Battle of Teth/Legends

"Kidnapped, Jabba the Hutt's son has been. Negotiate the treaty with Jabba, Obi-Wan will. Find the renegades who hold Jabba's son, your mission will be, Skywalker."

- Master Yoda informs Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano of their new mission

The Battle of Teth took place in 22 BBY on the planet Teth during the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Shortly after the Confederacy's defeat on the planet Christophsis, Jedi Order Grand Master Yoda arrived to inform Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his recently apprenticed Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, of their new mission: to retrieve Hutt crime lord Jabba Desilijic Tiure's son, in order to win the crime lord's favor for safe passage through Hutt Space. Skywalker and Tano ventured to the B'omarr Order Monastery on Teth&mdash;where the Huttlet had been located by Republic scouts&mdash;with clone troopers of Torrent Company, while Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi negotiated with Jabba on the crime lord's home planet of Tatooine. However, Confederate Head of State and Sith Lord Count Dooku had orchestrated the entire ruse as a plot to gain the Confederacy its own access through Hutt Space.

Unable to land at the Teth monastery because of the battle droids guarding it, Skywalker and Tano's forces landed in the jungle below and commenced a vertical assault up the cliff, using two AT-TE walkers. After Skywalker and Tano defeated the droids and had retrieved the Huttlet, the Confederacy&mdash;under command of Dark Acolyte Asajj Ventress&mdash;commenced a renewed assault of the monastery, and the Republic forces were forced to barricade themselves inside the stronghold. As the Huttlet required medical attention, the two Jedi went to find a secondary exit to escape the monastery, hoping to find medical support aboard one of the Republic Venator-class Star Destroyers that had arrived over the planet, while Clone Captain Rex stayed to command Torrent Company.

Ventress and her forces, however, managed to enter the monastery, and all but six clone troopers, including Rex, were taken captive. With the help of the astromech droid R2-D2, Skywalker and Tano located a rear exit in the monastery, but confronted Ventress herself before escaping in an old freighter. The pair was forced to continue directly to Tatooine on the ship, as the main hangar of the Venator Spirit of the Republic was severely damaged by Confederate Vulture droid fire. Meanwhile, High General Kenobi, having finished negotiations with Jabba, arrived on Teth with reinforcements, in the form of Ghost Squadron and several LAAT/i gunships. Kenobi also dueled with Ventress; however, the latter escaped after she discovered that her forces were losing and that Skywalker had left the system for Tatooine. The Republic forces were able to beat back the Confederacy.

Prelude
"Could you kill a child?''" "Could you''?"

- Ziro Desilijic Tiure and Count Dooku



In 22 BBY during the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, both the Republic and the Confederacy sought access to hyperspace lanes running through Hutt-controlled space. However, the Confederacy developed a plan to capture the son of Hutt crime lord Jabba Desilijic Tiure, Rotta, and received secret assistance from Jabba's uncle, Ziro Desilijic Tiure. The Confederacy sought to frame the Republic and the Jedi Order for the crime and return Jabba's son to him themselves, and planned to win the crime lord's favor, as well as the access to the hyperspace lanes. Ziro himself sought to take Jabba's place as leader of the Hutt clans.

Once the Jedi had recovered Rotta, Confederate Head of State and Sith Lord Count Dooku planned to use a protocol droid to record a hologram of Rotta in the Jedi's possession, and showing the recording to Jabba would cause the crime lord to believe Dooku's deception. Dooku would then convince Jabba that the Jedi had killed his son, and the Jedi's arrival on Tatooine would provide Dooku with the cover that the Jedi sought to destroy the crime lord himself, as well as the Hutt clans. After granting the Confederacy access through Hutt Space, Jabba would take action against the Jedi and the Republic and be imprisoned for his crimes.

