The Battle of Kashyyyk, also known as the invasion of Kashyyyk, defense of Kashyyyk, or the Kashyyyk campaign, was one of the final engagements fought during the Clone Wars in 19 BBY on the planet Kashyyyk, as part of an offensive launched by the Confederacy of Independent Systems in the Outer Rim Territories. With the Galactic Republic at its full industrial capabilities by the third year of the war against the Confederacy, the confederate government was driven from the Core Worlds into the Mid Rim and Outer Rim regions by the Republic. With Kashyyyk located at a strategic position along a junction of hyperspace routes and home to information about secret hyperspace routes, the Confederacy sought to claim control of the planet. However, as its capture would risk the war's prolongment, the Republic vowed to fend off the Confederacy and dispatched clone trooper forces under the command of Jedi Grand Master Yoda to the planet.
While the Confederacy fought to prevent the arrival of Republic reinforcements, with a blockade of Trade Federation warships in orbit, the democratic government managed to ward a Separatist invasion fleet away from Kashyyyk. Despite being driven, the Confederacy had already deployed their droid armies to the surface, where they were commanded by the ST-series military strategic analysis and tactics droid General Linwodo and sent against the city of Kachirho from the Wartaki Sea to engage the Republic's clone troopers. However, amid the engagements, Clone Commander Gree and the clone army received orders from Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, secretly the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious, to execute their Jedi Generals in accordance with the Order 66 directive. As a result, the Republic's forces were thrown into disarray as the clones fought to eliminate their Jedi commanders, which allowed the Confederacy's army to advance and prepare for an assault on Kachirho. Despite their attempts, the battle droids were pushed back by the Republic, which had been reorganized under the leadership of Clone Commander Faie, who led the Republic to their ultimate victory.
Sometime around 19 BBY, the final year of the Clone Wars fought between the Galactic Republic and Confederacy of Independent Systems, the confederate government coordinated an invasion of the Mid Rim world of Kashyyyk. During their occupation, various permanent enslavement camps were established on the planet by Confederacy-aligned members of the Trandoshan species for Kashyyyk's native Wookiee race. In the occupation, the planet became subject to a number of incursion and probing attacks carried out by the Confederacy.
In addition, in the war's final year, the Confederacy had launched a massive offensive across the Outer Rim Territories under the command of Supreme Commander General Grievous. Despite the Republic's military forces being pushed to the brink, the offensive had eventually grown attritional for the Confederacy, with an increase in military spending and requisition bills, and the harnessing of the government's peak industrial power for the war, which led to the confederate government's seeming entrapment as the Republic's victory appeared inevitable. As a result, the Republic was able to force the Confederacy from the Core Worlds and Colonies into the Mid Rim and Outer Rim regions.
At some point in 19 BBY, during the Outer Rim Sieges, Kashyyyk had become an attractive target for the Confederacy as a result of its strategic position along a junction of four well-traveled hyperspace routes and its location on the doorstep of the Foundry of the Confederacy, a region of Separatist factory worlds that had become targeted by the Republic's 12th Sector Army in the offensive. Alongside its housing of an important HoloNet relay station, the confederate government also sought to capture the planet in order to gain access to the data vaults of the ancient Claatuvac Guild of Wookiee cartographers and navigators located in the Kachirho tree-city, which contained information regarding secret hyperspace lanes blazed by the guild's scouts. Earlier, the Wookiees had first attempted to remain neutral in the conflict despite being members of the Republic, but due to the importance of the planet, both sides attempted to negotiate with the royal families of Kashyyyk, trying to convince them to join their cause.
The Claatuvac Guild Archives interested General Grievous because it contained many unknown space roads. Growing impatient, Grievous directed a large-scale attack on the Wookiee homeworld, believing that the threat would persuade the inhabitants into accepting the conditions posed by Separatist leader, Count Dooku, and his allies. The decision, however, proved to a dire mistake for the Confederacy. The failed attack on Kachirho's refinery began with an invasion of the planet following their occupation in an effort to reverse their declining fortunes in the war with help from the Claatuvac Guild's information. The Confederacy's deployment of a secret force of battle droids and warships had strewn Kashyyyk's night sky with a harsh light as they arrived, which became visible to the Wookiee natives on the surface. At the same time, Tarfful was captured by the Trandoshans on an independent mission.
