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Continuity & Analysis

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Rookies (2008) [S1E5]
The best confidence builder is experience.
"Clone forces rally! As the war escalates in the Outer Rim, the Jedi Knights are spread thinly across
the galaxy. Many new clones are rushed into service to support their Jedi generals. Unfortunately,
because of the relentless demands of battle, many young clones must join the struggle before
their intensive training has been completed. These clones, manning a vital network of tracking
stations, are all that stand between the Republic and invasion..."
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Downfall of a Droid (2008) [S1E6]
Trust in your friends, and they'll have reason to trust in you.
"After suffering a series of disastrous defeats at the hands of General Grievous,
the Republic's foothold in the Outer Rim is in jeopardy. Commissioned to protect
the strategic world of Bothawui, Anakin Skywalker and his weary battle group are
all that stands between the system and domination by the droid army..."
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Duel of the Droids (2008) [S1E7]
You hold onto friends by keeping your heart a little softer than your head.
"Missing in action! Anakin Skywalker's heroic droid navigator R2-D2 was lost in battle.
When a desperate search fails to locate R2, Anakin is forced to take on
a new navigator, R3-S6. Now the Jedi embark on a dangerous new mission,
to find a secret enemy listening post. Meanwhile, R2-D2 has fallen into
the hands of a vile droid-smuggler and is on his way to General Grievous,
who will surely plunder the Republic's secrets hidden within him..."




CONTINUITY
'Rookies' is a standalone episode which is connected to the other two episodes loosely by theme, as these three episodes involve the expansion of Grievous'
campaigns in the Rim Regions into areas north of the Corellian Run. 'Downfall of a Droid' and 'Duel of the Droids' form a single storyline. The chronological
order of episodes is as given by Lucasfilm, and follows their release order. The Rishi Moon and the moon Ruusan 2 are seen for the first time, and the planets
Rishi and Ruusan are also seen for the first time, but only from orbit. The Bothawui system is seen for the first time, but the action takes place in orbit of
a gas giant named Golm in the outer part of the system, and the habitable planet Bothawui isn't seen. These episodes take place at or on three worlds:


- Rishi and its primary satellite, referred to only as the Rishi Moon, are located in the Abrion Sector of the Slice region of the Outer Rim. Rishi is habitable and
populated in legends material, but has not yet been elaborated upon in canon. There does not seem to be any traffic in the system, nor is the disposition
of the planet discussed, so it is likely that if inhabited, it is not very active in the interstellar community. The Rishi Moon is barren, and is heavily cratered
as the moon acts as a gravitational magnet for meteors, as moons typically do for smaller, terrestrial planets.


- The use of tracking stations to monitor ships and fleets traveling through hyperspace in a local area, is of immense importance to strategy and defense. In an era
where travel across the galaxy is possible along major routes in less than a day, the importance of tracking stations in limiting and forestalling fleet movements
can't be underestimated. The ability for large fleets to move undetected at such high speeds would make protecting planets and territory virtually impossible.
Main Article: Hyperspace Travel

- The clones of the training unit designated as Domino Squad, seen in 'Clone Cadets' (S3E1), Hevy, Fives, Echo, Cutup, and Droidbait, are assigned to remote but
important tracking stations after graduating. Considered ready for duty, but not fully ready for full-scale battle, rookie clones like these are often assigned
to such postings. Their new unit's leader, Sgt. O'Niner, is killed, along with Droidbait, Cutup, and Hevy. Echo and Fives are given medals for the unit's success,
and are made members of Anakin and Rex's 501st Legion.


- BX Commando droids are very effective, more intelligent than regular battle droids, and have tougher armor. Rex states they are a relatively new model.


Why does Grevious command his invasion fleet from one of the Munificent-class frigates, which is a large escort
size warship, when the fleet contains two Lucrehulk-class battleships, which are heavily armored capital ships?
This is not the only example of this we will see in Separatist fleets, where the commanding officer keeps their flag
aboard a support vessel, with less defenses and less guns than the larger ships that should be their flagship.


