Grievous

"I hear a lot of talking, General, but in the final accounting, what does all the talk get you? A futile quest for power? A mutilated body? And your place as Dooku's errand boy!" "I'm no errand boy, and I'm not in this war for Dooku's politics. I am the leader of the most powerful droid army the galaxy has ever seen!"

- Obi-Wan Kenobi to Grievous

General Grievous was the Kaleesh cyborg Supreme Commander of the Droid Army of the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars. Originally a Kaleesh warrior from the planet Kalee, he chose to receive cybernetic implants to increase his combat prowess. He was recruited by Count Dooku to lead the Separatist Droid Army, and trained in the art of lightsaber combat.

Over the course of the Clone Wars, Grievous's shrewd battle planning and ruthlessness caused him to become feared throughout the Galactic Republic. The Kaleesh cyborg successfully combated the Republic's Jedi Generals, maintaining a collection of trophies; the lightsabers of Jedi he had slain. He clashed with Padawan Ahsoka Tano and Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi on multiple occasions. Under his command, the droid army wreaked havoc across the galaxy. During the war, he attacked Kamino, where the Grand Army of the Republic's clone troopers were produced, and wiped out the Nightsisters of Dathomir. Following the reemergence of the fallen Sith Lord Darth Maul, the former apprentice of his master Darth Sidious, Grievous forced his retreat and killed Mother Talzin who was the former leader of the Nightsisters.

Near the end of the war, Grievous led the attack on Coruscant aboard his flagship, the Invisible Hand, and successfully captured Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, secretly his master Darth Sidious. However, he was forced to retreat following the death of Count Dooku at the hands of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and the crippling of his flagship, relocating to the remote Outer Rim world of Utapau. Palpatine leaked his location to the Jedi Council, who deployed Obi-Wan Kenobi to kill the dreaded cyborg. Kenobi arrived in Pau City, a mining settlement in an Utapaun sinkhole, and the Jedi challenged him to a duel, with Kenobi's battalion of clones engaging Grievous' droid forces. Although he attempted to retreat in his personal starfighter, the Soulless One, his Jedi adversary shot the Kaleesh in his organ sack with Grievous's blaster rifle, resulting in the dreaded cyborg's demise.

Early Life
"Sometimes I wonder why you submitted to the changes.''" "''Improvements. I submit to no one. I chose them."

- EV-A4-D and Grievous

A Kaleesh warlord from the planet Kalee, Grievous was allied with InterGalactic Banking Clan Chairman San Hill, Archduke Poggle the Lesser, and Dooku, the count of Serenno. Grievous claimed to have chosen to be rebuilt and have portions of his body replaced with cybernetics. By the time of the Clone Wars, very little of his original body remained.

The Clone Wars
"The droid General Grievous has our forces spread thin."

- Jedi Master Mace Windu, to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.

Throughout the conflict, known as the Clone Wars, Grievous was regarded as a feared and ruthless adversary. He led the Separatist Droid Army in a variety of battles during the war, including the Battle of Kamino and the Battle of Coruscant. He became a major concern for the Jedi Order and Galactic Republic, prompting the Jedi to make him a high priority target.

The Malevolence
After he had been chosen and trained in lightsaber combat by Count Dooku to lead the Separatist forces in the Clone Wars, Grievous then took the Malevolence as his flagship. Under the general's command, the Malevolence began executing attacks on Republic fleets that left no survivors. While stationed in the Abregado system with Count Dooku aboard, a Republic task force led by Jedi Master Plo Koon arrived in the system to engage the warship. The ion cannons of the Malevolence disabled the Republic fleet's deflector shields, and this led to the destruction of the fleet. A few individuals managed to survive via escape pods, but Dooku dispatched a pod hunter to destroy the pods. Plo Koon, Commander Wolffe, and two clones were rescued by Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano on the Twilight. As a result of the escape of some survivors, Dooku's trust in Grievous was shaken, and the Sith Lord left to discuss plans with his master, Darth Sidious.

Grievous, as instructed by Count Dooku via hologram, took the Malevolence to destroy a Republic medical facility that was treating over 60,000 wounded clones. In order to reach the target, the Malevolence had to navigate around the Kaliida Nebula. Anakin Skywalker led a small strike force of fighters which disabled the ion cannons of the Malevolence. After this, a Republic fleet led by Obi-Wan Kenobi arrived and attacked Grievous' crippled ship.

