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Continuity & Analysis

Star Wars: Clone Wars - Chapter 22 (2005) [S3]
(The first 2:30 of Chapter 22 do not occur at this time)
The Separatist forces are spreading everywhere, and hunting down General Grievous
becomes the gravest concern.
Star Wars: Clone Wars - Chapter 23 (2005) [S3]
The battle for Coruscant has begun! An immense fleet of Separatist ships invades
the Republic capital, and the streets of Coruscant overflow with battle droid forces.
Jedi Masters Mace Windu, Yoda, and Saesee Tiin lead the charge to defend the city planet.
Star Wars: Clone Wars - Chapter 24 (2005) [S3]
General Grievous and his relentless MagnaGuards have pierced the heart of the Republic
to kidnap the beloved Chancellor Palpatine. Shaak Ti leads the Jedi in defending
the Chancellor from this unstoppable threat.
Star Wars: Clone Wars - Chapter 25 (2005) [S3]
On Coruscant, the Jedi try to secure Chancellor Palpatine in the deepest of protected
bunkers, but is anywhere safe from General Grievous?




CONTINUITY
The story in the parts of these chapters that occur here chronologically takes place at an unidentified location and on Coruscant:

The planets Bal'demnic and Orto are seen for the first time during the opening montage, as are three unidentified planets, along
with previously seen Kashyyyk, making a total of eight worlds seen in the parts of these chapters that occur here chronologically:

Season 3 of Clone Wars was also released as 'Volume 2'. The beginning of Season 3 takes place three years before these chapters.
'Chapter 22' through '25' take place at this time, except for the first 2 minutes and 30 seconds of 'Chapter 22', and all segments involving
Obi-Wan and Anakin. The first 2:30 can be found over 3 years earlier in this chronology. The segments involving Kenobi and
Skywalker no longer take place at exactly the same time due to a disney retcon, and can be found a week earlier in this chronology.

- The Separatists launch an invasion of Kashyyyk, as part of a series of final offensives designed to destroy as many peaceful and vulnerable worlds as possible,
particularly those like Kashyyyk which have a strong affinity for the Jedi, and who benefit from the Republic. The Wookiees are formidable warriors, but are
facing an invasion by the droid army and its advanced and deadly technology. Republic assistance, which is in short supply, will be required.

- As part of this rapid and unpredictable offensive, huge numbers of Republic citizens are rounded up by the Separatists and sold into slavery. One world that is
seized in an unidentified planet presumed to be a loyal Republic world, or at least a neutral one. The city is seen to be in flames, and is likely being sacked as
the inhabitants of the city, an unidentified species of humanoids, are being taken away in restraints.


- The Battle of Bal'demnic was a significant Separatist siege in the Outer Rim. Bal'demnic is located in the Auril Sector, in the Slice region of the Outer Rim,
near the highly contested Perlemian Trade Route, as well as the central sectors of the Separatist state. Bal'demnic was invaded by the Separatists to
gain access to the planet's extensive cortosis deposits for use in building their war machine. With their supply lines shrinking and their construction
facilities under siege, the Separatists require materials they can source regionally. The planet is the homeworld of the Kon'me, who are
technologically advanced, and are resisting the Separatist invasion.


- On an unidentified rocky planet with a luminescent atmosphere, Separatist forces have routed the Republic and taken the surviving clones hostage.
This is the same planet where Obi-Wan and Anakin fought in 'Chapter 1', over three and a half years earlier, immediately after Episode II.
It is unknown what the eventual fate of clone POWs will be this close to the end of the war.


- The Separatist's occupy the planet Orto, homeworld of the Ortolans, in support of a government that has come to power seeking to join the Alliance.
Orto is located in the Sluis Sector, in the Western Reaches of the Outer Rim, and is adjacent to some of the Separatist's most significant strongholds
in the galaxy, lying in a region the Republic does not fully recover until the Separatist surrender. The occupation is portrayed as menacing to
the citizens in some way, meant to illustrate the many tolls of the war.



