Clone Wars: Season 1 - Episode 7, Duel of the Droids

The Clone Wars: Season 1, Episode 7, Duel of the Droids continues directly from the events of Episode 6, Downfall of a Droid. The Moral of the episode is, "You hold onto friends by keeping your heart a little softer than your head."

Missing in action, Anakin Skywalker's heroic droid navigator, R2D2, was lost in battle. When a desperate search fails to locate R2, Anakin is force to take on a new navigator, R3S6. Now the Jedi must embark on a dangerous new mission to find a secret enemy listening post. Meanwhile R2D2 has fallen into the hands of a vile droid smuggler and is on his way to General Grievous who will surely plunder the Republic's secrets hidden with him.

As the Trandoshan smuggler moves in to dock with Grievous's station, the captured R2D2 manages to hack into the ship's systems and send out a message to the Jedi. Despite more hindrance from the troublesome droid R3, Anakin receives it and is confident that the signal has come from R2. Captain Rex immediately manages to trace its location and they jump to the coordinates.

The Trandoshan has already boarded the station and under the instruction of Grievous is examining the captured R2 unit for any vital information.

Over Holo-communication, Obi-Wan Kenobi tells Anakin that this is not a rescue mission for R2. The sole purpose of the mission is to destroy the listening station. We have already seen from previous episodes that Anakin is not exactly one for following orders to the letter.

Anakin, Ahsoka, Captain Rex, R3S6 and some Clones infiltrate the station from above with the help of Anakin's lightsaber to find their way inside. As soon as they are comfortable, it becomes quickly apparent that Anakin's primary aim to rescue R2D2. He splits up from the others.

Meanwhile, the Trandoshan smuggler makes an amazing discovery concerning R2. "It appears the droid's memory has never been erased. It contains every Republic foundation and strategy they have!". He suddenly wants more money as now the droid is a lot more valuable than he'd originally thought. Grievous is quick to reward him with a green lightsaber through the torso. The Smuggler is dead.

As Ahsoka and the Clones stealthily make their way through the facility, it is revealed that R3 is working for Grievous. Not surprising, there were enough clues from the previous episode! The droid drops back from the group and sends a holo-communication to Grievous alerting him to their presence. "Delay them until I arrive," he orders. He orders his IG-100 MagnaGuards to take the R2 unit to his ship. He will deal with the Jedi himself. The alarm is sounded.

Ahsoka's team are halted in their tracks by a force-field door. She orders R3 to deactivate the shield, but of course, the contraption is in no particular hurry. As the Battledroids arrive, R3 manages to close an additional blast-door making any escape now extremely difficult. Super Battledroids approach from another corridor and it is only with the use of Electro Magnetic Pulse grenades, (which they refer to as droid poppers) that the group manage to survive.

As R2 is carried onto his ship, General Grievous suddenly arrives at the young Ahsoka's location. He taunts, "They send a child to destroy my station? The Republic must be running out of Jedi!".

Grievous leaps forward taking out a percentage of the clones. He then attacks Ahsoka. There is a brief lightsaber duel, before she realises she is outmatched and is force to make a retreat. Grievous follows.

Anakin catches up with the Magna droids who are carrying R2. "You have something that belongs to me." he says. A fight immediately ensues. From here on in, the episode is full-on action right to the end. Anakin finally takes out the deadly Magnas and is reunited with R2D2 once more.

Ahsoka is hiding from Grievous in what looks to be a store room. R3 turns up and at once gives away her location by shining a torch on her! Previously Ahsoka has instructed the Clones to set the detonation charges and to rendezvous at the Landing Bay. She knows there's a chance she may not make it, but they must complete their mission. Ahsoka has now finally worked out that R3 cannot be trusted.

Anakin and R2 make it safely to the Landing Bay as the Twilight arrives to take them away. Captain Rex, a Clone and R3 also enter, but there is no sign of Ahsoka.

Not happy that Ahsoka has risked challenging Grievous alone, Anakin attempts to rescue her. Before he can even leave the landing bay however, R3S6 closes all the doors including the main launch doors. R3 also activates a squadron of Vulture Droids. As Super Battledroids approach from the opposite end, Anakin realises that R3S6 was a spy all along.

Grievous lifts Ahsoka by the throat clear off the ground. An explosion rocks the station and the Jedi is able to break free and then escape through a vent.

As per previous episodes, when he fears things are not going quite his way, General Grievous decides to escape in his one-man ship. He does so unopposed, the Jedi currently have much bigger things to deal with in the Landing Bay.

In an attempt to open the Launch Bay doors, R2D2 is attacked by R3. Ahsoka enters the growing battle from above, exiting a vent and landing on one of the Vulture Droids.

R2 fends off R3 and manages to open the Launch Bay doors. There are lasers firing everywhere. The Twilight takes off with all aboard apart from Anakin who takes a different ship.

R2D2 sprays the relentless R3 with oil, then ignites him with his jets. Losing balance, R3 then falls off the upper gantry and off the Station completely. Anakin picks his astromech up from outside and they fly away as the Station is destroyed.

The Mission has been completed, but Obi-Wan is dismayed Anakin risked everything in order to save a single droid. Anakin sees the droid as much more.