Grievous was forced to retreat, but Count Dooku came up with a new plan, taking Senator Padmé Amidala hostage. After Senator Amidala's ship was captured, the Republic fleet stopped firing, and a team was sent to board the Malevolence led by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. Grievous fought Obi-Wan Kenobi briefly and overpowered him, but the two Jedi managed to escape with Padmé and C-3PO. Grievous pursued the Twilight in his personal starfighter, the Soulless One but Anakin had sabotaged the navigation system of the Malevolence such that when the ship engaged its hyperdrive, it crashed directly into a nearby moon. After the destruction of the Malevolence, the Republic made efforts to locate him. Clone Intelligence spotted him in the Balmorra system, but he vanished shortly after.

Attack on Rishi Station
"All the preparations for your invasion are in order.''" "Good. Our fleet is approaching the system. We are almost at the rendezvous point." "Very good, my lord. I will await your arrival." "''The destruction of Kamino will stop their production of clones for good."

- Asajj Ventress informs Grievous that the preparations for his invasion of Kamino are in order

Several weeks later, Grievous arranged for an attack on the planet Kamino, determined to stop the clone production at its source. In order to reach the planet undetected, Grievous sent a team of BX-series droid commandos to seize Rishi Station from the clone troopers stationed there. After the commando droids had taken control of the station, Grievous was then contacted by their captain aboard his Munificent-class star frigate, who informed him that the outpost is secure, and that they have managed to disable the alarm and activate the all-clear signal. Grievous ordered him to keep the signal activated, so as not to draw the Republic's attention and lose the element of surprise. After ending the transmission, a battle droid informed the general that their spy on Kamino, Asajj Ventress, is contacting him. Making contact, she assured Grievous that everything is ready for their invasion. Pleased, the General informs her that he has almost reached their rendezvous point. However, after losing contact with the commando droids, Grievous sent a battalion to the station to investigate, in order to ensure that the invasion continued as planned. He was then informed that there are still some clones remaining, and ordered them eliminated. Unfortunately for the Separatist, the station was destroyed and the all-clear signal stopped transmitting. Realizing they were under attack, the Republic fleet moved into the Rishi system and attacked Grievous' fleet, forcing him to retreat and postpone the invasion.

Defeat at Bothawui
"Our spies were right, General. The Jedi has positioned a fleet beyond the planetary rings.''" "Move our ships through the asteroid field to engage them." "Through the field, sir?" "''If we attack from above, they will have the advantage. So we will go through the rocks."

- A battle droid informs Grievous that their spies' information were correct concerning the position of General Skywalker's fleet

Following the Confederate victory at Falleen, Grievous moved his fleet to Bothawui to attack Jedi General Anakin Skywalker's fleet with information from his spies. Realizing that attacking from above would've left them at a disadvantage, Grievous moved the fleet through the asteroid field to engage Skywalker's fleet, with the asteroids protecting their rear. Skywalker then deployed into the Gold Squadron from his flagship, the Resolute, to try and draw out the general. As Grievous' fleet exited the asteroid field, it was able to severely damage one the Republic cruisers, but was quickly outflanked by AT-TEs hidden on the asteroids. As a result, the General issued a retreat, with one of the battle droid commanders pointing out that they had nowhere to run. Grievous then fled from his burning flagship in his starfighter, moments before it exploded. Skywalker attempted to pursue him in his Delta-7B Aethersprite-class interceptor but was soon sent spinning out of control as a result of the damage his fighter had sustained earlier in the fight. Meanwhile, Grievous had managed to power up the Soulless One hyperdrive, allowing him to jump into hyperspace. The rest of Grievous' fleet however, was destroyed.

Following his loss at Bothawui, Grievous contacted the Trandoshan salvager Gha Nachkt, and requested that he search the debris field for an astromech droid, telling him to rendezvous at the Separatist listening post on Ruusan's moon once the droid was located. The droid in question was R2-D2, the astromech droid of General Skywalker, with Grievous suspecting that he held vital military secrets within his memory banks that could aid the Separatists.

Trapping Skywalker
"Ah! There's our Jedi tracking beacon. Skywalker, now you have fallen into my trap."

- Grievous, after R3-S6 activated the tracking beacon on Skywalker's Jedi Starfighter

Later, Grievous was contacted by the Trandoshan salvager, Gha Nachkt, who informed him that he had the droid in his possession and was en route to their rendezvous point. He also revealed that Skywalker had boarded his ship looking for it, and believing it to be valuable, requested more money than they had previously agreed upon. However, Grievous threatened him, telling Nachkt to arrive as fast as he could, or else there would be consequences.

