Separatist Droid Army

The Separatist Droid Army, also known as the Separatist Army, was under the direction of Count Dooku, the Head of State of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, who was responsible for managing the daily functions of the entire Confederacy military, including the droid army. In addition, the army was also under the authority of the Supreme Martial Commander of the Separatist Droid Armies, General [Grievous](/article/grievous], a Kaleesh cyborg, whose duties involved overseeing the army's logistics and tactical deployments.

Dooku and Grievous received assistance from a number of generals selected from the Confederacy's affiliated planets, all of whom operated under Grievous's command. Furthermore, while the droid army was tasked with defending crucial resources and strategic locations against the Galactic Republic, several of the Confederacy's allied planets were known to maintain their own individual defense forces.

In the Confederacy's early stages, the Separatist Army was composed of a diverse collection of forces provided by various conglomerates that supported the Confederacy and its cause. While the army's resources came from entities such as the Trade Federation, the Techno Union, the Commerce Guild, the Corporate Alliance, the InterGalactic Banking Clan, and the Retail Caucus, the standardized army of B-series battle droids and other battle droid models were produced by the labor of various manufacturing enterprises, including Baktoid Combat Automata.

Moreover, the publicly stated objectives of the Confederacy, and consequently the Separatist Droid Army, were twofold. Firstly, they aimed to protect planets that had declared independence from the Republic. Secondly, the Confederacy sought to encircle and ultimately overwhelm the Core Worlds, cutting them off from essential trade with the rest of the galaxy. Additionally, the Confederacy's leaders believed that successful blockading of planets of interest was a means of ensuring proper negotiations, allowing the government to negotiate its terms of independence with the Republic from a position of strength.

Although the majority of the Separatist Army and the army infantry corps consisted of models from the B-series battle droid line, defense forces were frequently relied on as the initial line of defense for their respective planets. The security forces of the Confederacy's supporting corporations also provided assistance to the government's affiliated planets.

The Separatists' ground forces, composed of billions of battle droids, represented the largest deployment of droids ever assembled, though not as numerous as the droids on Geonosis. Factional forces were also deployed on special missions led by members of the Confederacy's legislative Executive Separatist Council or their trusted allies. These faction-based forces included the Trade Federation Home Defense Legions and Trade Federation Droid Army, the Techno Union Droid Army, the Commerce Guild Punitive Security Forces, the Corporate Alliance Policy Administration Directorate, the InterGalactic Banking Clan Collections and Security Division, and the private droid army of the Retail Caucus.

While the Separatist Droid Army maintained a low cost per unit and outnumbered the Grand Army of the Republic, battle droids had limited intelligence and autonomy. To compensate for this, Separatist leader Count Dooku enlisted experienced leaders from the Confederacy's member worlds to command the droid army, all of whom were placed under the command of General Grievous, who served as the leader for the droid army.

These leaders included Neimoidian General Lok Durd, an overfed arms developer who used his position to conduct field tests for prototype weapons, and General Horn Ambigene, a rugged individualist who led an anti-Republic militia for decades before the Clone Wars. Another leader was General Kleeve, a prominent Devaronian Separatist leader known for employing bounty hunters and mercenaries to achieve his objectives. Other officers included General Oro Dassyne, the Kerkoiden General Whorm Loathsom, and the Karkarodon Commander Riff Tamson, who led the droid army on aquatic planets.

However, despite the preference for organic leaders, the Confederacy lacked enough competent commanders to lead all their forces. Instead, they relied on droid commanders to lead their soldiers. Modified B1 droid commanders, distinguished by their yellow markings, led units smaller than a regiment, while probability-obsessed T-series military strategic analysis and tactics droids commanded larger units assigned to their missions. The Separatist Droid Army also used ST-series military strategic analysis and tactics droid, highly intelligent droids capable of conducting military operations without direct supervision.

