During the Clone Wars, the Open Circle Fleet of the Galactic Republic employed the Steadfast, a Venator-class Star Destroyer, within the Republic Navy. The Star Destroyer was built for the Republic's forces by 21 BBY and served as the flagship for Jedi General Eeth Koth and his fleet. Subsequent to the Republic's second invasion of Geonosis in 21 BBY, numerous attacks targeted the hyperspace routes of the Outer Rim Territories. Intent on discovering the individual responsible for these attacks, Koth journeyed through the Saleucami system aboard the Steadfast, only to be ambushed by a Separatist Alliance fleet under the command of General Grievous, whose objective was the capture of the Jedi Master.
Despite sustaining significant damage, the Steadfast was boarded by B2-series super battle droids from Grievous's Recusant-class light destroyer after the destroyer connected to a docking port. During the ensuing battle on the Steadfast between the battle droids and the clone trooper unit of Koth, led by Clone Captain Lock, who were given orders to retreat, the Separatist general and the Jedi Master briefly dueled on the command bridge. Although determined to overcome Grievous, Koth was defeated by the general and his squad of IG-100 MagnaGuards, which led to his capture and transfer to the Separatist destroyer.
The Steadfast, as a Venator-class Star Destroyer, featured a broadside port accessible via docking tube, two bridges, escape pods, and eight ion drive thrusters. Furthermore, the Star Destroyer was equipped with eight DBY-827 heavy turbolaser turrets (four on each side) and two medium dual turbolaser cannons (one on each side), along with a pair of hyperwave comm scanners located atop its bridges.
In addition, the Steadfast had a complement of clone troopers who served as the Star Destroyer's crew, defending it against boarding actions. The symbol of the Open Circle Fleet was displayed on both sides of the Venator's hull, and its port and starboard wings were marked with three red stripes, a common design element on Republic Venators.
During the Clone Wars of 21 BBY between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, after the Second Battle of Geonosis, the Republic dispatched Jedi Master Eeth Koth and his fleet to find those responsible for attacks near hyperspace routes in the Outer Rim Territories. As Koth traveled through the Saleucami system, General Grievous of the Separatist Kaleesh ambushed Koth's flagship with his Recusant-class light destroyer. Grievous's ship docked with one of the Venator's starboard docking ports, as the destroyer inflicted significant hull damage to the Star Destroyer. While docked, the destroyer dispatched several squads of B2-series super battle droids and BX-series droid commandos onto the Steadfast, which resulted in a firefight with the clone troopers stationed aboard the Star Destroyer.
As the droids and clones continued to exchange fire, the Jedi instructed Clone Captain Lock, his clone captain, and the remaining troopers to escape via escape pods, while Koth waited for Grievous on the command bridge. Lock was hesitant to follow Koth's orders, explaining that there were commando droids among the Separatist forces, but the Jedi Master dismissed the Clone Captain's concerns and ordered him to leave again, which prompted Lock to reluctantly abandon the Steadfast.
After Lock and his remaining troopers had left the Steadfast, the Kaleesh and his droids proceeded to the bridge, where Grievous used his lightsabers to break through the sealed command center. Upon breaching the blast doors, the general sent in a group of commando droids to battle the Jedi and the clone troopers aboard the bridge, killing Koth's troopers.
Despite the deaths of his clones, Koth eliminated the commando droids, but he was engaged by the Kaleesh and a team of four IG-100 MagnaGuards in a brief duel aboard the bridge shortly after. During their duel, Koth used the Force to push Grievous into the command bridge's viewport, which prompted the Kaleesh's MagnaGuards to intervene. With the droid intervention, Koth became overwhelmed and weakened as he was repeatedly struck by the electrostaffs of the MagnaGuards, which allowed Grievous to defeat the Jedi Master and take him captive aboard his Recusant-class destroyer, before traveling to the planet Saleucami.
The Steadfast was under the command of Jedi Master Eeth Koth during the Clone Wars, and it was also crewed by Clone Captain Lock, Koth's clone officer. The Venator was also crewed by multiple clone troopers, who served as the bridge crew and onboard security.
The Steadfast made its debut in "Grievous Intrigue," the ninth episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars' second season, which was broadcast on January 1, 2010. It was identified in the 2015 reference book Ultimate Star Wars within the new Star Wars canon. The Steadfast was originally named in Star Wars: The Clone Wars: New Battlefronts: The Visual Guide, a reference book written by Jason Fry and published in August 2010, within the Star Wars Legends continuity.
De Agostini's Star Wars: Build Your Own X-Wing magazine's forty-seventh issue, released in 2019, erroneously used an image of Eeth Koth's duel with Grievous aboard the Steadfast to depict Grievous's capture of Jedi Master Adi Gallia and the battle of Patitite Pattuna.
It was stated in the 107th issue of the 2014 version of De Agostini's The Official Star Wars Fact File that Grievous's attack on the Steadfast occurred near Arda in the Gordian Reach. However, the 2019 reference book Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition establishes that the attack took place in the Saleucami system. As Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition is the more recent source, this article assumes its accuracy.