Where is Dooku is training Grievous? It is possible this unidentified location is somewhere in Castle Serenno, although
nothing about the architecture suggests that. It could be anywhere really, although it is also possible that they were
ordered here by Sidious to train and await his call. If that is the case, they are likely at a staging location in
the Western Reaches of the Outer Rim, which is where the two will depart from to attack Coruscant, traveling along
the unmonitored Nexus Route, immediately after their conversation with Sidious.


- Dooku is training Grievous in lightsaber combat, something he has certainly done in the past as this was mentioned early in the Clone Wars. Nevertheless,
mastering sword fighting and the particulars of this weapon are something that requires time and practice, and Grievous is ready for training that is
a bit more advanced. Dooku is teaching him more refined techniques, necessary for sustaining lightsaber combat when it doesn't end quickly. Dooku also
instructs him not to use standard attacks, and to rely on unorthodox approaches. Grievous has always relied on his superhuman abilities to make him
a legitimate threat to the Jedi, and has attempted to use the "fear, surprise, and intimidation" that Dooku reminds him are the only way he will be able
to overcome the best of the Jedi. He also tells Grievous to retreat if any of these elements are lacking, for the Jedi is dangerous when they are calm,
passive, and free of fear. Grievous has never had a problem running away when it is clear that a Jedi is too much for him to handle at the moment.


- One of the lightsabers that Grievous was using to duel Dooku used to belong to K'Krukh, a Jedi Master who was killed by Grievous during the Battle
of Hypori, over three and a half years earlier near the beginning of the Clone Wars, seen in 'Chapter 20'. Grievous is carrying around an impressive
collection of sabers, however likely only his most favorite trophies, as we have seen that he keeps the rest of his Jedi spoils at his lair.

- Sidious' has his final conference with both Darth Tyranus and General Grievous. He asks Grievous for an updated report on the Outer Rim Sieges,
which have rapidly unraveled due to the unpredictable and widespread offensives the Separatists have launched in the last few weeks. As a result
the Jedi are now littered around the galaxy, particularly in the remote Outer Rim. Sidious therefore orders them to begin the final operation,
precipitating the events of Episode III. Grievous tells Sidious that all preparations have been made for his 'special mission' to capture the Chancellor
personally. Grievous does not know that Sidious is actually ordering his own kidnapping. It is quite clear that he does not know his secret identity,
as Grievous tells Palpatine when he is being captured that he is "lucky they want you alive."

- The invasion of Coruscant is accomplished by the Nexus Route, a secret route secured by the Chancellor a year and a half earlier, just after the end
of The Clone Wars 'Citadel Rescue' (S3E20). Unknown to the Jedi, he passed this information along to Dooku and Grievous.

- Mace has returned to Coruscant from Anaxes, having won the crucial battle in the fight for the planet only a few days earlier, which will be the last
time he leaves Coruscant before his imminent death in Episode III.


Mace lands on a Vulture droid, cuts its head open with his lightsaber, and grabs a handful of wires. He then seems to
take control of the droid's processor using the Force, and then can steer it around by pulling on the wires. Ignoring
the animation choice of him pulling on the wires to steer, is this ability canon or is it a continuity error? It really should
not be canon, as it would become very disruptive to the continuity of many things in SW movies and shows. Are we
meant to believe he somehow used the Force to trigger computer protocols? This is too powerful of an ability which
also makes no sense considering what the Force is, and how the Jedi access and use it. We have seen several examples
in which Force wielders, and the Sith in particular, are able to use the Force in connection with technology. This may
be an unnatural ability of the Sith, as we have only seen Jedi access electronics with the Force to open doors, or to
turn the mechanical input which allows direct access to a computer. It is unlikely what Mace has done here is possible
even for the Sith, but it makes even less sense with a Jedi. The Force is of nature, and non-living things are surrounded
by the Force but aren't connected to it as living things are. There is therefore no way for the Force to link with lines of
machine code in a useful way, or give Mace intuitive insight into the machine's 'nature'.


- Master Tiin arrives aboard the command ship of the defense fleet, only to discover it is severely damaged. As this is a close quarters battle, Tiin
leads a battalion of clone naval infantry to board a Separatist ship without the use of boarding craft. After successfully infiltrating the vessel,
the Republic forces take control of the dreadnought and turn its guns on other Separatist vessels.



