The Battle of Mygeeto: Star Wars' Bloodiest Battle Explained

Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith turns 20 years old this year, marking two decades since audiences finally experienced the tragic downfall of Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One who joined the Sith rather than destroy them. Even this long after the film first hit theaters, the tragedy of Revenge of the Sith remains one of the highlights of the Skywalker Saga, emphasizing everything that fans love about the Star Wars franchise. Notably, the film includes the most in-depth exploration of the Clone Wars in live-action, depicting the final days of the galaxy-spanning civil war between the Republic and the Separatists.

One of the most iconic scenes in Revenge of the Sith depicts the execution of Order 66, in which clone troopers all across the galaxy turn on their Jedi generals, exterminating them with maximum prejudice. In many cases, the clones turned on their Jedi in the heat of battle, allowing Revenge of the Sith to explore several key battles that took place at the end of the Clone Wars. One such conflict is the Battle of Mygeeto, in which General Ki-Adi-Mundi battled the Separatist droid army. This battle, though only briefly explored in Revenge of the Sith, was one of the Clone Wars' most brutal fights and, worst of all, proved to be completely pointless in the end.

What Was the Battle of Mygeeto?

This Bloody Battle Was One of the Last Conflicts in the Clone Wars

The Battle of Mygeeto was one of the most brutal fights in the Clone Wars, raging on longer than almost any other conflict during the three-year civil war. Mygeeto is a planet in the Outer Rim territories, which had become the most heated theater of battle in the final years of the Clone Wars. The planet fell under the control of the InterGalactic Banking Clan, known supporters of the Separatist Alliance. The Republic sent troops there early in the war in hopes of freeing the planet from Separatist control and using it as a base while freeing other systems in the Outer Rim. Unfortunately, Mygeeto's cities included many different areas in which soldiers could take cover and establish footholds, causing the battle to rage on and on with no end in sight. The Battle of Mygeeto lasted for around three years, going on for almost the entirety of the Clone Wars.

Because the conflict lasted for so long, the Battle of Mygeeto is not contained to a single skirmish. Rather, the term is used to describe the larger Mygetto campaign, which consisted of four large-scale battles between the Republic and the Separatists. During the Third Battle of Mygeeto, Jedi Master Depa Billaba and her Padawan, Caleb Dume, clashed with Separatist forces led by General Grievous. The Republic emerged victorious, forcing Grievous to flee. After Billaba and Dume left Mygeeto, a fourth battle erupted, prompting the Republic to send Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi and the 21st Nova Corps to secure the system. As the fighting raged through Mygeeto's cities, Mundi and his men found themselves fighting for every inch of the planet. The bloodiest zones took place on vast bridges, as the Republic tried to push its forces into the cities themselves, only to be gunned down by their fortified enemies. This resulted in a stalemate, with neither side able to push far enough to conquer the other.

How Did the Battle of Mygeeto End?

The Battle of Mygeeto Ended in Disaster For Both Sides

The Battle of Mygeeto only ended when an outside force stepped in to shake up the conflict. After the death of General Grievous, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, secretly the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, ordered clone troopers all across the galaxy to execute Order 66. This command triggered the inhibitor chips placed within each clone's head at birth, prompting them to open fire on their Jedi Generals. Clone Commander Bacara received the order as he and General Mundi led an assault against the Separatist forces on a long, narrow bridge. Mundi, as was his custom, bravely charged ahead of his clone troopers, noticing too late when they stopped in their tracks and turned their weapons on him. Mundi managed to deflect a few blasts before finally succumbing to their fire, falling as so many of his Jedi brothers and sisters did all around the galaxy.

After Ki-Adi Mundi was killed by his clone troopers, the remaining members of the 21st Nova Corps continued the fight to free Mygeeto from Separatist control. As the Mygeeto campaign came to an end, the Republic forces routed out any remaining Separatist strongholds. This job was made much easier once the newly appointed Darth Vader slayed the Separatist leaders on Mustafar and oversaw the dismantling of their droid army. With no further opposition to their conquest, the clone troopers claimed Mygeeto in the name of their newly formed Empire and its Emperor. As such, the Battle of Mygeeto came to an end simultaneously with the conclusion of the Clone Wars. Countless lives had been lost in the assault, which remains one of the bloodiest campaigns in the galaxy's history.

How Did the Battle of Mygeeto Affect the Clone Wars?

The Clone Wars' Bloodiest Battle Was Also One of Its Most Pointless

After three years of fighting, neither the Separatist Alliance nor the Republic really won the Battle of Mygeeto. Rather, the fighting came to a sudden end when a new power, the Empire, emerged. In the end, all the fighting and all the bloodshed meant nothing. The Empire won the battle by default, only taking victory once the droid army had been shut down. Worse, in the years that followed, Mygeeto suffered disproportionately under Imperial control.

Imperial propaganda suggested that Mygeeto was a problematic system due to its lingering Separatist sympathizers, therefore justifying increased military presence on the planet. In reality, the Empire wanted to use Mygeeto's resources to bolster its army. Imperial forces strip-mined the planet's surface for valuable metals, which would go into building a fleet of starships that would further serve the Emperor's goals. The rise of the Empire resulted in the ultimate fall of Mygeeto, which suffered greatly during the Clone Wars, only to face an even harsher fate in its wake.