After Dark Acolyte Asajj Ventress kidnapped his son on Jabba's home planet of Tatooine, the crime lord&mdash;unaware of the involvement of both the Confederacy and his uncle&mdash;employed bounty hunters to find Rotta, and also requested the help of the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order. However, the Jedi Order could only spare High General Obi-Wan Kenobi and General Anakin Skywalker, who were at the time battling Confederate forces on the planet Christophsis.



The bounty hunters hired by Jabba tracked Rotta to a B'omarr Order Monastery on the planet Teth. However, they were captured and decapitated, and their heads were sent back to Jabba. Republic Advanced Recon Force trooper scouts also tracked the Huttlet to Teth. Upon the conclusion of the battle on Christophsis, General Kenobi negotiated with Jabba on Tatooine on behalf of the Republic, and the Jedi were given only one planetary rotation by the crime lord to retrieve his son and apprehend his captors. General Skywalker and his newly apprenticed Padawan learner, Ahsoka Tano, were assigned to rescue Jabba's son by Grand Master Yoda, and following the scouts' reports, Skywalker and Tano ventured to Teth. However, the Jedi were also unaware of the Confederacy's involvement in Rotta's capture.

Skywalker and Tano arrived over Teth aboard an Acclamator I-class assault ship with Torrent Company, a unit within the famed 501st Legion of the Grand Army of the Republic, and rendezvoused with the Republic scouts. The scouts reported that the monastery was being guarded by at least two battalions of battle droids. Furthermore, the monastery was heavily fortified, and the Republic forces would not be able to land there. Electing to commence with a ground assault, the Acclamator cruiser descended into the atmosphere. The transport deployed several LAAT/i gunships with General Skywalker, Commander Tano and Torrent Company aboard, in addition to several LAAT/i carriers bringing two AT-TE walkers.

Vertical assault
"So, this is where the fun begins.''" "Race you to the top." "I'll give you a head start." "''Your mistake!"

- Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker



As the gunships closed in on the monastery, the droids spotted the approaching Republic squadron and opened fire. Closing their blast shields, the gunships were able to safely land, and the Republic forces approached the cliff. The droid forces soon sighted Tano and concentrated fire at her; the Republic forces responded by opening fire on the droids with the walkers. In the resulting exchange of laser fire, the Jedi and the troopers were able to reach the foot of the monastery mesa, taking cover in an overhang. The Jedi and clones used vines to ascend the cliff, and the clone troopers also used the grappling hooks in their blaster rifles, while the two AT-TE walkers used the claws in their footpads to maintain a strong hold on the vertical face.

The droids concentrated the fire of dwarf spider droids at the walkers, breaking one's grip on the cliffside and sending it off the face. Tano defended the remaining walker by jumping onto its windscreen and rebounding the droid fire. The Republic forces were attacked by several B1 battle droids on STAPs, and the two front legs of Tano's walker lost their grip. Noticing the reeling walker, Skywalker immediately jumped down from above and eliminated the droid pilots by knocking them off one by one, and claimed the last craft for himself. Ascending the cliff once more, Skywalker used his STAP to eliminate several dwarf spider droids on his way up, while the AT-TE walker regained its purchase on the cliff face.

Skywalker's STAP was shot down just short of the landing pad entrance to the monastery. The Jedi managed to leap the remaining distance, and destroyed the remaining droids in front of the monastery, but was assailed by several droidekas deployed from inside it. The arrival of Tano and the AT-TE walker stopped the destroyer droids before they could fire a single shot. The monastery was secured; however, Skywalker and Tano had lost over half their men before reaching the top of the cliff.



After a moment of planning with Clone Captain Rex, Skywalker and Tano entered the monastery and encountered the Confederacy's planted protocol droid. The droid claimed to be the caretaker of the monastery, and told them that the Confederacy kept their prisoners in the lower levels. However, the Jedi and the clones were unaware that the droid was a spy working for Dark Acolyte Asajj Ventress, seeking to gain evidence to frame the Jedi of Rotta's kidnapping. Ordering Rex and his men to stay at the entrance, the Jedi ventured deeper into the monastery to retrieve the Huttlet. Ventress and her droids were waiting, concealed elsewhere in the monastery exterior. The Rattataki Dark Acolyte prepared to collect the data that her master&mdash;Sith Lord Count Dooku&mdash;needed to frame the Jedi.

