Battle of Lola Sayu / Legends A battle took place in the Confederate prison , the Citadel , located on the planet Lola Sayu , in 21 BBY during the Clone Wars . Because Jedi Master Even Piell and his captain , Wilhuff Tarkin , had knowledge of a secret hyperspace lane known as the Nexus Route , which was situated between the heart of the Republic and Confederate systems , the two were captured by Confederate forces while returning from an assignment in the Outer Rim Territories . The Galactic Republic sought to free the Lannik warrior , who was incarcerated in the Citadel prison . Despite having to rely on old data from the Jedi Temple ' s archives on the planet Coruscant , the strike team sent for the rescue — Jedi Master Obi - Wan Kenobi , Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker , the astromech droid R2 - D2 , reprogrammed battle droids and clone troopers — devised a plan to infiltrate the facility in a captured Separatist shuttle , freezing themselves into carbonite to evade scanners . This tricked the fleet guarding Lola Sayu into giving them permission to proceed . Landing on a pad near the Citadel , the group — supplemented by Ahsoka Tano , who had stowed aboard without permission — proceeded to free - climb a cliff protected by electro - mine s . However , their attempt to sneak in undetected failed when a clone trooper was killed by a mine , alerting the facility to their presence . The prison ' s commandant , Osi Sobeck , activated turrets and electric walls to stop the intruders , but the rescue team succeeded in saving Piell from torture and free his fleet officers as well . After warding off droid commandos , the group split up , with Kenobi and some troopers creating a diversion while Skywalker and the rest of the team proceeded towards the landing pad , where a shuttle was to pick them up . Kenobi ' s troops were saved from capture by R2 - D2 and his battle droids , but the craft sent for the rescue was destroyed by a cannon , forcing the group to hide in the caverns beneath the Citadel and call for support . Several of Piell ' s officers were killed by pursuing battle droids while trekking across the landscape , but R2 ' s droid team held off the chasers long enough to allow the rest of the group to escape . However , a pack of anoobas released by Osi Sobeck tracked them down , with one of them killing Piell before being killed by Tano . Following the Jedi Master ' s brief funeral , the team went on towards the extraction point , where they were confronted by Sobeck himself . In an act of rage , Sobeck tried to kill Tarkin by throwing him into a river of lava , but was killed by Tano before a space gunship dispatched by Admiral Barton Coburn ' s rescue fleet evacuated the group . Prelude . In 21 BBY , a Star Destroyer commanded by Jedi Master Even Piell and Captain Wilhuff Tarkin was ambushed by the forces of the Confederacy of Independent Systems while en route to Coruscant , as Piell had information on the Nexus Routes , vital hyperspace coordinates valuable to both the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy . Droidekas infiltrated the command bridge , forcing Piell and his men to surrender . Prior to his capture , Piell ordered the data on the Nexus Route to be wiped from the ship ' s computers , and memorized half of the data , while Tarkin memorized the other half , a failsafe in the unlikely case one of them would crack under torture . The captured crew was transferred to the installation known as " The Citadel " , a heavily fortified max security prison based on Lola Sayu . Word spread to the Jedi Council of Piell ' s capture , and a rescue team led by General Obi - Wan Kenobi , General Anakin Skywalker , Commander Cody and Captain Rex was quickly assembled . Among the team were ARC troopers Echo and Fives of Domino Squad , who were prepared for the mission through a vigorous training program on Kamino modeled after the Citadel ' s defensive capabilities . The operation was the pair ' s first following their induction into the ARC trooper ranks because of their valor during the Battle of Kamino . Making use of outdated schematics of the facility ' s layout , a trio of captured Confederate battle droids , reprogrammed to serve under the command of R2 - D2 , the team ' s astromech droid , would transport the rescue team into the Citadel in a captured Class Type B escort shuttle . However , this would prove to be a challenge , as entry into Lola Sayu ' s airspace was guarded by Confederate checkpoints requiring a mandatory lifeform scan . To this end , General Skywalker devised a plan to freeze the rescue team in carbonite , suppressing the team ' s vital signs and allowing the shuttle to pass the checkpoint . In the event that the team was compromised , a backup fleet under the command of Plo Koon , Mace Windu , Adi Gallia , and Saesee Tiin was prepared to engage the enemy and extract the team by force . Following the last minute addition of Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano to the rescue team , who defied Skywalker ' s orders to not take part in the operation with a subtle suggestion by Plo Koon , the shuttle was deployed the operation commenced . The battle . Infiltration of the Citadel . Skywalker ' s plan to avoid the lifeform scanners was a success , and the carbonite concealed the team from the life - form scanners around the planet . Given clearance by the facility ' s ward , Osi Sobeck , the droids were given permission to land , but they deviated the shuttle ' s flight course and landed in a cavern below the Citadel . R2 - D2 promptly released each team member from their carbonite blocks . Following the confusion caused by Ahsoka Tano ' s unexplained presence in the operation , Obi - Wan Kenobi accepted her last minute addition , and the team proceeded to the Citadel ' s perimeter . The entrance to the Citadel was built into the side of a cliff ; strong winds and electro - mines set on the cliff walls prevented the use of jetpacks or grappling cables , forcing the team to free - climb . The rescuers nearly made it to the top after narrowly avoiding detection by a droideka and two super battle droids , when a clone trooper lost balance and detonated a mine during his fall , alerting the Citadel warden , Osi Sobeck , to the team ' s presence . With the base under full alert phase , the rescue team rushed the hallways . Sobeck tried hindering the team ' s progress by activating turrets and using electrified walls , which killed one clone trooper . The team was successful in rescuing Master Piell , just as a torture droid was about to gouge the Jedi ' s only remaining eye out . On their way to find Piell ' s naval officers and their captain , Tarkin , they were confronted by Sobeck ' s special unit of BX - series commando droids . The sudden rush of commando droids took the rescue team off guard and took the lives of a few clone troopers , though the surviving team managed to destroy the droid attackers and press onward to Tarkin ' s cell . Seconds later , the Jedis ' lightsabers and the clone troopers ' weapons were draw to the ceiling by a magnet , along with Skywalker due to his metallic prosthetic arm . While being electrocuted , Skywalker managed to grab his lightsaber and destroy the magnet . Another commando droid on guard in Tarkin ' s cell was destroyed with a saber strike to the head through the cell door , before the team breached the cell and rescued the Republic officers . The Jedi then split into two groups . Skywalker , Tano , Fives , Echo , Rex , Captain Tarkin , and two rescued clones formed one group , while Commander Cody , Kenobi , Even Piell , and six other clones formed another . Kenobi ' s group traveled through a vertical system of ventilation shafts , expecting to emerge near the landing pad . A single probe droid stationed in the ventilation shafts discovered them ; Piell pursued it and destroyed it with his lightsaber . The droid reported his findings before Piell could destroy it , and in response the shafts were sealed off with steel blast doors . One clone trooper was killed by a closing blast door , being bisected at the waist . The team pressed forward , cutting their way out of the shaft using their lightsabers . Unfortunately for the team , they were unaware that R2 had already arrived and was inside the Citadel , so Kenobi and his group were captured after falling into a trap placed by Osi Sobeck . Placed under arrest , Kenobi ' s team was escorted to Sobeck ' s office . Sobeck , eager to interrogate the prisoners due to increased pressure from his superior Count Dooku , resorted to using scare tactics , executing one of the clones and preparing to execute the rest one by one if the information wasn ' t relayed to him . However , the discovery of Anakin ' s team in the underground caverns led Sobeck to order two battle droids to lock Kenobi ' s team up in the detention level . However , R2 - D2 and OOM - 10 , disguised as Citadel security , rescued them from the battle droids before they were transferred there , and retrieved the group ' s weaponry . Skywalker ' s group traveled through a series of underground caverns , which were detected using an outdated layout of the base . Tano led Tarkin and the clones while Skywalker guarded their flank . Ahsoka , who was ill informed of the battle plan due to her unexpected presence , was put off by a dead end which was supposed to be blown up , and the group was ambushed by a group of super battle droids . The droids were , in turn , ambushed by Skywalker , who dropped down from the ceiling and destroyed them from behind . Skywalker ordered Ahsoka to blow the wall open as a team of commando droids armed with power shields closed in on them . After planting a thermal detonator on the wall , Ahsoka rolled two more thermal detonators behind the commando droids , destroying them . They were then forced to travel through a fuel line ; a single spark had the potential to ignite the entire tube . Braving through the noxious gas which filled the tube , Ahsoka discovered a ladder leading to an escape hatch . Upon surveying the surroundings of the fuel line , two battle droids attempted to hold Tano up with their blasters , however , her quick reflexes allowed her to dispatch both of them . A battalion of droids closed in on the tube as Tano and Skywalker deflected their fire with their lightsabers , allowing Tarkin and the others to take cover behind a large rock . Skywalker then threw a thermal detonator it into the fuel line ' s escape hatch , blowing the whole line and destroying the entire