Throughout its history, the Separatist Droid Army incorporated and deployed a wide range of battle droid models against the Republic's clone armies during the war. The most common battle droid was the B1-series battle droid, which included variants such as the 631 model B1 battle droid, the B1 grapple droid, the Heavy Battle Droid, the B1-series rocket battle droid, the grenade droid, the AAT Driver Battle Droid, also used for jungle operations, the B1 recon droid, the B1 repeater blaster droid, the B1 rocket launcher droid, the B1 supervisor droid, the firefighter battle droid, E-5C B1 Trooper, E-5s B1 Trooper, E-60R B1 Trooper, and the OOM-series battle droid. The OOM-series also included the OOM command battle droid, with yellow markings, the OOM pilot battle droid, and the OOM-series security droid.

Another droid model widely used was the B2-series super battle droid, which also had variants like the B2-ACM Trooper, the B2-HA series super battle droid, capable of leading other droids, the B2 grapple droid, the B2-RP super battle droid and its successor the B2 super rocket trooper. Besides the B1 and B2 battle droids, the Separatist Army used droidekas, built by Colicoid Creation Nest to overwhelm enemies like Jedi. Droidekas also had variants, including the Droideka Sharpshooter, and the W-series and Q-series droidekas. The Droideka Oppressor was designed for the Clone Wars but never saw use due to the conflict's end.

The Banking Clan provided the Confederacy with their droid army, and IG-series battle droids were extensively used throughout the Clone Wars, with chrome-plated droids deployed in phalanxes across battlefields. The IG-100 MagnaGuard was one of several IG-series droids used by the Separatist Army. MagnaGuards indicated the presence of high-ranking officers and had authority over all other units. Other IG-series units included the IG lancer droid, used as front line defenders for Banking Clan worlds, and the IG-86 sentinel droid.

The Separatist Droid Army also incorporated other battle droid models, each designed for a specific purpose. The AQ-series battle droid, manufactured by Haor Chall Engineering Corporation, was used to supplement land-based droid forces on aquatic battlefronts like Kamino. Another model was the BX-series droid commando, designed for special operations, infiltration missions, or escorting members of the Separatist Parliament to other planets. The commando droid captain was a variant of the BX-series droid commando designed to command inferior commando droids, distinguished by white markings.

Among the other models was the B3 battle droid, favored by the Separatist Army, along with the B2-series super battle droid, over the expensive and complex E522 assassin droid. Other models included the C-8 saboteur droid, an advanced droid designed for espionage and sabotage missions, deployed in small, independent squads, and the Pistoeka sabotage droid manufactured by the Colicoids, used by the Confederacy to disable enemy war craft. There was also the Colicoids Infiltrator-series droid. Other models included the LR-57 combat/retail droid, initially used in the Retail Caucus's private army, the chameleon droid, the spelunker probe droid, and PK-series worker droid, a labor droid initially stationed aboard the Lucrehulk-class LH-3210 cargo freighters of the Trade Federation fleet but later used within the Separatist Army for support functions.

To engage the Grand Army of the Republic, the Separatist Droid Army possessed a vast array of weapons. The E-5 blaster rifle, a reverse-engineered blaster rifle from BlasTech Industries, was sufficient for Separatist droids, such as standard battle droids and droid commandos, as it generated excessive heat, making it uncomfortable for organic soldiers.

Another weapon used by the droid army was the wrist blaster, a wrist-mounted blaster used by B2-series super battle droids, as well as the E-5s sniper rifle and RG-4D, a blaster pistol used by B1 droid commanders. Separatist droids also used J-10 dual blaster cannons, essentially scaled-up E-5 blaster rifles. However, the J-10 was rarely deployed due to its drawbacks. The DDC-MR6 modular rifle was designed for the Separatists, but only a prototype run was used due to its high cost.

To complement their blasters, the Separatist Droid Army used melee weapons. Vibroblades, bladed knives, were used by commando droids, while the electrostaff, capable of engaging a lightsaber, was carried by IG-100 MagnaGuards. The droid army also used explosive weaponry, including the Sienar Fleet Systems-manufactured RPS-6 rocket launcher, the remote operated thermal annihilator bomb, Class-A thermal detonators, dioxis grenades, and precision laser darts.

