First Battle of Felucia

"Can't you see they're retreating?''" "''They're about to overrun you, Ahsoka! You just can't see it. Now follow orders and get in the ship."

- Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker, on the regrouping battle droids

The First Battle of Felucia took place for control of the planet Felucia between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems in the first year of the Clone Wars. When the Confederate General Grievous and the Dark Acolyte Asajj Ventress seized Felucia with the Separatist Droid Army, Jedi Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker and the latter's Padawan, Jedi Commander Ahsoka Tano, were dispatched to lead a clone trooper detachment of the Grand Army of the Republic to maintain the Republic's foothold on the world. However, the Jedi and their forces were soon overwhelmed by the deeply entrenched Separatist troops, and Republic reinforcements were sent to extract the Jedi and the clones from the contested world.

While Clone Commander CC-3636 oversaw the Republic Navy's Hunter Squadron and several Star Destroyers in their assault on the large Separatist blockade surrounding Felucia, Jedi Master Plo Koon and a Jedi Knight took a squadron of LAAT/i gunships with starfighter escorts to rescue the Jedi and clone troopers on the embattled surface. Although Kenobi, Skywalker, Tano, and the remainder of their battle group were able to evacuate from the planet with Koon's team, the Republic's failure to hold Felucia hampered the Grand Army's efforts in the entire sector.

Prelude
"Grievous. Attacked Felucia he has. Heavy are the losses. In need of your leadership the clones are."

- Yoda, to Anakin Skywalker

From the beginning of the Clone Wars in 22 BBY, the Confederacy of Independent Systems established a foothold of strength on the forested planet Felucia in the Outer Rim Territories. Becoming a contested site between the Confederacy and the Galactic Republic, Felucia's state of contention escalated later the same year, when General Grievous, the Dark Acolyte Asajj Ventress, and the Separatist Droid Army initiated an assault on the jungle world to conquer it for the Confederacy.

Separatist advances
"Ahsoka, where are you? Ahsoka, what is your location?''" "About six clicks [sic]'' east, Master. We've engaged the enemy and got them on the run."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka Tano

With Grievous, Ventress, and their army of battle droids dealing heavy losses on Felucia, the Jedi High Council dispatched High Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi General Anakin Skywalker, and the latter's Padawan, Jedi Commander Ahsoka Tano, with a clone trooper detachment of the Grand Army of the Republic to defend the world. After the Jedi and their troops had arrived, however, the Separatists&mdash;determined to gain control of the Outer Rim world&mdash;deployed their forces in overwhelming numbers. With a Separatist Recusant-class light destroyer and numerous Munificent-class star frigates blockading Felucian space, the Jedi and clones were trapped on the beleaguered planet.

A large army of B1, B2, and DSD1 dwarf spider droids converged upon the Republic's main position&mdash;a jungle clearing where the Jedi, Clone Marshal Commander CC-2224, and Clone Captain CT-7567 had established cover for the main body of clone troopers by surrounding them with All Terrain Tactical Enforcers. Skywalker and Kenobi headed the defense of the main camp against the battle droid army, using their lightsabers to deflect the droids' laser fire while the clones returned blaster rounds back into the droid lines. Tano, meanwhile, was assigned to take a pair of AT-TE walkers and a Juggernaut tank on a patrol of the dense jungle, but when she encountered groups of battle droids and Armored Assault Tanks just six kilometers east of the clones' main position, she chose not to return to the besieged clone encampment in the clearing as scheduled. Instead, she led her patrol against the droids, deflecting laser shots with her lightsaber from atop her Juggernaut, while her clone tank gunners concentrated the AT-TE walkers' fire on the droids.

As the Republic forces desperately tried to hold the line against the Separatists, Ventress landed with a C-9979 landing craft and an army of Separatist droids at a canyon on the planet. A Jedi Knight and Commander CC-2224, nicknamed "Cody," proceeded to secure the canyon to safeguard the Republic's last foothold on the world, and their battle group utilized tower-mounted blaster turrets to intercept the enemy troops. When her droids and Armored Assault Tanks were unable to claim the clones' position, Ventress sent out droid-piloted Single Trooper Aerial Platforms to cut through the Republic lines. Despite deploying all of her forces, Ventress initially failed to defeat the Republic detachment, but she did not relent and began a counterattack that pushed Felucia's defenses to their limits. Cody and the Jedi Knight then moved to secure a strategic canyon that led straight to the Separatists' base, a tactic that would force the Separatists to reinforce their own defenses with troops from the front lines. After her droids had begun to assault the clone forces, Ventress executed a surprise attack, clearing a path through the Republic's fortifications and sending BX-series droid commandos and other troops through the breach before the clones could attend to the weak point. Although Cody, the Jedi Knight, and their men emerged victorious at the canyon and cleared a path to the droids' base, Ventress remained determined to capture Felucia.

