First Battle of Geonosis

Prior to the outbreak of the battle on the planet Geonosis, the Galactic Republic had endured for several centuries as it expanded and prospered. However, despite its foundation as a democratic governmental body, with a Galactic Senate of hundreds of senators representing thousands of star systems, the Republic had begun to develop indications of corruption and neglect for worlds beyond the Core Worlds within its democratic foundation. As a result of its corruption and ineffectiveness, several star systems had developed a dissatisfaction for the Republic, which led to political tensions, establishment of coalitions and alliances, and the accumulation of resources, as well as the inception of a secessionist movement under the direction of the fallen Jedi Master and Sith Lord Count Dooku, who founded the Confederacy of Independent Systems as a new government supported by thousands of seceded star systems and trade and commercial groups, such as the Trade Federation, InterGalactic Banking Clan, Techno Union, Commerce Guild and Corporate Alliance, following his address on the planet Raxus Secundus.

In 22 BBY, following the Confederacy's establishment, with Dooku as its Head of State, as terrorist strikes were conducted on the Republic's capital world of Coruscant, the democratic government's senate and Supreme Chancellor, Sheev Palpatine—secretly the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious—had prepared to discuss the consideration of the Military Creation Act. However, on the day of the vote, Senator Padmé Amidala of the planet Naboo had traveled to Coruscant in an attempt to oppose the proposed bill, was prevented from denouncing the Military Creation Act as a result of a series of assassination attempts orchestrated by the Federation's Viceroy, Nute Gunray, which led to the assignment of Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan, Anakin Skywalker, as her security detail at the Chancellor's request. While Amidala was under protection by the Jedi Order, the two Jedi managed to discover the identity of the Senator's assailant as the bounty hunter Zam Wesell, whose death by saberdart by her employer, the bounty hunter Jango Fett, resulted in Amidala's return to Naboo accompanied by Skywalker and a wider investigation by Kenobi.

As Kenobi investigated the unidentified bounty hunter, the Jedi Knight, who determined the saberdart to be of Kaminoan origins, traveled to the planet Kamino, which had unknowingly been removed from the archives in the Jedi Temple by an anonymous force, in an attempt to locate the assailant. While on Kamino, Kenobi had discovered the foundation of an army of clone troopers for the Republic, whose creation by the Kaminoans had been arranged by deceased Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas ten years prior to Kenobi's arrival. After his discovery of the clone army's benefactor as the bounty hunter Jango Fett, Kenobi requested to meet with the clone template, where he began to question Fett about his travels and the army, who explained that he was recruited by a man known as Tyranus to be the army's template.

Following their meeting, the bounty hunter, after a brief skirmish with Kenobi, made his departure from Kamino to the planet Geonosis, but was pursued by the Jedi Knight, who landed on the surface, where he managed to intercept a meeting of the Separatist Council members and discover that Viceroy Gunray was responsible for Amidala's assassination attempts, as well as the Confederacy's creation of a massive droid army on the planet. However, as the Jedi Knight contacted Coruscant, whose transmission was transferred to the Republic and Jedi by Amidala and Skywalker on the planet Tatooine, Kenobi explained that the Federation was to produce a droid army and the conspirator of Amidala's attempted assassinations but was instead taken captive by the Confederacy.

In response to Kenobi's capture, the Republic Senate, at the proposal of Junior Representative Jar Jar Binks of Naboo, granted Chancellor Palpatine the authority to form a Grand Army of the Republic in order to combat the rising Separatist Droid Army as decreed by the government's Emergency Powers Act. As a result, Jedi Grand Master Yoda proclaimed that we would be departing for Kamino to investigate the clone army, while Jedi Master Mace Windu would lead a strike team to Geonosis in an attempt to rescue Kenobi and prevent Dooku from proceeding with his plans. Although ordered by Windu to remain on Tatooine, Amidala and Skywalker had departed for Geonosis in order to rescue the Jedi Knight, where they, following a prolonged struggle in the droid manufacturing facilities, were also taken prisoner by the Geonosians and sentenced to execution in the Petranaki Arena along with Kenobi. However, the three managed to narrowly escape their executions as they outmaneuvered their animal executioners, while Windu and his strike team arrived on the planet, erupting the chaotic First Battle of Geonosis.