Jedi Master Luminara Unduli spent months preparing for the Confederacy's attack.
However, in the final days of the war, as the Confederacy's capture of Kashyyyk and seizure of the hyperspace routes risked the prolongment of the war, the Republic was unable to afford the loss of the Kashyyyk system and vowed to prevent its capture. Therefore, in response to the invasion, the Republic ordered the reassignment of Jedi General Quinlan Vos and his clone troopers from their engagements on the planet Boz Pity to reinforce Jedi General Luminara Unduli and her 41st Elite Corps on Kashyyyk. Prior to Vos's arrival, Unduli had already spent several months on the planet in preparation and consultation with the Wookiee warriors, while also establishing a staging area for Republic walkers and HAVw A6 Juggernaut.
Several days following the Republic's decisive victory over Grievous's assault on their capital world of Coruscant, the Jedi Order's leading council learned of ST-series military strategic analysis and tactics droid General Linwodo's coming attack on Kachirho. From there, Grand Master Yoda was dispatched to reinforce the Wookiee homeworld due to his friendly relations with the natives, who was titled the "Defender of the Home Tree" for his prevention of several Separatist on the city. As Yoda arrived with a battalion of clone troopers and a single Venator-class Star Destroyer, the Separatist general studied the battlefield records of Generals Unduli and Vos prior to deploying his droid forces, and had grown confident in his ability to overwhelm the two Jedi as a result.
The clones defended Kashyyyk against an army of Separatist battle droids.
The Separatist Droid forces targeted the planet's oil refinery. While Yoda's Republic taskforce drove the Separatist invasion fleet away, droids occupied the Wawaatt Archipelago. In addition to the Grand Army of the Republic, the Wookiee Army was present in Kachirho, as Wookiees from across the planet arrived to defend the city. After clone troopers and Wookiee warriors set up a perimeter on the beach to confront the enemy, the Droid Army mobilized and traveled across the Wartaki Sea to reach Kachirho.
As clones and Wookiees fired from the beach, other Wookiee 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 A6 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. Red Company and another company were among the 41st units involved in the battle. The Republic and Wookiee forces ultimately held the beach against the air and sea attacking Separatist forces.
Jedi General Yoda survived the betrayal of his clone troopers, who tried to kill him under Order 66.
As the battle raged on, Yoda felt a great disturbance in the Force as Anakin Skywalker was converted to the dark side and became Darth Vader, followed by an even stronger disturbance as Order 66, which was carried out throughout the galaxy, had begun. Clone Commander Gree received a call on his comlink, in which Darth Sidious instructed him to execute the order. Clone Captain Jek of the Ranger Corps joined Gree in the attempt to assassinate Yoda. As the clones prepared to execute him, the Grand Master 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. The confusion that followed Order 66 allowed the Separatist military to breach the line, but they were beaten back again.
Yoda escaped from Kashyyyk with the help of his Wookiee allies.
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.
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.
Wookiees clashed with their former clone allies as the dawn and first days of the Imperial Era emerged.
Though the clone troopers won the day in the Battle of Kashyyyk, they would soon take the place of the Separatists as an invading force, except they would be successful in conquering the world in the so-called pacification of Kashyyyk launched by the Galactic Empire, the successor state of the Republic. With the Imperials besieging Kashyyyk, the Wookiees were ultimately unable to hold back the "pacification" operation that ushered in an Imperial occupation. The Empire also legalized slavery, leading many, the Empire itself in particular, to take Wookiee slaves due to their immense strength by suggestion of Trandoshan slavers, who were given command over slaving raids across the planet.
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 defecting Imperial soldier named Han Solo. Master Unduli was captured by the Empire and taken to the Spire on Stygeon Prime. There, she was executed by the Grand Inquisitor and her remains were kept there to lure other Jedi survivors. Master Vos also survived Order 66. He escaped from Kashyyyk after he killed Commander Faie and escaped with his lover, Khaleen Hentz.
In regards to the Separatists, the remains of the B1-series battle droids who fought in the battle were left behind to rust and were still laying on Kashyyyk by 14 BBY.
The battle first appeared in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith.
- LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures — "Zander's Joyride"
- LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures — "Peril on Kashyyyk"