How a General Grievous movie could be epic
A major player in both the films and TV shows, most of General Grievous’s story has been left untouched. How good could a spin-off focusing on the four-armed cyborg be?
General Grievous is one of the coolest-looking characters in all of Star Wars. The guy is beyond skilled with a lightsaber, yet isn’t truly considered a Force wielder. A Jedi’s worst nightmare, his half-alien, half-robotic physique is a nuisance to fight against. A former warlord turned wartime pawn, he was trained by Count Dooku himself.
And yet, General Grievous is still pretty mysterious to me.
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Grievous has always been one of my favorite aspects of the Star Wars universe, mainly due to his imposing presence and engaging look. Ever since I first saw him on the old Star Wars: Clone Wars show (from 2003, non-canon), it was clear that this guy was not to be trifled with. Then, when the trailers for Revenge of the Sith started coming, it was revealed Grievous would resurface, this time on the big screen; I couldn’t have been more excited.
Of course, we all know what happened. Obi-Wan was able to take down the leader of the Droid Army, but not before an epic duel between them. By the time The Clone Wars canon show was released, we got even more of the cyborg during the time leading up to ROTS.
With Star Wars spin-off movies being produced (although the future looks bleak), it’s not totally insane to think that Grievous could headline one or at least make an appearance in another. The fact that his backstory has been virtually swept under the rug makes me want to see it happen even more. But what else could a Grievous movie entail?
Let’s run through some possible story lines:
Photo Credit: Star Wars: The Clone Wars/Cartoon Network, LucasFilm Image Acquired from Disney ABC Media Distribution
Past Life as a Warlord
Before he was a cyborg, General Grievous was a ruthless warlord on his home planet, Kalee. There’s really no mention of this in canon material, but a video from Star Wars Theory and Fact Free explains that the Expanded Universe contains some answers regarding Grievous’s background. Grievous went by a different name (Qymaen jai Sheelal) and led his people during the Huk War, a conflict in which the Kaleesh fought against the Huks looking to enslave them. The clip discusses how Grievous lost his best friend during the war, so that would show us a sensitive side of the character that we’ve never seen, while his leadership of the Kaleesh army would give fans somewhat of a heroic side of Grievous.
For me, Grievous’s past would have to be one of the main focuses of his spin-off, if not the bulk of the movie. There’s just no getting around it and just so much we don’t know about it to leave it as is.
Training with Dooku
We saw this a little bit in the 2003 Clone Wars series, but who wouldn’t want it played out on the big screen?
It’s pretty easy to imagine Dooku taunting Grievous, Grievous getting angry and Dooku still maintaining the upper hand. Still, it would be cool and interesting to see how training sessions between the intimidating Grievous and the calculating Dooku would go. It’s obvious that Dooku passed on his uncanny ability to bail during a fight, but what else did Grievous pick up from the lessons?
Photo credit: Lucasfilm
Hunting Jedi
By the time he fights Obi-Wan, Grievous already had at least four lightsabers in his collection. Who did he kill to get them? Was it difficult for him or did the Dooku training sessions make it easy? I would at least want to see him engage some Jedi in battle because it’s clear that the duel with Obi-Wan was not Grievous’s first rodeo (as evidenced in The Clone Wars against Nahdar Vebb and Kit Fisto).
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It’s safe to say that I think a Grievous movie would have all the makings of a great addition to Star Wars lore. He’s one of George Lucas’s best creations in my view, and I really don’t see why a spin-off could be a bad idea.