A group of 212 Jedi, which was the largest deployment of Jedi since the High Republic Era, including Coleman Trebor, Eeth Koth, Kit Fisto, Plo Koon, Even Piell, Shaak Ti, Luminara Unduli, Aayla Secura, Barriss Offee, and Ki-Adi-Mundi were tasked with rescuing Obi-Wan Kenobi and investigating the reports of Separatist warmongering on Geonosis by the Jedi High Council. Despite this large number of experienced Jedi, among the group were many new Jedi Knights who lacked the experience of their masters. Among these newer knights was Bultar Swan, who later stated that "The battle wasn't supposed to happen." She also said that she knew it possibly could, but she expected the enemy to surrender as soon as the Jedi ignited their lightsabers.

The Zilkin Meebur Gascon participated in the battle, as part of Republic Strategic Command, by analyzing Geonosis's hostile terrain and recommending an effective attack plan. A first wave of Jedi were deployed by clones on shuttles to the planet. One group, consisting of Jedi Masters Klefan Opus, Sember Vey, Bavoc Ansho, Gobi, and Theca, as well as Padawans Iskat Akaris, Charlin, Onielle, Fvorn, Zeeth, and Tualon were ordered by Mace Windu to take out any nearby long-ranged weapons and cannons that could be used against the Jedi in the arena. Once the shuttle landed, Klefan led the group underground, guided by the light of their lightsabers.

As the team moved underground, a Geonosian caught the group by surprise and electrocuted Fvorn. Klefan stuck down the Geonosian, but was too late, with Fvorn becoming the first casualty. Zeeth cried out in pain, having been close friends with Fvorn, only for more Geonosians to ambush the group. Iskat’s instincts kicked in and she immediately began to cut the Geonosians down. As the Jedi became surrounded by Geonosians in the tunnel, they sprang into action. Soon after, Onielle became injured by a sonic blaster, causing the Jedi to retreat, except Zeeth, who still clung to his fallen friend. While Zeeth mourned, Klefan defended Zeeth but became overwhelmed, causing Iskat to return and help defend the grieving Zeeth. During combat, Iskat became enchanted and began to lose composure, to the point where Klefan interfered to stop her from cutting down the Geonosians who were already killed. The two took Zeeth away from his friend’s body, and Klefan convinced Zeeth to return to the mission. They rejoined the rest of the group and moved around the arena, having split up to disarm the area.

Skywalker, Amidala, and Kenobi managed to avoid the creatures that had been set upon them long enough for Master Windu's Jedi strike team to show up. As the Jedi came into view throughout the arena, many Geonosians chose to flee rather than face them in combat. However, Count Dooku deployed the Separatists' new battle droid army, beginning a violent battle took place in the arena as the droid legions were unleashed. The first batch of B2-series super battle droids were part of the army. Though outnumbered, the Jedi fought bravely even as their ranks were slowly diminished in the face of an unending number of battle droids. Jedi Stass Allie and Bultar Swan would fight back-to-back during the battle against the droid army.

With the distraction of the Jedi assault, Iskat and Sember rush at a cannon. A Geonosian soldier notices them and fires at them with his Sonic cannon, but Iskat throws her lightsaber at him, killing the Geonosian, while Sember destroys the cannon by slicing the machine with her lightsaber. Other members of the team take out their targets as well, preventing the Geonosians from using their cannons against Republic forces. The group then hides, waiting for the Jedi to win the arena fight and give the all clear but instead watch as the endless battle droids annihilate the Jedi.

It was during the fierce battle that Padawan Tan Yuster was overwhelmed and killed by super battle droids, and bounty hunter Jango Fett attempted to kill the famed Jedi Master, Mace Windu. However, during their confrontation, the Reek charged Fett and nearly crushed him; although Fett slayed the beast, its attack had broken his jetpack. When the duel resumed, Mace Windu charged straight towards Fett, deflecting his blaster shots. At the last second, the Mandalorian attempted to activate his jetpack, but it backfired, allowing Mace to close in, quickly bisect Fett's blaster pistol and decapitate the notorious bounty hunter, which disturbed Dooku in the process. His damaged helmet was soon found by his "son" Boba Fett after the conclusion of the arena battle.

An unexpected participant in the battle was the 3PO-series protocol droid C-3PO, whose head had been detached and welded onto a battle droid's body while a battle droid's head had been attached to his body. Both incarnations walked into the battle alongside the battle droids and were knocked out by Kit Fisto and another Jedi. By the end of the battle, the R2-series astromech droid R2-D2 was able to locate C-3PO's head and reattach it to his original body.

Seeing the battle going south, Master Klefan orders his hidden group to retreat from the shadows and back to the shuttle. As the group begins to retreat, Sember is killed by a Geonosian in front of her Padawan, Iskat. Iskat decapitates the guard and moves to her master, as she says her last words, and Sember dies in her Padawan’s hands. Klefan comes across the situation and pulls Iskat away and they retreat from the arena and back to their much emptier shuttle.

