Rebelscum.com: Force Facts

Posted by Liam on April 4, 2022 at 08:46 AM CST

Hey there, Rebelscum fans! This week on the site we’re sinking into the underlevels of Utapau with an exploration of the pivotal moment in Revenge of the Sith where Obi-Wan duels General Grievous and suffers through Order 66. Check out our “Expand Your Mind” article to learn about the sequence’s relevance to the overall Star Wars canon, but stay tuned throughout the week for more articles, insights, videos, and merchandising content.

Revenge of the Sith was the most action-packed Star Wars film to date, and Utapau is the site of some of the film’s most memorable moments. Not only do you get a major battle, an exciting lightsaber duel, and a non-traditional chase sequence, but this was where the turning point of the entire Clone War took place. The first moments of Order 66 occur when Commander Cody fires on Boga and attempts to track down Obi-Wan.

It’s an underrated planet for sure, so read more about Utapau with our Force Facts.

George Lucas had been attempting to use the name “Utapau” in Star Wars projects for years, but always ended up changing it to another name. Utapau’s first appearance was in an early rough draft of a planet that would become Tatooine.
Ralph McQuarrie began developing a design for a “sinkhole planet” during the early work on A New Hope in 1976. Lucas would reference these designs when making Revenge of the Sith.
Utapau first appears in an issue of the Star Wars: Clone Wars tie-in comic. The 2004 short story “Reversal of Fortune” stars Barris Offee, Aayla Secura, Shaak Ti, and Stass Allie.
There is some discrepancy on Commander Cody’s fate as a result of the LEGO Star Wars video game, which shows him being killed by Grievous prior to Obi-Wan’s duel.
The MagnaGuards aren’t given many distinguishing factors, but the video game The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels introduced the villainous EG-5, who wields two red lightsabers.
Tion Medon is played by Australian actor Bruce Spence, who is best known for his roles in other geek franchises like The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings, and Mad Max.
The “Crisis on Utapau” story arc reel had to find creative means of making sure that Anakin and Grievous never meet. Based on their early interaction during the Chancellor’s rescue, the two have apparently never met.
Within the Seperatist Council is the Quarren leader Tikkes, who surprisingly became a fan favorite. A fan campaign pushed very hard for Filoni to incorporate Tikkes in The Clone Wars. Filoni planned to use him in the seventh season, but the episodes were not completed.
Steven Spielberg stepped in to direct moments of the chase with Grievous. Spielberg released two films the same year as Revenge of the Sith with the remake of War of the Worlds and Munich. The original War of the Worlds was one of Lucas’s inspirations, and Spielberg’s version features significant use of Lucas’s Industrial Lights and Magic in one of their largest productions.
The Commando Cody adventure Radar Men From The Moon inspired the feature film Lost Planet Airmen, but that movie’s hero was only referred to as “Rocket Man” and not Cody.