Sheathipede-class Shuttle

Rather than use flesh-and-blood warriors, the Separatists prefer mindlessly loyal soldiers that are easily controlled. The soulless ranks of their armies are dominated by tall, thin B1 battle droids built as mechanical imitations of their Geonosian designers. Battle droids can be controlled by centralized command centers such as the Trade Federation’s enormous Droid Control Ships, or programmed for independent action. They often suffer programming glitches that manifest as personality quirks. Battle droids are dim-witted and no match for clone troopers or Jedi, but they weren’t designed to be smart – they were designed to overwhelm Republic civilians through sheer numbers, something they do very effectively.

Super Tactical Droids were highly intelligent and strategic, qualities that enabled them to be masterful commanders for the Separatist Army in the Clone Wars. Kalani, a notable Super Tactical Droid, prevented Darth Sidious’ shutdown command following Order 66. Years later, Kalani and his battle droids were found by clone Captain Rex and his rebel friends, and the two sides joined forces against the Empire.

Early in the Clone Wars, the Separatist droid army was often led into war by analytically minded tactical droids. Before long, the Republic was able to outmaneuver the tactical droids by exploiting their reliance on precise calculation and lack of imagination when dealing with the unexpected. Furthermore, the droids were spindly mechanics whose heads could be yanked off and scoured for vital combat data. Super tactical droids, like General Kalani, were an improvement over the standard tactical droid. Kalani's advanced processors and robust frame made him a threat to be reckoned with.

One of the few to be trained as a Jedi after the fall of the Republic, Ezra Bridger grew up an orphan on the streets of Lothal during the age of the Empire. Although he had learned to be wary of strangers, his introduction to the Ghost crew, a small band of rebels fighting back against the Imperial regime, changed his outlook and his future. Training in the ways of the Force under the mentorship of Kanan Jarrus, Ezra became a Jedi Padawan and a part of the emerging rebellion. He also grew close to Hera Syndulla, Zeb, Chopper, and Sabine Wren, who was like a sister in his new found family. After several years together, Bridger vanished during the Battle of Lothal, disappearing into parts unknown in a hyperspace jump that pulled Ezra and Grand Admiral Thrawn into deep space.

Not every Jedi perished in Order 66. Once known by the name Caleb Dume, Kanan Jarrus survived the Emperor’s purge, going underground for years and hiding the truth about who he really was. To keep his past a secret, Kanan carried a blaster -- an uncommon practice for a Jedi -- and used a lightsaber that had to be assembled. In the years leading up to the galactic civil war, he was a leader among the Ghost crew, a small group of rebels looking to strike back against the Empire, and with the emergence of the Force-sensitive Ezra, once again embraced his identity as a Jedi Knight.

The Confederacy of Independent Systems, also known as the Separatist Alliance, was a collection of star systems and corporate titans that left the Republic and fought for independence against the Republic’s clone armies and Jedi Knights. The charismatic former Jedi Count Dooku was the Alliance’s political leader, while its military power came from credits and assets donated by powerful galactic trade groups. No one suspected that the Alliance was actually a tool of Darth Sidious, who had engineered the Clone Wars as part of a Sith plot to rule the galaxy.