"Duel of the Droids" is the seventh episode of the first season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It is the seventh episode of the series overall. It premiered on November 14, 2008.
Official Description[]
Anakin, Ahsoka and replacement droid R3-S6 embark on a dual rescue/sabotage mission when they discover R2-D2 is being held at General Grievous' secret enemy listening post, Skytop Station.
Plot summary[]
R2-D2 managed to transmit the location of Grievous' listening post on a Ruusan moon, which the Twilightpicks up. Though advised by Obi-Wan Kenobi to wait for reinforcements, Anakin Skywalker lead a rescue mission to save Artoo before his secrets fall into Separatist hands, as well as plant a bomb. Gha Nachkt accessed Artoo's memory bank and found that the little droid contains every Republic strategy. He demanded more money but Grievous decided to give it to him by stabbing him in his back with his lightsaber. When the team arrived at the station, Anakin separated from Ahsoka Tano and the clones, heading out alone to find Artoo, against Obi-Wan’s wishes. Unbeknownst to them, R3-S6 was actually a spy for the Separatists, and alerted General Grievous to their presence. Ahsoka and the clones infiltrated the reactor control room, but they had to confront and eliminate the security battle droids. After that, Grievous ordered his IG-100 MagnaGuards to take Artoo to the ship.
Meanwhile, Anakin succeeded in finding R2-D2, and dueled Grievous' MagnaGuards. Once they were defeated, he and Artoo ordered everyone to rendezvous in the south hangar. Unfortunately, Ahsoka didn’t hear them, as Grievous had engaged her and her clones. The general kills all clones but Rex and Denal. Ahsoka defended herself against Grievous's blows but was overwhelmed and retreated to a room filled with spare droid parts. She hid from the general, but R3 gave her away. Grievous destroyed her comlink, and trapped her. As Anakin and the clones, who have succeeded in planting the bombs, meet the Twilight in the hangar, R3's treachery was revealed when he trapped them and activated several droids to fight them, as Anakin's suspicion on the golden droid's true allegiance was true. Anakin ordered Artoo to open the doors and he hurried to do so.
Ahsoka meanwhile, couldn't find Grievous anywhere and believed he had left. She deactivated her lightsaber and began to walk forward. Suddenly one of Grievous’ large, metal hands grabbed Ahsoka's throat and lifted her off the ground. Grievous suspended himself from the roof in the storage room and found Ahsoka. Ahsoka raised her lightsaber but Grievous knocked it aside. Ahsoka swung her legs around while prying the mechanical limb with both hands as the general descended to the floor. Ahsoka coughed and gaged, moving her jaw and tongue around, gasping feebly for air. Grievous picked up her lightsaber and examined it. Ahsoka, in fear of the blade close to her face, pulled at the metal hand to free herself, but she couldn’t release herself from the grip on her throat. Believing he had won, Grievous taunted his prisoner, saying that R3 had trapped the others and after he eliminated her, her master was next. Ahsoka, not afraid of dying believed Anakin would still succeed in destroying the base, but Grievous thought otherwise. At that moment, Skywalker ordered Rex to activate the explosives, despite the fact that the squad was still in the station.[6]
Rex complied, and as the station shook with the multiple impacts, Ahsoka was able to use her lightsaber to sever Grievous's hand that was clamped around her throat. The Padawan jumped onto a shelf, causing the shelves' contents to drop out, and the shelves themselves began to topple over in a domino effect. Ahsoka escaped into an air vent and retrieved her lightsaber with the Force before fleeing. Grievous slashed at the vent Ahsoka was in with his lightsaber; however, the Padawan was able to evade being sliced to pieces, and she headed for the hangar bay. Ahsoka rejoined the team, who defeat the Vulture droids and escape in the Twilight. Grievous escaped the station in his ship, Soulless One. Anakin left in his starfighter to pick up Artoo.
Meanwhile, Artoo had managed to open the hangar doors, but R3 moved to intercept him, and the two droids faced each other in combat. Artoo pushed his Separatist counterpart over the edge, but R3 grabbed him with a suction cup. Artoo succeeded in cutting the cable, and R3-S6 was sent flying into the air, where he was destroyed by flying debris. Artoo was then rescued by Anakin.
As they left the system, Anakin contacted Obi-Wan. While they succeeded, Obi-Wan disapproved of Anakin's choice to risk the mission and all their lives to save a droid. While Ahsoka was happy they got R2 back, she agreed with Obi-Wan. But Anakin said R2 is more than a droid: he is a friend. R2 beeped in approval.