The Republic in retreat
"Come on, grunts! We&hellip; are&hellip; leaving!"

- Rex orders his men onto the evacuation gunships

As the Separatists continued to whittle away at the Republic defenses, Republic reinforcements arrived to rescue the Jedi and clones who had been trapped on the planet's embattled surface. Jedi Master Plo Koon and his 104th Battalion's Wolfpack were assigned to provide support for the withdrawal, bringing a three-cruiser fleet of Venator-class Star Destroyers, including the Star Destroyer Negotiator. While the trio of warships exchanged heavy turbolaser fire with the Separatist blockade under the supervision of Clone Commander CC-3636, nicknamed "Wolffe," Koon&mdash;flying his Delta-7B interceptor&mdash;led several LAAT/i gunships and an escorting squadron of V-19 Torrent starfighters to evacuate the troops on Felucia. Tasked with breaching the enemy blockade to make way for Koon's rescue ships, the Jedi Knight who had commanded the canyon battle against Ventress led, from a Delta-7B interceptor, the clone trooper pilots of Hunter Squadron in combating the Separatists' Vulture droid starfighters and Hyena-class bombers. During the battle, the Jedi Knight and Hunter Squadron were able to destroy a Munificent-class frigate that was blocking the Republic ships with its heavy fire.

Once the Jedi Knight and Hunter Squadron had cleared a path through more Vulture droid starfighters, Koon&mdash;leading the evacuation team of LAAT/i gunships and their starfighter escorts alongside another Delta-7B interceptor&mdash;had his fighters form up around the gunships and moved to challenge the now-weakened Separatist blockade. Ordering his wingman, clone pilot "Warthog," to protect the gunships, Koon cut through an approaching squadron of Vulture droids, securing safe passage for the rest of the Republic craft. Though the Republic evacuation ships made it past the blockade and through the first wave of droids, they were pursued into the atmosphere of Felucia by numerous droid starfighters. Wolffe, meanwhile, had one of the Republic cruisers concentrate its firepower on one of the Confederate frigates. With the blockade breached, Koon dispatched his aerial forces to support the Republic ground troops who had been pinned down in the Felucian jungles. One of the Republic's LAAT/i gunships was tasked with battling through the deeply entrenched and well-supplied Separatist droids to destroy a Munificent-class command ship. The gunship fought through numerous rocket pack–equipped B2-RP battle droids, HMP droid gunships, and Rogue-class starfighters&mdash;as well as other droid fighters, Armored Assault Tanks, and NR-N99 Persuader-class tanks&mdash;before encountering a Separatist laser field that had been erected on some of the battlefield's debris. After maneuvering through the laser web and cutting through more droids, the gunship faced off with the enemy frigate and managed to destroy it.

Koon and his Jedi Knight wingmate led their extraction team to the evacuation site, battling through a large number of droid starfighters in addition to droidekas, octuptarra magna tri-droids, Armored Assault Tanks, and other droid troops along the way. Elsewhere, Kenobi's men continued to lose ground to the droid forces, and there was soon nowhere for them to fall back to. The Separatists then began a push on clone forces to the east of Kenobi's position, requiring an immediate evacuation there, but Koon, the Jedi Knight, and their forces arrived just in time to thwart the droids from overtaking the clones' encampment. After picking up the clones at that base, Koon and his team headed west to the main evacuation site. As he neared Kenobi's position with Koon and their team, Warthog came under attack by two pursuant Vulture droids, and Koon turned around to assist the clone pilot. Though Koon managed to destroy one of the droids, the other hit the debris of the disabled fighter and spun out of control toward the Republic forces below in the clearing. The careening Vulture droid crashed into an AT-TE walker, and Skywalker and Kenobi jumped out of the way just in time to avoid the collision. Realizing that the gunships had broken through the blockade, the Jedi Generals prepared their troops for the evacuation. Once the LAAT/i gunships had landed, Cody and CT-7567, nicknamed "Rex," led their men into the ships while returning the droids' fire.

With the evacuation underway, Kenobi contacted Tano and ordered her to retreat, but the Padawan&mdash;who was overdue at the main evacuation site, having continued her fight against the battle droids just east of Kenobi's position &mdash;had already broken through the Separatist defenses and refused to abandon her battle. As the gunships lifted off with the main Republic force aboard, Kenobi restated his order to Tano, who remained determined to defeat the retreating droids. The Padawan and her patrol continued to push back the Separatists, but as Skywalker and Kenobi approached Tano's troops, they noticed that battle droid reinforcements were regrouping to counterattack her patrol. Skywalker had the LAAT/i gunships land directly between the two factions, blocking the Republic patrol's fire and forcing Tano's troops to halt their advance. Unable to see the droid reinforcements from her vantage point, Tano again objected to abandoning the fight, but she finally relented when Skywalker ordered her onto his gunship. The clones returned fire at the advancing droid lines but were unable to fully stop them, and Tano realized her mistake as she witnessed the destruction of her abandoned tanks at the hands of the battle droids.

