The Clone Wars Set Up A Major Arc For An Iconic Revenge Of The Sith Villain – But Never Used It

Star Wars: The Clone Wars provided a wealth of information about some of the best characters in the prequel trilogy, but there’s one Revenge of the Sith villain whose backstory was barely explained, despite having a major arc set up for it. The Clone Wars showcased some of Star Wars‘ most powerful villains, and it also gave interesting context to many of their stories. Some villains were even completely changed in the show, which made their stories even better, as shown by Darth Maul’s essential viewing list. Not every villain got as much chance to stand out, though, and one in particular was almost completely forgotten.

Star Wars has a long history of introducing extremely cool villains and killing them off too quickly. The most notable example is Boba Fett, one of the best bounty hunters in Star Wars. Boba Fett’s backstory was explored in the prequel trilogy, and he eventually got his own show that allowed him to become a more developed character. Other villains, like one from Revenge of the Sith, never got such a chance, even though The Clone Wars set up an entire story arc. That story arc could have made them a much more compelling villain, and fixed one of the show’s rare mistakes.

General Grievous Never Got Much Character Development In The Clone Wars

Grievous Never Grew Out Of His Cowardly Depiction

Of all the villains featured in The Clone Wars, General Grievous had by far the least development. Throughout the entire show, Grievous was only ever shown as a competent but cowardly warrior who would flee at the first sign of a fight going wrong. While there were moments when his true power shone through, such as his assault on the Nightsisters of Dathomir, very few layers of his character were ever revealed in The Clone Wars. There was one episode that explored Grievous’ past, though it didn’t go into much detail, and it never became as big as it could have been.

The Statues In Grievous’ Lair Almost Made Him An Even More Compelling Villain

The Clone Wars Hinted At His Rich & Interesting Backstory, But Never Used It

In The Clone Wars season 1, episode 10, Jedi Master Kit Fisto and his former Padawan infiltrated General Grievous’ lair. As they examined his base ahead of his arrival, they came upon several statues that showed Grievous at various stages of his life and with varying levels of cybernetic implants. Grievous also told his medical droid that he “submits to no one” and that he considered his implants to be improvements. Those moments offered a rare glimpse into Grievous’ backstory and some of his more interesting character traits, which would have been a compelling story arc for the show to follow.

Before Grievous was a cyborg general, he was a Kaleesh warlord. The Kaleesh were a reptilian species whose home planet was located in the Wild Space region of the Star Wars galaxy map. Grievous led a war band across Wild Space to invade and conquer several species, like the Huk, which explains why he was so fearsome during the Clone Wars. The statues in Grievous’ lair hinted at his warlord backstory, but it was completely abandoned after that episode. Exploring Grievous’ history could have made him so much more compelling than the cowardly general he was depicted as, but the opportunity was never capitalized on.

How Could The Clone Wars Have Used Grievous’ Backstory More?

The Show Could Have Explored Why Grievous Hated The Jedi So Much

While The Clone Wars couldn’t have directly shown Grievous’ backstory, as it took place years prior, there were several ways it could have been referenced. In Star Wars canon, the Huk called for help after Grievous’ rampage, and the Republic and Jedi allied with them, causing Grievous’ hatred of both. A Clone Wars episode could have traveled to the Huk world to see the effects Grievous had on them and explore the effects the Republic’s intervention had on the Kaleesh in greater detail. The show also could have seen the Separatists capitalize on the Kaleesh’s hatred of the Republic and form an alliance with them.

The Clone Wars also could have addressed his history more indirectly by focusing on some of the personality traits Grievous displayed in that episode. His conversation with the medical droid established the pride Grievous felt in himself and his implants, but it also showed how much he wanted Count Dooku’s approval. That could have inspired resentment in Grievous, and it would have been the perfect setup for an episode showing him challenging Dooku. It also would have utilized his statement that he never submitted to anyone, which would have then given Grievous a much more compelling reason to be so angry beyond simple hatred of the Jedi.

Grievous’ character development, or lack thereof, is one of the few mistakes The Clone Wars ever made. As the commander of the droid army, Grievous was one of the show’s main villains, but he was also one-dimensional. Exploring his backstory would have made Grievous a much more complex villain, and it would have made The Clone Wars better as a whole. There’s still a chance that some future Star Wars story will give Grievous that development, but for now, he remains on the list of the franchise’s under-utilized villains.