Not soon after, Grievous detected Skywalker's fighter's beacon, which had been activated by R3-S6, Skywalker's replacement astromech droid, in reality a Separatist spy. Having fallen into his trap, Grievous attacked, destroying his Hyperspace transport ring and preventing his escape. Grievous then launched a squadron of vulture droids to kill the Jedi, and ordered his cruisers to move in. However, Skywalker was rescued by the timely arrival of his apprentice Ahsoka Tano and the Twilight, Skywalker's freighter. The General then ordered his ships to prevent their escape, but the Twilight was able to navigate between the two battleships, causing them to collide with each other, destroying the vulture droids. The Jedi's ship then jumped to hyperspace. In his anger, Grievous decapitated an unfortunate battle droid who had pointed out to him that the Jedi had escaped.

Encounter on Skytop Station
"What secrets do you carry, my little friend?''" [R2-D2 responds] "''So defiant. No need for fear. We're all droids here. Ha ha ha. Rip this little rat apart, and find out everything he knows!"

- Gen. Grievous to R2-D2

Nachkt soon arrived at Skytop Station with R2-D2, and proceeded to disassemble the astromech droid and sift through his memory banks for any vital information. Grievous listened as Nachkt revealed that the data within the astromech had never been erased and contained a wealth of information that they could exploit. Trying to use this to his advantage, Nachkt demanded double the agreed price, but Grievous having grown tired of his insubordination, killed him. He was then informed by R3-S6 that the Jedi had infiltrated the station in order to rescue the droid. Grievous ordered R3 to distract them until he arrived, and tasked his IG-100 MagnaGuards with taking care of the astromech while he confronted the Jedi. Grievous then found Skywalker's apprentice, Ahsoka Tano, along with Captain Rex and a squad of clone troopers. He engaged them in combat and managed to kill all of the clones except Rex and Denal, who were saved by the timely intervention of Ahsoka. As she confronted the general, she was quickly overpowered and forced to retreat further into the station, with Grievous and R3 giving chase after her. While searching one of abandoned spare parts rooms for her, Grievous was informed that Skywalker had gone to rescue his astromech. He then had R3 go to the hangar and ensure that Skywalker would not escape. Meanwhile, Grievous having finally cornered Ahsoka, prepared to kill her, when the bombs that Rex had planted earlier, went off. In his momentary distraction, Ahsoka was able to sever Grievous's hand with her lightsaber and escape through the ventilation system. Their objection complete and R2-D2 safely back with Skywalker, the Jedi made their escape. Grievous then retreated aboard the Souless One as the station collapsed around him.

Proving his competence
"You might have been a proud warrior once, but now you are just a pawn in Dooku's game!''" "I wield great power, Jedi fool! " "''That power will only consume you."

- Kit Fisto and Grievous during their duel

Later in the war, Grievous was instructed by his master to return to his fortress on the third moon of Vassek. When he arrived, he found that his MagnaGuards had been deactivated. Count Dooku, having laid a trap for the general in order to test his abilities, lured the Jedi and clones to Grievous's fortress. With the Jedi having infiltrated the base and with his bodyguards deactivated, the Count had hoped to punish Grievous for his recent failures. In the fight that ensued, Grievous was damaged and his pet roggwart Gor, was killed. However, he was soon repaired by his droid A-4D and continued on his hunt for the Jedi. Eventually catching up to them, Grievous easily dispatched Nahdar Vebb and his remaining clone forces, and then went on to fight against Jedi Master Kit Fisto. After a lengthy duel in which Grievous's Magnaguards arrived to assist him, Fisto fled aboard his ship and escaped the planet. Shortly thereafter, Grievous contacted Dooku and told him that he had defeated the Jedi, but that Fisto had escaped. Dooku congratulated Grievous on his victory but stated that he could have done better and that there was still room for improvement.

Capture of Eeth Koth
"Your plans have come to ruination, Jedi!''" "I hear a lot of talking, General, but in the final accounting, what does all that talk get you? A futile quest for power, a mutilated body? Your place is Dooku's errand boy!''" "I'm no errand boy. And I'm not in this war for Dooku's politics. I am the leader of the most powerful droid army the galaxy has ever seen!''" "An army with no loyalty, no spirit, just programming. What have you to show for all your power? What have you to gain?''" "The future. A future where there are no Jedi!"