Despite the bravery of the Jedi, Dooku's droids held the upper hand however, due to the legion of battle droids significantly outnumbering the Jedi. Many Jedi were slain by the droids' blaster fire, and when the last of the surviving Jedi became surrounded, Dooku called a halt to the fighting. The Separatist Head of State offered the Jedi the chance to surrender, but Windu declined, saying the Jedi would not become hostages with which Dooku could barter. Dooku then apologetically ordered the surrounding droids to slaughter the Jedi, only for Yoda to arrive overhead with a regiment of clone troopers.

Launching a somewhat desperate assault into the arena in waves aboard LAAT/i gunships, the sudden arrival of the clone army saved the survivors and created a perimeter for long enough that they could board and escape. Yoda's squad and the other troopers landed, and, during this arena battle, enormous Acclamator-class transgalactic military assault ships, including the Implacable, had penetrated the upper atmosphere of Geonosis, knocking out the Geonosian with aerial bombardments and clone commando strike teams and clearing the way to deploy the Grand Army of the Republic. The clones used their sudden, overwhelming force to their advantage instead of relying on precision in the arena. As Jedi General Yoda and the survivors evacuated the vacant arena cluttered with droid parts, the first battle of the Clone Wars began.

General Grievous was in the Stalgasin Hive around the time of the arena battle, though entirely by accident, and as he retreated through the hive tunnels beneath Geonosis, he encountered several Jedi, clone troopers, preventing them from reaching the Separatist Council. No one was left alive to speak of his existence until much later he emerged from hiding.

Following the Grand Army's arrival, the Neimoidians on Geonosis fled to their Federation core ships, while Dooku and the other CIS leaders left to a Geonosian Command Center to oversee the battle. Jedi Sidn-ee and Till-ee were the first to reach the outside reaches of the Trade Federation landing zones. After the rescue of the Jedi, the droid and clone armies battled one another in an intricate series of confrontations on a number of different fronts. Much of the Separatists' heavy equipment had already been loaded onto their transports, but with their communications being jammed the rest was hastily thrown at the clones in order to buy the Confederacy navy enough time to escape. Meanwhile, the Republic army's goal was to capture the Separatists leadership and as much of the Geonosian droid foundries intact as possible in order to uncover the depths of the Separatist conspiracy, precluding the indiscriminate use of starship weapons.

The resulting battle would mostly consist of ground combat then, but, although the clone troopers were greatly outnumbered by battle droids, the Republic enjoyed air dominance thanks to their preemptive strikes on the launch hives. Nevertheless, at some point during the battle, the Geonosians did launch thousands of standby Nantex-class territorial defense starfighters to break the Republic's orbital cordon, which was preventing Separatist ground reinforcements from the Corporate Alliance. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Senator Amidala took a gunship to attack the lightly armored Techno Union transports while the gunship carrying Yoda and Mace Windu proceeded on to a nearby assembly area.

After arriving, Mace took command of a number of special commando units while Yoda proceeded to the forward command center, where he would direct the overall battle. On all fronts, the two sides grappled with each other in fierce combat: heavily armored AT-TE walkers facing down hordes of battle droids. However, when the Trade Federation core ships started to take off, a lone AT-TE fired a shot on a core ship. As OG-9 homing spider droids swept their laser cannons across clone trooper battalions, Republic gunships strafed the Separatist front lines and lost a number to intense laser flak. As the Trade Federation core ships attempted to take off, Yoda commanded the army's Self-Propelled Heavy Artillery to bring a number of them crashing back to the ground. Because the core ships on Geonosis were ringed with air and land defenses, many of them were able to escape to the skies.

As the clone troopers pushed back the battle droids, the Separatist leader Dooku, secretly Darth Tyranus, attempted to retreat to a hangar where his starship was docked using a Flitknot speeder. However, he was spotted by Obi-Wan Kenobi, who directed the gunship carrying them to chase after the count. Unfortunately, the gunship was unable to shoot down the Count's speeder, and Dooku's escorting Nantex-class starfighters slipped in behind it and opened fire. One of their shots knocked Padmé and a clone trooper out of the gunship, but despite Anakin's protestations, they did not go back for her. The gunship continued to pursue Dooku, dropping Kenobi and Skywalker into the Count's hangar shortly before being blasted out of the sky by laser fire.

