Star Wars: The Clone Wars Episode 1.07 Duel of the Droids

Missing in action! AnakinSkywalker's heroic droidnavigator R2-D2 was lost inbattle. When a desperatesearch fails to locate Artoo,Anakin is forced to take ona new navigator, R3-S6.Now the Jedi embark on adangerous new mission, tofind a secret enemy listeningpost. Meanwhile, R2-D2 hasfallen into the hands of avile droid smuggler and ison his way to General Grievouswho will surely plunder theRepublic's secrets hiddenwithin him....

Gha Nachkt's salvage ship, Vulture's Claw approaches the storm cloud-covered moon of Ruusan and opens communications with General Grievous. The slimy Nachkt is insistent on getting paid promptly for his services. Sealed within a cargo hold, the captive R2-D2 cuts his way into an electronics trunk with a circular saw, exposing wiring connected to the communications system. He blurts out a brief beep over the open comm before Gha Nachkt detects his sneaky maneuver and debilitates the droid with an ion prod.

Elsewhere, the Twilight scours nearby space for Grievous' secret station. Aboard, Ahsoka Tano intercepts Artoo's brief outburst, and Anakin Skywalker recognizes it as his droid's whistle. He orders Captain Rex to trace the signal. Ahsoka reminds Anakin that their orders are to find the Separatist listening post, but Anakin justifies his shift in priorities by suggesting that perhaps R2-D2 is at the listening post. Rex locks onto the coordinates, and the Twilight leaps into hyperspace.

In the skies of the Ruusan moon, Gha Nachkt's vessel lands at Skytop Station, a Trade Federation core ship converted into a listening post. Nachkt marches the captive R2-D2 past surveillance posts manned by Aqualish technicians and is met by General Grievous. After getting a taste of Artoo's characteristic defiance, Grievous orders the little droid torn apart and sifted for information. Gha Nachkt then takes the droid to a terrifying disassembly chamber.

The Twilight emerges in the Ruusan system and detects the presence of Skytop Station. Anakin recognizes it as a Separatist installation. He orders R3-S6 to contact Obi-Wan Kenobi, using scramble code 1477. Skywalker reports to Kenobi, who advises that Anakin hold off until reinforcements arrive. Anakin reveals that he thinks R2-D2 may be aboard and Obi-Wan changes tactics. He instead tells Anakin to sneak aboard the station and destroy it before the lost astromech's systems could be scoured for valuable intelligence. Above all, Kenobi reminds him, this is not a rescue mission.

Skywalker, Ahsoka, Rex and a team of four clones prep for the insertion mission, and they're taking R3-S6 with them to help maneuver past the station's computer systems and sealed passageways. Rex gets the job of carrying the droid during their insertion drop. Using the moon's turbulent atmosphere and the Twilight's sensor jamming as cover, the strike team jumps from the spice freighter and freefalls to the station. The clone team uses rocket packs to slow their descent, while the Jedi rely on the Force.

Secure on the station's surface, Anakin cuts through the hull with his lightsaber. The troops enter through the hole and quickly subdue a battle droid patrol. They arrive at a control panel, and R3-S6 plugs in. A holographic projection of the station reveals that the station's reactors are 30 levels below. Anakin orders Ahsoka to lead the squad in destroying the reactors while he searches for R2-D2. The plan is to cripple the station's repulsorlifts, and let gravity do the rest.

ACT II

R2-D2 has been dissected! His splayed body parts lay strewn atop the chopshop table while Gha Nachkt probes the little droid's protected files. Images begin to coalesce in Artoo's holoprojector as Nachkt uncovers some sensitive Republic data. The Trandoshan scavenger excitedly calls Grievous with news that the droid's mission memory has never been erased. Gha, pleased with himself, demands an increase in his fee. All Grievous offers, however, is a lightsaber stabbed through Gha Nachkt's back. The Trandoshan is instantly killed.

As Ahsoka leads her troops deeper into the station, R3-S6 opens a transmission to General Grievous -- the little gold droid is a double agent! Goldie informs Grievous of the Jedi intruders, and the general orders the astromech to delay them. Ahsoka comes looking for R3 as Grievous sounds a general alarm. Grievous leaves to deal with the trespassers, assigning a quartet of MagnaGuard droids to watch over the disassembled R2-D2. He later orders his guards to take R2-D2 to his ship.

Rex and Ahsoka find the reactor room, but the general alarm has triggered a ray shield that prevents them from entering. Ahsoka tasks Goldie with bypassing the shield but the droid seems to have little luck -- in fact his lackluster slicing triggers a secondary blast door to slam down. Battle droid reinforcements arrive from either end of the corridor and open fire, forcing the clones to scatter for cover. Rex and his troops throw droid poppers -- EMP grenades -- that detonate and incapacitate the enemy.

