Battle of Mon Calamari (Clone Wars)

"Troubled is the planet Mon Calamari. Its races have divided. The droid army of the Quarren Isolation League moves against the Calamari Council. Alone, the Calamari are no match. Intervene we must!"

- Master Yoda

The Battle of Mon Calamari was a battle fought between the aquatic Quarren and Mon Calamari races on the planet Dac during the Clone Wars in 22 BBY. Their secessionist ideals represented by the Quarren Isolation League, backed by the Confederacy of Independent Systems and bolstered by the telepathic abilities of the indigenous Moappa species, the Quarren attempted to seize control of the planet from the Calamari Council, who were backed by the Galactic Republic. When the Quarren proceeded to launch an attack on the Calamari people, the Republic sent an aquatic detachment of clone troopers led by Jedi Master Kit Fisto to quell the threat.

Fisto himself was chosen by Grand Master Yoda to participate in the battle due to being a member of the aquatic Nautolan race. Fisto led his clone SCUBA troopers against the manta droid subfighters and other aquatic weapons of the Separatists, which were commanded by a Quarren warlord. The warlord himself eventually participated in the battle from the bridge of a Crab Cannon, which turned the tides of the battle against the Republic: the Cannon had the ability to destroy an entire Republic assault ship floating on the surface of the ocean. The combined might of the Republic and the Mon Calamari Knights managed to destroy the Crab Cannon and subdue the Quarren forces.

Prelude
The Quarren and Mon Calamari had coexisted on the planet Dac; however, their relationship had always been in shaky waters. The Mon Calamari had established a monarchy consisting of the "King of Mon Cala" and a ruling council" to maintain order; off-worlders often referred to Dac as "Mon Calamari" or "Mon Cala". The Quarren anger, mistrust, and jealousy against the Mon Calamari people had grown within the ranks of their neighbors, the collective intelligence of the Moappa. The Quarren Isolation League was established to counter the apparent Mon Calamari domination over the Quarren race.

Eventually, Count Dooku of the Confederacy of Independent Systems intervened in the political turmoil, pledging support to the Quarren secessionist movement. Now backed by a droid army, the Quarren moved against the Mon Calamari, intending to start civil war. Unwilling to lose a powerful ally in the Mon Calamari people, Grand Master Yoda of the Jedi Order sent a detachment of the Grand Army of the Republic led by Jedi Master Kit Fisto to assist the Mon Calamari.

The battle
"Master Fisto, trust your insight in these matters we do. May the Force be with you."

- Yoda

At the beginning of hostilities, the Quarren Isolation League moved against Calamari cities with the help of CIS battle droids. The Calamari were quickly reinforced by Fisto's fleet of Acclamator-class assault ships, which landed in the broad oceans of Dac. From his command ship, the Jedi Master leaped into battle with an army of Clone SCUBA troopers, engaging the Quarren army in its own element.

The battle eventually settled around a large self-propelled artillery cannon. It managed to fire two shots, destroying one Acclamator-class assault ship before Kit Fisto was able to destroy the cannon's legs with massive force bubbles. With the aid of the native Mon Calamari Knights, the gun was pushed over the edge of a chasm and destroyed. The fighting continued for several more days as the elusive Moappa telepathic swarm consciousness continued its command of the Quarren, angered by the Mon Calamari's arrogance in claiming their planet for themselves.

Fisto destroyed several Quarren outposts, and interrogated survivors as to the whereabouts of their commander. Having found that all the Quarren soldiers received their commands telepathically, he managed to locate the Moappa, engage them in combat, and learn of their intentions. Dispersing the Moappa to such a degree as to deny them their collective intelligence, Fisto returned to the Mon Calamari victorious.

Aftermath
Fisto advised the Mon Calamari to use their diplomatic techniques to deal with the Moappa's demands; by this time heavy conflict had died down to a halt. Although the Mon Calamari had emerged victorious over their Quarren adversaries, reunification of the planet did not last long. In 21 BBY, the warlord Riff Tamson, a benefactor of Count Dooku, assassinated King Yos Kolina, leaving the young and inexperienced Prince Lee-Char to claim the throne. This angered the Quarren people, who once again decided to attack the Mon Calamari people in what became known as the Battle of Mon Cala.

Behind the scenes
After being teased in the first installment of Star Wars: Clone Wars, the Battle of Mon Calamari was featured in "Chapter 5" of the series. The conflict was also playable from the perspective of Kit Fisto in the video game ''Star Wars: Clone Wars: Planetary Forces".

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Clone Wars: Planetary Forces
 * Star Wars: Clone Wars PhotoComic
 * Only the Force
 * Republic HoloNet News Core Edition 15:01:13
 * Labyrinth of Evil
 * Only the Force
 * Republic HoloNet News Core Edition 15:01:13
 * Labyrinth of Evil