Upon arriving at Dooku's hangar, Kenobi and Skywalker confronted the Count. As Kenobi began to strategize, Skywalker impatiently charged at the Count. Before he could reach Dooku however, the Count intercepted Skywalker with a blast of Force lightning, hurling the young Jedi against a wall and incapacitating him. Dooku and Kenobi then began to circle one another, and Dooku remarked that his powers were far beyond those of his opponent. Ordering Kenobi to back down, he unleashed a blast of Force lightning at the Jedi Knight, but Kenobi simply used his lightsaber to absorb the incoming energy and calmly rebuffed Dooku's demand. Dooku then ignited his own lightsaber and awaited Kenobi.

Kenobi initiated the lightsaber duel by aggressively charging the Count, but Dooku deflected Kenobi's opening attack and his subsequent jab. After a quick flurry of bladework, Kenobi sliced at Dooku's legs, but the Count leapt over the strike and flourished his blade to drive Kenobi back as he landed. As Kenobi retreated, Dooku remarked upon his disappointment, noting that he had expected a better performance from someone who was held in such high esteem by Yoda.

A short while later, Kenobi was pulled into a bladelock by the Count. Dooku, a full grin on his face, parried Kenobi's weapon and jabbed at his arm, slicing it open and causing Kenobi to drop his lightsaber. He immediately followed the attack up with a slash across one of Kenobi's legs, and Kenobi collapsed in agony.

As Dooku lifted his lightsaber to finish Kenobi, Skywalker managed to recover from the Count's blast of Force lightning. Seeing Kenobi's plight, Skywalker ignited his lightsaber and used the Force to leap across the hanger. As he landed, he managed to intercept what would have been a killing stroke on Kenobi by Dooku. Dooku turned to regard Skywalker and mocked him for his earlier foolishness, and as the two opponents disengaged, Kenobi used the Force to reclaim his fallen lightsaber and threw it to Skywalker.

Skywalker ignited the second blade and unleashed a flurry of Jar'Kai bladework upon the Count. Initially taken off his guard by Skywalker's aggressive series of attacks, Dooku briefly retreated but managed after a short time to regain his composure. The Count quickly reestablished his footing and pushed Skywalker back, taking the advantage when he cut apart the hilt of Skywalker's green blade. After losing his extra weapon, Skywalker launched two quick strikes at the Count and retreated.

As he regrouped, Skywalker flicked his remaining weapon through a power cable on the floor, damaging it and causing the hangar lights to flicker out for a brief while. Dooku then slowly advanced on Skywalker and both angled their blades into a high guard position. They spent a short time regarding each other in silence, then engaged in a relatively long and continual bout of swordplay. Though Skywalker managed in that time to hold his own against the Count, Dooku unceremoniously ended the duel by slicing off Anakin's right arm above the elbow. As Anakin shouted in agony, Dooku blasted him aside with a Force push. The young Jedi skidded over to where Kenobi was lying and lost consciousness.

As Dooku caught his breath, Yoda entered the hangar and confronted his former student. Dooku asserted that his diminutive former master would not interfere with his affairs again, and immediately attempted to kill Yoda by telekinetically flinging a pair of wall fixtures at him. Yoda repelled the fixtures with his own powers but launched no counteroffensive. Dooku then used the Force to break apart a small portion of the hangar ceiling, which he dropped onto Yoda. Again however, Yoda was able to toss the improvised missiles aside. Yoda noted that Dooku had become powerful but lamented that he could sense the dark side of the Force in his former student. In response, Dooku boasted that his power was now greater than that of any Jedi, even Yoda's own. He then unleashed a storm of Force lightning at the Grand Master, but Yoda used the Force to catch the bolt with his bare hand. Without any apparent strain, he redirected the blast back at Dooku, who deflected it into a nearby wall. Dooku proceeded to unleash a second volley against Yoda, but as a demonstration of his superior mastery, Yoda absorbed the bolt completely and remarked that the Count still had much to learn.

Recognizing the futility of continuing his Force-based assault, Dooku challenged Yoda to lightsaber combat and ignited his blade. Yoda silently accepted and ignited his own lightsaber, and the two combatants leapt at each other. A brief but very intense duel then ensued in which Yoda was able to gain a slight but visible advantage over the Count. Recognizing that he could not defeat Yoda, and forced to act due to incoming Republic reinforcements, Dooku diverted Yoda's focus by using the Force to collapse one of the hangar's power columns onto Kenobi and Skywalker. Yoda broke off the duel in order to telekinetically catch the power column, preventing it from crushing the two Jedi. Seizing the opportunity, Dooku quickly boarded his ship and fled.

