Separatist navy The Separatist navy , known more commonly as the Separatist fleet , was the naval division of the Confederacy of Independent Systems military during the Clone Wars . It was created during the height of the Separatist Crisis to bring a means of defense against the Galactic Republic . History . Origins . In 22 BBY , growing dissatisfaction with the Galactic Republic created unrest in the Galactic Senate and led thousands of systems to secede from the Republic . The Separatist movement rallied under the leadership of Count Dooku , a former Jedi Master . Following a failed assassination attempt on Senator Padmé Amidala , the Jedi Master Obi - Wan Kenobi discovered that the Republic was secretly building a clone Grand Army of the Republic on Kamino . While pursuing the clones ' template Jango Fett to Geonosis , Kenobi discovered that the Separatists were secretly building a Droid Army . Shortly later , the Republic launched an attack on Geonosis , sparking the Clone Wars . 22 BBY . During the early stages of the Clone Wars , a Separatist fleet under Admiral Trench , a veteran of the Battle of Malastare Narrows , lay siege to the planet Christophsis . The Republic and Jedi Order dispatched reinforcements including Jedi General s Kenobi and Skywalker , Admiral Wullf Yularen , and Clone Commander Cody to liberate Christophsis . Admiral Yularen and General Skywalker used a stealth ship to cripple Trench ' s " Providence " - class dreadnought " Invincible " , allowing Kenobi and Cody ' s fleet to attack the now leaderless Separatist fleet . Despite this , fighting on the ground continued on Christophsis . Later , a Separatist fleet blockaded and invaded the Twi ' lek homeworld of Ryloth . This blockade cut off any support for the dwindling Republic defenses and starving population . Republic Senator Bail Organa and Junior Representative Jar Jar Binks managed to convince King Katuunko of Toydaria to secretly ship supplies to Ryloth . The Separatists then deployed the " Malevolence " , a powerful " Subjugator " - class heavy cruiser equipped with deadly Mega - ion cannon s that could disable the power systems of entire Republic Navy fleets . The " Malevolence " used its powerful ion cannons to destroy dozens of Republic ships , leaving no survivors . The Jedi Council dispatched Jedi Master Plo Koon and the " Venator " - class Star Destroyer " Triumphant " to hunt down the mysterious Separatist ship . However , the " Malevolence " ambushed the " Triumphant " , killing most of the crew . Plo Koon and several Clone trooper s including Clone Commander Wolffe managed to escape due to the intervention of Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka Tano . The " Malevolence " continued its attacks on Republic military ships . Count Dooku then tasked General Grievous with attacking the Kaliida Shoals Medical Center , which was housing 60 , 000 wounded Republic clone troopers . In response , General Skywalker and Commander Tano attacked the " Malevolence " with the Y - wing Shadow Squadron . Despite taking casualties , Shadow Squadron managed to damage the " Malevolence " mega - ion cannon . With Republic ships in pursuit and the ship ' s hyperdrive damaged , Grievous retreated with the " Malevolence " back to Separatist Space . With Republic ships in pursuit , Darth Sidious and Count Dooku arranged for Senator Amidala ' s ship to rendezvous with the " Malevolence " . Grievous tried to take Amidala and C - 3PO hostage but they managed to escape into the " Malevolence " . Anakin , Kenobi , and R2 - D2 mounted a rescue mission and infiltrated the " Malevolence " . While aboard the " Malevolent " , Anakin rigged the " Malevolence " to crash into the Dead Moon of Antar . The destruction of the " Malevolence " dealt a blow to Grievous ' credibility . In addition , Jedi General Luminara Unduli ' s forces intercepted a Separatist fleet being sent to reinforce Grievous . Later , Separatist droid forces attempted to capture Rishi Station so that a Separatist fleet could attack the Republic cloning factories on Kamino but were repelled by Clone troopers , who managed to warn the Republic . As a result , the Separatists were forced to withdraw their fleet from the orbit of Rishi moon . Republic forces under General Skywalker and Admiral Yularen later destroyed a Separatist fleet commanded by Grievous during the Battle of Bothawui . Grievous escaped on his personal starfighter " Soulless One " . Skywalker and R2 - D2 gave chase but their Delta - 7B Aethersprite - class light interceptor was damaged in a meteor storm . A fleet of Separatist " Munificent " - class star frigates under the T - series tactical droid TF - 1726 later clashed with three " Venator " - class Star Destroyers under Jedi General Aayla Secura above the planet Quell . Republic reinforcements under General Skywalker came to General Secura ' s rescue and rescued Secura from her stricken Star Destroyer . They escaped to the planet Maridun where they encountered a Lurmen village . 