The event where Tythe was retaken occurred on the planet of Tythe during the third year of the Clone Wars. It was a component of the Outer Rim Sieges campaign. High Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi General Anakin Skywalker were dispatched to the Outer Rim planet four days following the Battle of Nelvaan. They were sent by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, Jedi Master Mace Windu, and Jedi Master Yoda with the goal of capturing Confederacy of Independent Systems leader Count Dooku. However, Palpatine, secretly Darth Sidious, orchestrated the entire operation to lure the Jedi away from the Core in preparation for the Separatist invasion of Coruscant.
To mislead Republic Intelligence, Darth Sidious ordered General Grievous to dispatch a small warships flotilla. Their mission was to overwhelm a Republic garrison stationed on Tythe and seize control of the world. Sidious was aware that the Jedi would assume he was attempting to erase the trail they were following, given that it was the former location of LiMerge Power headquarters, a company linked to a clandestine Sith meeting place discovered in The Works. Furthermore, he had Count Dooku remain on Tythe as bait for Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. In the end, the Tythe engagement served as a ruse to draw the Jedi away from the Core ahead of a large-scale Separatist invasion of Coruscant.
Aboard a MedStar-class frigate in orbit around Belderone, Kenobi and Skywalker, who had rescued the planet Nelvaan four days prior, received instructions from Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Palpatine directed Kenobi and Skywalker, along with a full Republic battle group, to recapture Tythe and capture Dooku.
The Separatists swiftly deployed mines at numerous hyperspace entry points. This forced the Republic ships to revert to realspace within a restricted area in front of the Confederacy fleet. Both sides quickly launched their starfighters and then moved closer to engage. The Republic battle group initiated the action, veering to port and unleashing a long-range broadside against the Separatist vessels, which responded with their own volley. The opposing starfighter squadrons regrouped and attempted to reach the enemy capital ships before their shields could be restored.
All of this maneuvering by the Republic forces was a tactical distraction, designed to allow Red Squadron to reach the surface of Tythe with the objective of capturing Dooku alive. As a secondary strategy, it was determined that a saturation bombardment coupled with limited starfighter engagement would force Dooku to flee further into the Outer Rim. Anakin Skywalker spearheaded Red Squadron's assault through the Separatist fleet, successfully destroying a Techno Union starship during the approach. Upon entering the lower atmosphere, the incoming starfighters were met with heavy fire from defending Hailfire droids, STAPs, and battle droids, which managed to destroy all but the interceptors piloted by the two Jedi.
Kenobi and Skywalker flew their starfighters through the roof of the largest containment dome at the LiMerge Power facility, before proceeding on foot to confront Dooku. Inside the massive, ruined archive hall, they encountered a life-sized holoimage of the Count. However, before they could locate him, hundreds of infantry droids surrounded them and began firing. Unable to reach Dooku, Skywalker unleashed the Force with such intensity that it caused the ceiling of the vast hall to collapse. The Sith Lord managed to escape to his solar sailer before the two Jedi could free themselves from the rubble, and ordered a Separatist retreat. Through the Force, Skywalker realized that Tythe was a trap to lure Jedi away from Coruscant.
Following the battle, Separatist forces abandoned Tythe. Most ships jumped towards the Rim, while others, led by Dooku, headed for the planet Nelvaan (a planet that Kenobi and Skywalker had liberated from Separatist control four days earlier) within the Koobi system, seeking to deter Republic pursuit. The Count then set a course for Coruscant to rendezvous with General Grievous, who had successfully abducted Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Upon returning to the Integrity, Skywalker and Kenobi were greeted by the ship's crew, who had begun to fear that they had been killed in action by the CIS forces.
Subsequently, Skywalker and his astromech droid R2-D2 performed several modifications to Skywalker's former gold and black prosthetic arm. Kenobi then appeared, remarking on his former Padawan's absence from the medical bay, just as Skywalker was completing the adjustments to his mechno-arm. Sensing his former Padawan's emotional state regarding their recent journey to Nelvaan, Kenobi shared that the Trial of Spirit (where one would "look inside [themselves]") was the most challenging trial a Jedi must face. He added that while the revelations within were often unpleasant, a Jedi's choices determined their destiny.
Suddenly, R2 began beeping. A message from Mace Windu was projected, revealing that the Chancellor had been kidnapped by Grievous during the Battle of Coruscant. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Skywalker ordered the crew to refuel their starfighters and prepare for a hyperspace jump. The two Jedi then set course for Coruscant, jumping to the Core ahead of their battle group. Upon reaching Coruscant, they joined the battle against the Separatists, leading an assault on Grievous' flagship, the Invisible Hand.
The Third Battle of Tythe was first depicted in the novel Labyrinth of Evil by James Luceno, released on January 5, 2005. Conflicts exist between the animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars and the novel. In the novel, Skywalker and Kenobi search for Darth Sidious and pursue Dooku on Tythe. However, in the series, they investigate a potential base for Grievous on the frigid Nelvaan (which Dooku only briefly visits in the novel). Initially, Leland Chee used retroactive continuity to reconcile this by stating that the Nelvaan events occurred after Tythe. However, this was superseded by The New Essential Chronology, which reversed the order of events. This article adheres to the New Essential Chronology fix, incorporating details from both Labyrinth of Evil and Clone Wars where feasible.