droid battalion . This alerted Sobeck to their position . Sobeck was also enlightened to the fact that the prisoners never made it to the detention block , and he opted to send the bulk of his forces to the landing pad , as the shuttle was the team ' s only current method of escape . R2 and his squad of battle droids then attempted to smuggle Obi - Wan ' s team onto the shuttle , but tactical droid K2 - B4 alerted the whole prison to OOM - 10 ' s reprogramming and ordered restricted access to the shuttle . A firefight then ensued between security forces on the landing pad and Kenobi ' s team . Skywalker and his group arrived , providing backup . Tarkin suggested using the shuttle ' s weapon systems to destroy the battle droids , however fire from heavy turrets would quickly destroy the shuttle should they attempt to board . A STAP squadron arrived and opened fire on the Republic forces . Anakin managed to force jump onto an enemy STAP and destroy the pilot , taking control of the craft . Another STAP pursued him , and he evaded its fire long enough for Piell , with his small stature , to board Anakin ' s STAP as a passenger and deflect the pursuing STAP ' s fire back at it . A commando droid squad entered the fray . One commando droid opted to man one of the heavy turrets and open fire on Anakin ' s STAP , bringing him down . Echo , in a panic , ran in front of the shuttle with one of the fallen commando droid ' s plasma shields , attempting to get a clear shot on the commando droid operating the turret . By doing this , however , he drew attention towards the shuttle , which exploded due to the heavy weapons fire , killing ARC trooper Echo , leaving fellow ARC trooper Fives to grieve the loss of his brother . The surviving team retreated into the caverns below . However , Dave Filoni , the director of the show , announced online that Echo was alive and featured in the unfinished episode " A Distant Echo " in Season 7 – " The Bad Batch " . Republic extraction operation . With their shuttle destroyed , the Republic rescue team made contact with Coruscant , requesting support . The Jedi Council assembled a fleet and prepared for a full blown attack on Lola Sayu . Jedi Master Saesee Tiin was given command over the starfighter forces , with the objective of punching a hole through Separatist defenses , allowing Plo Koon to lead a squad of gunships to the designated extraction point on the planet ' s surface . The extraction point was on a small island near the northern shore of the Citadel . The team proceeded to the evacuation point . However , a trio of commando droids spotted them and opened fire , but a thermal detonator thrown by Fives destroyed them . The group continued on , but a large squad comprised of crab droids and commando droids intercepted them , pinning them against a steep cliff . R2 ordered his droids to hold the Separatists off as long as they can to ensure the safety of the others as they rappelled down the cliffside . R2 ' s reprogrammed droids were quickly destroyed , and a shot from a commando droid caused a clone trooper and a naval officer to fall to their deaths . The surviving Republic forces retreated into a cave as five commando droids opened fire on them from atop the cliff while Skywalker and Cody covered them ; Cody succeeded in destroying two of the commando droids with well placed shots from his rifle . Meanwhile , Osi Sobeck was contacted by Confederate Head of State Count Dooku who was displeased by the turn of events . Afraid of aggravating the Count any further , Sobeck unleashed a pack of anoobas to track down the Jedi . The Jedi were alerted to the anoobas by their distinctive howling . Even Piell devised a plan to ambush them from behind by having Anakin and Obi Wan lure the hunting party to a rocky plain near the northern shore while the rest hid in a nearby cave . While the two successfully lured the hunting party away from the rest of the group , a squad of crab droids counter - ambushed the strike team , forcing Piell and Tano to hold them off while the clones and officers gave Anakin and Obi - Wan support . One clone officer sacrificed his life by shoving Captain Tarkin out of the line of fire by a STAP droid , taking the shots for himself . Tarkin responded by picking up the officer ' s blaster and shooting down the STAP that was responsible ; the commando piloting the craft was decommissioned by R2 - D2 after being flung to the ground . Obi - Wan managed to take down two STAPs by launching himself off a rock and swiping at one with his saber in mid air while landing on another one and destroying its pilot . After landing back on his feet , an anooba attempted to lunge at him , though Kenobi ' s reflexes allowed him to launch the beast into the river of lava using his legs . The rest of the hunting party was cleaned up by Cody and Rex . While the battle on the northern shore was taking place , Ahsoka Tano and Even Piell were holding their own against the wave of crab droids emerging from under the cliffside . The single surviving anoobas of the hunting party , which failed to keep pace with the rest of the party , lunged at Piell while he was disabling a crab droid with his lightsaber . The beast brutally mauled the Jedi Master before being launched into the lava by a Force push from