As is the case in some of the earlier Clone Wars material, the Jedi are at times a bit too powerful to fit into canon
without ruining all other films and shows. Mace flying the droid fighter around is a conceptual problem, but much
closer to canon than Yoda's ability to push landing ships into each other nearly effortlessly, or to quickly push a bunch
of droids and heavy assault vehicles back into a transport, shut its doors, and then push it over a precipice, all a matter
of seconds. Yoda is able to affect too much, far too easily. Yoda is indeed powerful, and within canon much of what he
is shown to do is fine, but there are several instances where he is way too powerful. If this were possible, the Jedi would
have been doing this on a smaller scale all the time during the Clone Wars. Jedi could have won many of the battles in
the war by simply using the Force to crash Separatist forces into each other.


- The main thrust of the Separatist assault towards the Senate District landed in Sector Four, a region some distance from the Senate but is clearly
visible from the massive towers nearby. The Coruscant Guard is being overrun by the droids, before Yoda and Mace arrive to help contain them.


- Captain Fordo, ARC-77, is leading a unit battling in Sector Four. He was last seen in 'Chapter 21' leading a mission on Hypori to rescue Jedi, over
three and a half years earlier, shortly after serving under Obi-Wan during the Battle of Muunilinst.


Why does Yoda keep a kybuck, a domesticated creature similar to a tauntaun, on Coruscant? It doesn't seem like
a nice place for livestock to live. Additionally, why does Yoda take his kybuck into battle instead of a speeder?
This is an urban environment and this helpful and loyal creature could be killed. It is hard to imagine what tactical
advantage it would give to Yoda, beyond its intelligent responses to Yoda's commands. Supplementary material
indicates that kybuks are from the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk, and may be meant to indicate something
of Yoda's friendship with the Wookiees, mentioned in Episode III. It is also unclear how this creature didn't get
shot by the waves of battle droids Yoda was facing, when his saber can't shield the animal's entire body when
he is riding it. At least Yoda told him to flee to safety before facing the droid walkers.


- Palpatine is sipping tea at his apartment, in the upper levels of the massive, luxurious, and exclusive 500 Republica building, in the Ambassadorial Sector
of the Senate District. His penthouse was first seen in Episode I, when he was a Senator.

- One of the Jedi sent to protect the Chancellor is Foul Moudama, who is a Talz. The Talz were first seen in the cantina in Episode IV, and there was
no issue with there being a Talz Jedi until The Clone Wars episode 'Trespass' (S1E15), created four years after these chapters. In that episode,
the Talz are given a back story that makes an adult Jedi Talz a near impossibility, and makes the original appearance of one on Tatooine in
Episode IV unlikely. According to canon established by that episode, the Talz were a technologically simple and fiercely territorial people
who had no contact with the galaxy until two and a half years prior to these events, and who were not known by anyone, including the Jedi
or the advanced Pantorans who come from a moon orbiting their homeworld. The Jedi don't train adults, and no Jedi becomes a Knight in
two years. This could be reconciled by giving him some insanely unlikely and convoluted backstory, something that wouldn't have been
necessary if this species wasn't needlessly given such a specifically limited history.

- Shaak Ti is dispatched to guard the Chancellor and escort him to safety, along with Jedi Knights Roron Corobb, an Ithorian, and Foul Moudama, a Talz, as
well as a detachment of clones. While the two Knights are skilled Jedi, the presence of only one Master suggests how short of Jedi they are on Coruscant.



Are Ithorian throats truly that powerful, or was Roron Corobb using the Force? No matter what the answer is, this is
probably another example this series making the Jedi a bit too powerful for canon. He is able to crumple metal and
produce violent sustained gusts of wind with his powerful breath, and the fact that Ithorians have four throats is
insufficient to account for this, even with the Force. It was an interesting idea, but difficult to fit into canon.


- At the entrance to the train station, an advertisement can be seen with what looks like a member of Yoda's unknown species giving a thumbs up. This was
not a continuity issue at the time, although based on ongoing material it may become one. This species was always intended to be unnamed and
mysterious by George Lucas, and the implication was certainly that this species was unusual or at least rare to see out in the galaxy. At the same time,
Episode I showed Yaddle, and since people meeting Yoda for the first time weren't constantly asking him what species he was, it was reasonably
assumed that people did know that this race existed, even if they didn't run into them very often. It seems likely future material intends to retcon this.