Grievous arrives at the corridor, unimpressed by Ahsoka and the clones. He ignites his lightsaber; Ahsoka does the same and charges the general. Grievous quickly overpowers her, tossing her aside. Rex and the boys open fire but Grievous leaps into their midst, cutting through and bowling over several clones. Trooper Denal is thrown into a bulkhead and Rex is knocked out cold. As Grievous is about to plunge his lightsaber into the clone captain, Ahsoka stops his blade with hers.

Grievous ignites a second blade and forces Ahsoka back. She is nimble enough to avoid his swipes and she runs away with R3-S6 following. Grievous alerts his troops about a second Jedi in the station while he continues to pursue the young girl. In a darkened storage room, Grievous stalks Ahsoka.

Rex and Denal awaken and realize they're the only two clones left. He contacts Ahsoka, asking if the mission is still a go. She orders him to continue to plant the charges in the reactor. R3-S6 shines a spotlight on Ahsoka, giving away her location to Grievous.

Elsewhere, Anakin crosses paths with the MagnaGuards transporting R2-D2. He cuts past interfering super battle droids while giving chase. Anakin confronts the bodyguards, who discard Artoo while they engage in combat with the Jedi. Unnoticed, Artoo begins to pull his body together while Anakin cuts the MagnaGuards apart. R2-D2 even manages to zap a particularly stubborn bodyguard droids before it could lay a hand on Skywalker. Reunited with Artoo, Anakin then radios the Twilight to rendezvous at the south landing bay for extraction.

ACT III

As Ahsoka hides from General Grievous, the cyborg confers with the treacherous R3-S6, who updates Grievous on the Jedi mission. Ahsoka overhears this and realizes that Goldie has been a spy and saboteur all this time. Grievous dispatches R3 to interfere with Anakin's escape efforts.

The Twilight docks at the south landing bay, but Anakin and R2-D2 are dismayed that no one else has seemed to have made the rendezvous. Before long, R3-S6, Rex and Denal arrive. Rex reports that the reactor explosives have been placed. Anakin asks about Ahsoka and is shocked to hear that she engaged General Grievous alone. Anakin is determined to find her. Rex agrees to lead Anakin to her, but the blast doors to the hangar slam shut, tripped by R3. The traitorous little droid also shuts the external hangar bay doors, and activates a trio of vulture droids suspended from their ceiling recharge racks. Another hatch dispenses super battle droids. Anakin realizes his suspicions about R3's true loyalties were correct. A firefight erupts in the hangar, and Anakin and the clones scatter for cover behind docked P-38 fighters.

Back at the supply room, Ahsoka carelessly drops her guard and is plucked into the air by Grievous, who lifts her bodily off the ground by her throat. He grabs her lightsaber, eager to add it to his collection.

In the hangar bay, Anakin orders Rex to trigger the explosives, even though none of the team has yet to leave the station. Explosions erupt deep in the station, blossoming along the lower curve of the massive sphere. The whole structure shakes with repercussions, and Ahsoka takes advantage of the distraction to push Grievous' ignited lightsaber blade into his own wrist, severing his hand. Ahsoka rabbits into a nearby air duct, calling her lightsaber back to her with the Force, and scurrying away from the enraged cyborg. Grievous makes his way to his hangar, and leaves the dying station aboard his personal starfighter.

Anakin then orders Artoo to get the hangar bay doors open by venturing through an access hatch to an exterior maintenance catwalk, and unlocking the doors from the outside. R2-D2 braves the winds of the Ruusan moon as Skytop station plummets through the clouds. Behind him is R3-S6, who has followed him outside. The deceitful droid rams into Artoo, and the two begin to spar. They extend a variety of tools and appendages as they fight.

Ahsoka cuts her way into the south hangar, and leaps atop one of the vulture droids, severing its head with her lightsaber. She is reunited with their master, and they fight back-to-back defending against the droids. Skywalker then uses the Force to toss one of the hangar bay's fuel cells at the droids as Rex fires at the impromptu missile. The cell detonates, wiping out most of the droids.

R2-D2 momentarily incapacitates R3-S6 with an electro-jolt, and then opens the outer hangar bay door. Goldie awakens soon enough to once again pick up the fight against Artoo. Artoo douses Goldie with oil, and ignites a trail of fire with his booster jets. Goldie keeps his distance, but as the Separatist astromech falls off the catwalk, he fires a towline at R2-D2 and tries to pull the droid down with him. R2-D2 cuts the cable loose with his circular saw, and R3 falls off the catwalk. He is sheared into tumbling fragments by a piece of debris that has broken off the doomed station.

The Twilight lifts off from Skytop, departing the crashing sphere. Anakin boards his starfighter and blasts away from the freighter's hold, returning to the station to rescue R2-D2. Skywalker matches speeds with the station and flies up to the catwalk. R2-D2 powers up his boosters and leaps into the droid socket. Anakin's starfighter then lifts away, leaving Skytop Station to die far below.

Later, as the Twilight flies away from Ruusan, Anakin reports into Obi-Wan Kenobi who is incredulous at the risks Skywalker took to save R2-D2. But Anakin has no regrets: Artoo is more than a droid. He's a friend.