Skywalker and Tano entered the dungeons, and were assailed by several battle droids. Tano eliminated most of them before the two Jedi located the captured Huttlet. As they received word from Rex that the monastery was secured, the Jedi realized that Rotta was sick and required medical attention. Upon arrival in the courtyard, the Jedi placed Rotta in a backpack for easier transport, despite the Huttlet's resistance. However, they were unaware that their actions were being recorded by the protocol droid 4A-7. The holographic recording was transmitted to Count Dooku, who showed it to Jabba as proof that his son was in possession of the Jedi, and was being inhumanely treated by them. The ruse was successful, and Dooku was able to win Jabba's favor. Ventress was given a new objective: to recover the Huttlet alive so that he could be delivered to Jabba on the Confederacy's behalf.

Confederacy counter-assault
"I'll have to call you back, Master! We're under attack. We could use a little help here, if you have the time!''" "''I'll get there as soon as I can. Protect the Hutt, Anakin."

- Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi



Through a holotransmission broadcasted through the astromech droid R2-D2, Skywalker and Tano delivered a status report to General Kenobi. The Jedi suspected the Confederacy's involvement in Rotta's abduction, and that the Confederacy was using them to convince Jabba&mdash;and by extension, the Hutt clans&mdash;to join their struggle against the Republic. Before the conference could continue, several Confederate C-9979 landing crafts approached the monastery, deploying Vulture droids to attack the Republic forces. As several squads of battle droids approached on foot, the Republic forces attempted to hold their position. The remaining AT-TE walker fell to droid fire, and the Republic forces were forced back into the monastery, and barricaded themselves inside the stronghold.

The droids set up a cordon and worked to hack the door controls. As Rotta still required medical attention, Tano convinced Skywalker to look for an escape to find medical attention for the Huttlet, while Captain Rex stayed to hold position and command the forces. The Jedi came upon an old Hutt throne room, and R2-D2 analyzed the building schematics from a link into the monastery's systems.

Too impatient to wait for the battle droids to hack through the lock, Ventress sliced through the door's controls with one of her lightsabers, causing it to open from a safety mechanism. B1 and B2 battle droids surged forward with dwarf spider droids following close behind, and Torrent Company was soon overwhelmed, with only six clone troopers&mdash;including Captain Rex&mdash;surviving the attack. Ventress ordered the droids to seal all exits, but she was suddenly attacked by Rex, who had been feigning death. The clone trooper destroyed an OOM command battle droid next to her. Ventress deflected the clone's blaster fire, and pulled his blaster out of his hand with the Force before Force-choking him. She demanded Skywalker's location, but received only defiance in response. Ventress performed a mind trick on Rex and forced him to contact Skywalker; after she had left to find Skywalker, Rex and the five Torrent Company survivors were taken captive and put under battle droid guard.



Pit fight
Ventress, however, had doubted Rex's mental strength, and when he contacted General Skywalker, he addressed him as "Anakin" instead of his usual "General Skywalker", alerting the Jedi to Ventress' presence. R2-D2 was able to find an exterior landing pad at the rear of the monastery, and the Jedi headed toward the exit. However, before they could get far, Ventress arrived with several B2 super battle droids. Surrounded, Skywalker exchanged banter with the Dark Acolyte before R2-D2 suddenly activated a trap door in the floor, sending all of them plunging down a long chute.

