"Rising Malevolence" is the second episode of Season One of the television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It is the second episode of the series overall, and is the first of a three-part storyline. It aired on Cartoon Network on October 3, 2008, following the premiere of "Ambush."
Creating panic throughout the galaxy, a devastating Separatist mystery weapon terrorizes the clone starfleet. Anakin and Ahsoka race to save Jedi Master Plo Koon and his clone troopers in time. Jedi Master Plo Koon and his squad barely survive an attack from a mysterious Separatist warship called the Malevolence. Can they stay alive long enough for Anakin and Ahsoka to find them?
Aboard the Triumphant, Jedi Master Plo Koon and Clone Commander Wolffe have located the Malevolence, a Subjugator-class heavy cruiser commanded by General Grievous and Separatist leader Count Dooku, in the Abregado system and move their fleet of three Republic attack cruisers into position to engage it. Before attacking, Plo advises reporting their position and contacts Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano, who are stationed in the nearby Bith system. He tells them he's tracked the Separatist's secret weapon to the Abregado system and requests reinforcements. Anakin says he'll have to first ask the Jedi High Council as he is under strict orders to protect the staging area. Their communication abruptly fails as the Malevolence jams the Triumphant's transmissions.
The Malevolences massive ion cannon, the secret weapon, fires, disabling Koon's cruisers, leaving them defenseless against Grievous' turbolasers. Plo Koon, along with clone troopers Sinker, Boost, and Commander Wolffe, board an escape pod and manage to launch just before their cruiser is destroyed. Dooku orders Grievous to deploy their pod hunters to find and kill any survivors and keep the Malevolence's identity a secret.
The Malevolence fires its ion cannon, destroying Plo Koon's fleet.
Meanwhile, Anakin and Ahsoka join a holographic conference call with Chancellor Palpatine, and Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, and Yoda. Anakin informs them of the loss of communication with Plo Koon and the likelihood that Koon's fleet was destroyed. Anakin proposes a rescue mission, but Master Windu tells him that all battle groups, including Anakin's, will be reassigned to defend the supply convoys and that no ships can be spared. Ahsoka protests, believing their could still be survivors. Anakin apologizes for his padawan's outburst and promises to deploy his forces as ordered, then ends the call. Anakin scolds Ahsoka for her insubordination then informs Admiral Yularen that he and Ahsoka will take the Twilight and split from the fleet to scout ahead for enemy activity.
Aboard the escape pod, Commander Wolffe informs the others that the pod's power grid is burned out leaving them adrift with no engine, communications, and, soon, no life support. Koon urges them to restore power in anticipation of a rescue. As they conduct repairs, Plo and the clones spot another pod. As it rotates before them, however, adrift in space, they realize it has been broken open and the clones inside killed, suggesting they are not alone in the debris field.
Dropping out of hyperspace, Anakin orders R2-D2 to begin scanning for life forms. Before Ahsoka can ask why, she notices they've arrived in the Abregado system. She confronts Anakin on defying the council's orders when she herself was scolded for such a suggestion. Anakin explains it was never his intention to leave anyone behind, and that doing what the council says is one thing, how they do it, another.
Continuing with the repairs, the clones manage to get comms working again. They receive a distress signal from another, nearby pod and witness as a pod hunter and its droid crew attack it, break it open, and kill the clones inside.
As Anakin and Ahsoka comb the debris field, Ahsoka, growing frustrated, explains why finding Master Koon is so important to her; That he's one of her oldest friends, and that it was he who brought her to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to begin her Jedi training. R2-D2 alerts them of an incoming transmission and Master Kenobi, having learned from Yularen of Anakin and Ahsoka's truancy, appears on the holoprojector wanting answers. He implores Anakin to rejoin the convoy escort or risk missing the rendezvous with the fleet. Anakin assures him they are on their way and cuts the transmission. Before they can leave, however, R2 informs them that he's picked up something on the emergency channel.
The pod hunter crew notices Koon's escape pod. They fly over and latch onto it. Plo orders Wolffe to stay behind and maintain the communications signal while he, Sinker, and Boost exit the pod and engage the enemy. The trio manages to defeat the droid crew and destroy the pod hunter, but losing contact with the hunter signals to Grievous that there are still Republic survivors in the debris field putting up a fight.
Guided by the Force, Ahsoka detects Master Koon's presence in the debris field and, taking control of the Twilight, flies to his location. Using the Twilight's tow cable, Anakin and Ahsoka are able to pull Koon's escape pod safely aboard. A 2-1B-series medical droid assesses the clones and stabilizes them, saying they will need a medical frigate for complete recovery.
The Twilight's sensors detect the Malevolence's approach. Koon, Anakin, and Ahsoka quickly shut down the Twilight's power system, as well as R2, hoping to avoid detection. They watch anxiously as the Malevolence arrives and, indeed, seems to move past them, unaware of their presence. Ultimately, however, the Malevolence picks up a faint signal from the medical droid and the giant ship moves into attack position.
The Twilight tries to escape the Malevolence's ion cannon.
Forced to flee, the Twilight powers up and flies off. The Malevolence fires its ion cannon. The Twilight desperately navigates the debris field staying just ahead of the energy surge before finally clearing the field and narrowly escaping by jumping to hyperspace. Grievous turns to Count Dooku and voices what the Sith Lord already knows: Now the Republic will learn of the Separatists' ion cannon. Vexed, Dooku walks away, saying he will have to discus this with his master.
Back aboard Anakin's fleet, Commander Wolffe thanks Anakin for saving them. Anakin praises Ahsoka for having never given up, then, with Master Koon and R2-D2, they leave to report to the Jedi Council and to inform them of the secret weapon.
The scene containing the dialogue and firing sequence for the Malevolence is extremely similar to, and a direct reference of, the first Death Star in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.
The second escape pod, Pod 1977, is named after the release year of the original Star Wars.
Boost and Sinker's attempt to restart the escape pod's power grid uses dialogue directly lifted from The Empire Strikes Back when Han Solo and Chewbacca are trying to fix the Millennium Falcon.