General Grievous served as a decent and annoying antagonist in Dave Filoni’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The four-armed mechanical monstrosity was always a pesky thorn prickling at the Republic’s side. However, the character never grew above that as the series progressed. He did commit brutal and heinous acts, such as massacring the Nightsisters on Dathomir, and slaying Kit Fisto’s Padawan. But, overall, Grievous’ role in The Clone Wars was to act as a typical Saturday morning cartoon villain; he was the routine obstacle the protagonists needed to overcome to accomplish their objective of the week.
This doesn’t make Grievous a bad character by any means. There’s nothing wrong with certain characters needing to fill specific formulaic requirements so that the story can move forward. But fans should know there was once a different Grievous that flew across our television screens — a very, very different Grievous.
From 2003-2005, Genndy Tartakovsky, the father of Dexter’s Laboratory and Samurai Jack, brought forth the first animated depiction of the Clone Wars with Star Wars: Clone Wars. This series, filled with 25 micro episodes, delighted viewers with its thrilling and fast-paced action. Tartakovsky proved to be a master when it came to portraying lightsaber combat; if you need proof, look no further at Anakin Skywalker vs. Asajj Ventress.
In the series, Tartakovsky also gifted Star Wars fans with the scariest and most unsettling lightsaber duel the franchise has ever seen. Well, it wasn’t so much a duel. It was a slaughter.
General Grievous absolutely demolished six Jedi with ease, and it wasn’t easy to watch
The end of Star Wars: Clone Wars Season 2 and the beginning of Season 3 depict General Grievous taking on six Jedi on the planet of Hypori. While one of the Jedi is a Padawan, there are three esteemed fighters in the group: Shaak Ti, Aayla Secura, and Ki-Adi-Mundi.
The Jedi and their forces were battered before landing on Hypori due to orbital mines surrounding the planet. After crash landing behind enemy lines, an army of battle droids led by Grievous pounced. However, despite having a drastic numerical advantage, Grievous halted the attack and marched forth alone into the wreckage where the exhausted Jedi were hiding.
What follows is a chilling display of intimidation. “Make peace with the Force,” Grievous declares before stalking forward, his mechanical footsteps echoing across the field. The animation beautifully portrays the stress and anxiety of the situation. Ki-Adi-Mundi, a Jedi Master and Council Member, is even seen sweating. When a fear-stricken Padawan blindly charges forward, Grievous literally pounces on him, killing him instantly, before returning to the shadows.
It’s immediately apparent that the Jedi have never before seen a foe like this. No amount of orthodox Jedi teachings can prepare for an enemy like this. When Grievous finally strikes in earnest, he is able to hold off the Jedi with apparent ease. The Force-users try everything from levitating and hurling large debris, to charging forward bravely. Nothing works. Grievous is able to slay three Jedi while gravely injuring Shaak Ti and Aayla Secura.
While Ki-Adi-Mundi is able to just barely survive against the Separatist leader, he is nearly killed as well. A group of Republic Arc Troopers save him at the last minute. Mundi’s voice is cracked with fear and desperation as he begs the Clone soldiers to shoot Grievous down. Seeing even an esteemed and experienced Jedi like Mundi screeching with fear speaks to just how impossible and frightening a foe Grievous truly is. (It’s also important to note that this “fight” was barely six minutes. It speaks to the genius of Tartakovsky that he was able to craft such an anxiety-inducing character introduction in that short span.)
Arguably, the show’s greatest achievement was its depiction of General Grievous. This version of the Separatist leader was absolutely chilling and ruthless. He wasn’t a wacky cartoon villain with a propensity for constantly laughing and falling down. No, Tartakovsky’s iteration was a largely silent master stalker that attacked with deadly precision and demonic speed. He also didn’t need to always rely on cheap tricks or underhanded tactics to emerge victorious. Neither did he possess an ounce of fear like his later iteration. This General Grievous didn’t feel like a Star Wars character. He felt like an unstoppable slasher villain from a ’70s horror flick.