Skywalker, Tano, Ventress and the droids landed in a large, round room. Skywalker immediately engaged Ventress while Tano dealt with the droids. Skywalker managed to deprive Ventress of one of her lightsabers, only to be knocked down and disarmed himself. Ventress was soon confronted by Tano, who had eliminated the droids. The Dark Acolyte reclaimed her second lightsaber and turned to engage the Togruta Padawan, and Skywalker soon rejoined the fight. As Ventress called on the Force to strengthen herself, Skywalker ordered Tano to escape with Rotta while he dealt with Ventress. However, as Tano opened a large door on the side of the room, she accidentally set loose a captive jungle rancor. Skywalker and Ventress leaped onto the creature's back and continued their duel. Deprived of its intended prey, the creature rounded on Tano and the Huttlet; seeing this, Skywalker slashed at the rancor's back, causing it to violently buck. A number of battle droids entered the overhead gallery and opened fire on Skywalker as he continued to duel the Rattataki.

Tano attacked the rancor, stabbing it in the foot, and the rancor threw off the two duelists on its back. The battle droids above were assailed by R2-D2. The rancor rounded on Tano; however, as it leaned toward her, Tano brought up her lightsaber and impaled its nose. The rancor fell back in pain, right onto Ventress, and with the Dark Acolyte distracted, the Jedi were able to escape. The rancor soon leaped up in agony and clung to the ceiling as Ventress ignited her lightsaber into its rear.

Republic reinforcements
"Surrender, Republic dogs!''" "We've got you outnumbered!" "Outnumbered?'' Wait. One, two, three&mdash;"

- A B1 battle droid and Captain Rex, shortly before the droids are attacked by Kenobi's starfighter

As Ventress renewed her pursuit of the Jedi, she received word that Republic reinforcements had arrived, in the form of the Venator-class Star Destroyer Spirit of the Republic, under the command of Admiral Wullf Yularen. Several squadrons of V-19 Torrent starfighters were deployed under the command of General Obi-Wan Kenobi in his his fighter. In response, Ventress ordered all of their Vulture droid fighters to be launched. As Kenobi's fighters approached the monastery, they engaged the droid starfighters.



Skywalker, Tano and R2-D2 arrived at the monastery's rear landing pad, and signaled an LAAT/i gunship for an evacuation. The gunship arrived and hovered near the platform, but before Skywalker, Tano and Rotta could board, a Confederate Vulture droid swooped in and destroyed the gunship. The Vulture droid landed on the platform, and Skywalker and Tano engaged it in combat before severing its legs and sending it off the platform. Skywalker attempted to contact Kenobi for backup, but found that the Confederacy was jamming their transmissions. Meanwhile, the remaining six captives of Torrent Company broke free of their droid guards, and several troopers even stole one of the battle droids' blasters. The clones used the fallen AT-TE for cover from the droid fire and engaged the battle droids in a crossfire. After receiving a status report from Rex, Skywalker prepared to head back to help the clones, while Tano believed that they needed to search for a ship to deliver Rotta back to Tatooine alive.

Skywalker and Tano found themselves confronted by a pair of droidekas with Ventress following cloes behind. R2-D2 quickly closed the landing pad door, and Ventress immediately began to cut through the door with her lightsabers. Skywalker prepared to retreat into the jungle, but the appearance of two dwarf spider droids stopped him. The droids began climbing up the cliff under the platform, and began to fire at the platform's supports. Can-cells were upset from the droid fire. Skywalker and Tano believed that they were out of options, but Rotta alerted them to the presence of another landing pad on a nearby mesa, with an old freighter on it. Skywalker jumped on a can-cell, intending on using it to get to the nearby platform. Ventress soon cut through the door and engaged Tano, and after a few blows were exchanged, the young Jedi was knocked to her feet.

As Ventress demanded Skywalker's location, he himself appeared, having successfully gained control of the can-cell, and attacked the Dark Acolyte with the beast, knocing her backwards. As the droid fire below destroyed the platform's supports, Tano and her master flew over to the other mesa on the creature, R2-D2 following with his booster jets. Unable to pursue, Ventress was told by a battle droid that Dooku was demanding a status report. The Dark Acolyte seized it with the Force and took her frustration out on it by hurling it off the platform, and Ventress went back into the monastery.



