General Grievous

General Grievous is a fictional character and antagonist of the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. Grievous was introduced as a villain in the 2004 animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars, before making his live-action debut in the 2005 film Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, where he was played by Matthew Wood.

Grievous is introduced as a brilliant military strategist who served as the Supreme Commander of the Droid Army of the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars. He is a fearsome and powerful cyborg trained in lightsaber combat by Count Dooku, dedicating his life to the destruction of the Galactic Republic and the extermination of the Jedi knights. Grievous harbors an intense hatred for them and earns a reputation as a ruthless hunter of Jedi who collects his victims' lightsabers as trophies of war.

The character has become one of the franchise's most iconic villains and his popularity among the Star Wars fandom has earned him a cult following. He is one of the most evil villains of Star Wars . In addition to the movies and animated series, Grievous has also appeared in various media in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, including novels, comics, and video games. These works explore his past as a reptilian warlord named Qymaen jai Sheelal, who came to despise the Jedi for causing the plight of his people. A ship crash mortally wounds Grievous and leads to his rebuilding as a cyborg. This origin story was retroactively altered in The Clone Wars, in which it is implied that Grievous willingly modified his body with cybernetic enhancements to rival the Jedi. Several elements of his original backstory were later reinstated into the current Star Wars canon.

Development

Concept and creation

General Grievous was created in 2002 by George Lucas for Revenge of the Sith as a powerful new villain on the side of the Separatists, specifically one that would mirror and foreshadow Anakin Skywalker's transformation into Darth Vader (including heavy breathing, cyborg body, and penchant for the evil faction). Lucas's initial instructions to his Art Department were very open: "a droid general" that it was "iconic" and 'scary'. From that vague direction, Lucasfilm's artists developed many illustrations, some purely mechanical, some not, for Grievous's look. One of Grievous's rejected robotic illustrations would end up being used for the IG-100 MagnaGuards in the film.

Two weeks after Lucas's instructions to design Grievous, Lucas chose and developed a sketch by concept artist Warren Fu for the character's final look. Fu was inspired by the top view of a spray bottle for the design of Grievous's face. Fu's sketch was turned into a 30 cm tall maquette sculpture which was then refined into a realistic computer-generated model by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). This was one of the most complex models ever created by ILM at the time, as many of its components had different physical qualities. Comparisons have been drawn between the character's appearance and Jacob Epstein's Rock Drill sculpture.

Casting

General Grievous has been played by four actors. In the animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars, the character was played by John DiMaggio and Richard McGonagle. The character was portrayed by Matthew Wood in the film Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and most of the video game. David W. Collins portrayed the character, albeit uncredited, in Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron and Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron.

In the lead up to Revenge of the Sith, Grievous made his first appearance in the season two finale of Star Wars: Clone Wars. The character's voice was provided by John DiMaggio. Grievous would return more prominently in the third and final season, with Richard McGonagle replacing DiMaggio in the role.

Numerous actors auditioned for the role of Grievous in Revenge of the Sith. Lucas wanted Grievous to sound like he was speaking through a cybernetic voice box, so Matthew Wood, supervising sound editor at Skywalker Sound, put each audition through the same layer of computer processing to create a 'timbre'. synthesized". Gary Oldman, a friend of producer Rick McCallum, was initially cast in the role and even completed some voice-over work. Oldman had to leave the production due to complications arising from cinema union rules in Australia, where the film was shot.

Having previously provided voices for other Star Wars projects, Wood took into account Lucas's comments about the various auditions he pitched and submitted his own under the pseudonym Alan Smithee. Wood played Grievous as a "classic villain" and used a raspy, raspy voice with an Eastern European accent for his performance, adding a "gross quality" to it. to Wood's voice when he processed himself in. Lucas cast Wood in the role and, since he had bronchitis at the time, he directed Wood to give Grievous an asthmatic cough; this was intended to emphasize the organic nature of the character, as well as the faulty cyborg prosthetics of the Star Wars prequel trilogy (which would later be refined for Darth Vader in the original trilogy). Some some of the audio effects for Grievous's coughing in Revenge of the Sith were recorded by Lucas himself while he had bronchitis. Grievous was created entirely via CGI in the film. During filming, Grievous's dialogue was read off-screen while Kyle Rowling wore a blue screen or green screen suit to perform the character's fight scenes with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Wood would later reprise his role as the voice. of Grievous in the animated series The Clone Wars and numerous video games.