- Grievous and Obi-Wan Kenobi

At some point during the war, General Grievous managed to capture Jedi Master Eeth Koth. He then sent a message to the Jedi Council, promising to kill Koth and then hunt down and eliminate the remaining Jedi. Unbeknownst to Grievous however, Eeth Koth had managed to communicate a secret message to the Council through the use of hand signals, telling them that he and Grievous were stationed in the Saleucami system. In response, the Council sent Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Adi Gallia to rescue the Jedi Master. Once they arrived, Kenobi sought out and engaged Grievous in an effort to distract him, while Skywalker and Gallia snuck aboard Grievous' ship to rescue Koth. However Grievous, having earlier deduced that he was being tricked, had laid a trap for the Jedi. Nonetheless, his attempts to stop them were futile and Skywalker and Gallia were able to successfully rescue Koth. Meanwhile, Kenobi had managed to gain the upper hand in his duel with Grievous. Forced to flee the battle, the general attempted to land on the planet of Saleucami in a Trade Federation landing ship. However, the craft malfunctioned, and Grievous and the droids were forced to evacuate into escape pods. After landing, Grievous and his forces searched the wreckage for any undamaged escape pods they could use to contact their forces, before republic reinforcements arrived.

However, Obi-Wan Kenobi had followed Grievous to Saleucami in an attempt to capture the cyborg general. Unfortunately, Grievous had managed to find a working communications system in one of the escape pods and get contact with Separatist forces. When Kenobi and the clones finally caught up with Grievous, they were only able to fight a short time before reinforcements arrived, allowing Grievous to escape.

Battle of Kamino
"All is ready, General''" "Good. We will attack Tipoca City first." "I have the exact locations of both the clone DNA room and the clone trooper barracks." "Both shall be annihilated under my hand." "Our hands, General. Count Dooku assigned us both this task." "''But of course, assassin. I look forward to meeting you."

- Asajj Ventress reports to Grievous that they are ready to attack Kamino

Despite the failure of their first attempt, Grievous and Ventress planned to launch another invasion of Kamino. However, a transmission between the two was intercepted by the Galactic Republic, and as a result the 501st Legion was deployed to Kamino in preparation for the impending attack. As the two conferred before the battle, Grievous decided to start their initial assault on Tipoca City, home of the Republic's cloning facilities. As Grievous engaged the Republic blockade, Ventress, with her Trident-class assault ships and aqua droids, attacked the city. After the initial struggle, Grievous managed to break through the blockade and land on the planet with the remainder of his forces. Once there, he proceeded to speak with Ventress about their objectives; Grievous would assault the clone trooper barracks while Ventress would get a sample of Jango Fett's DNA. During the assault, Ventress managed to acquire the DNA sample but her escape was prevented by Skywalker, and in the ensuing fight the sample was lost. Elsewhere, Grievous was confronted by Kenobi and the two engaged in a heated battle until a Trident ship destroyed the pier they were fighting on. Grievous, thinking Kenobi had been killed in the explosion, made his escape aboard a flight pod. He then rescued Ventress from Skywalker and the clones.

Obstructing peace
"There is a problematic situation brewing in the Senate. We must insure that everything my master has set in motion does not unhinge. My representatives in the Republic are relying on you, General. See that your droids complete their mission.''" "''But of course, Count. They will not fail."

- Count Dooku orders Grievous to bomb the power generator on Coruscant

Dooku, at the behest of his master, ordered Grievous to arrange an attack on Coruscant. Grievous thus sent in a team of Demolition droids to blow up the power generators on Coruscant. The droids succeeded in their mission and Coruscant fell without power.

Skirmish on Naboo
"This turn of events is unfortunate. General Grievous is a critical part of my plan for the Clone Wars. He must not remain captive."

- Darth Sidious, to Count Dooku

Later during the Clone Wars, Grievous was momentarily captured by the Gungans of Naboo after Grievous killed General Roos Tarpals. The General did not remain in custody however, as Count Dooku, on order of his master, captured Anakin Skywalker and had his wife Padmé Amidala trade Grievous to Dooku in exchange for Skywalker.

Capturing Adi Gallia
"General, we've come across what appears to be a pirate ship.''" "Use that ship for target practice. Open fire!" "''All forward cannons, open fire!"