Furthermore, the droid army used various equipment. Separatist droids, such as OOM command battle droids and standard battle droids, used macrobinoculars to locate distant enemies. Personal energy shields were used by BX-series droid commandos stationed at the Citadel on Lola Sayu. Comlink booster packs were used by B1 battle droids, while firefighter battle droids, stationed aboard Confederacy starships, had fire hoses and enhanced thermal shielding to extinguish fires.

To protect their facilities and ground forces, the Separatist Army used military-grade deflector shield generators, often KR series models. While certain droids were painted to distinguish their position, such as yellow-painted OOM command battle droids, organic officers wore white and grey uniforms with the Confederacy's hex emblem and carried blaster pistols for protection.

In addition to its weapons and infantry units, the Separatist Droid Army utilized various ground assault vehicles and machinery. From the start of the war, the Separatist Army used Armored Assault Tank Mk Is. Initially used by the Trade Federation army, the Armored Assault Tank served as a backbone of the army's infantry defenses and vehicles throughout the war. The droid army also utilized Defoliator Deployment Tanks, a modified Armored Assault Tank created by General Lok Durd, armed with a turret-mounted missile launcher designed to fire defoliator shells.

Another ground assault vehicle was the super tank, an experimental tank with heavy armor and a ray shield capable of withstanding the firepower of several Republic AV-7 Anti-vehicle Artillery Cannons at once. Another tank was the large seismic tank.

Alongside their tank models, the Separatist Droid Army also possessed a variety of droid vehicles for ground combat. The DSD1 dwarf spider droid, provided by the Commerce Guild's security forces, became a Separatist Army staple after its initial deployment early in the war. In addition, the OG-9 homing spider droids, large tank-like walkers originally from the Commerce Guild, functioned as heavy tanks, while the dwarf spider droid was primarily used against enemy personnel.

Furthermore, the IG-227 Hailfire-class droid tanks, a droid tank model supplied by the InterGalactic Banking Clan, were originally intended for debt collection. Despite their battlefield power, their limited missile capacity led to minimal use within the Confederacy's ground forces. To replace the hailfire droid, the Separatist Droid Army adopted the Corporate Alliance NR-N99 Persuader-class droid enforcers, droid tanks that boasted extensive weaponry and remained in service throughout the war.

Moreover, the Techno Union provided the Separatist ground forces with Harvesters, droid walkers specifically designed for harvesting planetary plant life. The Separatists also employed LM-432 crab droids, four-legged walkers that excelled in swampy terrains. These walkers, available in various sizes, maintained constant communication with commanding officers. Octuptarra tri-droids were also commonly deployed by the Separatist Army across numerous battle zones. As a larger and more dangerous version of the DSD1, octuptarra tri-droids possessed near-total awareness of their surroundings. They came in two models: the agile octuptarra combat tri-droid and the massive octuptarra magna tri-droid, which served as combat artillery.

The Separatist Army also utilized various transportation vehicles to move and deploy large numbers of troops, in addition to their ground assault vehicles. The Multi-Troop Transport, manufactured by Baktoid Armor Workshop and originally used by the Trade Federation Droid Army, was a heavy repulsorlift vehicle designed for transporting battle droids or cargo to the battlefield, and was also used as a tank and siege ram. Another Trade Federation vehicle, the Platoon Attack Craft, was a repulsorlift craft capable of carrying numerous battle droids to their destinations. Furthermore, the Separatist Army used the XT Beetle Transport, a transport vehicle previously used by the Trade Federation army that moved on ten pairs of mechanized legs. These transports could be linked together to create operational outposts for the Confederacy's ground forces.

Speeders and other repulsorcraft were also part of the Droid Army, with ground forces utilizing the Single Trooper Aerial Platform, airspeeders, and the Flitknot Speeder Bike. General Grievous used the combat speeder and the TSMEU-6 personal wheel bike. The Separatist Droid Army also had artillery units, such as the J-1 proton cannon and the Geonosian LR1K sonic cannon. On their homeworld, the Umbaran Militia supported the Confederacy with the Umbaran hover tank, Impeding Assault Tank, and Umbaran mobile heavy cannon.

