Occupation of Geonosis

During the Separatist Crisis, the Confederacy of Independent Systems used massive droid foundries on the Outer Rim planet of Geonosis to help construct the Separatist Droid Army. In 22 BBY, after discovering the factories and a meeting of the Separatist Council, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi reported the threat to the Galactic Republic. In response, the Jedi Order sent an assault team, who were later reinforced by the newly established Grand Army of the Republic. Ultimately, the Jedi and clone troopers triumphed in the First Battle of Geonosis.

However, most war matériel from the planet, Separatist Head of State Dooku, and the Separatist Council escaped the Republic's grasp. Thus, the galaxy was faced with the Clone Wars, but one member of the Separatist Council, the Geonosian Archduke Poggle the Lesser, also stayed behind on Geonosis. He had also ordered his Geonosian warriors to remain hidden in the catacombs of their homeworld.

Following their victory in the Battle of Geonosis, the Republic began an occupation of the Outer Rim world. However, the Republic had decimated the Geonosian droid factories in the initial battle, and their engineers were unable to reconfigure the factories for Republic needs. With this news, the Republic believed that Geonosis had little strategic value, so they did not assign many resources to keep up the occupation, although they did maintain a garrison.

However, the Republic only had a tenuous hold on the planet, as the native Geonosians fought back against their occupiers, with a much stronger resistance and loyalty to Count Dooku than had been anticipated. Despite facing a countless amount of fighting and skirmishes in the Im'g'twe Hills, the Republic, also faced with the Clone Wars spreading across the galaxy, were unable to keep up the occupation and needed their clone troopers elsewhere. However, due to Republic troops being pulled from Geonosis and other Grand Army forces already being stretched thin to combat General Grievous's fleet, Geonosis became one of several Separatist worlds that could once again rise up.

Less than a year after the first battle, with the Republic having relaxed its occupation, the Separatists were able to amass a force and retake Geonosis. The Geonosians also used brain worms to help overcome the garrison.

After Poggle and his fellow Geonosians had retaken the planet, the Separatists and Poggle quickly and secretly restarted the droid factories, and, with an investment from the Banking Clan, the largest droid factory ever was able to be constructed. However, Senator Padmé Amidala was able to discover this intelligence during a mission to Cato Neimoidia, so the Republic planned a second invasion of the planet. The Republic hoped to destroy the factories and prevent another Separatist takeover.

Following the Republic victory in the second invasion, they again took control of the world and began a second occupation of Geonosis. However, because the planet had been one of their key worlds, Geonosis remained an important member of the Confederacy in spite of the Republic's invasions and attacks. Geonosian leaders had a notable influence in the Confederacy as powerbrokers, even as battles had occurred on their world. The planet of Geonosis, however, remained in Republic hands, with a flotilla of starships protecting the controlled world.

The occupation of Geonosis was first referenced in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode Landing at Point Rain. However, it was not identified until it was mentioned in the Databank, in the fourth image of Poggle the Lesser's biography gallery, on StarWars.com.

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