- General Grievous orders the destruction of the Marauder

Following his release, Grievous attacked the flagship of Jedi Council member Adi Gallia. Grievous boarded the ship and captured Gallia after a brief, but intense duel with her. Sometime later, the General attacked and destroyed a pirate ship for target practice. However, Grievous's ship was then boarded by Jedi master Plo Koon and his forces, who rescued Gallia and forced Grievous to flee.

Massacre on Dathomir
"Wipe the witches out. All of them."

- Count Dooku ordering Grievous to attack the Nightsisters

After the failed assassination attempt on his life by his former apprentice Asajj Ventress, who had been aided by Mother Talzin and the Nightsisters from Dathomir, Dooku summoned Grievous and ordered him to attack Dathomir and wipe them out.

Grievous then took a Separatist Fleet to Dathomir and landed his forces on the planet. He had his Hyena-class bombers launch an airstrike on their village, before sending in his ground troops to attack them. Despite being severely outnumbered and outgunned, the Nightsisters were initially able to hold their ground. This prompted Grievous to send in several Defoliator Tanks in order to burn the forest, which successfully managed to drive the Nightsisters back. Unfortunately, Talzin had sought the assistance of Old Daka, the eldest of the Nightsisters, who used her magic to raise the Army of the Dead as reinforcements. With Ventress leading the charge, the Nightsisters pushed forward, destroying the Defoliator Tanks and fighting their way to the open field from where Grievous was commanding his troops. Both armies halted their positions opposite one another.

Ventress then challenged Grievous to a duel, proposing that if he won then Nightsisters would surrender to him, but if she won then Grievous and his army would leave Dathomir. The two then engaged in a fierce lightsaber duel and initially seemed equally matched, until Ventress severed one of Grievous' four mechanical arms and knocked him to the ground. Knowing that his defeat was imminent, Grievous ordered his battle droids to kill her. Ventress tried to fight them off, but was shot in her shoulder. As Grievous attempted to finish her off, a large wave of Nightsister zombies attacked him, with both armies once again engaging each other in combat. With the assistance of her fellow Nightsister, Ventress was able to escape in the ensuing chaos.

Whilst cutting down the attacking zombies, Grievous was contacted by Dooku, who was being magically attacked by Mother Talzin. Dooku ordered Grievous to follow the Nightsister magic to its source and kill Talzin before she could torture him to death. Grievous followed the green magic trail to the Nightsister village and a secret cave where both Talzin and Daka where performing their magic rituals, killing several Nightsisters on the way. Grievous then ordered one of his Commando Droids to blow up the wall of the cave. Upon entering the cave, Grievous quickly disposed of Daka by impaling her with one of his lightsabers. However, before he could get the chance to attack Talzin, she was able to teleport herself to safety, disappearing in a green mist. Grievous then toppled over Daka's cauldron, freeing Dooku from her spell. With Daka's death, all the undead Nightsisters returned to the grave, leaving the rest outnumbered, and eventually massacred by Grievous' army. Unbeknown to Dooku and Grievous however, Ventress had managed to survive the battle.

Sometime after the battle, Dooku told Grievous that with the Nightsisters dead, there was no one to control the rogue Savage Opress, whose powers he felt growing, to which Grievous simply mocked Dooku's notion that Opress could pose a threat to them.

Invasion of Florrum
"Hondo.''" "General Grievous, I presume? What a surprise. Have a seat. What, may I ask, is the honor?" "You can dispense with the pleasantries, pirate. This planet is now under Separatist control!" "Ah ha... and, what do you suppose that means?" "''It means you have a new master, pirate scum."

- General Grievous and Hondo Ohnaka

Grievous later attacked and boarded Obi-Wan Kenobi's command ship. He tore through the clone trooper ranks until he made his way to Kenobi, where he proceeded to duel and then overpower the Jedi Master. However, Kenobi managed to escape and abandoned his ship, but rigged it to self-destruct, forcing Grievous to retreat and abandon all the useful information in the ship's memory banks. Sometime later, Grievous landed on the planet Florrum and took over pirate Captain Hondo Ohnaka's base in retaliation for Ohnaka's previous capture of Dooku. Grievous was soon informed that Tano, her fellow Jedi younglings, and a group of pirates had freed Ohnaka. He then ordered his tanks to level the prison section. As they were escaping, Grievous and STAPs pursued them and boarded their tank. Grievous then fought Ahsoka and though she proved to be a much more formidable opponent than in their previous encounter, Grievous was still more than a match for her. Ohnaka then arrived in Slave I, rescued Ahsoka and opened fire on Grievous, but was forced to retreat when AATs arrived, leaving Grievous to stew in his anger. At some point afterwards, Grievous and his droids demolished Ohnaka's base and left Florrum.

