Battle of Kashyyyk

The Battle of Kashyyyk, also referred to as the Battle of Kachirho, or as the defense of Kashyyyk, was one of the final engagements of of the Clone Wars, a pan-galactic conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. It was fought on the Mid Rim planet of Kashyyyk, the homeworld of the Wookiees, and focused on the defense of Kachirho, the capital of the planet.

Prelude
"Go I will. Good relations with the Wookiees I have."

- Yoda

Following the rescue of Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine during the Battle of Coruscant and subsequent Republic victory, the Jedi High Council gathered at the Jedi Temple to discuss their next move. It was decided during the meeting, due to his good relations with the Wookiees, that Grand Master Yoda would travel to Kashyyyk to aid the Wookiees in their fight against the Droid Army, as the Jedi Master had served as a Jedi negotiator in many incidents involving the Wookiees and their Trandoshan neighbors before. This had earned him the ancient title of "Defender of the Home Tree", as well as becoming a member of many Wookiee leaders' and all the inhabitants of Kachirho's honour families.

Confederate assault
"The droids have started up their main power generators.''" "Then now, the time is, Commander." "''Yes, sir."

- Clone Commander Gree and Jedi General Yoda

The Separatist Droid forces targeted the planet's oil refinery. Grand Master Yoda ordered the defense of Kachirho as the Separatist forces rushed across the lagoon with haste. Clone troopers and Wookiee warriors set up a perimeter on the beach to confront the enemy as more warriors swung from the cliffs along the archipelago to place mines on the NR-N99 enforcer tanks. Meanwhile, clone scout troopers fired from trenches and along the branches of Tree Kachirho. On the vehicle front, Wookiee Oevvaor jet catamarans were aided by HAVw A5 Juggernauts, AT-RTs, AT-APs and other assault vehicles. They faced enormous opposition from Separatist NR-N99 droid tanks, Dwarf Spider Droids and HMP droid gunships. Atop the seawall were two concussion turrets and multiple clone troopers. Few attempts from the CIS to destroy the seawall were made, and eventually the tide of the battle turned in favor of the Republic.

Order 66
"The time has come. Execute Order 66.''" "''It will be done, my lord."

- Supreme Chancellor Palpatine issues Order 66 to Clone Commander Gree

As the battle raged on, Yoda felt a great disturbance in the Force as Anakin Skywalker was converted to the Dark Side, followed by an even stronger disturbance as Order 66, a founding foundation of the Galactic Empire; which was officially declared a day later, was carried out throughout the galaxy. Clone Commander Gree received a call on his comlink, in which Palpatine instructed him to execute Order 66. A scout trooper joined Gree in the attempt to assassinate Yoda. As the clones prepared to execute him, Yoda drew his lightsaber, sensing what was about to happen, and in one fell swoop decapitated his would-be assassins. Yoda then proceeded to escape from into the nearby jungle along with the still loyal Wookiee warriors Tarfful and Chewbacca as the battle raged below.

Aftermath
"Goodbye, Tarfful. Goodbye, Chewbacca. Miss you, I will."

- Yoda

As the Galactic Empire rose, Yoda and the Wookiees would proceed to escape into the nearby mountains. Later that evening, Chewbacca and Tarfful brought Yoda to an escape pod. After exchanging farewells, Yoda left the planet in the pod.

Though the clone troopers won the day, they would soon take the place of the Separatists as an invading force, except they would be successful in conquering the world, and the Wookies would not be able to hold them back. The Empire, the successor state of the Republic, legalized slavery, leading many, the Empire itself in particular, to take Wookiee slaves due to their immense strength.

Yoda managed to meet up with Obi-Wan Kenobi, having also escaped Order 66, and the two infiltrated the Jedi temple to reverse the message being sent to Jedi, warning them to stay away. He then attempted to kill Palpatine, but failed, and exiled himself to Dagobah.

Chewbacca was one of the slaves taken by the New Order from Kashyyyk, and suffered many years as one, until he was freed by a smuggler named Han Solo.

Behind the scenes
A climactic battle between the technologically advanced Empire and a race of primitive hairy aliens, the Wookiees, was present in George Lucas's original treatment for the 1977 original Star Wars film Star Wars : Episode IV A New Hope. As the story changed and the trilogy structure was solidified in Lucas' mind, the battle was postponed until 1983's Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, where it developed into a battle featuring Ewoks on the forest moon of Endor. At the same time, the Wookiees developed into a more technologically savvy, though not less hairy, species. Lucas' original conception of the battle featured hundreds of Wookiees on screen. Due to costs, the original idea was scrapped and replaced by a battle featuring relatively few diminutive Ewoks, who did not play a very significant tactical role in the battle. A large-scale battle with hundreds of characters was eventually realized in 1999's Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Journeys: Beginnings
 * Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy – A Graphic Novel
 * Star Wars: Galactic Defense
 * Star Wars Battlefront II
 * Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
 * Adventures in Wild Space: The Nest
 * The Mighty Chewbacca in the Forest of Fear!
 * Smuggler's Run: A Han Solo & Chewbacca Adventure