21 BBY . In 21 BBY , the Separatist navy blockaded the planet Felucia , trapping Republic forces under Jedi Generals Kenobi and Skywalker . Republic reinforcements under Jedi General Plo Koon managed to break through the blockade and evacuate Republic forces on Felucia . After stealing a holocron from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant , the Separatist - aligned bounty hunter Cad Bane ' s fleet of " Munificent " - class star frigates attacked the Republic outpost on Devaron , capturing Jedi Master Bolla Ropal . Bane wanted to use Ropal to unlock the holocron he had stolen and access its secrets . Republic reinforcements under General Skywalker and Admiral Yularen boarded Bane ' s flagship and destroyed his fleet . However , Bane was able to escape with the holocron and a kyber memory crystal containing a list of all the Force - sensitive children in the galaxy . Later , a fleet led General Grievous attacked Jedi Master Eeth Koth ' s " Venator " - class Star Destroyer and captured him . In response , Jedi Generals Kenobi and Adi Gallia led a fleet of Republic warships which destroyed most of Grievous ' fleet . Republic and Jedi forces then pursued Grievous on Saleucami but the Separatist droid general managed to escape off - world . General Grievous later commanded a Separatist fleet which assaulted the planet Kamino , which produced Clone troopers for the Grand Army of the Republic . During the battle , Grievous sacrificed his transports in order to protect his flagship . Grievous and his second - in - command Commander Asajj Ventress also arranged for the parts of " Trident " - class assault ships to be deployed into Kamino ' s oceans in the guise of debris . Upon landing , they were reassembled by Aqua droid s and used to attack the Clone factories on Tipoca City . Ventress attempted to steal a DNA sample of Jango Fett but was thwarted by Skywalker . The Clone troopers succeeded in repelling the Separatist invaders . 20 BBY . A Separatist fleet under the command of Asajj Ventress and the tactical droid TJ - 912 later fought against a Republic fleet led by Generals Kenobi and Skywalker , and Admiral Yularen above the planet Sullust . During the battle , the droid tri - fighter squadrons Trident Group One and Trident Group Two destroyed the " Venator " - class Star Destroyer " Resolute " . In the midst of the battle , Darth Sidious contacted Count Dooku and ordered him to eliminate Ventress , believing that Dooku was training her as a Sith apprentice . To prove his allegiance , Dooku complied and ordered TJ - 912 to bombard Ventress ' " Providence " - class dreadnought . Despite the bombardment , Ventress survived and became a formidable enemy of the Sith . Dooku then ordered TJ - 912 to retreat from Sullust . Later , Separatist forces ambushed Jedi General Even Piell ' s " Venator " - class Star Destroyer along the Nexus Route , which straddled the heart of both Separatist and Republic space . In response to Piell ' s capture , the Jedi Order and Republic mounted a mission to rescue him from the Citadel prison on Lola Sayu . Separatist warships under General Grievous later ambushed Jedi General Adi Gallia and the 91st Mobile Reconnaissance Corps ' s " Venator " - class Star Destroyer near the planet Patitite Pattuna . Grievous ' forces boarded Gallia ' s ship and captured the Jedi Master . Gallia was later rescued from Grievous ' flagship by a Republic fleet under General Plo Koon and Clone Commander Wolffe . During the Battle of Umbara , a Separatist fleet supported the Umbaran Militia against Republic forces . The Umbaran s were being supplied by a DH - Omni Support Vessel that was being protected by the Separatist fleet . The Clone troopers Fives , Jesse , and Hardcase destroyed the Separatist supply ship using stolen Zenuas 33 Umbaran starfighter s . This help turn the tide of the battle in favor of the Republic . During the Battle of Dathomir , a Separatist fleet transported Separatist droid forces under Count Dooku and General Grievous to the planet Dathomir , the homeworld of the Nightsisters . All the Nightsisters with the exception of