- Grievous isolates Shaak Ti, as she is the most powerful Jedi defending the Chancellor. He is then able to defeat the two less experienced Jedi Knights
and seize Palpatine. Both Foul Moudama and Roron Corobb are killed, and Shaak Ti arrives too late. She is captured by Grievous, and incapacitated
by strange electro-cables, which Grievous uses to bind her. She is left alive to inform the other Jedi that the Chancellor has been captured, as he
has been ordered to do by Sidious, who wishes the Jedi to come to the rescue. The electro-cables leave Shaak Ti in need of recovery. She is seen to
be silently meditating during Vader's attack on the Jedi Temple three days from now, where she is stabbed in the back and killed.


- Mace crushes Grievous' chest casing using the Force, while attempting to prevent his escape. This negatively effects the General's already poor
breathing condition, making his usual coughing and wheezing far worse, as seen in Episode III.

- Grievous escapes with the Chancellor in an advanced Tri-wing shuttle, which he has brought along for this mission to make his quick escape. This class
of shuttle is unknown, and is not seen elsewhere. This may be a specialized craft that Grievous developed or purchased for this mission.
It is shown to have an impressive rapid-fire blaster armament, and is capable of rapid acceleration.


ANALYSIS
While a great many of the Outer Rim sieges were Republic offensives, the Separatists never adopted a purely defensive posture in the Rim. While the Republic
momentum in the Rim had a certain inevitability to it, the Separatists were able to slow their progress with their offensives in the Core, buying time to focus
on production of war material. With the Republic locked into maintaining their frontlines in the Rim, and equally committed to their defense in the Core,
Grievous and his Sith masters launch a devastating blitz offensive across all regions of the Rim. Targeting peaceful, neutral, vulnerable, or prosperous worlds
for destruction, economic collapse, and even enslavement helps to accomplish many of the finishing touches of Sidious' plans for the Clone Wars. At the same
time, it can be presented as a last ditch attempt at total war to take revenge for the Republic's lack of willingness to find a political solution. As at earlier stages
in the war, worlds like Kashyyyk that are committed to the Republic are targeted to make way for the coming order. Other worlds are targeted for their
resources or stability, and homeworlds of non-Human species are singled out for occupation. This provides a great pretext for rounding up huge numbers of
people to be sold into slavery, as the responsible party are a droid army which will be deactivated by the end of the month. Once they are slaves, the Empire
will not do anything about it, as Sidious has been using the war to begin building the massive underclass of forced laborers the Empire will be built upon.
The Jedi respond to this senseless campaign of violence and terror just as Sidious knew they would. All available Jedi Masters and Knights are dispersed to
as many of these unexpected new conflicts as possible, leaving the number of adult Jedi on Coruscant manageable, and isolating most Jedi at disparate
locations across the galaxy, far from each other and the Temple, engaged in pressing battles, and surrounded by clones and the droid army.

After decades of work and over three and a half years of galaxy-wide warfare, the first phase of Darth Sidious' plan comes to its intended conclusion,
and Sidious orders Tyranus and Grievous to begin the "final operation". The time is right to move against the Jedi and the Republic, and everything is
in position, with the Jedi spread thinly across the Outer Rim. Sidious now orchestrates an invasion of the Republic capital in a move designed to deal
with the issue of the 'Chosen One', Anakin Skywalker, who must either replace Tyranus as his apprentice and aid him against the Jedi, or be eliminated
for the plan to succeed. The huge battle, involving a massive loss of life, will serve as a distraction to have his public persona Chancellor Palpatine taken
prisoner by Grievous. Dooku will then hold Palpatine hostage aboard the Separatist flagship, drawing inevitable Jedi attempts to rescue him. Sidious is
certain that Anakin will arrive with great speed to save him whether the Jedi order him there or not, and if other Jedi come Dooku will either defeat them
or be eliminated as an operative who has served his purpose. If Anakin eventually arrives, Dooku will fight him, and the winner will continue on as his
apprentice. If Dooku is killed by another, and Anakin does not complete his fall at this time, Sidious can still maneuver that in other ways, having worked
hard to manipulate Anakin towards his fall. Either way, the Jedi will still be dealt with by the same means, and the Republic transformed in a similar manner,
so this "final operation" is only meant to give the final moves of the plan their exact shape, and eliminate Dooku or Anakin, or both, before moving on the Jedi.

