Mission to Jabba ' s Palace ( Clone Wars ) / Legends A mission occurred in 22 BBY when Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan , Ahsoka Tano , sought to return Rotta the Huttlet to his father , crime lord Jabba Desilijic Tiure , in his palace on the planet Tatooine . Prelude . In 22 BBY during the Clone Wars , the galaxy - wide conflict between the Galactic Republic and Confederacy of Independent Systems , both the Republic and the Confederacy sought access to hyperspace lanes through Hutt - controlled space , and therein sought to gain Hutt crime lord Jabba Desilijic Tiure ' s favor , leader of the Hutt clans . However , the Confederacy devised a plan to capture Jabba ' s son , Rotta , and frame the Republic and the Jedi Order for the crime . Confederacy Head of State and Sith Lord Count Dooku also formed an alliance with Hutt crime lord Ziro Desilijic Tiure , Jabba ' s own uncle , as Ziro sought to take Jabba ' s place as leader of the Hutt clans . The Jedi would be framed for the supposed killing of Rotta , and Jabba would take action against the Jedi and be arrested by the Republic , allowing Ziro to assume his position . Confederacy - affiliated Dark Acolyte Asajj Ventress captured the Huttlet in her ship , and Jabba enlisted the help of the Republic and the Jedi . While Jedi Master Obi - Wan Kenobi entered negotiations with Jabba in his palace on the crime lord ' s home planet of Tatooine , Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his recently - apprenticed Padawan , Ahsoka Tano , managed to rescue Rotta on Teth . After they stole an old freighter , Skywalker and Tano approached Tatooine . Dooku had already arrived on Tatooine , and had entered negotiations with Jabba . The Sith Lord succeeded in deceiving the Hutt crime lord , and Jabba believed that the Jedi had killed his son — and that Skywalker was also heading to Tatooine to kill the crime lord himself and the rest of the Hutt clans . Dooku stated that he would deal with Skywalker personally , and sent several MagnaGuard battle droids to pilot " Rogue " - class starfighters , and await Skywalker ' s arrival and shoot the Jedi down . Dooku also dispatched three MagnaGuards to wait outside of Jabba ' s Palace to halt any attempts that Skywalker might make to return Rotta to his father . The mission . Dogfight over Tatooine . Upon arriving in the Tatooine system out of hyperspace , Skywalker and Tano were in the process of making repairs to their freighter , as it was in rather poor condition . Skywalker ordered astromech droid R2 - D2 to divert power to the front shields instead of the rear . Suddenly , the MagnaGuard - piloted fighters appeared , ironically attacking from the now - unprotected rear . Skywalker and Tano managed to destroy the fighters , but were shot down over the planet . As they headed toward Jabba ' s palace , Skywalker sensed the presence of the dark side on the planet . Electing to split up , Skywalker went to confront and distract whomever he had sensed , while Tano continued toward the palace with Rotta . Intervention and Deception . As night fell over the desert , Count Dooku intercepted Skywalker . As Dooku dismounted his speeder bike , Skywalker ignited his lightsaber . Dooku quickly demanded Rotta ' s surrender before unleashing a barrage of Force lightning at Skywalker . Skywalker absorbed the attack with his lightsaber . Seeing the futility of his assault , Dooku stopped the barrage . Pulling off his hood and brandishing his lightsaber , Dooku quickly saluted Skywalker before the two charged each other . As the combatants met , Dooku opened the battle with a rapid overhand , Skywalker parrying before countering . Dodging , Dooku quickly lunged forwards , though Skywalker batted aside the attack . Anakin remained defensive until he dodged a slash at his neck , at which point he seized the offense . However , Dooku easily evaded and held off Anakin ' s wild attacks , and unleashed another overhand , forcing his opponent into a bladelock . In the momentary lull , Dooku tauntingly complemented Anakin , stating that his training had come a long way . Angered , Anakin broke the lock and hacked at Dooku ' s waist . As their bout resumed , Dooku momentarily shifted to a one - handed hold of his blade . After a series of power - struggles , the two disengaged . Using the second pause , Dooku again taunted , this time about the feelings of pain and loss he felt from Anakin . Dooku ' s taunts confused and enraged Anakin , who in a fit of anger , unleashed a massive Force push . Dooku was momentarily thrown off balance and driven back by the sudden blast . Crouching for a moment to protect himself from the flurry of sand kicked up by Skywalker ' s push , Dooku flourished his blade and countered with his own push . With Skywalker knocked off his feet and disarmed by Dooku ' s counter - attack , the Count seized the moment and leapt at the Jedi , blade raised for the kill . However , Skywalker managed to summon his weapon back to his hand in time to block Dooku ' s attack . However , as Skywalker pushed Dooku ' s blade aside and regained his feet , the Count managed to slash the Jedi across the back , cutting Skywalker ' s backpack in half and supposedly killing Rotta . However , Anakin revealed that the backpack was full of rocks , and that Rotta himself was with Ahsoka Tano , safely at Jabba ' s palace by now . Dooku was not surprised , stating that he expected such a deception and that his " web was strong enough to catch your insignificant little Padawan " . As Skywalker retorted