Fall of Theed

"Viceroy, we have captured the Queen." "Ah, victory."

- OOM-9 and Viceroy Nute Gunray

The First Battle of Theed (also known as the Siege of Theed) was one of the first stages of the Invasion of Naboo.

Prelude
In response to the taxation of Outer Rim Territories trade routes, the Trade Federation blockaded the planet Naboo, attempting to force Chanceller Finis Valorum's hand in the matter. The Federation's actions were guided secretly by the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. After Valorum secretly dispatched two Jedi knights to negotiate the ending of the blockade, the Federation began their invasion at the behest of Darth Sidious. The Jedi's ship was destroyed and the Federation tried to kill them with dioxis gas. The two Jedi escaped and made it down to the planet on C-9979 landing craft.

The Naboo radar arrays detected the Federation invasion force but the Naboo Royal Space Fighter Corps radar operators were shocked at the scale of the force. The pilots waited for the order to strike, but Queen Amidala reamained convinced of a peaceful solution to the situation and did not order a response.

The battle
"This is Captain Panaka. I am ordering all officers to clear the city at once. Do not engage the enemy except in self-defense. We don't want a war in our streets."

- Captain Panaka orders an evacuation. Immediately after capturing other Naboo cities, OOM-9, head OOM command battle droid, attacked the Naboo capital of Theed with Armored Assault Tanks. Among his forces were 342 Armored Assault Tanks and 33 troop carriers. The army struck in the morning, catching the citizens of Theed unaware. As the army approached Theed, Viceroy Nute Gunray encoded transmission 0455-HBE to Sidious, informing him of their eminent victory. The Droid Army had occupied the surrounding countryside and Queen Amidala had advised her military to stand down, although the Federation expected sporadic resistance. A signal jammer prevented them from sending in transports and droid starfighters

OOM-9, in a Heavy Armored Assault Tank, personally led a battalion of elite units into Theed. His forces consisted of 8 AATs, 2 Heavy Energy Pummels, 3 Single Trooper Aerial Platforms, and 16 Heavy battle droids. They broke through the gates of Theed and advanced northeast toward the signal jammer which was located near the Theed Hangar complex, destroying two Naboo Fortresses and additional military buildings. The Royal Naboo Security Forces mustered Gian speeders and infantry forces against the Droid Army. The droid forces destroyed the signal jammer, and reinforcements arrived in the city along with OX9 labor droids. The two groups linked up and proceeded up the main boulevard to the Theed Royal Palace. The droid forces destroyed the gates blocking their path along with two additional Fortresses. When the droids occupied the palace grounds, more labor droids, along with five droid starfighters, arrived. The labor droids were ordered to construct a Neimoidian Throne. After it was completed, a pleased Gunray congratulated OOM-9 for capturing Theed.

Queen Padmé Amidala, Captain Panaka, and Theed Governor Sio Bibble were taken hostage. Many citizens from the city were rounded up into detention camps and the streets were sealed off except for patrolling Federation forces. The city was secured in a few hours. Inside the Hangar, the Naboo air traffic controllers were captured.

After arriving in the city with a Bongo by the Solleu River, both Jedi negotiators, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, tried to gain entry to the Palace. But the central bridge across the river was blasted apart by an AAT, cutting the city off from other regions. The Jedi were forced to cross the city to join the Queen.

Jinn and Kenobi infiltrated Theed and fought through a city littered with more than 20 battle droids, OOM security battle droids, and six destroyer droids to make it to the Royal Palace. At one point, they commandeered an AAT after taking out its 3 pilot droids and used it to travel through Theed, blasting other tanks and droids. They also rescued seven handmaidens who had been captured. As they moved onto the palace grounds, they faced even more battle droids. In front of the palace they destroyed a T4 turret droid along with Flame battle droids.

They entered the palace and fought through more droids. At one point they Force jumped on the outside of the walls, using the balconies to proceed to the next story. Theed's officials were briefly liberated by the two Jedi as security battle droids attempted to bring them to Camp Four.

The Jedi and the Queen's retinue were able to return to the Theed hangar, which was occupied by droids. Jinn approached an OOM command battle droid and tried to talk his way past it. When the droid ordered their arrest, Jinn pulled his lightsaber and disabled it, then turned on other droids, including 3B3-1204; meanwhile Kenobi rescued several Naboo pilots who were under guard. With the droid threat gone, the Queen, Panaka, her handmaidens, and the two Jedi were able to flee aboard the Royal Naboo Starship and depart from Naboo. Governor Bibble stayed behind to watch over the people of Naboo. Before they fled, Captain Panaka ordered an evacuation of the surviving security officers. Ric Olié piloted the ship out of the atmosphere before facing the Federation blockade. One of the Lucrehulk-class battleships fired on the Royal starship, disabling its shields. Astromech droids were sent to repair the damage, but several were destroyed before R2-D2 fixed the shields as the starship flew past the blockade and entered hyperspace. With the hyperdrive motivator damaged, Jinn convinced the Queen to divert to Tatooine for repairs.