Character

Characterization

The official Star Wars database describes General Grievous as "a brilliant Separatist military strategist and a feared Jedi hunter". He is cruel, cunning, aggressive, assassin and gains an infamous reputation for ruthlessness during the Clone Wars. Grievous holds the title of Supreme Martial Commander of the Separatist Droid Army, making him the absolute leader of the Confederacy of Independent Systems military and second in command. highest-ranking member of the Separatist Alliance (after Count Dooku, the political leader and Head of State). Although aligned with the Separatists, Grievous does not care about their political ideals and has stated that he only participates in the conflict to exterminate the Jedi. He bears a deep resentment towards the Jedi and has a vast collection of lightsabers reclaimed from his many victims as trophies of war. Grievous is also quick-tempered and has little tolerance for failure or weakness, as with he frequently lashes out at his own battle droids and destroys them for their persistent incompetence.

Grievous's cyborg body was specifically designed to rival the abilities of the Jedi. Standing at 216 cm tall, his imposing presence serves to strike fear into his opponents and give him a psychological advantage in battle. While not Force-sensitive, Grievous has been trained in all forms of lightsaber combat by Count Dooku. Each of his mechanical arms can split in half, allowing him to wield four lightsabers. at once to overwhelm his enemies. His cybernetic enhancements give him exceptional strength, speed, and reflexes to overcome Force users and even the Force itself. Despite Grievous' physical and acrobatic prowess, he Dooku has advised him to withdraw if he loses the elements of surprise and intimidation, and thus his advantage, in a fight against a Force-sensitive Jedi. Grievous often follows his mentor's advice and becomes known as one one of the Jedi's most elusive adversaries during the Clone Wars.

Differences between versions

Grievous first appeared in Genndy Tartakovsky's Clone Wars before his character traits were finalized for Revenge of the Sith. According to Tartakovsky, Lucas initially introduced Grievous as "this ruthless, totally capable Jedi killer," but then turned the character into "one of those old B-movie villains who does something bad...twists his mustache and then he runs off'. The series depicted Grievous as a nearly unstoppable fighter capable of dispatching multiple Jedi simultaneously with ease, which belied the upcoming film's less powerful portrayal of the character. To reconcile these continuity differences, the series finale of Clone Wars sees Mace Windu crush Grievous's chest with the Force, damaging his internal organs and providing a reason for both his hacking cough and his his weakened state in the film. However, The Clone Wars would later feature Grievous with his coughing throughout its entire run.

Origin Story

Numerous accounts of Grievous's backstory remain. Literature in Star Wars US written by Warren Fu, Grievous's original designer, made the general's hatred of the Jedi stem from his role in the plight and enslavement of the people to him. A shuttle accident orchestrated by Dooku and blamed on the Jedi mortally wounds Grievous and leads to his reconstruction as a cyborg. The Clone Wars would later suggest that Grievous was denied the right to become a cyborg. into Jedi due to his lack of connection to the Force. Writers Dave Filoni and Henry Gilroy posited that Grievous volunteered for cybernetic modifications to rival the Jedi who turned him down. In the series, Grievous's castle displays statues that hint at his gradual progression as a cyborg. Despite this, Filoni chose to keep Grievous's origin story ambiguous: "I tend to think of the episode "Grievous's Lair" as one more look into Grievous's mind. The way you interpret the story largely depends on which origin story you like. If you think Grievous was shot down on a shuttle by Dooku and put back together, I think that story is there, it's just that Grievous has made up this new 'story' that he's not. to choose the alterations of it. If you don't believe the UE version of the story or didn't like it, then perhaps this new revelation that Grievous was a warrior whose thirst for power made him choose to be altered would suit you better".