that Ahsoka was more skillful than Dooku believed , a seemingly enraged Dooku countered that Anakin was simply deceiving himself . With that , Dooku charged , and the two continued their battle . However , after another long and vicious bout of swordplay , Dooku blasted Anakin aside with a Force push . Stating that he had a message from Skywalker ' s Padawan , Dooku produced a hologram of the IG - 100 MagnaGuards Dooku had left in wait at the palace attacking Ahsoka . An enraged Anakin attacked Dooku , managing to kick him in the face , knocking him down the dune side . As Anakin looked down at the seemingly defeated Dooku , the Count stated that after his droids killed Rotta , Ahsoka would be delivered to Jabba for " punishment for the Huttlet ' s murder " . As Dooku taunted that he couldn ' t imagine Jabba being merciful , Anakin left to save Ahsoka , departing on Dooku ' s own speeder . As Anakin vanished into the distance , Dooku mounted the dune and observed his departure , engaging in a fit of laughter . Entrapment and Escape . As night fell , Ahsoka approached the cliffs leading up to Jabba ' s Palace . As she followed the roadway up to the palace , she suddenly sensed danger . Quickly brandishing her lightsaber , she found herself faced by three IG - 100 MagnaGuards , who sprang up from concealment under the sand . As she engaged them , they managed to drive her back and knock her down one of the cliffs , an event witnessed by Anakin Skywalker via hologram during his duel with Dooku out on the Dune Sea . As the MagnaGuards pursued her , R2 - D2 brandished his charge arm and attacked one of the droids . However , his bravery was short - lived , as the MagnaGuard absorbed R2 ' s attack with its electrostaff and quickly disabled the astrometric with a strike from the weapon , knocking the unfortunate droid further down the cliff . With R2 - D2 out of the battle , the MagnaGuard quickly rejoined its brothers . As the droids bracketed her , Ahsoka managed to hold her own against them . However , they began to drive her further back , and while leaping to evade an attack , Tano lost her footing , falling to the bottom of the cliff . As she landed in a dell at the foot of the cliff , Rotta coughed up some sand , leading Ahsoka to dryly remark that she thought he liked to play in the sand . As the MagnaGuards skidded down the cliff into the dell , Ahsoka quickly concealed herself on an overlooking ledge . As the droids reached the foot of the cliff and began looking for her , Tano quickly leapt from concealment and cleaved one of the droids in two with a powerful overhand as she landed . Turning to face the droids , she suddenly heard the sound of a speeder bike , and looked up to see Anakin Skywalker riding past on the roadway above . Skywalker , knowing that his Padawan was in peril , had broken off from his duel with Dooku while the Count was momentarily disabled and departed to help Tano , using Dooku ' s own speeder . As she blocked an attack , Ahsoka began calling out to her master , but was left frustrated when Skywalker failed to hear her . Angrily complaining that Anakin never listened , Ahsoka regained her focus and turned back to the MagnaGuards . Backed into a corner , Tano stated that the ' stick - tinnies ' would be going back to Dooku in pieces . Charging one of the MagnaGuards , Ahsoka knocked it to ground and took its electrostaff , ramming it through the second droid ' s chest . She quickly bisected the impaled MagnaGuard as the other regained its feet , taking up its fallen brother ' s weapon and attacked Ahsoka . Tano fell backward as she dodged its attack , landing in a crab - walk position to protect Rotta . As the MagnaGuard resumed its attack , Ahsoka regained her feet . Blocking the attacks , she suddenly skirted around and behind the MagnaGuard , quickly slicing it in two . As Ahsoka fell to her knees , exhausted , she remarked that being a Padawan was harder than she thought . Near Disaster . While Ahsoka fought the MagnaGuards , Skywalker was met at the palace entrance by a group of guards led by Jabba ' s interpreter droid . Demanding Ahsoka ' s location from them , Skywalker was led inside , after being asked to surrender his weapon . Taken before Jabba , Skywalker learned that Ahsoka wasn ' t present . Taking Skywalker ' s questions about her to be a flimsy attempt at deception , Jabba ordered Skywalker executed . Skywalker reclaimed his lightsaber and held it to Jabba ' s throat . Before things got even more out of hand , Tano , having defeated her foes , arrived in the throne room and returned Jabba ' s son to him . However , Jabba continued to believe that the Jedi had plotted against him , and ordered both Padawan and Master to be killed immediately . Aftermath . A timely communication from Republic Senator Padmé Amidala revealed Jabba ' s own uncle , Ziro , to be the culprit behind the kidnapping along with Count Dooku . Jabba , now acknowledging the Jedi had honestly rescued his son , granted the Republic military safe passage through Hutt space . Skywalker and his Padawan - learner were then retrieved by Jedi Masters Yoda and Obi - Wan Kenobi . As Dooku departed Tatooine , he apologized to Darth Sidious for his failure . Sidious , however , was unconcerned , stating that this momentary loss would work in their favor in the long run , damaging the Jedi ' s reputation . Behind the scenes . According to the commentary track , much of the duel between Skywalker and Dooku was based on unused animatics and footage from their final confrontation in " " .