- "A terrible warning, Belderone is. Increasing, the power of the dark side is. Rooted out, Sidious must be."
- ―Yoda
The Battle of Belderone resulted from intelligence gained via the captured mechno-chair of Nute Gunray.
Using it, the Jedi intercepted a message from General Grievous, informing the members of the Separatist Council that they were to be moved to Belderone after Grievous conquered the world. The Jedi High Council dispatched a military force under Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to defend the planet from Grievous.
The battle[]
When Grievous's fleet emerged from hyperspace, its ships immediately came under attack by a Republic battle group of sixty capital vessels. Launching from the Integrity, the Jedi and Captain Davijaan—leading Clone Flight Squad Seven—rushed out to confront the Separatists. Kenobi and Skywalker fought their way past a swarm of over five hundred droid starfighters to the Invisible Hand, where Skywalker made a risky attack against the Separatist flagship.
Grievous himself witnessed Anakin's audacious assault, and though the little starfighter was no threat to his vessel, he was obligated to protect the lives of the Separatist Council members, and end the battle. The Invisible Hand opened fire on a refugee convoy attempting to flee the besieged planet, causing the deaths of approximately ten thousand innocents. This caught the Republic forces by surprise, and it allowed Grievous' fleet to escape into hyperspace.
Aftermath[]
Despite the heavy losses, the Battle of Belderone was deemed a victory for the Republic, and representatives of the planet expressed their gratitude to the Senate. However, some, including Master Yoda, considered the battle not to be a rout, as Grievous had retreated only to ensure the safety of the Separatist Council, and not because of Separatist casualties.
Because of their ambush at Belderone, the Republic knew it could no longer use the captured mechno-chair to eavesdrop on Separatist communications—the Separatists would surely realize the channel had been compromised. Grievous threatened Nute Gunray over the loss of his valuable mechno-chair, and on Coruscant, Chancellor Palpatine debated with the Jedi the effectiveness of the rout at Belderone, balanced against the loss of a means of spying on Separatist channels.
Appearances[]
- Reversal of Fortune (Mentioned only)
- Labyrinth of Evil (First appearance)
Sources[]
- "The Starships of Episode III" — Star Wars Insider 82 (Indirect mention only)
- The New Essential Chronology
- "Unknown Soldier: The Story of General Grievous" — Star Wars Insider 86
- "Endnotes for The Story of General Grievous, Part 2: The Knight Slayer" — Only Sith Deal In Absolutes! — Abel G. Peña's StarWars.com Blog (content now obsolete; backup link) (First identified as Battle of Belderone)
- Evil Never Dies: The Sith Dynasties on Hyperspace (article) (content now obsolete; backup link)
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia (Mentioned in multiple entries, but without own entry)
- The Essential Atlas
- "Sith Unseen: A Retrospective" — Star Wars Insider 188 (also reprinted in Special Edition 2022)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ "Heart of Evil: A Plague of Darkness" – Living Force campaign
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Star Wars: Clone Wars — "Chapter 22"
- ↑ "Heart of Evil: Destruction" – Living Force campaign
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Labyrinth of Evil
- ↑ The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. II, p. 106 ("Integrity")