Crystal conspiracy
On Utapau, Grievous arranged a deal to acquire a massive kyber crystal. The Jedi Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi got wind of this when they came to the planet to investigate the mysterious death of Jedi Master Tu-Anh. They tracked down the crystal and stole it from those were trafficking in it, only for Grievous to then claim it. They, however, continued their mission and eventually reclaimed the crystal, which they then manipulated into being destroyed.

Destroying Maul's forces
"We are not fighting clones this time. These are Mandalorian warriors...The odds are stacked against us!"

- Grievous estimating their chances of winning the battle

Sometime after the Battle of Dathomir, Grievous was ordered by his master Count Dooku to hunt down Darth Sidious' former apprentice&mdash;the Zabrak Nightbrother Darth Maul. Sidious had tracked Maul to the Death Watch controlled moon of Zanbar after he had escaped from Sidious&mdash; although that was ultimately the Sith Lord's plan. Dooku then ordered him to direct his entire droid fleet at Maul's recently formed crime syndicate&mdash;the Shadow Collective and ordered him to destroy his army and wound his pride, but not to kill him. This was in order for him to draw out Mother Talzin, Maul's mother and one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy. Grievous thought it foolish to keep Maul alive, but Dooku reminded Grievous that it was not wise to question the plans of Darth Sidious, and that he as Dooku's apprentice would carry out his orders to the fullest degree. Grievous then moved his fleet to Zanbar and launched several landing craft to destroy the Mandalorian warriors, starting off the Battle of Zanbar. Grievous knew from personal experience that the chances of his droid army gaining a victory in this battle were unlikely, as the Mandalorians were no mere clones. During the battle, Grievous spotted Maul on the battlefield and sent out four of his IG-100 MagnaGuards to "soften him up".

Grievous emerged from his ship and engaged at least one Mandalorian in battle, easily killing him with his lightsabers. Maul disposed of the Magnaguards and turned his attention to the cyborg general and engaged Grievous in single combat. Neither Maul nor Grievous was able to gain the upper hand in the duel but Grievous, per his orders, taunted Maul, telling him that the battle was lost. However, Maul had held several Gauntlet fighters in reserve and ordered them to drop firebombs onto the battlefield. This left both factions' resources almost depleted. Maul, realizing Zanbar was lost fled into a Gauntlet fighter and retreated from Grievous. Grievous then contacted Count Dooku via hologram and informed him he had fulfilled his master's wishes; Maul was on the run. Dooku congratulated Grievous. Maul now believed the Sith were out to destroy him and his Syndicate but would not learn of their true intentions until it was too late. Grievous knew their goal was the witch Talzin, but did not understand what value Maul held for the Witch. Dooku told him all would be revealed as their plans unfolded.

Captured by Darth Maul
"Once our droids take control of the city Maul's forces will be insects under our heels!"

- Grievous during the battle

After leaving Zanbar, Dooku rendezvoused with Grievous, gathering another fleet after Separatist spies reported that Mandalorian warships were amassing on the planet of Ord Mantell, confirming Maul was in league with the Black Sun who controlled the planet. Grievous once again questioned the Dark Lord's obsession with destroying Mother Talzin; Dooku explained to Grievous that Talzin was an older and fouler creature than Grievous understood, and that she would have to be destroyed before she disrupted Darth Sidious' plans. Grievous' super tactical droid Tey-Zuka reported to the cyborg general that a lone transport shuttle had left Dathomir moments ago, with Ord Mantell being a possible destination. Dooku believed Talzin was aboard and ordered the fleet to move to Ord Mantell. Soon they arrived and Grievous ordered the fleet to begin bombarding the city from orbit. With the city now in ruins, the landing crafts began their assault. Grievous believed Maul's forces would soon be on the run but became suspicious when he realized he had not seen any Mandalorian warships. Tey-Zuka calculated that they had been destroyed before they could lift off but Grievous knew better&mdash;they were planning a sneak attack. The Gauntlet fighters appeared from behind Ord Mantell's moon, attacking the Separatist fleet. Grievous had been lured into a trap. Tey-Zuka reported a fighter had attached itself to the hull of Grievous' Providence-class dreadnought&mdash;but before the droid could finish, Maul interrupted. He gave Grievous an ultimatum; either he shut down the battle droids that were killing his troops&mdash;or he would die. With the General dismissing his threats, Maul then charged Grievous, tackling him into a transparisteel viewport. Dooku had also been captured as well and brought aboard the ship, where Maul contacted Sidious via hologram and threatened to kill them both unless he met Mother Talzin's demands. Sidious refused, instead stating he had no further use for them. Maul decided not kill them, but ordered Grievous to the brig. Grievous told Dooku that it would be unfortunate if the next time they met he would have to add Dooku's lightsaber to his collection.