Ventress and Mother Talzin were killed during the Separatist assault . Later , Separatist warships under General Grievous attacked General Kenobi ' s fleet , inflicting numerous casualties . General Kenobi managed to activate the self - destruct mechanism on the " Venator " - class Star Destroyer " Negotiator " . The explosion wiped out Grievous ' landing party and at least one " Munificent " - class star frigate . The Republic Colonel Meebur Gascon and the droid D - Squad including R2 - D2 later undertook a successful mission to steal an encryption module from the tactical droid Aut - O ' s flagship in Separatist space . During a mission , Skywalker steered the T - 6 shuttle that he , Senator Amidala , and Tano were traveling on into the path of a Separatist fleet . Following a brief skirmish , the trio managed to escape due to a combination of Skywalker ' s piloting skills and Amidala and Tano manning the shuttle ' s cannons . 19 BBY . War of attrition . During the last stages of the Clone Wars , the planet Cato Neimoidia , which housed the headquarters of the Trade Federation , was invaded by a Separatist fleet . Despite the planet ' s ties to the Separatists , the Galactic Republic authorized a defense of the Neimoidian purse - world and dispatched reinforcements under General Skywalker and Commander Tano . While the Separatist fleet clashed with Republic warships in orbit , Skywalker and Tano clashed with Separatist droid tri - fighters before being recalled to Coruscant to investigate the Bombing of the Jedi Temple hangar . Republic and Separatist forces would continue fighting until the last days of the Clone Wars . Later , Separatist naval forces under Admiral Trench defended a space station above the planet Ringo Vinda against Jedi and Republic forces led by General Skywalker , and Masters Tiplar and Tiplee . During the battle , the Clone trooper Tup ' s inhibitor chip malfunctioned and he killed Master Tiplar . Upon seeing footage of " Tup " killing Tiplar , Trench attempted to kidnap the Clone trooper but Skywalker and the Clone troopers Rex and Fives managed to evacuate Tup to Kamino for medical examination . After , Rush Clovis assumed control of the InterGalactic Banking Clan , Count Dooku pressured him to raise interest rates on the Republic ' s loans to keep the bank afloat . Shortly later , a Separatist fleet attacked the Banking Clan ' s headquarters on the planet Scipio , wiping out a small Republic contingent led by Commander Thorn that had been assigned to guard Senator Amidala . In response , the Galactic Republic dispatched a fleet to take over the financial sector . Following the events on Scipio , the banks were placed under the authority of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine . Unknown to everyone else but Sidious ' apprentice Count Dooku , the events on Scipio were part of a Sith plot for Palpatine ' s alter ego Darth Sidious to consolidate his control over the galaxy . Following a mission to Utapau to excavate a large kyber crystal , a Separatist fleet escorted the Separatist supply ship that was to transport the kyber crystal back to Serenno . However , Generals Kenobi and Skywalker managed to infiltrate the Separatist supply ship and destroy the kyber crystal ; creating an explosion that destroyed much of the Separatist fleet above Utapau . The Jedi escaped aboard a Neimoidian shuttle while Grievous escaped aboard his Belbullab - 22 starfighter " Soulless One " . Separatist space and ground forces under Admiral Trench subsequently besieged the Republic world of Anaxes , which was the site of main production facility for the Republic Navy . Trench was aided by the captured , unconscious Republic Clone trooper Echo , who was used by Techno Union Foreman Wat Tambor to relay Rex ' s strategy algorithm to the Separatist commander . This enabled Separatist forces to make inroads against the Republic defenders . After General Skywalker , Rex , and Clone Force 99 rescued Echo from Wat Tambor , the clones managed to infiltrate Trench ' s flagship and shut down the droid army while General Skywalker killed Admiral Trench . After escaping , the Clone trooper Wrecker destroyed Trench ' s flagship and the surrounding Separatist fleet with a remote detonator ; turning the Anaxes campaign in favor of the Republic . Tools of the Sith . Later , Separatist forces under Count Dooku attacked the Mahran homeworld of Mahranee , overwhelming Republic reinforcements led by Jedi General Chubor . Separatist and Republic warships clashed in space . To punish the Mahranee for siding