When the two Jedi reached the secondary landing platform, they encountered the protocol droid 4A-7 yet again, who was preparing to leave on a freighter. The spy droid was given away by the presence of battle droids, and the Jedi destroyed the battle droids, along with the spy droid. Still fighting the droid starfighters above, Kenobi and his squadron noticed Rex and Torrent Company's engagement of the droids on the east side of the monastery, and headed over to help them. Clone Commander Cody deployed several LAAT/i gunships from the Spirit of the Republic, containing Ghost Squadron of the 212th Attack Battalion, to give aid to Torrent Company.

Rex and Torrent Company managed to defeat an approaching Vulture droid and surged forward, using the fallen droid starfighter for cover. As Kenobi's fighter flew over the monastery, he ordered his astromech droid, R4-P17, to take control of the fighter. The droids surrounded Torrent Company before Kenobi fired at them with his fighter, and the Jedi jumped out and joined Rex and the Torrent Company survivors. Commander Cody and the gunship reinforcements arrived, and the gunships ravaged the Confederate C-9979 landing crafts before the clone troopers were deployed to assist Torrent Company. Kenobi left to search for Skywalker in the monastery while the clone troopers engaged the droids. In the freighter, Skywalker and Tano headed toward the courtyard to reinforce Rex and his men. However, Tano convinced Skywalker of the importance to keep the Huttlet alive and safe. Skywalker reluctantly informed Rex that they would be unable to help him, and the Jedi headed to rendezvous with the Spirit of the Republic.

Skywalker, Tano and Rotta headed toward the Spirit of the Republic, but they were harassed by several Vulture droids and the Venator cruiser itself, which believed the freighter to be an enemy ship. After contacting the cruiser and receiving clearance, Skywalker attempted to land the ship on board the rear hangar of the cruiser, but the Vulture droids forged past them and destroyed the hangar before they could land. The Jedi were forced to take the freighter directly to Tatooine.

Kenobi vs. Ventress
"Master Kenobi! Always chasing after Skywalker. How ''predictable." "Anakin leaves quite a mess. Which always leads me to you'', Ventress."

- Asajj Ventress and Obi-Wan Kenobi

Upon entering the monastery, Kenobi encountered Ventress. The Dark Jedi left her two super battle droid bodyguards to fight Kenobi, using the time it took the Jedi Master to defeat the droids to leave the room. Kenobi followed Ventress into another room, and the Dark Acolyte appeared from above and attacked Kenobi, and the two exchanged blows. Momentarily extinguishing her lightsabers, Ventress pulled off her skirt and flung it at Kenobi, blocking his sight. As Kenobi sliced the skirt in two, Ventress leaped at him. Despite the interference, the Jedi Master managed to block her oncoming blows. The two bladelocked, and Kenobi pushed Ventress back and attacked her. Ventress managed to disarm him and slashed at his midsection. Kenobi dodged her attacks, but the Dark Acolyte forced him back and pointed one of her lightsabers at his throat. Ventress drove her lightsabers forward; however, Kenobi ducked, and after taking hold of both her wrists, he was able to drive her backward. Kenobi called his lightsaber back into his hand and continued the duel.



Ventress backed the Jedi Master against a pillar, and as she lunged forward, Kenobi ducked, and Ventress slashed the pillar instead of her intended target. After a short bladelock, Kenobi Force-pushed Ventress backward. The two continued to exchange blows before Ventress charged at Kenobi, and the Jedi Master used two pillars to jump onto an upper platform on the side of the room. Ventress followed, and Kenobi affirmed that the Confederacy's plan to turn the Hutts against the Jedi would not succeed. Ventress retorted that the plan would be effective when the truth died with him, and the Dark Acolyte charged forward, dragging her lightsabers across the platform before leaping into the air and unleashing a series of overhand attacks. The Jedi Master quickly blocked the blows, and the fighting continued. Ventress soon jumped up in the air and performed a powerful downward slash at Kenobi. The Jedi Master pushed her backward, and the Dark Acolyte joined her lightsabers to form a saberstaff.

