Battle of Kashyyyk: Difference between revisions
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|commander1=[[ Jedi High General Yoda]]<br>[[Luminara Unduli]]†<br>[[Supreme Commander of the wookie Army Gree]]†<br>[[ General Tarfful]]<br>Merumeru<br>[[Quinlan Vos]] |
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Revision as of 04:16, 1 August 2007
Template:Campaignbox Clone Wars (21.6-19 BBY)
The Battle of Kashyyyk is a fictional battle in the Star Wars saga, set during the last few days of the Clone Wars. It is featured in the film Revenge of the Sith, as well as the game Star Wars: Republic Commando. It takes place on the planet Kashyyyk, the homeworld of the Wookiees. In the timeline of battles, the Battle of Kashyyyk took place immediately after the Battle of Coruscant and before the Mission to Mustafar.
Before the Battle
Kashyyyk was considered a major navigation hub for the southwest quadrant of the galaxy, and as such it was strategically important system which had long been a target for the Separatist military. After a number of probing attacks throughout the war, the Separatists finally decided on a full-scale invasion of Kachirho, a city in the Wawaatt Archipelago. This was to serve as a literal beachhead into the rest of the forest-covered planet Kashyyyk. To this end, the Separatists made particular use of the age-old enmity between the native Wookiees and their system neighbours the Trandoshans to prepare for their attack. The Trandoshans did this in a number of ways, in particular by raiding the city and taking General Tarrful, its leader, prisoner, while using their slaving activities as a cover for the true objective. In secret, the Separatists landed a large droid force for their attack. However, while the system was an important strategic location and both sides believe the battle to be straightforward, it was in fact little more than a diversion by Darth Sidious.
The invasion plans were discovered by Republic Clone commandos, and the Jedi council decided that while the Republic's forces were spread thin, Kashyyyk was too important a system to ignore. Yoda agreed to go to Kashyyyk, as he was well known to the native Wookiees. Darth Sidious had counted on this, and Yoda's departure from the capital, along with that of Obi-Wan Kenobi to Utapau, removed two of the biggest obstacles to reaching his true objective.
Overview
Prior to arrival of the Republic's main taskforce, a number of small black-ops missions were carried out by the Clone commandos of Delta Squad, including the rescue of General Tarrful, the destruction of the Separatist forest base (which was to serve as a beachhead for the Confederacy) and the destruction of an enemy-held bridge at Kachirho. Their missions helped lay the groundwork for the large landing of clone infantry and armour that would defend the city and also destroyed key Separatist positions and supplies that would have cemented a separitist victory.
A detachment of the 501st Legion cut a swath through the Separatist blockade to make way for the reinforcements. After eliminating the enemy's frigate defenses, a boarding party managed to land in the command cruiser. While sabotaging the inside of the cruiser, the boarding party also came across a holocron containing the droid's ground battle plans. They were able to bring it back to their command cruiser. Using these plans, Republic tactitians set up a battle plan to counterattack the Separatist invasion. As the back bone of the invasion was comprised of NR-N99 Armored Tank Droids, powerful vehicles would be needed. Juggernauts and AT-APs were elected as the most capable vehicles. A contingent of Dwarf Spider Droids was also to take part, so AT-RTs were assigned as well.
Master Yoda went to aid in the battle as the overseer of the defense of the planet, and Luminara Unduli had brought with her the specialist infantry and light vehicles of Commander Gree's 41st elite along with a considerable amount of armour, consisting largely of Juggernauts and AT-APs. Also assisting in the battle was General Quinlan Vos, Commander Faie and their 191st Engineer Corps, arriving from Boz Pity. This force was integrated with the large number of Wookiee warriors and deployed amongst premade trenches and other defenses along the beachfront. Air support was also provided. Wookiee flying vessels, including the Gnasp Fluttercraft and the Oevvaor Catamaran, originally used for racing, fishing and other peaceful activities, were armed with machine guns and light cannons, providing a staunch air force. The army was led on the ground by the Wookie General Merumeru and the Jedi Commanders Luminara Unduli and Quinlan Vos. Commander Gree and Yoda planned the defense from a command post high above the beach.
The Separatists also attempted to attack and destroy a key Kashyyyk oil refinery. The 501st, just touching down from the space battle, defended the refinery with the help of Yoda.
The Separatists launched their attack, making use of a large number of light amphibious Tank Droids, infantry carriers and MAF gunships to storm the beach in the hope of overwhelming the defenders. Also, they used the mighty HMP Droid Gunships to provide air support. Although there were agile Wookiee Catamarans and Gnasp flyers defending the planet, they were too lightly armed to battle the Droid Gunships. Hence, the Separatists ruled the skies. However, the Republic's entrenched positions and clearly more powerful armour seemed effective in repelling several days worth of attacks. The bravery and ingenuity showed by the clones and the Wookiees in "defeating" the Separatists was merely a background to smaller but far more significant events played out during the span of the battle.