Appearances

Movies

Revenge of the Sith (2005)

During the Battle of Coruscant, General Grievous holds Supreme Chancellor Palpatine hostage aboard his flagship, the Invisible Hand. Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker launch a rescue operation, entering the ship and killing Separatist leader Count Dooku. However, Grievous traps the Jedi and the Chancellor in a ray shield, and leads them and R2-D2 to the ship's bridge. There he meets Anakin and laughs at the Jedi, stating that his lightsabers will make a nice addition to his collection. When R2-D2 creates a diversion, Obi-Wan and Anakin use the Force to retrieve their lightsabers and break free. A brief battle ensues with the Jedi defeating the MagnaGuards and Grievous's battle droids before turning his attention to the General. Grievous is surrounded by the Jedi, so he uses a fallen magnaguard's electroslash to break the ship's window to escape and have the Jedi fall to their deaths, though the latter fails. He subsequently fires a grappling hook to grab onto the ship and scale it on the way to an escape pod. Grievous also launches all the other pods to prevent Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Palpatine from escaping the doomed ship. However, Anakin manages to take control of the ship and land it safely.

Now taking Dooku's place as the political and military leader of the Separatists, Grievous heads to the planet of Utapau, where the council members of the Confederacy of Independent Systems are hiding out; Separatists have taken the residents of Utapau hostage. The general receives a message from Dooku's master, Darth Sidious, who, unknown to Grievous, is Palpatine's Sith alter ego, telling him to move the council members to the volcanic planet Mustafar.

The Jedi Council sends Obi-Wan Kenobi to Utapau to capture or destroy Grievous and thus end the Clone Wars. Upon arrival, Kenobi destroys his MagnaGuards, and Grievous decides to engage the Jedi in single combat, splitting each of his mechanical arms in half to simultaneously wield four lightsabers. During the duel, Republic clone troopers arrive to engage Grievous's droid army. Obi-Wan Force disarms Grievous and pursues him as the general rides off on his bike, fleeing to the hangar where his starfighter is located. The two engage in hand-to-hand combat, where Obi-Wan manages to open Grievous's chest armor, revealing the parts where his organs are located. Enraged, Grievous throws Obi-Wan off the platform, but the Jedi manages to grab the edge. As Grievous charges at him with his electroslash, Obi-Wan uses the Force to grab the general's blaster. Before Grievous can deliver the finishing blow, Obi-Wan shoots him in the organs below his exoskeleton, which then catches fire. Finally, Grievous bursts into flames and dies. Obi-Wan would use his ship shortly after to escape from Utapau following the activation of Order 66.

Television

Clone Wars (2003–2005)

General Grievous makes his story's first appearance in the season two finale. He leads the Separatist droid armies on the planet Hypori as they surround a group of seven Jedi, including the Masters Ki-Adi Mundi, Shaak Ti, Daakman Barrek and K'Kruhk; and Knights Aayla Secura, Tarr Seirr and Sha'a Gi. Choosing to face the Jedi alone, Grievous easily outmaneuvers and kills most of them. Before Grievous can finish off Mundi, a squad of clone ARC troopers arrives to save the surviving Jedi. Grievous collects the lightsabers of fallen Jedi as trophies.

In the third season, set three years later, Grievous attacks Coruscant in an attempt to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine. Jedi Masters defending the Chancellor include Shaak Ti, Roron Corobb, and Foul Moudama. Grievous kills Corobb and Moudama, defeats Ti once more and manages to capture Palpatine. As Grievous boards his escape shuttle, Jedi Master Mace Windu arrives and uses the Force to crush Grievous's chest, severely damaging his internal organs and triggering the feature. cough he suffers from in Episode III. This leads to the events of Episode III.

The Clone Wars (2008–2014, 2020)

Grievous reappears in this television series, played again by Matthew Wood. In the first season, General Grievous uses the ion cannons of his flagship, the Malevolence, to attack the Republic fleet. He meets Obi-Wan Kenobi for the first time, but is forced to abandon the ship when Anakin Skywalker sabotages the Malevolence and sends it crashing into a nearby moon. Grievous's next plan to launch a surprise attack on Kamino is thwarted when his droids Fighters fail to secure a Republic outpost on Rishi's Moon. Later, Grievous uses a listening post to uncover Republic military secrets. He confronts Ahsoka Tano and her squad of clone troopers while that his spy station is destroyed by Anakin. In light of Grievous's recent defeats, Count Dooku arranges for Kit Fisto, Nahdar Vebb, and a group of clones to infiltrate Grievous's hidden stronghold on Vassek to put him on the ground. testing. Grievous kills Vebb and the clones, but Fisto manages to escape.