Ahsoka . With his last breath , Piell disclosed his half of the data pertaining to the Nexus route to Tano before succumbing to his injuries . The Jedi Master was given a brief funeral by his fellow survivors before the team proceeded towards the rendezvous point . The rescue fleet , led by Plo Koon and three other Jedi , Saesee Tiin , Kit Fisto , and Adi Gallia , emerged from hyperspace near Lola Sayu . While the clone pilots led by Tiin engaged the droid fighters in space , Plo Koon , in his LAAT / i gunship " Plo ' s Bros " , traveled down to the planet ' s surface , accompanied by Adi Gallia and Kit Fisto in their starfighters . Meanwhile , the stranded team was confronted by Osi Sobeck , who was seething with anger at his inability to obtain the information related the Nexus Route and took up a last ditch effort to prevent the party from escaping by personally commanding a squadron of STAP platforms . Forced to hold their own until Plo Koon and his forces arrived , Anakin and Obi - Wan both hijacked two different STAPs . In the ensuing confusion , R2 produced a thick cloud of smoke which temporarily blinded Sobeck , allowing Fives to take a shot at his STAP , destroying it and flinging Sobeck onto the small island . Tarkin used this opportunity to attempt to execute the commandant ; however , the inexperienced Tarkin missed his shot . Sobeck recovered and lunged at Tarkin , grabbing him . Enraged at his own inability to recover the Nexus route information , Sobeck swore to kill Tarkin and was prepared to throw him into the river of lava . Ahsoka quickly stabbed Sobeck through the chest with her two lightsabers , killing him instantly . In the meantime , the Republic fleet in space was exchanging volleys of turbolaser fire with the Confederate ships . Separatist and Republic starfighters clashed , and although a droid bomber was able to drop is load on a Republic cruiser , the rest were destroyed by ARC - 170s . By then , Separatist reinforcements in the form of a battalion of crab droids arrived . Before they could overrun the survivors , Republic reinforcements arrived , and Plo Koon retrieved the stranded team without any additional casualties . After the rescue , Plo Koon contacted his admiral , Barton Coburn , and told him to prepare their ships to jump to hyperspace . The team managed to make it to the ship and successfully jumped into hyperspace back to Coruscant . Aftermath . Upon arriving back at the Temple , the survivors of the battle honored Piell ' s sacrifice with Grand Master Yoda before debriefing the Nexus Route information . However , there was a sizable conflict of interest : Captain Tarkin was ordered to convey the information directly to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine only , while Even Piell requested Ahsoka in his dying breath to relay the information directly to the Jedi Council only , forcing Yoda to confer with Palpatine . Behind the scenes . The battle on Lola Sayu was featured in the of the " " television series . The battle was depicted in a three episode story arc consisting of " The Citadel , " " Counterattack , " and " Citadel Rescue " , airing on February 18 , March 4 , and March 11 of 2011 , respectively . The story arc was touted as having a " back to basics " action approach following several episodes built around around politics and mythical themes . Production of the episode came about during a time of nostalgia for the original film trilogy among the show ' s staff , who often quoted and made references to various original trilogy characters and scenarios . Three different concepts were thrown around regarding the fate of Osi Sobeck towards the end of the battle . The original script called for Tarkin executing an unarmed Sobeck after Fives shoots down his STAP , even as Sobeck is pleading for his life . This scenario was series director Dave Filoni ' s favorite , as it foreshadowed the cruel tactics of the Galactic Empire with officers such as Tarkin being in control of the military . However , upon review by executive producer George Lucas , it was decided that it would be " thick " for the Jedi who witnessed this to not realize how harmful it is for individuals such as Tarkin to hold power in the Republic . As such , the script was rewritten to have Ahsoka kill Sobeck in desperation , which accelerated character development for both Ahsoka and Anakin , since Ahsoka ' s methods and fighting style would obviously come from tutelage under Anakin . Filoni also considered having Sobeck return to the citadel , where Dooku would order the crab droids to execute him , but this idea was also dropped . Q & A with Dave Filoni Discrepancies . Even Piell was originally depicted in " " as surviving through the Clone Wars and perishing during the Great Jedi Purge in 19 BBY . However , his death in the episode " Citadel Rescue " directly conflicts with the novel . The carbon - freezing used as a method to bypass security seen in " The Citadel " was previously introduced in " The Clone Wars " comic " " " . " However , its presence in " The Citadel " created a continuity error , as dialogue in the episode suggests that the Lola Sayu operation , which chronologically takes place after the " Shipyards of Doom " comic , was where Skywalker originally conceived the tactic .