"The Box" is the seventeenth installment of the animated television show Star Wars: The Clone Wars' fourth season. Its original broadcast occurred on February 3, 2012. The central theme of "The Box" revolves around various bounty hunters' involvement in the Box, a deadly contest orchestrated by Moralo Eval. It's the third part of a larger four-episode narrative arc, detailing Obi-Wan Kenobi's mission to uncover a plot to assassinate Chancellor Palpatine, which requires him to go undercover as a bounty hunter known as Rako Hardeen. This storyline commenced with the two preceding episodes, specifically "Deception" and "Friends and Enemies".
The group, which includes Obi-Wan disguised, Moralo Eval, and Cad Bane, makes their way to Castle Serenno located on the planet Serenno. Count Dooku greets them, but also expresses his displeasure at Eval's tardiness. The Count informs Obi-Wan and Bane about an impending competition, inviting them to take part. The bounty hunters already present include some of the most accomplished—and infamous—individuals in the galaxy. Besides Bane and Obi-Wan's disguised persona, there are Embo, Derrown, Twazzi, Sixtat, Jakoli, Mantu, Kiera Swan, Sinrich, and Onca (whose brother had just been killed by Bane for his hat). Stripped of their weapons, they must confront a perilous challenge within the Box, a massive, floating structure filled with deadly traps designed by Eval. Only the top five survivors will be selected for the task Dooku has planned, in exchange for a substantial reward. Simultaneously, at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, Anakin Skywalker's suspicions about Obi-Wan are validated by Master Yoda himself. Yoda apologizes for the deception but emphasizes that Anakin's volatile temperament made it too risky for Obi-Wan to involve him in the mission.
Once inside the Box, the contestants encounter their first obstacle: dioxis gas leaking from the floor. The bounty hunters hurry towards the rising platforms, believing they will be safe from the poison at a higher elevation. However, the platforms continue to ascend, threatening to crush them. Obi-Wan correctly figures out that the escape route is below them, and using his helmet's filters, he locates the exit. The other bounty hunters follow Obi-Wan, avoiding any casualties.
They soon face the second challenge, which requires them to escape the room. Eval initiates the challenge, releasing horizontal columns with laser spike tips that appear to move randomly. Obi-Wan discerns a pattern in the columns' movements, revealing an escape route located on the ceiling. While most of the bounty hunters successfully follow Obi-Wan's lead, Onca, Swan, and Sinrich are killed. Dooku notices that "Hardeen" is guiding everyone and instructs Eval to monitor him closely.
The group then arrives at the third challenge, where a serum appears before them. Eval announces that one of them must take the serum and deactivate the ray shield cage. However, the serum is poisonous to all but one of them. Eval elevates the platform and activates the ray shield, electrocuting Jakoli, who is caught off guard. Derrown attempts to reach the serum, but Bane stops him. Obi-Wan intervenes, allowing Derrown to take the serum, reasoning that his species' physiology should allow him to survive its effects. Derrown passes through the ray shield and successfully deactivates the switch, though Mantu is killed in the process.
The contestants then advance to the final challenge, where Eval explains that they must use a sniper rifle to shoot a moving holographic target. Missing a single shot will result in death by the pop-up flamethrowers below. Sixtat volunteers and successfully hits the first few targets. However, he misses the final shot, leading Eval to drop him to his demise as the others watch.
Obi-Wan then volunteers. However, Eval, now envious of "Hardeen's" success, deceitfully loads Obi-Wan's rifle with only four shots while demanding that he hit five targets. Obi-Wan realizes the deception too late, and Eval attempts to send him to his death. Bane, now respecting Obi-Wan and disgusted by Eval's cowardly attempt to kill him, saves him with his whipcord, demanding that Eval fight him like a man. Dooku, also aware of Eval's cowardice, wants to see him fight and forces the Phindian into the arena. Eval fights unfairly, using probe droids and transforming the arena into a small maze, but Obi-Wan destroys his control bracelet. Dooku demands that "Hardeen" kill Eval, but he refuses, stating that he only wants his payment. Dooku expresses his disappointment at this refusal.
Regardless, he and his surviving companions are declared the winners of the challenge and are entrusted with the Count's plan: to abduct Supreme Chancellor Palpatine during his visit to Naboo and hold him hostage in exchange for the release of the Separatist leaders captured by the Republic during the war. Dooku designates Bane as the leader of the strike team, having witnessed Eval's lack of combat prowess and "Hardeen's" apparent reluctance to kill his opponents.