The Jedi leaped through a window to an external rampart of the monastery, and Ventress immediately gave pursuit. However, as Skywalker's freighter made the jump to hyperspace, both Ventress and Kenobi sensed Skywalker's departure. Enraged, Ventress continued her combat with Kenobi. The Dark Acolyte continued to drive the Jedi Master backward, but Kenobi was able to split her saberstaff into two. Kenobi blocked Ventress' lightsabers, and pushed them down against the side railings of the platform. The Jedi Master was able to deprive Ventress of one of her weapons, and the Dark Acolyte activated a signal on her wristband controls before continuing the duel. Kenobi forced Ventress backward, and stated that there was no point in continuing to fight&mdash;the Huttlet was safe, and Ventress had failed. The Dark Acolyte's summoned Vulture droid suddenly approached, and she escaped aboard the starfighter. Kenobi returned to the courtyard and assisted the clones in fighting the Confederate droid forces. Without Ventress to lead them, and with their ships destroyed, the remaining droids were defeated by the Republic forces.

Aftermath
"The Republic had too many clone troopers, my lord. By the time we were able to find Jabba's son, Skywalker had already...killed him."

- Asajj Ventress supports Count Dooku's lies

Much of the monastery was left damaged from the intense battle that had raged across it. With the help of a hologram of a 2-1B medical droid and medical supplements, Rotta was saved from near death. However, Ventress reported via hologram to Dooku and Jabba that the Republic had killed Rotta, enraging Jabba further. Dooku was displeased with Ventress' failure, as he would now have to stop Skywalker himself to withhold Jabba's favor. Skywalker and Tano's freighter arrived over Tatooine, preparing to land and return Rotta to his father, but several IG-100 MagnaGuard-flown starfighters engaged the freighter on Dooku's order. Meanwhile, on the galactic capital of Coruscant, Senator Padmé Amidala received word from Supreme Chancellor Palpatine of Jabba's false beliefs against the Republic, and headed to Ziro's Palace to reopen communications between the Republic and Jabba, seeking to use Jabba's uncle, Ziro Desilijic Tiure, to convince Jabba of the truth.

Behind the scenes
The battle appeared in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars film, which served as the basis to the 2008 television series. The battle also appeared in the film's novelization and junior novelization, as well as the young reader's book Battle at Teth. The events of Rotta the Huttlet's capture were originally a three-episode story arc in the series' first season, but after producer George Lucas decided to debut the series with a theatrical release, the episodes were combined with another first season episode, entitled "The New Padawan," to form The Clone Wars film.

A musical score was composed for the battle by Kevin Kiner, who composed the score for the film, as well as music for the 2008 television series. The score was used as background music during the battle, and was released in the film's soundtrack.



Two notable parts of the battle were cut from the final movie, despite being shown in the promotional material for the film: the duel in the monastery rancor pit, and Skywalker and Tano's fight with a Vulture droid on the outer platform, shortly before being confronted by Ventress. Director Dave Filoni later commented that he removed the rancor sequence because rancors were already common in EU stories, such as The Force Unleashed game, and he had wanted to tell new stories that "feel" like Star Wars without repeating the original Star Wars itself. Both scenes were included in the "Deleted Scenes" feature of the film's DVD. The duel did not appear in the adult novelization or the film; however, it was described in the junior novelization and the reference book The Clone Wars: The Visual Guide, which made it canonical. The fight with the Vulture droid was also described in the adult novelization of the film, making it canonical as well.

The battle droids encountered by Republic forces on Teth were originally supposed to bear purple markings, similar to those stationed in Ziro's Palace. Because the droids would not be typical droid army models, it was intended to hint that Ziro was behind the kidnapping of Rotta. However, for some reason, the regular battle droid models were used during the film's animation process.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars novelization
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars junior novelization
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Battle at Teth
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars film
 * The Clone Wars: Wild Space

Notes and references
Schlacht von Teth Batalla de Teth