Note: In the movie, there was no refinery visible, as the game's battlefield had to be scaled down. Also, a holocron is a Jedi/Sith form of storing Force secrets, not a commonly used data storage device that may have been used to store tactical plans.
Order 66
During the battle, Yoda conferred with the Jedi Council on the matter of Palpatine and his growing power. Mace Windu expressed concerns that Palpatine was plotting to take control of the Senate for his own ends. The council agreed that if Palpatine was discovered to be plotting against them, they should arrest him and take control of the Senate to ease a transition into a less corrupt body.
While Yoda remained on Kashyyyk, Anakin Skywalker discovered that Palpatine was in fact the elusive Darth Sidious, who had masterminded both sides of the war. He told Windu, who went to confront Palpatine, leading to a duel. Palpatine later used this "evidence" of the duel and presented it to the senate as a Jedi assassination attempt. Anakin Skywalker, tempted with Sith apprenticeship to Sidious, came to Palpatine's aid and helped him to kill Mace Windu. Following this, Palpatine enacted Order 66, an emergency protocol issued to Clone Troopers in the event of Jedi treason.
On Kashyyyk, Yoda felt the deaths of hundreds of Jedi as a consequence of Order 66 and a raid on the Jedi Temple led by Anakin Skywalker. Yoda was not actively participating in battle and as a result was not caught off guard when Gree and his lieutenant attempted to carry out Order 66. In a single swipe, Yoda beheaded Gree and the lieutenant with his lightsaber. Realizing that he was in danger, Yoda fled with General Tarrful and Chewbacca, who helped him to a hidden escape pod. All this transpired while the battle raged below, and in the course of a few short hours, the clones had changed from defenders of an ancient democracy to the enforcers of the new Emperor's will. Order 66 was also relayed to the men of the 41st and 191st. High General Luminara Unduli was shot by several elite clone officers while planning the next phase of the battle. Elsewhere, General Quinlan Vos rode on the observation deck of the command Turbo Tank when another one blasted his. Although the clone crew died and the tank exploded, Quinlan Vos managed to escape and eventually nursed himself back to health.
With Gree dead, the Jedi seen as enemies of the Republic and the Wookiees just wanting to protect their planet and continue living the way they were before the Clone Wars, Commander Faie was left in command of the Clone forces. However, he managed to fend off the Separatists as well as successfully enslave the Wookiees at Kachirho for the Galactic Empire.
Observations
The Battle and Its Outcome
The outcome of the battle itself is murky. Republic and Wookiee forces were seen destroying many of the Separatist invasion vehicles. However, the last we see of the battle during the Order 66 montage shows that still more droids are arriving. It is possible that the battle continued until Darth Sidious gave the order to deactivate the droid armies.
According to the Star Wars Databank, the clone troopers occupied the planet and placed it under martial law after the end of the battle and the emergence of the Galactic Empire. This is intended to relate to Chewbacca's background as an Imperial slave.
Notes on the Battle
Four Star Wars ground vehicles made their debut in the battle: the Clone Turbo Tank, the AT-RT (the pre-cursor of the AT-ST,) the AT-AP and the NR-N99 tank droid. Also featured was a Venator-class Star Destroyer landed on the planet's surface. Note: The CloneTurbo Tank, aka the juggernaut, can first be seen at the loading of Obi-Wan Kenobi's forces before he departs to Utapah.
Chewbacca, Star Wars' most famous Wookiee, was a participant in the battle and said to be a friend of the Wookiee General Tarfful. Even his father Itchy was involved. Chewbacca and Tarfful were seen escorting Jedi Master Yoda to his escape pod after Order 66 is given, and in the original script, they actually killed Clones in the process of getting the Jedi Master to safety. After Yoda has reached the pod, Chewbacca and Tarful can be seen communicating, possibly lamenting Yoda's departure.
Trivia
A climactic battle between the technologically advanced Empire and a race of primitive hairy aliens, the Wookiees, was present in George Lucas' original treatment for Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. As the story changed and the trilogy structure was solidified in Lucas' mind, the battle was postponed until Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, where it developed into a battle featuring Ewoks on the moon of Endor. At the same time, the Wookiees developed into a more technologically savvy, though no less hairy, species.
Lucas' original conception of the battle featured hundreds of Wookiees on screen. Due to costs, the original idea was scrapped and replaced by a battle featuring relatively few diminutive Ewoks, who do not play a very significant tactical role in the battle. A large-scale battle with hundreds of characters was eventually realized in The Phantom Menace, but was not viewed as a significant battle by fans. The Battle of Kashyyyk in Revenge of the Sith finally brings this concept to the screen.