Star Wars: What happened to General Grievous that made him a cyborg?

Star Wars, created by George Lucas, is a long-running science fiction franchise that debuted in 1977. The series has introduced elements such as Jedi knights, Sith Lords, and interstellar wars, contributing to the development of the sci-fi genre in film.

Since its first movie's release, Star Wars has become a huge multimedia empire, with novels, comics, games, TV series, and films continuing to attract an audience. General Grievous, the Terminator-esque lightsaber expert droid, is one of the notable villains introduced in the Star Wars franchise.

Introduced in Star Wars: Clone Wars, General Grievous was not always the leader of the droid army. A shuttle accident planned by Count Dooku injured him badly. Instructions were given to the Genosians by Count Dooku, who recovered the General's body to turn him into a cyborg.

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The shuttle incident

General Grievous in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. (Image via starwars.com)

According to Star Wars Legends, it is Count Dooku and Darth Sidious who decide to sabotage the shuttle carrying the General. The Sith duo sees the hatred brought upon by the war on the General as an opportunity after millions of his people were sold into slavery. The Genosians transformed the General into a cyborg under Count Dooku's order.

Count Dooku decides to use this incident to corrupt the General's mind and use his hatred against the republic. Now a mechanically enhanced warrior with multiple arms wielding lightsabers, Dooku finally has a warrior capable of battling a Jedi. Each lightsaber is a trophy he took after defeating and killing a Jedi.

Now a ruthless super-robot and trained by Dooku in the ways of Jedi, he becomes the perfect puppet for the Sith Lords.

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Birth of the Khaleesh warlord

In Star Wars, Grievous is born as Qymaen jai Sheelal, a Khaleesh warlord by birth, an intergalactic reptilian species. Grievous is a brave warrior who has led his people through many wars with his tactical acumen but faces a brutal outcome in the Huk War. His army is unable to defeat the Huks due to the aid provided by the Galactic Republic under the influence of the Jedis.

Although the General and his army fight valiantly, the defeat leaves their planet in ruin, with their wealth and food destroyed. This fills the General's heart with pure hatred for the Republic and the Jedis.

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Obi-Wan Kenobi vs General Grievous

In The Clone Wars, General Grievous plays a huge role in weakening the Jedis and the republic. As shown in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, the General, as a ploy for the dark side, kidnaps Chancellor Palpatine to lure the Jedis. He escapes from Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to the planet Utapau with the separatist army to capture it.

Obi-Wan Kenobi ultimately manages to track him to bring forth an ultimate showdown between the Jedi master and the Jedi killer. Before Grievous can deliver the final blow, Obi-Wan uses the blaster to shoot through his armored chest plate. The General meets his demise after an enduring battle against the Jedi master.

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The legacy of General Grievous in Star Wars

While his death in the Revenge of the Sith concluded his original arc, his legacy continues among the fans. Through animated series, comics, and graphic novels, the audience has been provided with more insight into his backstory. General Grievous will always be remembered for his great villain arc and cyborg appearance, especially his wielding of multiple lightsabers.

Lucasfilm has been criticized for Grievous' limited appearance in the original saga, but much more can be seen about his past in other series. The audience can learn more about the General's past through both the 2003 and 2008 animated series The Clone Wars.

As the Star Wars saga continues to expand, the General continues to remain a much-discussed character among the viewers.

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