During the Separatist Crisis, Count Dooku's nascent Separatist movement, known as the Confederacy of Independent Systems, secretly began constructing the largest droid army in galactic history on Geonosis, directly violating Republic laws. The Trade Federation, Commerce Guild, Techno Union, InterGalactic Banking Clan, and Corporate Alliance all supported the Separatist cause. Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi Knight, discovered this massive droid army, and his subsequent capture led to an attack by the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic's newly formed Grand Army of the Republic, which had been commissioned by Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas. The Clone Wars, which erupted as a result of these events, played directly into the plans of Darth Sidious, who orchestrated the conflict while simultaneously serving as the Republic's Supreme Chancellor.

After the Battle of Geonosis in 22 BBY, the Separatist Droid Army engaged the Jedi and the Grand Army of the Republic on numerous planets and fronts across the galaxy, including Hissrich, Christophsis, Ryloth, Maridun, and Felucia. On Maridun, Separatist droid forces under the command of Lok Durd attempted to deploy the Defoliator weapon against Lurmen migrants, but were repelled by Republic and Jedi forces led by Jedi General Aayla Secura, General Anakin Skywalker, Commander Ahsoka Tano, Commander Bly, and Captain Rex.

Subsequently, General Grievous was ambushed by Jedi and Republic forces commanded by General Kit Fisto. Grievous survived this attack, forcing Fisto to retreat. This ambush was actually a test devised by Dooku to evaluate Grievous's suitability as the leader of the Droid Army. Droid Army units also guarded Nuvo Vindi's secret laboratory on Neimoidia, where stockpiles of the deadly Blue Shadow Virus were being produced. On Ryloth, Separatist droid occupation forces faced ongoing resistance from Cham Syndulla's Twi'lek Resistance, who fought until the end of the Separatist occupation.

By 21 BBY, the Separatists had taken control of Florrum, and Poggle the Lesser had started increasing the production of battle droids for the Droid Army. The Republic responded by dispatching a force led by Jedi Generals Ki-Adi-Mundi, Kenobi, Luminara Unduli, and Skywalker to clear the planet of droids, resulting in the Second Battle of Geonosis. After intense combat, the Republic successfully destroyed the primary droid foundry, eliminated Karina the Great, and captured Poggle the Lesser, significantly weakening the Separatists.

After General Grievous kidnapped Jedi Master Eeth Koth, the Jedi and clone troopers pursued the Supreme Commander and his droid forces to Saleucami. Despite suffering heavy losses, the droid general managed to evade capture. The Droid Army later invaded Malastare, the homeworld of the Dug, in an attempt to disrupt the Republic's fuel supply. Separatist droid forces were neutralized by the detonation of an electro-proton bomb, but the bomb's explosion awakened a powerful prehistoric creature known as the Zillo Beast.

Subsequently, General Grievous and Asajj Ventress, a Sith assassin, attacked the cloning facilities on Kamino in an attempt to halt the production of clone troopers. During the battle, the Separatist forces deployed AQ-series battle droids and aquatic Trident-class assault ships. However, the Separatists were ultimately defeated by the clone and Jedi defenders.

As part of a plot to sabotage the peace negotiations between Separatist Senator Mina Bonteri and Republic Senator Padmé Amidala, Count Dooku and General Grievous dispatched demolition droids to bomb Coruscant's Central power distribution grid, thereby undermining their diplomatic efforts to end the Clone Wars. Shortly thereafter, the Separatists placed an order for an additional three million battle droids, financed by the InterGalactic Banking Clan.