The members of Bravo Squadron heeded Panaka's evacuation order and fled the city. Lieutenant Gavyn Sykes fought his way through a number of droid forces, rescuing a number of captured civilians in the process, and received a transmission from Captain Kael, who was pinned down near theRoyal Naboo Security Forces headquarters. Sykes destroyed the P-series destroyer droids attacking Kael. Together, they destroyed or went around other battle droids and AATs. Kael ordered Sykes to follow him as they moved through the plaza to escape into the swamps. Along the way, Sykes picked up a vehicular upgrade. They then arrived at a hangar protected by two tanks. Kael ordered Sykes to destroy them, and the captain realized the tanks were protecting STAP-2s. The two stole the speeders and escaped into the countryside.

Aftermath
With the departure of the Queen and overwhelming forces, the Federation would completely control the planet. Angered at her escape, Darth Sidious sent his apprentice Darth Maul to find her and her Jedi guardians. Kael and Sykes, immediately engaged additional Trade Federation forces, before regrouping and attempting to fight the Federation. Several officers, Palmer among them, were captured by the Trade Federation, but later rescued.

Behind the scenes
"Well highness, I am here to escort you to safety."

- The dialogue issued by the player's character to Amidala upon rescuing her in an altered scene.

This battle first appeared in the Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace novel, released in 1999, and subsequent sources included the same scene from similar angles.

This scene appeared during two consecutive missions in the video game Star Wars: Episode I Jedi Power Battles, also released in 1999. In the first mission, the player (or players) travel through Theed, with the option of bypassing a number of droids or destroying them all to boost their points. The turret droid is the level's boss, which must be destroyed to clear the level. The second level plays out differently from its appearance in other sources. For instance, the player(s), using the avatars of the Jedi, fight various battle droids, including B1 grapple droids. It is necessary to jump up the walls of the palace on balconies to reach another portion of the level. Then, the Jedi are led through a secret passage, under a large tomb, to the palace throne room by a handmaiden they had rescued in the first level; they rescue Amidala from a four-droid escort and lead her through the palace to the hangar, where they face two Plasma battle droids. In the movie, the Jedi rescue Amidala and her retinue out on the streets before returning to the Theed hangar to destroy the battle droids guarding the royal starship. This battle served as the first mission in the 2000 video game Star Wars: Battle for Naboo, entitled Escape from Theed. The player, as Gavyn Sykes in a Flash speeder, was tasked with rescuing Kael and escaping the city. It was not necessary to destroy every droid in the level, just those attacking Kael. Finding the upgrade fulfills the bonus objective, but is not essential. Its placement during the battle is unclear, but it is before Panaka left the planet, as the opening video features his evacuation order.

In 2001, the video game Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds featured this battle and the ones leading up to it. The player, in the role of OOM-9, was tasked with leading a force into Theed and destroying the signal jammer. With that objective complete, reinforcements were granted and the player must move the army to the grounds of the Royal Palace, occupying the area (marked with flags) with at least five military units. When the player has fought through to the Palace, possibly destroying military buildings, Gunray orders the construction of a "Monument," the Neimodian Throne, granting the player sufficient game rsources to do so. When the construction is complete, the mission ends. The game's strategy guide, besides walking the player through the mission locales and challenges, recommends the player destroy all Royal Security Force military buildings on the journey through Theed. When the reinforcements arrive, the game recommends sending them north to link up with the first army, instead of going west and running into addional fortresses.

Also released in 2001 was the game Star Wars: Obi-Wan]. The game features this event during the the third chapter; the palyer assumes the role of Kenobi and plays the scene over several missons. These missions contradict the movie in that Kenobi meets Captain Panaka in the Royal Palace after the latter was supposed to be captured, and the Queen is escorted by a different group of droids when she is rescued.

In the Lego Star Wars game, the events and characters of the movie are re-stylized as the mute LEGO characters Amidala and Panaka during the game's mission Escape from Naboo; if only one player is active the other one is AI-controlled. The players must navigate through the level and use the game's telekinetic "Force power" mechanics and build new forms with LEGO studs. The level includes a number of freeplay areas which are not part of the required path. The mission starts in a courtyard and the players must immediately fight a squad of battle droids. At the end of the courtyard is an area where the grapple-carrying Naboo LEGO figures can use their grapples to move to the upper level. Up above the courtyard, the players must travel along the walkway and then jump through a window after breaking it. After that, the players must grapple up another level and destroy three battle droids. When that area is cleared, they proceed up another level by grappling and fight more droids before moving into another room. After cleraring that room, the players shot then jump through another window and onto a walkway filled with battle droids. After that engagement, they follow the walkway to a closed gate, which opens when a target is shot with a blaster There they join Binks, Jinn, and Kenobi, who are fighting a group of droids. They proceed by grappling up to another level, where they drop into a walkway and face more droids. To get through the gate blocking their way, they shoot four targets. Passing through, they step on switches placed on three domes which open the tunnels underneath, and then shoot a cage to reveal the tunnel underneath, which they escape into.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Obi-Wan
 * Star Wars Episode I Journal: Queen Amidala
 * Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace novel
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace junior novel
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace video game
 * Star Wars: Episode I Jedi Power Battles
 * Peril on Naboo
 * Star Wars: Invasion of Theed Adventure Game
 * Star Wars: Battle for Naboo
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga