Defense of Maridun/Legends

"This battle is inevitable. You can stand by your beliefs, but let us stand by ours."

- Anakin Skywalker to Tee Watt Kaa

The Defense of Maridun, also known as the Battle of Maridun, took place in 21 BBY on the planet of Maridun during the Clone Wars. After Jedi Generals Aayla Secura and Anakin Skywalker&mdash;along with Jedi Commander Ahsoka Tano, Commander CC-5052 and Captain CT-7567&mdash;crash landed on the planet, they discovered a local Lurmen village. The village, guided by Lurmen pacifist Tee Watt Kaa, wanted to remain neutral in the war. However, the Confederacy of Independent Systems sent Separatist General Lok Durd to investigate the Outer Rim planet. The general planned to attack the Lurmen village with the Separatists' new weapon, the defoliator, a weapon capable of eliminating organic matter while leaving machinery intact.

The Jedi and the two clones helped protect the Lurmen by stealing two deflector shield generators from Durd's base on the planet. The shields protected the village from the defoliator's initial energy blast, prompting Durd to dispatch a battalion of his battle droids to attack the village. However, the Jedi and the two clone officers&mdash;along with the help of Wag Too, Kaa's son&mdash;successfully destroyed the droids, and Skywalker was able to eliminate the new Separatist weapon, as well as capture Durd.

Prelude
In 21 BBY, Jedi Generals Aayla Secura, Anakin Skywalker, and Skywalker's Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, crash landed on the Outer Rim planet of Maridun. Prior to crashing on Maridun, Skywalker was injured from an explosion onboard Secura's Venator-class Star Destroyer; as the later, Secura, Tano and two clone officers were fleeing the damaged Star Destroyer. However, while escaping on an Consular-class cruiser, the shuttle malfunctioned and activated its hyperdrive, causing it to jump to hyperspace. As the shuttle traveled through hyperspace, Commander CC-5052 warned Secura that their shuttle was heading towards a star, which was near the planet of Maridun. CC-5052 and Tano managed to maneuver the cruiser around the star, however, the star caused damage to the shuttle.

Crash landing on the nearby planet of Maridun, the Jedi escorted the injured Skywalker while the clones established a camp near the cruiser wreckage. As Captain CT-7567 remained with Skywalker, the rest of the group found a Lurmen village. The Lurmen colonists were guided by Tee Watt Kaa, who avoided the Clone Wars by leaving the Lurmen homeworld of Mygeeto. As the Jedi and clones remained in the village, they learned that Kaa believed that war was an unnecessary act and preferred to remain neutral. Kaa advised the Jedi to leave their colony, however, Tano pleaded for them to help Skywalker, who was deeply hurt. Allowing his adopted son, Wag Too, to leave with the Tano and CC-5052, Secura remained with the Lurmen. Too, CC-5052, and Tano returned to the colony with the injured Skywalker and was to be taken care of by Too's ability as an healer.

Shortly after, Confederate General Neimoidian Lok Durd began to descend from Maridun's atmosphere. His C-9979 landing craft landed near the Lurmen village and was soon greeted by Kaa. Durd ordered the squad of his B1 battle droids to ransack the village to find any trace of Republic contraband. Unbeknownst to them, the Jedi and the two clones hid from Durd with the guidance of Kaa's son Wag Too. After the droids found nothing, Durd and his droids left the area and departed for the established Separatist base on Maridun. The Republic group soon discovered the Separatist base while hiding on a tree that overlooked the base. Durd contacted Confederate Head of State Count Dooku via hologram and revealed the new Separatist weapon&mdash;the defoliator, a weapon capable of eliminating organic matter while leaving machinery intact.

Durb then ordered two B1 battle droids to walk near a tree for the demonstration, the tree was the hiding location of the Republic group. After the successful testing of the defoliator, Durd told Dooku that his plan involved attacking a Lurmen village with the weapon. Durd, along with a battalion of battle droids, soon departed the base with the defoliator and headed for the Lurmen village. Meanwhile, the Jedi and clones secretly entered the Separatist base, killed all the stationed droids around the base, before the group found two deflector shield generators and commandeered Durd's shuttle within the bunker. Before Durd could arrive at the village, the Republic group landed in the village and alerted Kaa and the villagers of the imminent Separatist attack. However, Kaa disagreed with the Jedi, and warned them that they shouldn't have returned to their village.

The battle
"Good-bye Jedi. Fire!"

- Durd ordering to fire the Defoliator at the Lurmen village

Secura and Tano began to Force pull seed pods around the village as a protective barrier, although Kaa continued to oppose their help while his son expressed his sorrow that he could not help the Jedi due to his father's beliefs. Meanwhile, Durd continued to march towards the village with the defoliator and a battalion of battle droids. CT-7567 spotted the Separatists and warned Skywalker and Tano, though Skywalker commented that the Separatists would not attack if they kept their distance and only use the defoliator. Durd, meanwhile, prepared to fire the first defoliator artillery battery at the village. The Confederate officer hoped he could withstand and win the battle, which would grant him a promotion.

After Durd gave the order to his Aqualish technician, the artillery battery was fired into the air. However, the Jedi managed to activate the two shield generators that they had taken from the Separatist base, which protected the entire village from the defoliator's energy blast. Responding to this, Durd ordered the first squad of his army to march towards the village. The Jedi and the two clone officers attacked and destroyed all of the droids, though Durd then ordered the second and third squad of battle droids to attack the Republic force as well. In the village, a group of Lurmen that were willing to fight began to gather with the Jedi. While they did so, Kaa ordered them not to get involved, though the Lurmen villagers attacked the battle droids that marched past the shield and into the village.

Meanwhile, an OOM command battle droid noticed Skywalker approaching the defoliator weapon. Durd ordered his troops to fire at the Jedi; however, before the battle droids loaded another artillery battery in the weapon, Skywalker managed to destroy the weapon by severing the cannon and the rest of the stationed droids. Durd reacted and prepared to flee, but the Jedi Knight used the Force to prevent the Neimoidian from escaping.

Aftermath
After capturing Durd and Zignat, Kaa apologized to the Jedi and thanked them for restoring peace within his village. The Jedi, CC-5052, and CT-7567 awaited the arrival of Admiral Wullf Yularen and his fleet, consisting of Venator-class Star Destroyers, to pick up the Republic group and their prisoners.

Behind the scenes
This battle on Maridun was featured in "Defenders of Peace," an episode in the first season of the 2008 Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series, which first aired on January 23, 2009.

Appearances

 * Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth
 * LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
 * Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth
 * LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
 * LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars