General Grievous is a fictional character in the
Star WarsStar Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
universeA fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
, an antagonist in
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the SithStar Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a 2005 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the sixth and final film released in the Star Wars saga and the third in terms of the series' internal chronology....
. He was voiced by Matthew Wood. According to the
Revenge of the Sith DVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, series creator
George LucasGeorge Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
instructed his creative team to create a villain that foreshadowed Anakin Skywalker's transformation into
Darth VaderDarth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
: the heavy breathing, the
cyborgA cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
body, and his seduction into a malevolent faction.
Grievous is portrayed as a cyborg general leading the droid armies of the Separatists, a political faction of planetary systems waging war on the
Galactic RepublicThe Galactic Republic is the name of the interplanetary State used in the fictional Star Wars universe prior to the establishment of the Galactic Empire. The form of this government, created by the Senate, was introduced in the Prequel Trilogy. By the time of the original Star Wars trilogy, it is...
. Trained in
lightsaberA lightsaber is a fictional weapon in the Star Wars universe, a "laser sword." It consists of a polished metal hilt which projects a blade of light about 1.33 metres long. The lightsaber is the signature weapon of the Jedi order and their Sith counterparts, both of whom can use them for close...
combat by Separatist leader
Count DookuCount Dooku is a fictional character from the Star Wars universe. Dooku is one of the main antagonists of both Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and the events of the Clone Wars and is a supporting villain in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Count Dooku plays a substantial role...
, he is a ruthless warrior devoted to the destruction of the
JediThe Jedi are characters in the Star Wars universe and the series's main protagonists. The Jedi use a power called the Force and weapons called lightsabers, which emit a controlled energy flow in the shape of a sword, in order to serve and protect the Republic and the galaxy at large from conflict...
, killing several of them and collecting their lightsabers as trophies.
Star Wars films
The
opening crawlEach film in the Star Wars series opens with a crawl of text which provides an explanation of the backstory and context of the film...
of
Revenge of the Sith explains that Grievous and
Count DookuCount Dooku is a fictional character from the Star Wars universe. Dooku is one of the main antagonists of both Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and the events of the Clone Wars and is a supporting villain in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Count Dooku plays a substantial role...
have abducted the Supreme
ChancellorChancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
PalpatinePalpatine is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the Star Wars saga, portrayed by Ian McDiarmid in the feature films.Palpatine first appeared as the unnamed Emperor of the Galactic Empire in the 1980 film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back...
from the galactic capital Coruscant and are holding him hostage aboard Grievous's flagship, the
Invisible Hand. A rescue operation conducted by
JediThe Jedi are characters in the Star Wars universe and the series's main protagonists. The Jedi use a power called the Force and weapons called lightsabers, which emit a controlled energy flow in the shape of a sword, in order to serve and protect the Republic and the galaxy at large from conflict...
Knights
Obi-Wan KenobiObi-Wan Kenobi is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. He is one of several primary characters in the Star Wars series. Along with Darth Vader, R2-D2, and C-3PO, he is one of the few major characters to appear in all six Star Wars films...
and Anakin Skywalker and their droid
R2-D2R2-D2 , is a character in the Star Wars universe. An astromech droid, R2-D2 is a major character throughout all six Star Wars films. Along with his droid companion C-3PO, he joins or supports Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Obi-Wan Kenobi in various points in the saga...
results in the death of Count Dooku at the hands of Skywalker, effectively transferring command over the Separatist Council to Grievous. Grievous retreats from the battle after the Jedi infiltrate his command bridge.
Now the Republic's top priority, Grievous takes refuge on the sinkhole planet Utapau, where the Separatist Council is based. Under orders from
Darth SidiousPalpatine is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the Star Wars saga, portrayed by Ian McDiarmid in the feature films.Palpatine first appeared as the unnamed Emperor of the Galactic Empire in the 1980 film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back...
, Palpatine's alter ego, Grievous relocates the Council to the volcanic planet Mustafar, setting the stage for
Darth VaderDarth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
's slaughter of the Council. With Grievous's usefulness having run its course, Palpatine betrays the droid general by authorizing an invasion of Utapau under the command of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Following a
lightsaberA lightsaber is a fictional weapon in the Star Wars universe, a "laser sword." It consists of a polished metal hilt which projects a blade of light about 1.33 metres long. The lightsaber is the signature weapon of the Jedi order and their Sith counterparts, both of whom can use them for close...
duel with Kenobi and a subsequent chase through the streets on a "wheelbike", Kenobi fires five blaster shots into Grievous's "organ sac" beneath his chestplate, incinerating his inner organs. His remains were then collected by droids.
2003 animated series
Grievous's introduction into the
Star Wars saga was the 2003
Clone Wars microseries by
Genndy TartakovskyGenndy Borisovich Tartakovsky is a Russian-American television animator, director and producer. His best-known creations are Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Star Wars: Clone Wars, and Sym-Bionic Titan...
, where he is shown as a ruthless and cunning tactician, taking on five Jedi at once and holding his own at the Battle of Hypori, his first duty as a Separatist general. The depleting number of Jedi caused by Grievous's surfacing contributes to the Jedi Council's early knighting of Anakin Skywalker. Later, he is given command by Darth Sidious and Count Dooku over the Separatist's invasion of Coruscant, where he abducts Chancellor Palpatine (unaware he is actually Darth Sidious) and sets the stage for the opening of
Revenge of the Sith.
2008 animated series
Grievous is featured as a main villain in the 2008 CGI series
The Clone Wars, with Matthew Wood reprising his role from the film, first appearing as the commander of the
Malevolence, a superweapon armed with a number of heavy ion cannons. Grievous's various wartime campaigns include an invasion of the clone army's home planet Kamino, the capture of noted Jedi Master Eeth Koth, and a confrontation in his private castle with the Jedi Council member Kit Fisto, as part of a trap laid out by Count Dooku to test his prowess in combat.
In contradiction to earlier sources depicting a gruesome shuttle crash and subsequent reconstruction, Grievous suggests in the animated series that he opted for surgery and reconstruction because he desired to be a Jedi. Statues in Grievous's palace depicting the transformation suggest the process occurred gradually, with more and more of Grievous's humanity being taken away with each new cybernetic enhancement.
Star Wars literature
Grievous made his first appearance in the comics in a short story in
Star Wars: Visionaries called
The Eyes of Revolution. This story reveals that Grievous was once Kaleesh general Qymaen jai Sheelal, a fierce warrior engaged in a brutal war with the rival planet Huk. He boards a shuttle to take him to another battle, unaware that Dooku had planted an explosive device in it. He is later reconstructed following the shuttle explosion, taken into the Separatist cause by Dooku.
Grievous starred in his own comic called
Star Wars: General Grievous, in which he fights Jedi master T'chooka D'oon and padawan Flyn. After Grievous kills D'oon, Kybo return to the Jedi council with a plan to destroy the general once and for all. When the council rebukes his vengeful plan, Kybo decides to take this matter into own hands, with disastrous results. Grievous makes his last appearance in the comics in
Star Wars: Obsession issue number 4, in which he is on the world of Boz Pity where he kills two Jedi, Master Soon Bayts and Jedi Council member Adi Gallia. Though Grievous is subdued by
Mace WinduMace Windu is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, most famously portrayed by actor Samuel L. Jackson in the prequel films. However, Windu has also been voiced by other actors in assorted video game and animated projects....
, Count Dooku is able to save him so he may fight another day.
Video games
General Grievous has appeared in several video games, notably,
Star Wars: Battlefront IIStar Wars: Battlefront II is a first/third-person shooter video game developed by Pandemic Studios, and published by LucasArts. The game is the sequel to the successful Star Wars: Battlefront and features new vehicles, characters, game mechanics, maps, and missions...
,
Star Wars: Republic CommandoStar Wars: Republic Commando is a first-person shooter Star Wars video game, released in the US on March 1, 2005. It was developed and published by LucasArts for the Microsoft Windows and Xbox platforms. The game uses Epic Games' Unreal Engine...
, and the
Revenge of the SithStar Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith is the official LucasArts 2005 video game based on the movie of the same name. It centers around Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker as the Clone Wars come to an end. It was released on May 5, 2005, for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Game Boy Advance and...
video game.
Grievous next appears in the video game
Star Wars GalaxiesStar Wars Galaxies is a Star Wars themed MMORPG for Microsoft Windows developed by Sony Online Entertainment and published by LucasArts.-History:...
. Following the establishment of the
Galactic EmpireThe Galactic Empire is one of the main factions in the fictional universe of Star Wars. It is a galaxy-spanning regime established by the series' lead villain, Palpatine, to replace the Galactic Republic in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The Galactic Empire is introduced in Star Wars...
,
stormtroopersThe Imperial Stormtroopers are fictional soldiers from George Lucas' Star Wars universe. Stormtroopers are the soldiers of the imperial army under the leadership of the evil Sith Lord and Emperor Palpatine and his commanders, most notably Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin.They are shown in...
recover Grievous' body, transporting it and his captured starfighter to one of Palpatine's secret storehouses on Utapau. There it remains for years, until the cyberneticist Nycolai Kinesworthy uses Grievous' body for the N-K Project, to create the highly advanced droid N-K Necrosis. This war droid has a brief life in the Myyydril Caverns on
KashyyykKashyyyk , also known as Wookiee Planet C, is a planet in the Star Wars universe. It is the tropical, forested home world of the Wookiees...
before being destroyed by an anonymous group of spacers. The combatants loot the droid's remains, taking its weaponry and anything else of value. The facemask ends up on the Invisible Market, where it is purchased for its artistic properties by a high-ranking Imperial admiral — purported to be none other than
Grand Admiral ThrawnGrand Admiral Thrawn is a fictional character and major antagonist from the Star Wars galaxy. He first appeared in Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogy, published between 1992 and 1994...
. General Grievous also makes a very brief appearance in
Star Wars: Republic CommandoStar Wars: Republic Commando is a first-person shooter Star Wars video game, released in the US on March 1, 2005. It was developed and published by LucasArts for the Microsoft Windows and Xbox platforms. The game uses Epic Games' Unreal Engine...
, when Delta Squad almost catches him boarding his starship to an "unknown" planet. Earlier, on Geonosis, after killing Sun Fac, a ship looking similar to Grievous' flies away. The squad notes the ship as not being Geonosian. Grievous makes his next appearance in
Lego Star WarsLego Star Wars: The Video Game is a video game based on the Star Wars themed toy line by the Lego Group and the first game in TT Games' Lego videogame franchise. It takes place during the prequel trilogy , with a bonus segment from A New Hope...
and
Lego Star Wars: The Complete SagaLego Star Wars: The Complete Saga is a video game based on the Star Wars-themed toy line by the Lego Group. It is a combination of the game Lego Star Wars: The Video Game and its sequel Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy...
, featured as a boss and an unlockable, playable character in free play mode. He is also playable in free play mode in
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy by accessing a save file of
Lego Star WarsLego Star Wars: The Video Game is a video game based on the Star Wars themed toy line by the Lego Group and the first game in TT Games' Lego videogame franchise. It takes place during the prequel trilogy , with a bonus segment from A New Hope...
.
General Grievous appears as a playable character in
Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Lightsaber Duels, released for the
Nintendois a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
WiiThe Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
on November 11, 2008. General Grievous also appears as a playable character in
Star Wars Battlefront: Elite SquadronStar Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron is a spin-off from the Star Wars Battlefront series released November 3, 2009 on the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable. It has been called the sequel to Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron.-Plot:...
, released for the
PlayStation PortableThe is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
(PSP) and
Nintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
on November 3, 2009. Unlike
Star Wars: Battlefront IIStar Wars: Battlefront II is a first/third-person shooter video game developed by Pandemic Studios, and published by LucasArts. The game is the sequel to the successful Star Wars: Battlefront and features new vehicles, characters, game mechanics, maps, and missions...
, in the DS version, he can use his four arms at the cost of force points instead of just two at the end of an attack.
Behind the scenes
General Grievous was developed for
Episode III as a powerful new villain on the side of the Separatists. The initial instructions that director
George LucasGeorge Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
gave the Art Department were very open-ended: "a droid general". From that vague direction, the artists developed a lot of explorations, some purely mechanical, some not, for Grievous' look.
The initial design for General Grievous was created by Warren Fu. That initial sketch was refined and made into a 1 feet (30.5 cm)-tall maquette sculpture. That was further refined when it was made into a realistic computer-generated model by Industrial Light & Magic. At the time, this was one of the most complicated models ever created by ILM, with many parts of differing physical qualities. General Grievous is completely
computer-generated imageryComputer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
in the movie. On set, Duncan Young read the lines off-screen, while Kyle Rowling wore a
bluescreenChroma key compositing is a technique for compositing two images together. A color range in the top layer is made transparent, revealing another image behind. The chroma keying technique is commonly used in video production and post-production...
or a
greenscreenChroma key compositing is a technique for compositing two images together. A color range in the top layer is made transparent, revealing another image behind. The chroma keying technique is commonly used in video production and post-production...
suit to act out the fights with Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Movie notes
General Grievous'
asthmaAsthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
tic cough in
Revenge of the Sith was intended to emphasize his organic nature as well as the flaws of cyborg
prostheticsIn medicine, a prosthesis, prosthetic, or prosthetic limb is an artificial device extension that replaces a missing body part. It is part of the field of biomechatronics, the science of using mechanical devices with human muscle, skeleton, and nervous systems to assist or enhance motor control...
