Grievous began to realize far too late

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd., All Rights Reserved
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd., All Rights Reserved

General Grievous was a formidable Star Wars villain but he was just a pawn in Darth Sidious’ plans. It realized our far too late.

After the death of Count Dooku, General Grievous began to suspect his time in this master plan was coming to an end. The Star Wars villain didnt have much time to turn things around in his favor.

Narrowly escaping the Invisible hand in an escape pod, General Grievous speaks via hologram with Darth Sidious. Sidious tells him the end of the war is in sight.

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“But the loss of Count Dooku?”responds Grievous.

“His death was a necessary loss. Soon I will have a new apprentice, one far younger and more powerful ,” boasts Sidious.

Sidious then instructs the Separatists to move to Mustafar. The droid general heads to Utapau to rendezvous with the droid army sanctioned there. Grievous knows something is up. Sidious was not not even upset about the death of Dooku.

Dooku: apprentice of Sidious, mentor to Grievous and Leader of the Seperatist Droid army.

With Dooku gone, what was planned for Grievous? Was the cyborg still valuable? How long until it was time for him to be removed from this master plan? Grievous begins to realize this Dark Lord of the Sith is willing and able to cut out anybody no longer valuable in his quest for power. Use them up and then toss them away.

Grievous arrives on Utapau and instructs the Separatists to move to Mustafar. With reluctance, they abide. Kenobi, emerges and faces Grievous in a fierce duel, before Grievous flees in his wheel bike.  A wild pursuit ensues until Kenobi is able climb aboard the bike and crash.

The two come to blows. An all out brawl, cheap shots and all. Kicking, hitting, punching, pulling and throwing. Kenobi manages to rip open Grievous’ armor plates, revealing Grievous’ gut-sack. Grievous angrily tosses Kenobi off a ledge. The Jedi manages just barely to utilize the force and hold on for dear life.

The force is with him, as he calls the General’s blaster to him and fires shot after shot as the cyborg menaces toward him. Grievous is aflame, literally on fire. Burning up inside.

The flames explode Grievous and the cyborg collapses.

“So uncivilized,” Kenobi comments.

That comment could describe the whole conflict known as the Clone Wars and the galactic Civil War to come.

What if things could have been different for Grievous? Why did the cyborg not flee, as was typical of Grievous? “”General Grievous will run and hide as he always does: He’s a coward. ” as stated by Mace Windu in ROTS.  What made this time any different? General Grievous may have thought that Darth Sidious would find him anywhere and anyhow, anyway. Which he probably would have; certainly Vader would have been sent to take care of any leftovers from the Confederacy after finishing off the rest of the Separatists. Or maybe Grievous had doubts about whether the Dark Lord would actually cut him out completely. He could have assumed that a commanding spot would still await him once the war had ended.

Whether he realized what was in store for him or not, it was far too late. General Grievous became “backed into a corner”.  It was in fact Sidious acting as Chancellor Palpatine who gave Anakin the whereabouts so that the Jedi council could send troops to Utapau to pursue Grievous. In addition to the Republic hunting him, Sidious no longer needed him. When a Sith Lord wants you gone, your gone. But alas, the one time General Grievous chooses fight instead of flight, it costs him his life. So uncivilized indeed.