Invasion of Utapau

The invasion of Utapau was the Confederacy of Independent Systems's invasion of the Outer Rim world of Utapau.

Prelude

Utapau was a planet in the Outer Rim Territories that was a target for the Confederacy of Independent Systems, though they failed to reach settlements with the Utapauns who lived there. Towards the end of the Clone Wars, the Separatists arranged for an arms deal with Amani arms dealers for a massive kyber crystal on Utapau, but Jedi Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker became involved after Jedi Master Tu-Anh's investigation ended in her death. Supreme Commander General Grievous arrived to oversee the arms deal, receiving help from Governor Torul Blom and other Utapaun officials. Ultimately, however, the mission ended with Kenobi and Skywalker destroying the crystal over Utapau. Nevertheless, the chance that other large kyber crystals were on planet necessitated a search and occupation of the otherwise peaceful Utapau, as the Sith Lord Darth Sidious wanted such crystals for his battlestation project.

The invasion

Within months of the arms deal, the Separatists invaded the planet after Grievous decided that Utapau could serve as a hiding place for the Executive Separatist Council. Grievous and thousands of battle droids served in the invasion. During the incursion, Grievous's preferred vehicle was a TSMEU-6 personal wheel bike. The Separatists conquered the native population of Pau'ans and Utai, as they peacefully submitted to Confederate rule and were held hostage by an ensuing military occupation. At some point after the Separatists arrived, IG-100 MagnaGuards slaughtered the members of Port Administrator Tion Medon's committee, an action that Medon witnessed and was horrified by.

Confederate occupation

After the invasion, the Separatist Council gained a base on the subjugated Utapau.

After the invasion, the Separatist Council gained a base on the subjugated Utapau.

Occupied by Confederate leadership to serve as a sanctuary, Utapau became a base-of-operations for the constantly moving Separatist Council, just as Grievous decided it should be. A converted core ship on Level 10 became the Separatist command center on the planet. Additionally, Grievous's invading forces built command centers and self-replicating Techno Union factories, which constructed new starfighters, troops, wheel bikes, and other vehicles using Utapau's material resources. If they were left undisturbed, these facilities could have turned Utapau into another Separatist Outer Rim fortress world.

The Utapauns were only feigning acceptance of Separatist rule, as they also secretly preparing to rebel against their occupiers. After the invasion, however, the Utai of Pau City needed to work on their hidden starfighters in secret.

Short-lived liberation

During the final days of the war, Sith Lord Darth Sidious ordered major Confederate leaders to gather at Utapau. However, following the Battle of Coruscant and an elite Clone Intelligence unit intercepting a diplomatic packet from the Utapau system's chairman, the Jedi High Council dispatched General Kenobi to confirm if Grievous was on the planet. Though Kenobi managed to kill Grievous during the ensuing Republic assault, the clone troopers who arrived with the Jedi occupied the planet and rounded up the Utapaun Security Forces.

Behind the scenes

The reference magazine Star Wars Bust Collection 68 claims that Grievous was present on Utapau for several weeks after the Battle of Coruscant. However, only a few days pass between the Battle of Coruscant and liberation of Utapau, not several weeks.

Sources

Appearances