then reports to Dooku, who informs Grievous that there is room for improvement.

Grievous again makes an appearance in Season 2 of The Clone Wars. He boards a Republic Cruiser with Jedi Master Eeth Koth onboard. Grievous duels Koth and takes him prisoner. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Jedi Master Adi Gallia attempt to rescue Koth, resulting in a confrontation between the Grievous and Kenobi over the planet Saleucami, which Grievous loses. He does not appear again in Season 2.

Over the course of the Clone Wars, Grievous clashes numerous times with Kenobi. In "Battle of Kamino", Grievous once again engages Kenobi in a lightsaber duel, which ends in stalemate. Later on, Grievous commands a sabotage mission using infiltrator droids on the Galactic Senate, resulting in a deregulation of the banks. Grievous would also a face a humiliating defeat when he attempted to invade Naboo. Jar Jar Binks (posing as Gungan Boss Lyonie) distracts Grievous in a series of negotiations long enough for the Gungan Army to shut down Grievous' invasion force. As Grievous pursues Jar Jar, he massacres the Gungan Grand Army. At that moment, General Tarpals of the Gungan Grand Army intervenes and engages Grievous in a duel, ending when he is mortally wounded at Grievous' hands. Tarpals impales Grievous through his chest, allowing the Gungan Army to bombard the stunned general with energized projectiles and capture him. He is freed in a prisoner exchange with Anakin Skywalker between Count Dooku and Padme Amidala. After being freed, Grievous attacks Jedi Master Adi Gallia's ship, engaging her in a lightsaber duel down a narrow hall way. The duel ended when Grievous kicks Gallia in the chest, sending her flying across the hallway and subsequently capturing her. Shortly after, Adi Gallia escapes Grievous' custody when a strike force led by Jedi Master Plo Koon boards his ship and frees the Jedi Master, prompting Grievous to flee once again.

In the first episode of the Season 4 Finale, Grievous is sent to the planet Dathomir under orders from Count Dooku to exterminate the Nightsisters, including Ventress. Immediately upon landing on the planet's surface, the General begins his rampage and his droid army turns Dathomir into a battlefield. However, Ventress turns the tables on the battle and fights her way to the General's shuttle, where the cyborg emerges to confront her personally. Grievous unleashes all four of his lightsabers and duels Ventress. Grievous grows overconfident and begins to toy with her, until she surprises him by chopping off one of his arms and knocking him to the ground. Grievous orders his troops to fire on Ventress, wounding her. As the general prepares to deliver the deathblow to his long time rival, he is attacked by nightsister zombies and is forced to fight them off while Ventress escapes. Under new orders from Dooku, Grievous turns his attention to Nightsister leader Mother Talzin and slaughters his way to her fortress, where she narrowly escapes from the general's grasp by teleporting away.

Star Wars literature

Grievous made his first appearance in the comics in a short story in Star Wars: Visionaries called "The Eyes of Revolution". This story reveals that Grievous was once Kaleesh general Qymaen jai Sheelal, a fierce warrior engaged in a brutal war with the rival planet Huk. Greivous has had many wives. One that he is currently married to Gravlyn, a human. He boards a shuttle to take him to another battle, unaware that Dooku had planted an explosive device in it. He is mortally wounded in the resulting crash, and what remains of his body is reconstructed with cybernetic limbs. Dooku then recruits him into the Separatist Army as his second-in-command.

In the third volume of Clone Wars Adventures, it is revealed that General Grievous attains his rank of Supreme Commander by dueling Asajj Ventress and Durge simultaneously. On board the Trenchant space station, Ventress and Durge are ordered by Dooku to search for an unknown intruder, with the pair unaware of the Count's intentions. Armed with an electrostaff, Grievous appears from behind and electrocutes Durge, and subsequently throws him across the hallway through a few trophies. Ventress jumps onto a chandoleer and attempts to search for Grievous but is instead knocked off by the Cyborg, who is caught by Durge. The pair then confront the general face to face, with Ventress unleashing her lightsabers and Durge unleashing his full arsenal. Grievous is able to knock Ventress away, though Durge sent the general flying across the room into a wall with a powerful punch to the face. Grievous unleashes his lightsabers, swiftly defeating the pair. In the wake of the battle, Grievous is made the Supreme Commander of the Confederacy's military.

Grievous starred in his own comic called Star Wars: General Grievous, in which he fights Jedi master T'chooka D'oon and his padawan, Flyn. After Grievous kills D'oon, Kybo return to the Jedi council with a plan to destroy Grievous once and for all. When the council rebukes his vengeful plan, Kybo decides to take this matter into own hands, with disastrous results. Grievous makes his last appearance in the comics in Star Wars: Obsession issue number 4, in which he is on the world of Boz Pity where he kills two Jedi, Master Soon Bayts and Jedi Council member Adi Gallia. Though Grievous is subdued by Mace Windu, Count Dooku is able to save him so he may fight another day.