In 20 BBY, Separatist Droid Army forces under the command of the Karkarodon Commander Riff Tamson allied with the Quarren Isolation League and their Quarren warriors to oppose the succession of Lee-Char, the Mon Calamari Prince, who was supported by the Republic and Jedi. During the Battle of Mon Cala, the Separatists deployed AQ-series battle droids and Hydroid Medusas against the Mon Calamari and Republic, forcing them to retreat from Mon Cala city. Tamson's Trident assault ships subsequently neutralized Gungan reinforcements led by Jar Jar Binks. Despite capturing most of the Republic and Mon Calamari forces, including Prince Lee-Char, the Separatist forces were defeated when Nossor Ri, the Quarren leader, persuaded his people to join forces with the Mon Calamari and Republic to drive out Tamson's droid forces.

Later, Count Dooku attempted to establish an alliance with the Gungans through his local collaborator Rish Loo, who placed Boss Lyonie under a spell. This Separatist plot was thwarted by Binks and Roos Tarpals, who successfully captured General Grievous. However, the Gungans and Neimoidia were compelled to release the Separatist Droid General when Dooku threatened to execute General Skywalker. Subsequently, the Droid Army invaded the Togruta colony of Kiros and sold the colonists into slavery to the Zygerrian Slave Empire. General Grievous later led the Droid Army's attack against the Nightsisters of Dathomir, whom Count Dooku perceived as a growing threat to the Sith. During the assault, Grievous killed Mother Talzin, and the droids eliminated many Nightsisters.

During the Onderonian Civil War, Separatist droid forces under the command of the super tactical droid General Kalani supported the pro-Separatist regime of Sanjay Rash, the King of Onderon in the Inner Rim. King Rash and his Separatist supporters were opposed by the Onderon rebels, an insurgent group led by Saw Gerrera and his sister Steela, who received assistance from the Jedi and the Republic. After gaining the support of the rightful King Ramsis Dendup and General Akenathen Tandin, the Onderon rebels successfully drove the Separatist forces out of Onderon. Separatist droid forces were also attacked by the local population in Iziz, the capital city. General Kalani and the surviving droids retreated to Agamar, a planet in the Outer Rim.

As retribution for the Ohnaka Gang's mistreatment of Count Dooku years prior, Separatist droid forces under General Grievous attacked Hondo Ohnaka's pirate base on Florrum, devastating it. Tano and six Jedi younglings fought against Grievous and his forces but were compelled to retreat.

In 19 BBY, elements of the Droid Army under Admiral Trench engaged in the Battle of Ringo Vinda. Under Dooku's orders, they attempted to kidnap clone trooper "Tup," whose inhibitor chip had malfunctioned, causing him to kill Jedi Master Tiplar. This Separatist plot was foiled by General Skywalker, Captain Rex, and ARC trooper "Fives," who rescued Tup from Commander Kraken's shuttle. After Count Dooku pressured Rush Clovis, the new head of the InterGalactic Banking Clan, to increase interest rates on the Republic, Separatist droid forces attacked Clone Commander Thorn's forces on Scipio. When the Galactic Senate voted to invade Scipio, Dooku promptly withdrew Separatist forces from the planet. The capture of Scipio gave the Supreme Chancellor control over the banks, effectively placing the galactic economy under the control of the Sith.

Later, two of Grievous' IG-100 MagnaGuards assassinated Jedi Master Tu-Anh on [Utapau](/article/utapau], a neutral world. While investigating Tu-Anh's death, Master Kenobi and Jedi Knight Skywalker fought the two MagnaGuards and discovered that the Separatists were interested in acquiring a large kyber crystal through several Sugi mercenaries led by Endente. After Kenobi and Skywalker stole the crystal, General Grievous brought some droid forces, including some of his MagnaGuards, to recover the crystal. Despite Grievous evacuating the kyber crystal off world, the Jedi managed to destroy the crystal and the Separatist supply ship it was in; the resulting explosion destroyed the Separatist fleet around the planet.

After escaping from the Spire prison, Maul's Shadow Collective inflicted heavy casualties on the Droid Army at the Battle of Zanbar before retreating. The Shadow Collective later lured Count Dooku and General Grievous into a trap on Ord Mantell. Separatist ground and space forces were decimated during the battle, and the two Separatist leaders were captured by Maul and his allies. Maul's Shadow Collective was later defeated by Separatist forces with the help of Darth Sidious at Dathomir.