Clone Wars: Season 1 - Episode 6, Downfall of a Droid

The Clone Wars Season 1 - Episode 6, Downfall of a droid centers around two droids, R2D2 and R3S6. The Moral of the Episode is, "Trust in your friends and they will have reason to trust in you".

After suffering a series of disastrous defeats at the hand of General Grievous, the Republic's foothold in the Outer rim is in jeopardy. Commissioned to protect the strategic world of Bothawui, Anakin Skywalker and his weary battle group are all that stands between the System and domination of the Droid Army.

Grievous is growing more deadly and more successful in each battle against the Republic as time goes on. It seems that the Droid Leader always knows just when and where to attack them to cause maximum damage. Kenobi thinks Anakin should pull out the Bothawui system and take time to regroup. Anakin's Padawan, Ahsoka agrees. Skywalker decides they must stay. He has a plan and is determined the Separatists will not capture the sector.

The Separatist's find Anakin's fleet with relative ease through the Asteroid field of Bothawui and also have supreme fire power. "Lets finish them off!" Grievous shouts. He seems to have a unnatural tactical advantage at every turn.

Grievous is drawn in closer and Anakin's trap suddenly works. The General is attacked from behind by Clone Captain Rex's AT-TEs positioned on one of the asteroids. Grievous is totally outflanked and now vulnerable. Anakin Skywalker has out-maneuvered him. The panicking leader screams, "Get us out of here!".

His Flagship unable to escape the onslaught, Grievous departs rapidly in a Vulture Class Droid Ship. Anakin quickly follows, but his ship sustains damage and the Jedi spins out of control, only to wake up later in a nearby medical centre. Grievous has escaped again. Captain Rex was able to save Anakin from his doomed fighter, but when they return to claim the astromech R2, he is no where to be found.

The finding of R2D2 is of utmost urgency when it transpires the Droid does not have its memory regularly erased. The missing droid contains important Republic Tactics and secret locations of many of their Bases!.

In the meantime, Anakin's replacement astromech is R3S6 which Ahsoka nicknames, Goldie on account of his colouring.

Anakin, Ahsoka and R3 search the asteroid field for any sign of the missing R2D2. They soon come across a Trandoshan Scavenger Ship and suspect that the owner may have taken the droid aboard in order to make a selling profit. They board posing as Droid buyers to be met by a very shady looking Trandoshan. He guides them to a cargo bay of the ship. "I may have an R2 unit," he says, "Have a look, but there are many... unique items down there."

The replacement droid R3 is seeming to be more of a hindrance the further the Jedi progress with their search. In an apparent error, the droid turns on the main power to the cargo bay, first activating the light system and then split-seconds later, two very dangerous IG Class Assassin droids! Ahsoka screams, "Goldie! Shut those droids down!". R3 doesn't seem to hear her.

The IG Assassin droids are brilliant. They leap with ease over the cargo racks, taking great vantage points and shooting their blaster weapons at the Jedi below. They completely ignore R3. It's a very tough battle, but Anakin and Ahsoka eventually win out. Anakin is not impressed. He stares at R3, "You'd make a poor excuse for a light switch!". They leave the Scavenger Ship, the Trandoshan has been no help at all.

The shady Trandoshan dealer immediately contacts General Grievous. He had R2D2 all along contained in a hidden compartment. "I have the merchandise you are looking for."

The Jedi presume Grievous has a secret listening post somewhere that is giving him a huge tactical advantage. Anakin decides to go look for it on his own. His reasoning is one ship raises less suspicion and is harder to spot. Despite his reservations he agrees to let the troublesome R3 come along as his astromech.

Aboard the Trandoshan ship, the captured R2D2 manages to dislodge his restraining bolt and escape his compartment. An alerted IG Assassin droid gives chase, but is tricked into an airlock and jettisoned into space. R2 is a clever droid, but his progress is seemingly halted when the Trandoshan owner finds him.

This is where Anakin's trouble with R3 really begins. Exiting discreetly from Hyperspace, Skywalker orders the droid to perform a sensor sweep of surrounding space. Instead the droid turns on the ship's tracking beacon alerting everyone to his presence. Grievous notices the transmission, "Skywalker! Now you have fallen into my trap!". Wasting not a single second, Grievous ships make a short hyperspace jump and appear right in front of Anakin. "Time to leave," he calmly comments.

As Anakin tries to avoid his attackers, R3 is not making it very easy. The droid seems to be doing the opposite to everything he instructs him. Grievous launches all Vulture Class Fighters to make chase. It seems like overkill for one ship, but somehow, Skywalker still manages to avade them and destroy a flurry of missiles fired at him. "That was clever," a droid says to the annoyance of Grievous. Skywalker's luck appears to be running out however, as R3 causes problems with both the engines and the laser weapons.

Captain Rex and Ahsoka arrive just in time in a boarding craft! Skywalker haphazardly manoeuvre's his ship into the landing bay and they Hyperspace away from danger.

Anakin is not at all impressed with R3S6's performance. "I'm lucky to be alive," he says.

R2D2 is still out there aboard the Trandoshan Scavenger ship.

The story continues in Episode 7 - Duel of the Droids.