. Grievous had previously appeared in
Clone Wars before many of his personality traits had been finalized. To reconcile the differences between the two presentations,
Mace WinduMace Windu is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, most famously portrayed by actor Samuel L. Jackson in the prequel films. However, Windu has also been voiced by other actors in assorted video game and animated projects....
uses the
ForceThe Force is a binding, metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the fictional universe of the Star Wars galaxy created by George Lucas. Mentioned in the first film in the series, it is integral to all subsequent incarnations of Star Wars, including the expanded universe of comic books, novels, and...
to crush Grievous' chest panel towards the end of the show's third season (Volume Two) as the general makes a desperate escape with Palpatine. Some of the audio effects for the coughing were taken from Lucas himself, who had
bronchitisAcute bronchitis is an inflammation of the large bronchi in the lungs that is usually caused by viruses or bacteria and may last several days or weeks. Characteristic symptoms include cough, sputum production, and shortness of breath and wheezing related to the obstruction of the inflamed airways...
during principal photography.
Portrayal
General Grievous has been played by several actors. In the
Star Wars: Clone WarsStar Wars: Clone Wars is an Annie Award-winning American animated television series set in the Star Wars galaxy. The series chronicles the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic under Chancellor Palpatine, and the Confederacy of Independent Systems under Count Dooku.Chronologically, the series...
animated series, the character was played by voice actor
John DiMaggioJohn William DiMaggio is an American voice actor. A native of North Plainfield, New Jersey, he is known for his gruff, deep voice and New Jersey accent, which he uses to voice mainly villains and anti-heroes.-Filmography:...
in Chapter 20 (the Season 2 finale episode). The role of General Grievous was assigned to
Richard McGonagleRichard Francis McGonagle is an American actor and voice actor.McGonagle was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Hildagard Virginia and William Francis McGonagle....
for Chapters 21–25 of Season 3. In the feature film
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the SithStar Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a 2005 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the sixth and final film released in the Star Wars saga and the third in terms of the series' internal chronology....
, General Grievous was dubbed by actor and sound editor Matthew Wood. Wood also plays Grievous in the animated series
The Clone Wars-Production:At April 2005's Star Wars Celebration III, Lucas stated that "we are working on a 3-D continuation of the pilot series that was on the Cartoon Network; we probably won't start that project for another year." In July 2005, pre-production had begun on the series, according to Steve...
as well as for all of Grievous' video game appearances. Wood's portrayal gives Grievous a
RussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n accent.
Gary OldmanGary Leonard Oldman is an English actor, voice actor, filmmaker and musician.A member of the 1980s Brit Pack, Oldman came to prominence via starring roles in British films Meantime , Sid and Nancy and Prick Up Your Ears , with his performance in the latter bringing him his first BAFTA Award...
, a friend of producer Rick McCallum, agreed to submit a voice audition, but his involvement never went beyond that. For several months following Oldman's reported (but never confirmed) refusal, actor
John Rhys-DaviesJohn Rhys-Davies is a Welsh actor and voice actor. He is perhaps best known for playing the charismatic Arab excavator Sallah in the Indiana Jones films and the dwarf Gimli in The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
was widely reported to be the voice of Grievous. This was eventually revealed to be a prank by a humor website, which planted the misinformation to see how far it would spread.
Lucasfilm audio lead and actor David W. Collins portrays General Grievous in the video games
Star Wars Battlefront: Elite SquadronStar Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron is a spin-off from the Star Wars Battlefront series released November 3, 2009 on the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable. It has been called the sequel to Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron.-Plot:...
and
Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade SquadronStar Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron is the third entry in the Star Wars Battlefront series of video games, first released on October 9, 2007 in North America and later in Australia and Europe. The game was designed as a PlayStation Portable exclusive and features the eponymous Rebel Alliance...
.
External links