In the novel Labyrinth of Evil, a prequel to Revenge of the Sith, Grievous plans an invasion of Coruscant alongside Count Dooku and Darth Sidious. He first appears in the novel watching Trade Federation Vicreoy Nute Gunray flee from a pursuant Republic Strike Force. Grievous reluctantly saves Gunray by destroying the fighters. Grievous' invasion of the planet Belderone would also be thwarted by Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, due to a careless mistake on Gunray's part. Though Gunray resorts to lies, Grievous deduces that the Neimoidian is lying and threatens to kill him. Later, on the bridge of the Invisible Hand, Dooku watches as Grievous spars his elite Magnaguards. Though Grievous wins the fight, Dooku points out several flaws in the general's technique, while realizing he is partly to blame for the general's inadequacies. Grievous would soon launch his invasion on the Republic capital of Coruscant in an attempt to kidnap Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, placing himself on the battlefield once again. During the invasion, Grievous personally tries to capture Palpatine, while battling Mace Windu and Kit Fisto. Windu briefly repels Grievous, who nevertheless gets the better of the Jedi guard and takes Palpatine hostage.

Video games

General Grievous has appeared in several video games, notably, Star Wars: Battlefront II, Star Wars: Republic Commando, and the Revenge of the Sith video game.

Grievous next appears in the video game Star Wars Galaxies. Following the establishment of the Galactic Empire, stormtroopers take Grievous' living head, and place it in his body, transforming him to a droid. This war droid has a brief life in the Myyydril Caverns on Kashyyyk before being destroyed by an anonymous group of spacers. The combatants loot the droid's remains, taking its weaponry and anything else of value. The facemask ends up on the Invisible Market, where it is purchased for its artistic properties by a high-ranking Imperial admiral — purported to be none other than Grand Admiral Thrawn. General Grievous also makes a very brief appearance in Star Wars: Republic Commando, when Delta Squad almost catches him boarding his starship to an "unknown" planet. Earlier, on Geonosis, after killing Sun Fac, a ship looking similar to Grievous' flies away. The squad notes the ship as not being Geonosian. Grievous makes his next appearance in Lego Star Wars and Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, featured as a boss and an unlockable, playable character in free play mode. He is also playable in free play mode in Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy by accessing a save file of Lego Star Wars.

General Grievous appears as a playable character in Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Lightsaber Duels, released for the Nintendo Wii on November 11, 2008. General Grievous also appears as a playable character in Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron, released for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) and Nintendo DS on November 3, 2009. Unlike Star Wars: Battlefront II, in the DS version, he can use his four arms at the cost of force points instead of just two at the end of an attack.

Behind the scenes

General Grievous was developed for Episode III as a powerful new villain on the side of the Separatists. The initial instructions that director George Lucas gave the Art Department were very open-ended: "a droid general". From that vague direction, the artists developed a lot of explorations — some purely mechanical, some not — for Grievous' look.

The initial design for General Grievous was created by Warren Fu as a design for the Magnaguard. That initial sketch was refined and made into a 1-foot (30 cm)-tall maquette sculpture. That was further refined when it was made into a realistic computer-generated model by Industrial Light & Magic. At the time, this was one of the most complicated models ever created by ILM, with many parts of differing physical qualities. General Grievous is completely computer-generated imagery in the movie. On set, Duncan Young read the lines off-screen, while Kyle Rowling wore a bluescreen or a greenscreen suit to act out the fights with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Movie notes

General Grievous' asthmatic cough in Revenge of the Sith was intended to emphasize his organic nature as well as the flaws of cyborg prosthetics. Grievous had previously appeared in Clone Wars before many of his personality traits had been finalized. To reconcile the differences between the two presentations, Mace Windu uses the Force to crush Grievous' chest panel towards the end of the show's third season (Volume Two) as the general makes a desperate escape with Palpatine. Some of the audio effects for the coughing were taken from Lucas himself, who had bronchitis during principal photography.

Portrayal

General Grievous has been played by several actors. In the Star Wars: Clone Wars animated series, the character was played by voice actor John DiMaggio in Chapter 20 (the Season 2 finale episode). The role of General Grievous was assigned to Richard McGonagle for Chapters 21–25 of Season 3. In the feature film Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, General Grievous was dubbed by actor and sound editor Matthew Wood. Wood also plays Grievous in the animated series The Clone Wars as well as for all of Grievous' video game appearances. Gary Oldman, a friend of producer Rick McCallum, agreed to submit a voice audition, but his involvement never went beyond that. For several months following Oldman's reported (but never confirmed) refusal, actor John Rhys-Davies was widely reported to be the voice of Grievous. This was eventually revealed to be a prank.

External links

• General Grievous in the Star Wars Databank
• Grievous on Wookieepedia: a Star Wars Wiki
• General Grievous at the Internet Movie Database