The Separatists launch an invasion of Coruscant utilizing the Nexus Route, a secret and unmonitored hyperspace route which travels directly to the planet
from deep in the Western Reaches of the Outer Rim. The Jedi believed this knowledge was secure with the Republic, unaware that their Sith Lord Chancellor
passed this information to his apprentice. This will allow the first wave to arrive at Coruscant with only moments of warning, and to deploy forces into
the atmosphere before they can be contained. Approaching the planet from traditional routes would be detected, and would require facing a significant
fleet before any troops could be landed. Additional forces are already in route from other locations, but are timed so as not to approach hyperspace
tracking stations before the initial invasion has begun. Having been caught out of position, the Republic and the Jedi scramble to launch a counter attack.
The droid army lands in Galactic City, and begins an assault that seems like the first move in a strategy to surround the Senate District and the Jedi Temple.
Mace and Yoda lead the defense of the planet, and Master Tiin takes charge of the naval battle. Yoda is leading the ground forces, while Mace is leading
the air group and providing fighter air support. The reaction of the Coruscant Guard is effective with the aid of the Jedi, however the extreme difficulties
of urban warfare, particularly in a city of this scale, make the battle difficult to contain, causing great damage to some districts near the Senate District.

The naval Battle of Coruscant is probably the largest engagement of the war in terms of the number of ships involved. The space around Crosucant becomes
so littered with starships that some vessels spin out of hyperspace and immediately crash into another large vessel. Separatist ships continue to arrive,
amassing a larger and larger fleet. Master Tiin is dispatched by the Council to lead the defense of the planet in orbit. Republic naval resources are no doubt
headed here from around the region, but will not begin arriving to reinforce the defense fleet until later in the battle. The first wave of Separatist ships was
a massive concentration of Providence-class dreadnoughts, as are the waves of ships continually arriving from other locations around the galaxy via
traditional hyperspace routes. This gradually amassing fleet will be reinforced in the second stage of the battle by Separatist fleets abandoning their other
offensives in the Core in favor of this most critical action. The Separatists disengage from nearly every planet they were assaulting in the Core and head
to Coruscant, such that by the time of Obi-Wan and Anakin's arrival, a far more varied Separatist fleet has been amassed, featuring the usual range of
warships which give the Separatist Navy its tactical depth. The dreadnoughts are used in the initial thrust because they are huge warships with dense hulls
that can stand in a fight much longer while taking damage, and can carry large compliments of troops, equipment, and fighters. Much of this first wave
were constructed over the last six months by Separatist shipyards in the Rim, which are the proceeds of falling back and concentrating their forces around
production facilities. Instead of being used to restore parity in the Rim, they are committed to this seemingly desperate action to assault the capital.

Grievous "special mission" is to capture the Chancellor personally, a task that Sidious considered him essential for, and one of the many reasons that it was
considered important to Sidious that Grievous lived on until the last phase of the war. It is clear the battle was located in Sector Four to place the Republic
forces as far from Palpatine's apartment as possible while still threatening to approach the Senate building. Grievous lands with a detachment away from
the main battle, and surrounds the 500 Republica tower where Palpatine's residence is located. Starships are used to concentrate a jamming signal over
the area to prevent communication. Mace and Yoda eventually determine the Separatist strategy has not really shown any urgency to take the Jedi Temple
or the Senate, and is drawing their forces away from the Senate District, leading them to conclude that the Chancellor must be the target. Since the Jedi
Council seems to value Palpatine as a known quantity, and seems to already regard the Chancellor as synonymous with the Senate, they rush to help.
Having arrived too late to stop Grievous' escape, the Jedi must now try and prevent the Separatist fleet from escaping with the Chancellor.


FURTHER ANALYSIS
Report Pending