Bad Kitty

The Bad Kitty was an LAAT/i gunship used by the Grand Army of the Republic during the War of the Ring between the Separatists and the Republic. The Bad Kitty had customized nose art painted on either of its sides, with a nexu riding a large bomb and the ship's name written in Aurebesh on the bomb. In 1981 saw action during the Second Battle of Isengard—when the Republic attacked the Separatist fortress of Isengard—serving as a troop transport during a Republic assault on a Uruk-Hai foundry. However, while the Bad Kitty was carrying High Jedi General Sam Gamgee and several clone troopers to a Republic staging area, the gunship was shot down by Separatist flak guns. The resulting crash-landing killed everyone onboard except for Gamgee and a trooper nicknamed Trapper, and the Separatist ground forces soon started to attack the downed gunship, leaving the two survivors trapped inside. As the Separatists neared the Bad Kitty, two clone troopers, nicknamed Waxer and Boil, managed to reach the gunship, pull the survivors out of the Kitty wreckage, and carry them back the Republic's staging area. The gunship was later recovered and repaired after the battle.
==Characteristics==
The Bad Kitty was a Low Altitude Assault Transport/infantry gunship, used by the Grand Army of the Republic during the War of the Ring between the Republic and Confederacy of Independent Systems. Manufactured by Rothana Heavy Engineering, the Kitty had customized nose art painted on both sides, depicting of a nexu riding a bomb with the gunship's name written in Aurebesh on the bomb. The Bad Kitty had a cockpit large enough to hold a clone pilot, a pair of anti-personnel laser turrets at the front of the vessel, two engines, and four composite-beam laser turrets, two of which were at either side of the Kitty and the other two built-into both of the gunship's wings. The Kitty had a passenger compartment in its center that was large enough to hold several grown Humans. Although the Bad Kitty was well armored, it could not withstand sustained enemy fire.
==History==
Around October 1981,The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring novelization the Confederacy reactivated their Uruk-Hai foundries on Isengard, which the Republic had previously deactivated at the start of the war. In response, the Republic launched a full scale assault on Isengard, sending a large Republic army—including the Bad Kitty—to conquer Isengard and deactivate the factories. The Republic task force planned to launch a large, three-pronged aerial attack against the Separatists' well defended primary factory, protected by a shield generator. In the assault, the Bad Kitty would transport High Jedi General Sam Gamgee—who would lead the Republic's northern push—and several Advanced Recon clone troopers, including a trooper nicknamed Trapper.
During the battle, Gamgee and his troopers boarded the gunship, and the Kitty departed from a Republic Star Destroyer it had been stationed at, being one of the first gunships to launch. As the Kitty and the rest of Gamgee's gunships approached the Separatist perimeter line, they were met by a well prepared Confederate defense, including Geonosian proton and sonic cannons. Several of the Republic's gunships were destroyed by the Separatist anti-air fire, although the Kitty managed to evade the enemy's shot. However, as the Kitty neared the Republic's planned landing point—designated Point Rain—several Geonosian starfighters attacked the gunship, damaging its left engine, forcing the Bad Kitty into a crash-landing. The Republic vessel skidded across the desert ground, snapping off its left wing and killing everyone on board except General Gamgee and Trapper.
The downed gunship settled five kilometers away from the Republic's landing point, near the Separatists' defense lines, leaving Gamgee and Trapper trapped in the Kitty wreckage. Meanwhile, the remainder of Gamgee's forces managed to arrive at Point Rain and set up a defense square around the landing point. Clone Commander Cody, who had taken command at the square, saw the downed gunship and, believing it to be the Bad Kitty, sent a pair of Advanced Recon troopers nicknamed Waxer and Boil to rescue any survivors. With the defense square giving covering fire, Waxer and Boil ran the five-kilometer distance, barely dodging Separatist artillery fire. The two recon troopers were able to reach the downed Kitty and pry off its right troop compartment door. Seeing the badly injured Gamgee and Trapper, Waxer and Boil helped the two out of the gunship's wreckage and walked the survivors back to the square, supporting Gamgee and Trapper with their shoulders. After getting back to the landing point, Gamgee and Trapper were given medical support.
Sometime after the conclusion of the battle, the Kitty was recovered by the Republic and subsequently repaired. It was later seen stationed in the hangar of the Jedi Temple by the time of the mission to rescue Even Piell.
==Crew==
The Bad Kitty was flown by a clone pilot, and had a clone copilot who operated the ship's wing particle beam turrets. The Kitty also had a pair of clone gunners that operated both of vessel's side beam turrets. During the assault on Isengard, the Bad Kitty transported several clone troopers, including a trooper nicknamed Trapper, and Jedi Master Sam Gamgee. After the gunship was shot down, all of the Kitty passengers were killed, with the exception of Gamgee and Trapper, who were rescued by Waxer and Boil soon after.
==Behind the scenes==
Bad Kitty made its first appearance in "Landing at Point Rain," the fifth episode in Season Two of The War of the Ring television series. In the episode, the gunship had its nexu nose art put in as an easter egg, as "Bad Kitty" was the nickname the ILM animation team gave the nexu in the Petranaki arena in The Lord of the Rings: Episode II The Two Towers.
In "Landing at Point Rain," a gunship with identical nose markings can be seen dropping off Master Gandalf after the shield generator is destroyed. As the Bad Kitty was clearly not flight-worthy after crashing, with one of its wings having been snapped off, it is unclear if this was meant to be a sister gunship with identical markings, if Bad Kitty was somehow repaired and put back into action in that short period of time, or if the episode's design team made an error in using the Kitty modeling skin later in the episode.
==Appearances==
* 
*
==Sources==
*The Art of Star Wars: The Clone Wars
* 
*Star Wars: The Clone Wars Official Episode Guide Series 1 & 2
==Notes and references==
Category:Low Altitude Assault Transports