While the Republic evacuation ships began to pull the overwhelmed clone forces out of the battle zone, Ventress unleashed the "full fury" of her droid armies against the Republic forces, forcing the few remaining pockets of Republic resistance to fortify their positions for their final stand against the Separatists while they waited to be evacuated. Cody and the Jedi Knight returned to their base, but, as their forces were scheduled to be the last for evacuation, the detachment prepared to defend their position from Ventress, who was planning a final push on their encampment. The Separatists soon arrived and began their assault on the Republic base, utilizing tough Multi-Troop Transports to transport the droids to the battlefield. With the battle in full force, Ventress began to advance her forces forward under the protection of a mobile super tank shield generator, making it extremely difficult for the Republic's blaster turrets to prevent the shielded droids from compromising their position. However, Republic reinforcements soon arrived at the base in the form of a BARC speeder squad of clone troopers, who attacked the droids and tossed EMP grenades as they passed. With the added firepower of the speeders, the clone detachment was able to eliminate the mobile shield generator and the battle droids that it was protecting. Having won their part of the battle, Cody, the Jedi Knight, and their forces evacuated from Felucia aboard the Negotiator.

Aftermath
"The setback at Felucia has affected our efforts in the whole sector. It'll take weeks before we can&hellip;"

- Obi-Wan Kenobi

The Republic's failure to hold Felucia impeded the Grand Army's efforts in the entire Thanium sector, of which Felucia was a part. Back at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, Kenobi, Skywalker, and Tano debriefed with the Jedi High Council on the First Battle of Felucia, as it came to be known, and Tano was put to a hearing before the Jedi Council for her failure to obey her orders during the evacuation from the planet. Jedi Masters Yoda and Mace Windu assigned the Padawan to guard duty in the Jedi Archives with Jedi Librarian Jocasta Nu so that Tano could reflect on her actions away from the war zone. However, the Jedi were soon forced to defend their Temple against the bounty hunter Cad Bane, who had been hired by the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious to steal a holocron from the Archives.

Although the Confederacy made a stronghold of Felucia as the Clone Wars persisted, the world remained a site of contention. The native Felucian farmers tried to preserve their neutral status, while the Separatists further hampered the Republic's efforts in the area by destroying a medical station in orbit. In 21 BBY, Skywalker, Tano, and Plo Koon returned to Felucia to overrun a Separatist outpost. The world again became a battlefield in 19 BBY, when the Republic launched a campaign to secure the strategic planet during the Outer Rim Sieges.

Behind the scenes
"[Yoda's line from the Comic-Con script reading] was meant as an [sic] lead-in to the action that begins 'Holocron Heist,' the second season premiere of The Clone Wars, written by Paul Dini and directed by Justin Ridge. In the episode, we see Anakin, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan and Plo Koon in action against the droid forces amid the colorful jungles of the planet."

- StarWars.com's Databank entry for Felucia

The First Battle of Felucia was created for the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series and was the setting for the opening act of "Holocron Heist," the October 2, 2009 premiere of the series' second season. Prior to its debut, the battle was first pictured in concept art that was published in the July 2009 The Art of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and it was mentioned in a live script reading with the television series' main voice cast that was featured later that year at the Comic-Con International convention, with a script penned by Series Director Dave Filoni. The battle was finally confirmed in StarWars.com's Databank entry for the planet Felucia. In 2010, the battle was prominently featured in the Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures video game, which used the battle as a setting in its "Republic Defender" and "Starfighter" mini-games, and that same year, it was also featured in StarWars.com's online Air Strike computer game. The 2012 publication Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide: Updated and Expanded gave the battle its official name, the "First Battle of Felucia."

The 2011 third season episode "Padawan Lost" featured another Battle of Felucia, occurring prior to the engagement of the Outer Rim Sieges. Although it was stated to have been an "unending battle" &mdash;implying that it was a simple continuation of the battle featured in "Holocron Heist"&mdash;no direct connection was confirmed. When Felucia received an entry in the StarWars.com Encyclopedia in 2012, the battle from "Padawan Lost" was confirmed to have been a separate engagement, occurring after the First Battle of Felucia.

Appearances

 * Air Strike
 * Air Strike
 * Air Strike
 * Air Strike