Dooku, who was still on the bridge of the ship, later used the Force to unlock Grievous' cell. Grievous escaped, killing the Mandalorians that were guarding him and several more while searching for a way off the ship. He soon found an escape pod, ejecting from the carrier and escaping from Maul.

Confronting Talzin
"It is just as you predicted my Lord...we've traced Count Dooku's signals to Dathomir's surface. What is your command?"

- Grievous to Darth Sidious, just before the battle

Shortly afterward, Grievous regrouped with Darth Sidious aboard the Scimitar; which was originally Maul's personal starship; and they made their way to Dathomir where Dooku's signals were emanating from; just as Sidious predicted. Sidious ordered Grievous to cloak the ship from view and make their way to Dathomir's surface. They landed and the pair approached a chamber said to hold a stone column that was the heart of Mother Talzin's power. The chamber was located very near the Nightbrother village where Maul was born.

Grievous blew an opening in the wall of the chamber, entered and stated he was about to kill Maul. Sidious followed, stating only the Dark Lord's plan shall rule the galaxy. Dooku appeared, though he was now possessed by Talzin, who was at the time was still unable to take physical form. The four engaged­­­ in lightsaber combat; Grievous attacked Maul while Sidious freed his apprentice from Talzin with the use of Force lightning. Talzin returned in the flesh while Sidious told her she was going to die here. Maul took advantage of this distraction and used the Force to shove Grievous through the opening the explosion had created. Sidious attacked Talzin with a Force lightning barrage while Talzin defended Maul and herself with magick. Grievous reentered the chamber calmly striding towards the now beaten Talzin; Grievous then ignited his lightsabers and plunged them through the witch's chest. The retreating Maul looked on in horror as Talzin's body turned to stone. Darth Sidious took a moment to congratulate Dooku and Grievous; Maul's future had been erased while theirs was more certain than it had ever been.

Fighting Billaba
Grievous fought Jedi General Depa Billaba on Haruun Kal. There he decimated her clone troops and almost ended her life. Six months after his victory over Billaba, he and General Kleeve then sent in their top explosives expert, Captain Rackham Sear to carry out a bombing on the Jedi Temple. After Captain Sear's mission failure, Grievous then went to Kardoa with Kleeve and Sear's brother, Colonel Coburn Sear. There, Grievous saw Billaba leading the Republic forces. Grievous then demanded that she must die. However, Kleeve saw his obsession with killing Jedi as distraction and warned against attacking before he left for Kaller. Grievous left as well for Mygeeto. However, he left Colonel Sear to deal with Billaba and her forces.

Third Battle of Mygeeto
Grievous then waited for Billaba and her forces to come to Mygeeto. There, he and Colonel Sear confronted Billaba and her apprentice, Caleb Dume.

Battle of Coruscant
"Your lightsabers will make a fine addition to my collection."

- General Grievous

Grievous captured Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine and took him aboard his flagship the Invisible Hand. Jedi Knights Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi boarded the Invisible Hand to rescue the Chancellor. They defeated Count Dooku and were escaping with the Chancellor when General Grievous captured them, meeting with Skywalker for the first time. The Jedi broke free of their bonds, and after cornering Grievous, he shattered the front window of the cruiser with an electrostaff. Kenobi, Skywalker, and the Chancellor managed to stay in the ship, but Grievous was sucked into space. Protected from exposure to vacuum, the general survived and used a grappling hook installed in his arm to latch onto the hull of the ship.

After ejecting the rest, Grievous fled in one of his flagship's escape pods, and later headed for the secured planet of Utapau in the Outer Rim Territories, where the Separatist Council was hiding. With Count Dooku's death, Grievous succeeded him as Head of State of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Under the direct order of Dooku's Master, Darth Sidious, Grievous relocated the Council to the planet Mustafar.

Defeat on Utapau
"Back away! I will deal with this Jedi slime myself!"