with the Republic , Dooku ordered his fleet to bombard General Chubor ' s Republic frigate and several ships carrying Mahran refugees . In addition , the Separatist leader initiated a genocide against the Mahran species . Dooku ' s actions led the Jedi High Council to send Master Quinlan Vos and the former Sith assassin on a mission to assassinate the Separatist leader . However , Dooku proved too powerful for the two assassins and captured Vos . After the Death Watch rescued Darth Maul from the Spire prison on Stygeon Prime , General Grievous led a Separatist fleet in pursuit of Maul and tracked him down to the planet Zanbar . During the battle above and on Ord Mantell ' s surface , Maul ' s Shadow Collective forces ambushed the Separatist fleet and captured both Dooku and General Grievous . However , Dooku and Grievous escaped Maul ' s captivity due to the intervention of Darth Sidious . Grievous killed Maul ' s mentor Mother Talzin . Maul managed to escape but his Shadow Collective forces were scattered and eliminated as a threat to Sidious ' plans for galactic domination . Following a period of prolonged torture , Dooku managed to turn Quinlan to the Dark side of the Force by revealing that Ventress had murdered his late Master Tholme . For the next several months , Vos became Dooku ' s new right - hand man in the Separatist hierarchy and gained the nickname " Admiral " Enigma . The Jedi Order enlisted Ventress ' help in rescuing Quinlan in exchange for a pardon for her crimes against the Jedi and Republic . However , Vos had become a secret Separatist double agent as part of his quest to uncover the identity of Dooku ' s Sith master Darth Sidious . Despite the efforts of Vos and Ventress , Dooku escaped from Christophis without revealing Sidious ' identity ; allowing the Sith Lord ' s plans for galactic domination to continue unhindered . During the Outer Rim Sieges , the Separatists kept the Republic fleet bogged down in battles across the galaxy . With the Jedi and Republic military scattered across the galaxy on various fronts , a large Separatist fleet led by General Grievous and Count Dooku assaulted the Republic capital of Coruscant and kidnapped Supreme Chancellor Palpatine . The Separatist fleet fought against the Republic ' s Open Circle Fleet . Palpatine was imprisoned aboard the Separatist flagship , the " Providence " - class dreadnought " Invisible Hand " but was rescued by Jedi Generals Skywalker and Kenobi with the help of R2 - D2 . At the urging of Palpatine , Skywalker slew Count Dooku , drawing the young Jedi closer to the dark side . However , Grievous escaped to Utapau . Dissolution and legacy . Following the execution of the Separatist Council at the hands of Anakin Skywalker , who had embraced the persona of Darth Vader , the Separatist navy along with the Separatist Droid Army was presumably deactivated and demobilized . The Galactic Republic was transformed into the Galactic Empire under the leadership of the self - appointed Emperor Palpatine . With the collapse of the Separatist leadership , Imperial forces took over many former Separatist worlds including Antar 4 , Raxus , Kooriva , and Murkhana . Many former Separatist warships including the " Providence " - class dreadnought " Lucid Voice " were dismantled at shipyards such as Bilbringi shipyards . Despite this , former Separatist warships and weapons occasionally surfaced . In 14 BBY , the former Republic Intelligence Agent Berch Teller ' s rebel cell utilized a modified " Providence " - class dreadnought and numerous Vulture droids and droid tri - fighters . In an attempt to undermine his rival Moff Wilhuff Tarkin , Vice Admiral Dodd Rancit had used his position as Director of the Naval Intelligence Agency and underworld connections to supply Teller ' s insurgents with former Separatist weapons and equipment . Tarkin and Darth Vader defeated Teller ' s insurgents following a brief campaign and exposed Rancit ' s duplicity . Other insurgent groups such as Cham Syndulla ' s Free Ryloth movement and Nightswan also utilized former Separatist Vulture droids and buzz droids . As late as 2 BBY , wrecked Separatist ships could still be found in deep space . While waiting to rendezvous with former Senator Mon Mothma , the Spectres hid their starship " Ghost " near the wreckage of a " Recusant " - class warship and " Munificent " - class star frigate . Behind the sceness . The Separatist navy debuted in the 2005 episodic film , , and was first identified as the Separatist navy in the reference book , " Ultimate Star Wars " .