In the second season, Grievous forcefully boards a Republic cruiser and captures Eeth Koth. Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Adi Gallia embark on a mission to rescue Koth and stop Grievous. Obi-Wan engages Grievous to a standstill and pursues him to Saleucami. Although Anakin and Gallia manage to free Koth, Grievous escapes once more.

In the third season, Grievous and Asajj Ventress lead an attack on the Republic cloning facility on Kamino. Grievous defeats Obi-Wan, but Anakin and the clones prevent Ventress from obtaining the clones' template DNA sample, forcing the Separatists to retreat. Grievous later sends a group of infiltrator droids to stage a raid. bombing of the Galactic Senate on Coruscant to sabotage a peace agreement between the Republic and the Separatists.

In season four, Grievous attempts to invade Naboo but is captured by the Gungan army. He is released in a prisoner exchange after Dooku captured Anakin. Grievous then attacks a Republic cruiser and defeats Gallia, though a rescue team led by Plo Koon frees her from captivity. After Dooku betrays Dooku Ventress, Grievous is sent to Dathomir to eliminate Ventress and the Nightsister clan. The droid army slaughters the enemy undead forces as Grievous briefly confronts Ventress before turning his attention to Mother Talzin. Grievous thwarts Talzin's voodoo spell on Dooku and kills Daka, the leader of the Nightsisters. Grievous is later seen on Serenno listening to Dooku's concerns about Savage Opress and a disturbance in the Force.

In season five, Grievous defeats the Republic fleet led by Obi-Wan and wins the battle for control of the Florrum system. Grievous launches a full-scale attack on Florrum and captures the pirate leader Hondo Ohnaka. As Ahsoka and a group of youths free Hondo, Grievous pursues and outmaneuvers the Jedi, forcing them to flee.Grievous appears via hologram as the Jedi attempt to decode his transmission regarding an impending Separatist plot.

In the seventh and final season, Grievous leads the Separatist fleet during the Battle of Coruscant after kidnapping Chancellor Palpatine. An unfinished story arc also shows Grievous attempting to obtain a giant kyber crystal on Utapau. Although Grievous defeats Obi-Wan, Anakin manages to destroy the crystal.

The Bad Batch (2021–present)

Toward the end of the Clone Wars, General Grievous escapes the Battle of Coruscant after Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker thwart his attempt to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine. Retreating to the Outer Rim, Grievous orders his Separatist armies to mount a counterattack against Republic forces across the galaxy.

Literature

General Grievous has appeared in several works in the Star Wars Expanded Universe; including novels, comics, and other literary works. With the acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company in 2012, most of these licensed Star Wars products were rebranded as Star Wars Legends and declared non-canonical to the franchise in April 2014, creating two continuities: the canonical and Legends.

Canon (2014—)

General Grievous appears in the four-issue comic Star Wars: Darth Maul – Son of Dathomir, an unproduced story arc originally intended for the sixth season of The Clone Wars. Grievous is sent by Count Dooku to hunt down the rogue Sith Lord Darth Maul, who has become a threat to Darth Sidious's plans. On Zanbar, Grievous defeats Maul and forces him to flee as the droid armies overwhelm Maul's Mandalorian Death Watch forces. Later, Maul and Mother Talzin lure Grievous and Dooku into a trap to lure out Sidious. Grievous escapes and reunites with Sidious to attack Dathomir, where Talzin sacrifices himself to help Maul escape before Grievous kills her.