- Grievous' conversation with Ventress indicates they plan to implement an invasion strategy for Kamino similar to that which is employed in their eventual
invasion of the planet, seen in 'ARC Troopers' (S3E2), about ten months later. Despite the delay in implementation, the destruction of the Rishi base
in 'Rookies' is what allows the Separatists to stage that invasion of Kamino.

- Tabana gas can be utilized in a liquid state. Liquid Tabana is used in this instance to power the base's heaters, but is also known to be highly explosive.

- Golm is a gas giant located in the outer reaches of the Both System, in the Bothawui Sector, in the Slice region of the Mid Rim. Like all gas giants, it is uninhabited,
and has a collection of satellites. It is a large enough planet to have a ring system, however Golm's rings are composed of small asteroids rather than dust and
ice. This starsystem includes the planet Bothawui, the homeworld of the Bothans, however neither the Bothans or their homeworld have yet been seen in
canon. Due to an error in reference material which has been oft repeated, the planet of Golm is routinely identified incorrectly as Bothawui.


- In recent events, Anakin has been on the same ship as Grievous, chased Grievous in a fighter, been chased in a fighter by Grievous in a cruiser, and was on
the same station as Grievous, and yet still has not met him in person. They will run into each other more during the Clone Wars, but will not speak, or
even meet face to face at a time when they are both conscious, until their first conversation in Episode III.

- The Republic still relies heavily on the V-19 Torrent, which was the primary Republic fighter seen in the months of the war in Clone Wars. It seems
that the Republic maintained a significant number of these before the war, and has continued to purchase them in larger numbers now that
the war has begun. The Republic is also utilizing the Delta-7 Aethersprite interceptor, an advanced and elite fighter, usually operated by the Jedi.


- Obi-Wan doesn't regard droids as particularly important. He is seen to be generally friendly and respectful to droids, but considers them to be devices and
not mechanical beings. The Jedi believe in nature and consider only biological life produced from the Force to be alive. Obi-Wan's dismissal of Anakin's
sentiment regarding R2 is less about his position on droids than it is about his Jedi philosophy of non-attachment to things, or even beings.

- Anakin uses the Twilight for his rescue mission, this time as part of an authorized operation, and this time crewed with clones. Anakin was able to convince Obi-Wan
to allow the operation due to the sensitive nature of the information within R2, but Anakin's desires are entirely personal. He has an intense loyalty for his friends,
and will go to any lengths for them. R2 has aided and potentially saved him in many situations, and Anakin respects their friendship even with his droid. Once again,
Anakin places his personal feelings and desires first, but is also talented and powerful enough to complete mission objectives while also his own.


When Anakin returns to the site of the battle, the wreckage of an Acclaimator-class ship is seen in the debris field,
yet no Republic ships were seen to be destroyed, or damaged enough to be abandoned, and no Acclaimator-class
ships were seen in the battle. Since we could see the entire Republic task force, this is simply an animation error.


- Having been betrayed by R3, Anakin is again saved by Ahsoka. Master and Padwan are developing a habit of saving each other, which strengthens
their bond, the same way it did for Obi-Wan and Anakin, and presumably for many other Jedi and their apprentices.

- Ruusan is a habitable and populated planet located in the Teraab Sector, in the Slice region of the Mid Rim. It is well-known in legendary material, but has not
been elaborated upon or visited in canon, and is only seen from space in this storyline. Ruusan has three moons, the second of which, Ruusan 2, has
a breathable atmosphere with a yellow-orange color. Its surface conditions are not seen. At this time, it is the location of a Separatist listening post.


- The Separatist listening post is a battlesphere, which are manufactured by the Trade Federation, and can be used as armored stations, or as the starships which form
the core of Lucrehulk-class battleships. This station has Aqualish officers, perhaps indicating a connection to the Hyper-Communications Cartel, the Separatist
version of HoloNet, which handles transmissions and broadcasting. It would make sense for Hyper-Com Cartel personal to be involved in this espionage project.

- Another scramble code is seen used, this time scramble secret code 7-1-4-7-7, which Anakin uses to send an encrypted message to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.
Main Article: Hyperspace Communications

- Grievous is both a skilled warrior and a walking tank, and his previous success against Jedi Masters have shown he is a threat even to Jedi. Ahsoka engages him,
and though she acquits herself well, he is too powerful for her alone. While clones are a threat to Grievous, the strong armor of his body plating and
superhuman physical abilities make him a match for a squad of clones in many circumstances.