- General Grievous

After the Republic received word that Grievous was hiding on Utapau, General Kenobi was sent to defeat him. Though Nute Gunray and the other Council members doubted Grievous' ability to lead, they followed his orders, leaving just moments before Kenobi's arrival.

After Kenobi handily defeated Grievous' bodyguards, the droid army got ready to open fire. However, Grievous ordered them to back away as he decided to engage Kenobi himself. He immediately split his arms in four and attacked the Jedi master in one last duel. Grievous lost two of his hands to Kenobi's superior dueling skill before Clone Commander Cody and the 212th Attack Battalion arrived, ambushing the droid army. Fighting broke out all over Pau City between droid and clone forces. Grievous continued to threaten Kenobi, but Kenobi ended the initial duel with a tremendous Force push that disarmed the general.

Grievous fled on his wheel bike. Pursued by Obi-Wan on a varactyl named Boga, after a prolonged chase and running duel, the two soon crashed onto Grievous' private landing platform, where the Soulless One was docked. As they fought hand-to-hand, Grievous made use of his mechanical body's superior strength. However, Kenobi managed to rip open Grievous' previously damaged chest plates, revealing Grievous' synthskin gut-sack containing his remaining organs. Angered, Grievous tossed Kenobi off the platform, but the Jedi manipulated his position via Force and caught hold of the edge. Grievous charged Kenobi with an electrostaff, preparing to finish off his old adversary. However, Kenobi used the Force to summon Grievous' blaster, shooting Grievous in his previously exposed gut-sack. The oils preserving Grievous' remaining biological components ignited, incinerating the famed cyborg from the inside and finally destroying him.

Legacy
"I was a great admirer of the late General Grievous. An interesting design, but very much a first step. Commander Karbin is the next."

- Cylo, on the design of Karbin's cybernetic body

Years after Grievous' death, an Imperial researcher named Cylo began working on the creation of cybernetically-enhanced individuals; these individuals were designed to be possible replacements for Darth Vader as the Emperor's apprentice. One such individual, Karbin, had a cybernetic body installed by Doctor Cylo, whom claimed to have been inspired by the body of Grievous.

Some time after the Battle of Endor, Temmin Wexley implied that he had downloaded some of Grievous' old programming into Mister Bones, his robotic bodyguard.

Personality and traits
As a Kaleesh warrior, Grievous stood 2.16 meters tall and had red skin and slit-pupilled golden eyes. As a cyborg, he had clawed feet, two arms which could split into four, and a skull-like mask which his eyes peered through. Grievous was a brilliant military strategist and a feared Jedi hunter, well known for his brutality and ruthlessness. However, he was also quick to run from a fight when the tide was turned against him. This tactic worked, until his final encounter with his nemesis, Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Skills and abilities
Despite his lack of Force-sensitivity, Grievous was highly skilled in lightsaber combat, in which he was trained by Count Dooku. With his cybernetic enhancements, Grievous relied on strength and agility when in combat with a Jedi. He was a master of many of the classic forms of Jedi arts, and was able to adapt quickly to an opponent's fighting style.

Though he preferred hand-to-hand combat, Grievous was also skilled in the use of blaster pistols or blaster rifles, and was also a skilled pilot.

Behind the scenes
"With General Grievous, I wanted somebody who was reminiscent of what Anakin is going to become, which is a half man, half robot. In this case, Grievous is sort of 20% alien and 80% robot."

- George Lucas on the creation of Grievous

Grievous was developed for the 2005 movie Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith as a powerful new villain on the side of the Confederacy. He was introduced in "Chapter 20" of the animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars, which aired over a year before the film's release, but his appearances in that series have been relegated to the Legends continuity. In Revenge of the Sith and the second  The Clone Wars animated series, he was voiced by Matthew Wood.

Before Matthew Wood was cast in the role of Grievous, producer Rick McCallum suggested British actor Gary Oldman for Grievous' role. However, in the end, Oldman didn't accept the role and Wood was cast instead.

In Angry Birds Star Wars II, Grievous appears during the events of Attack of the Clones. Also, instead of dying at Obi-Wan Kenobi's hands on Utapau, Grievous accompanies Anakin Skywalker and Emperor Sheev Palpatine to Mustafar, where he helps them defeat the stormtroopers who did not side with them. After the defeat of Skywalker, Grievous isn't seen again during the game, possibly indicating that he was defeated or killed offstage.