"Destroy Malevolence" marks the fourth installment within Season One of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated television program. As the fourth episode in the entire series, it brings a three-part narrative arc to its conclusion. It was originally broadcast on October 17, 2008, via the Cartoon Network channel. The title was initially revealed on Anthony Daniels' personal website.
General Grievous takes Padmé Amidala and C-3PO as prisoners, thereby compelling Anakin and Obi-Wan to undertake a rescue mission for the Senator while simultaneously endeavoring to obliterate the Malevolence. Anakin and Obi-Wan pursue the Malevolence, with the intention of destroying it before it can escape. However, after Padmé and C-3PO are seized and held captive on board, the Jedi are compelled to devise an alternative strategy.
Following significant damage sustained during the Battle of the Kaliida Nebula, the Malevolence, commanded by General Grievous, attempts to escape, pursued by a trio of Republic attack cruisers. The cruisers face limitations in inflicting substantial damage due to the Malevolence's immense size. Jedi Master Plo Koon suggests calling for additional reinforcements. General Kenobi inquires about Jedi Master Luminara Unduli, but Anakin Skywalker informs him that she is currently occupied with a Separatist fleet and unable to provide assistance. Believing the Malevolence's hyperdrive to be compromised, General Kenobi directs all weaponry to focus on the Malevolence's bridge.
Count Dooku communicates with Grievous, informing him of a setup designed to give Grievous an advantage against the Jedi. Senator Padmé Amidala is currently traveling towards the Malevolence under false pretenses. Capturing her and using her as a hostage should compel the Republic to halt their assault.
Senator Amidala journeys through hyperspace aboard a Nubian yacht, accompanied by her droid companion C-3PO. Based on information provided by Chancellor Palpatine, the senator believes she is meeting with the Supreme Executive of the InterGalactic Banking Clan at a secret location in space to negotiate a treaty. Amidala's vessel emerges from hyperspace directly in the path of the Malevolence, narrowly avoiding a collision. Ahsoka spots the ship on the scanners, and Anakin instructs her to contact the vessel. Padme responds, identifying herself and explaining her situation, urging them to continue their attack. However, Anakin orders the attack to cease.
Lamenting her naivety, Padmé sets her ship's power systems to overload and then escapes with C-3PO. Grievous arrives in the hangar and boards Padmé's ship just before it explodes. He is caught in the blast, but survives. He orders his droids to search for the stowaways.
Anakin, Obi-Wan, and R2-D2 launch a rescue operation, piloting the Twilight towards the Malevolence, hoping the battleship's sensors are too damaged to detect their approach. They successfully dock using an emergency airlock and infiltrate the ship. Padmé manages to contact Anakin, and they arrange to meet at a central point along the battleship's rail jet system.
At the designated meeting place, Amidala and C-3PO are spotted by a passing droid patrol, forcing them onto separate rail jets heading in opposite directions. Anakin notices Padmé and leaps onto a passing rail jet running alongside hers. Obi-Wan pursues 3P0. A super battle droid destroys the track in front of Padmé, and Anakin uses the Force to safely pull Padmé aboard his rail jet. As the two are about to share a romantic moment, Obi-Wan contacts Anakin to inform him that he has been separated from C-3PO. Anakin says he'll go after the droid, but Padmé informs the Jedi that she overheard Grievous and that the ship's hyperdrive is nearing completion. Obi-Wan promises to destroy the hyperdrive. Monitoring the ship's internal communications, Grievous overhears this plan and dispatches droids to guard the drive.
Obi-Wan duels with Grievous after defeating his droids and manages to evade the cyborg's grasp.
Meanwhile, Anakin and Padmé reach the bridge as the ship is almost ready to jump to hyperspace. They quickly destroy all the droids and rig the ship's navicomputer. They then leave the bridge after hiding the broken droids.
Obi-Wan reaches the Twilight along with the others and, as they leave, Grievous pursues in his starfighter. The droids on the Malevolence attempt to jump to hyperspace, only to discover that Anakin rigged the navicomputer to set a course into the moon. Grievous watches in horror as the ship crashes into a nearby moon, then flees the system.
While Grievous survived the destruction of the Malevolence, his warship was ultimately destroyed and Senator Amidala was rescued from the ship. The loss diminishes Grievous's standing with Count Dooku, the former ending communications with the Count due to the shame of the ship being destroyed.
Original script ideas for the episode included: Quarsh Panaka being captured alongside Padmé and being brutally murdered by Grievous; a lightsaber duel between Grievous and Plo Koon on the exterior of Malevolence in space; and Jedi sneaking aboard the Malevolence by freezing themselves in carbonite to get past droid bioscans and radiation beams. While the first two ideas were eventually abandoned completely, the carbonite infiltration maneuver was later adapted into the stories of The Clone Wars: Shipyards of Doom and the Season 3 episode "The Citadel."
Furthermore, Anakin's initial plan for entering the Malevolence involved a reckless hyperspace micro-jump to position the Twilight centimeters from the ship's hull. Padmé and C-3PO were also originally rushing to the battle site to aid in the evacuation of the Kaliida Shoals Medical Center, but these were also changed after script revisions.
When General Grievous and his droids surround Obi-Wan near the hyperdrive, he says "Hello there." Obi-Wan would later repeat this line to the General in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, to a young Luke Skywalker in Obi-Wan Kenobi, and later he say the line to R2-D2 during his debut appearance in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.
General Grievous said the lines "General Kenobi." "I will deal with this Jedi Myself." is said in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, at the Battle of Utapau.
Anakin's comments about spinning "being a good trick" are references to his line in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.
The concluding scene of the episode presents all the main prequel characters (Anakin, Obi-Wan, Padmé, C-3PO, and R2-D2) together for the first time (They were scattered across different planets in the films).
A brief preview of this episode can be unlocked on the Star Wars: The Clone Wars (film) Blu-ray after completing a memory game.