ANALYSIS
Rex and Cody discuss a prior, unseen battle on the planet Tibrin, a known Separatist world. The Republic has been invading Separatist planets, even homeworlds like
Geonosis, Muunilinst, and Tibrin, which hosted droid factories or other vital facilities. Tibrin is known to have been associated with the Techno Union. The Republic
has begun the war by launching invasions of populous Separatist homeworlds which willingly chose to leave the Republic. The common suggestion that the Republic
only wishes to end the war and put a stop to the violent droid invasions of Republic worlds is undercut by their actions, whether strategically valid or not. These kinds
of invasions serve to increase the resolve of the many worlds honestly seeking independence from the Republic, and ensure their allegiance to Dooku, Grievous, and
other devious Separatist leaders. This is exactly what the Sith knew would be the result of the Republic's response to their provocations.

Anakin is still obsessed with finding Grievous, having missed the opportunity to take him out on the Malevolence. Obi-Wan is also hoping to find Grievous, and to bring
the war to a quicker end through his defeat. The initial wave of Separatist invasions near and along the Corellian Run have temporary settled, with the Separatists having
gained ground, but their momentum slowed by the Republic adopting a defensive posture in the region. This gives a brief opportunity for Cody and Rex to make an inspection
tour of the Republic monitoring stations keeping watch over this region of the Rim. Grievous and the Separatist military desire to strike Kamino, as the destruction of
the cloning factories would tip the balance of the war heavily against the Republic. While Kamino is the primary objective, Grievous also seeks to consolidate his gains, and
expand his control to areas north of the Corellian Run, and coreward along the Run into the Mid Rim and Expansion regions. The battles at Rishi, Bothawui, and Falleen
are all parts of this campaign, which would serve to connect vast Separatist territories, and further isolate the Republic pocket between Christophsis and Kamino.

While Separatist and Republic fleets were initially stretched, both sides are beginning to be able to amass larger fleets for objectives. The Separatists are amassing for new
offensives, while the Republic is primarily combining their resources to consolidate and preserve their fleets in the Rim regions. The Republic is also beginning to receive
reinforcements from ship building facilities. Obi-Wan mentions the recent loss of the battle group at Falleen. With this victory against the Republic, yet another important
section of the Corellian Run in the Rim falls to Separatist control, cutting the primary supply line to Christophsis and Kamino, and isolating the Republic forces battling in
the southeastern portion of the Rim, including the 501st Legion and the 212th Attack Battalion, led by Anakin and Obi-Wan respectively.

Republic victory in the Bothawui System over a task force personally led by General Grievous was a critical win. Not only did it contribute to forestalling the Separatist
advance northward from the Corellian Run, it also protected the loyal and populous world of Bothawui, homeworld of the Bothans. The strategy engineered by
Sidious and Dooku seeks to use the war as a pretext to destroy the society and infrastructure of many such non-Human worlds, and install a permanent
military-security state apparatus on the planet. Planets that escape this kind of devastation and Republic reaction will be more difficult to integrate into the Empire,
and threaten to organize an opposition to Sidious' rule. The Battle of Bothawui is a naval battle that takes place in the outer part of the star system, in orbit of
the planet Golm, a gas giant with a ring system made up of small asteroids. Anakin uses the terrain advantage to lure Grievous into an unexpected trap, which
nearly succeeds in killing the General. Grievous' readiness to abandon his own forces to save himself make him particularly difficult to eliminate or capture.

Anakin once again notes that Grievous always seems to know the Republic's next move. When the existence of a Separatist listening post identified by Clone Intelligence,
The Jedi once again assume as they have located the source of the Separtist strategic advantage, as they are expected to. Since only the Jedi High Council and the Chancellor
are aware of their highest strategic plans, the Jedi don't ever consider the possibility that the leak is internal. The Sith are in control of both sides of the war, the very thing
Dooku honestly told Obi-Wan in Episode II. With the Separatist listening post destroyed, the Jedi accept that it was the primary reason their plans in the rim are always known.


FURTHER ANALYSIS
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