Legends (1977—2014)

The origin of General Grievous is revealed in the comic "The Eyes of Revolution" from Star Wars: Visionaries. Grievous was originally Qymaen jai Sheelal, an organic reptilian humanoid native to the planet Kalee. The Kaleesh were at war with the rival Huk species and Sheelal was considered a demigod by his people for his victories in the Huk War. He fell in love with a warrior named Ronderu lij Kummar. Following Kummar's death during a mission, Sheelal realized that he was destined to grieve for her forever and renamed himself Grievous. He became a warlord and his rapid attacks on the Huk led them to call on the Jedi Knights of the Galactic Republic for help. Heavy fines and embargoes fell on Kalee, and thousands of Grievous's people starved and died in poverty. Appealing to Grievous's hatred of the Jedi and the Republic, San Hill of the InterGalactic Banking Clan recruited him to serve as his enforcer in exchange for the Banking Clan's help in taking on Kalee's massive debt. Impressed by Grievous's skills as a fighter, Hill and Count Dooku conspired to crash his shuttle to ensure his permanent servitude to the Separatists. Dooku convinced the mortally wounded Grievous that the Jedi responsible for the plight of his homeworld were the ones who caused the accident. Grievous accepted Dooku's offer to rebuild him with a cyborg body and became the supreme commander of the droid armies to exact revenge on the Jedi.

In the third volume of Clone Wars Adventures, Count Dooku pits Grievous against Asajj Ventress and Durge to test their skills. Grievous quickly defeats the pair and emerges victorious, earning himself his position as Supreme Martial Commander of the Separatist Droid Army.

Grievous starred in his own comic called Star Wars: General Grievous, in which he battles Jedi Master T'chooka D'oon and his Padawan Flyn. After Grievous kills D'oon, Kybo returns to the Jedi council with a plan to destroy Grievous once and for all. When the council rebukes his vengeful plan, Kybo decides to take matters into his own hands with disastrous results. Grievous also appears in the comics in Star Wars: Obsession issue #4, in which he finds himself on the world of Boz Pity, where he kills two Jedi, Master Soon Bayts and member of the Adi Gallia Jedi Council. Although Windu wounds Grievous, Dooku manages to save the general so that he can fight another day.

In the novel Labyrinth of Evil, Grievous plans an invasion of Coruscant with Dooku and Sidious. He first appears in the novel watching his hated subordinate Nute Gunray flee from various Republican pursuers. Grievous reluctantly saves Gunray by destroying the fighters. Grievous's invasion of the planet Belderone would also be thwarted by Anakin and Obi-Wan due to a careless mistake on Gunray's part. Although Gunray resorts to lies, Grievous deduces that Gunray is lying and threatens to kill him. Later on the bridge of the Invisible Hand, Dooku watches as Grievous battles his elite MagnaGuards. Although Grievous wins the fight, Dooku points out several flaws in the general's technique and realizes that he is partly to blame for the general's shortcomings. Grievous soon launches his invasion of the Republic capital, Coruscant, in an attempt to kidnap Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, placing himself on the battlefield once more. During the invasion, Grievous fights Mace Windu atop a maglev train while attempting to personally capture Palpatine. Although Windu bests Grievous in combat, the cyborg outwits the Jedi Guard and takes Palpatine hostage, setting the stage for Revenge of the Sith.

Video Games

General Grievous has appeared in several Star Wars video games.

• Star Wars: Republic Commando (2005)
• Lego Star Wars: The Video Game (2005)
• Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)
• Star Wars: Battlefront II (2005)
• Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (2006)
• Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron (2007)
• Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (2007)
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Lightsaber Duels (2008)
• Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron (2009)
• Clone Wars Adventures (2010)
• Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (2011)
• Kinect Star Wars (2012)
• Angry Birds Star Wars II (2013)
• Disney Infinity 3.0 (2015)
• Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes (2015)
• Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2016)
• Star Wars: Force Arena (2017)
• Star Wars Battlefront II (2017)
• Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker saga (2022)

Reception

General Grievous has become a fan-favorite character and is considered one of the most popular villains in the Star Wars franchise.

Several writers have placed General Grievous on lists of the "Top 10 Star Wars Villains". While the character's limited presence in Revenge of the Sith, his increased role and appearances throughout the Clone Wars in the 2003 and 2008 animated series were praised for expanding the character of Grievous.

The character's dialogue from Episode III, "Your lightsabers will be a nice addition to my collection," has gained popularity as an internet meme. Amanda Derby of Screen Rant wrote: "Greet a Star Wars fan with the words "Hello?", and they will likely respond with "General Kenobi". This alone is a testament to the popularity of General Grievous. While it's hard to say if fans love him for his combat prowess or his ability to create memes, there's no denying that Grievous is a favorite."