The Separatist Droid Army also waged a prolonged campaign against the Republic on Anaxes, a planet that housed critical Republic shipyards. Admiral Trench received assistance from Wat Tambor, the Techno Union's Foreman, who used an unconscious clone trooper "Echo" to provide the Separatists with an algorithm detailing the Republic's strategies. Echo was rescued by Clone Force 99, General Skywalker, and Rex, who fought Tambor's D1-series aerial battle droids and octuptarra tri-droids with the help of the Poletecs of Skako Minor. With Echo's assistance, Skywalker and the clones infiltrated Trench's flagship and disabled his droid army on Anaxes, shifting the battle's momentum in favor of the Republic.

Following Count Dooku's death at the Battle of Coruscant, the Separatist Droid Army clashed with the Grand Army of the Republic on numerous battlefields, including Kashyyyk, Utapau, Saleucami, Mygeeto, Felucia, and Kaller. These battles occurred simultaneously with Palpatine's implementation of Order 66, which triggered the Great Jedi Purge. Palpatine then transformed the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire. Subsequently, Palpatine dispatched Anakin Skywalker, now known as Darth Vader, to execute the Separatist Council on Mustafar. Vader also transmitted a signal that deactivated the Droid Army, bringing the Clone Wars to an end.

Even with the Separatist Droid Army's destruction, surviving battle droids from the Clone Wars ensured its memory endured. Following the Clone Wars, scattered Separatist holdouts persisted, attempting to oppose the Empire. The Empire, however, mandated the immediate destruction of all remaining battle droids. While this fate was intended for the IG-series battle droids previously used by the CIS, the actions of the Droid Gotra saved many. By the time of the Imperial Era, the Gotra consisted of surviving battle droids dedicated to fighting for droid rights.

During the Imperial Era, General Kalani led a group of battle droids residing within the remains of a DH-Omni Support Vessel on Agamar. Kalani, convinced the deactivation signal was a Republic deception, had overridden it, preventing his droid forces from shutting down. In 2 BBY, he encountered former Clone Captain Rex, Jedi Purge survivor Kanan Jarrus, and his Padawan Ezra Bridger. Still rejecting the Clone Wars' conclusion, Kalani initiated a final battle with his captives. The rebels broke through Kalani's defenses, and Ezra successfully persuaded Kalani and Rex to reconcile their differences to escape Imperial forces. This alliance unofficially ended the Clone Wars, allowing Rex, Kalani, and his droids to find peace with their past.

Another persistent group during the Galactic Empire's rule was the holdout on PM-6986, commanded by JF-86. Following the Battle for Anaxes and a cataclysm that obliterated the planet, a droid army remained functional within a Separatist stronghold on what became the planetoid PM-6986. Awakened by a Separatist signal originating light-years away, JF-86 reactivated the rest of the droid army. Adhering to its original directives, JF-86 aimed to destroy the Galactic Senate of the Republic, unaware of galactic events and the Republic's transformation into the Empire. JF-86's plan was thwarted by its lack of starships to transport its forces, forcing it to remain on the planetoid, awaiting an opportunity.

• IG-series battle droid army [3]
• Trench's army [98]
• Ventress's army [28]
• Whorm Loathsom's army [7]

• Riff Tamson's legion [10]
• A battle droid legion [1]

• Horain garrison [103]

• TJ-55's battle droid battalion [104]
• A droid battalion [69]

• 4-A7's battle droid platoon [7]
• A platoon [69]

• Patrol 118 [5]
• Squad One [4]
• Squad Two [4]
• Squad Three [4]
• Team Three [58]
• Team Four [58]
• A droid patrol [76]

• Hissrich droid unit [73]

The Separatist Droid Army made its initial appearance in the 2002 motion picture Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones.

During the production of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode "Duel of the Droids," a new B1 battle droid design, known as Red Shoulders, was intended for inclusion but was ultimately removed from the episode.