Count Dooku, who was secretly a Sith Lord called Darth Tyranus, traveled to Coruscant, to convene with his master Darth Sidious, who was settled in a deserted building in The Works. Pleased by the news of war, Sidious commanded his apprentice to arrange a second battlefront against the Republic. Meanwhile, the Grand Army of the Republic was assembled throughout the galaxy as the Clone Wars began. 1,000 more Acclamator I-class Assault Ships were ordered following the battle. Jedi injured in the battle were treated at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, with Jedi Master Depa Billaba later thanking Padawan Barriss Offee's special attention to the injured as the reason for their quick recovery. Offee tried to avoid the war for as long as possible, continuing to work as a healer at the Temple. However, Offee would eventually return to the battlefield and even return to the planet where the conflict began when war returned to Geonosis.

At the Jedi Temple, Kenobi and Windu both declared their shared belief that the battle would not have been won without the clones. However, Master Yoda was quick to point out the irony in such a pyrrhic victory, as the Republic had only fought their first of many such battles, in what became known as the Clone Wars. The Council also agreed to investigate the Sith Lord that Dooku had mentioned to Obi-Wan Kenobi during the latter's capture, Darth Sidious, in case Dooku was telling the truth. It would not be until three years later, nearing the end of the Clone Wars, that they would finally identify Sidious as being none other than Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Skywalker, meanwhile, accompanied by Senator Amidala, headed back to Naboo, where they married in a secret ceremony.

With the Clone Wars being declared, members of the Jedi Order became Generals and Commanders in the Grand Army of the Republic. However, the loss of so many Jedi greatly depleted their ranks, with Iskat noting how much emptier the temple felt following the battle. To reinforce their ranks, many Padawans had their trials skipped and were rushed into knighthood, including Iskat, Anakin, Onielle, Zeeth, Tualon, and Charlin. Clone trooper "Slick" participated in the Battle of Geonosis, but he came to the conclusion that the Jedi were not competent commanders. Slick began to feel anger at the Jedi Order and felt that their defeat would end the war faster, and that this would free his fellow clone troopers from the service that he saw as slavery.

When Republic engineers announced that they were unable to reconfigure Geonosian factories for Republic needs, its strategic value fell. This eventually led to the Republic occupation force stationed on the planet being overrun by Separatist and Geonosian forces, ending the occupation of Geonosis and leading to the Second Battle of Geonosis.

The First Battle of Geonosis was remembered during the Imperial Era by some as Jedi Master Mace Windu and a criminal gang interfering with legal executions, which sparked the Clone Wars.

The First Battle of Geonosis first appeared in the 2002 film Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, the second installment of the Star Wars prequel trilogy.

Samuel L. Jackson, the actor who played Mace Windu, requested to director George Lucas that his character should have a purple lightsaber because he wanted to be able to find himself in the Geonosis battle scene in Attack of the Clones. He reasoned that, since Windu is the second most powerful Jedi after Yoda, Windu should have a lightsaber of a different color from the customary red, blue, and green.

From the start of the creation of Yoda and Count Dooku's lightsaber duel, most of the work would fall to animation director Rob Coleman's team. He didn't get the script until he had been in Sydney, Australia for one or two weeks. The first draft described the fight as "'In a fight that defies description, Yoda and Count Dooku battle." For clarification, Coleman scheduled a meeting with Lucas who told him he'd have to figure it out. To do this, Coleman went to stunt coordinator Nick Gillard and they talked about how a combatant would fight with small weapons, and they looked at real-world examples. Also, Ahmed Best, the actor who played Jar Jar, introduced Coleman to some anime and martial arts that he thought could be helpful. However, Coleman still wasn't sure how to depict Yoda's speed and style in a fight.

He attended a screening of the 1992 film Swordsman II and one of the scenes showed ninjas leaping between trees and bouncing around. Coleman studied the action in the film, and this inspired him to give Yoda the ability to jump around. While working on the duel, Coleman referred to 's dynamic drawings. In the duel, Lucas wanted a shot of Yoda pulling back his duster to reveal his lightsaber as a reference to the iconic shot of the gunfighter at the O.K Corral. After finishing the duel, Lucas and Coleman felt happy with it. Despite Coleman's concerns, Lucas wanted Yoda to jump, leap, and flip during the duel. The duel is now considered to be a highlight of the prequel trilogy.

The 2016 reference book Star Wars: Complete Locations establishes that the Republic was outnumbered by the Separatist Army by giving the number of troops each side used. A later reference book, 2017's Star Wars: On the Front Lines, claimed that the Republic held the numerical advantage. "Prelude to the Clone Wars and the First Battle of Geonosis" later affirmed the numbers given by Complete Locations. This article assumes Complete Locations and "Prelude to the Clone Wars and the First Battle of Geonosis" are correct.

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