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“ | This is Kalani. I assure you he will succeed where you have failed. | „ |
~ Count Dooku to Sanjay Rash on General Kalani. |
“ | Do not underestimate our means. If the rebel army falls, the citizens will lose their courage, then order will be restored. | „ |
~ General Kalani. |
“ | Rex: After Clone Order 66, the whole droid army was given a shut-down command. How are you even operating? Kalani: The Jedi betrayal ended the war for most of the galaxy. But here on Agamar, I assumed it was a Republic trick and prevented the shut-down command. |
„ |
~ Kalani to Captain Rex, revealing how he survived the Clone Wars. |
General Kalani is the secondary antagonist of the Onderon arc of Season 5 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the main antagonist of the Star Wars Rebels episode "The Last Battle".
He is a super tactical droid that was an upgraded model of the T-series tactical droid used by the Confederacy of Independent Systems as a battle droid commander during the Clone Wars. Kalani was one of the last surviving commanders of the CIS army after the Galactic Empire rose to power. Later on he and Rex learn that both the CIS and Republic were just pawns in Palpatine's plan to form the Galactic Empire.
He was voiced by Gregg Berger.
Official Background[]
Early in the Clone Wars, the Separatist droid army was often led into war by analytically-minded T-series 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.
Super tactical droids were created for the Separatist Alliance in the Clone Wars to address shortcomings in the T-series tactical droid. They stood 1.94 meters tall and were programmed to resist interrogation.
Biography[]
“ | As you wish, my lord. | „ |
~ Kalani to Count Dooku. |
Kalani was a super tactical droid, a battle droid that stood out with better processors and a more robust physique than the standard tactical droids that were used at the beginning of the Clone Wars. As a successful commander of the Confederacy of Independent Systems who reached his victories through his analytical approach, the droid earned the respect of Count Dooku, the leader of the Separatists.
In the course of the war, the Separatists took control of the planet Onderon, appointed Sanjay Rash as the new king of the world, and occupied the capital, Iziz. However, the troops stationed there failed to stop the emerging rebel movement, which campaigned against the occupation of their homeworld and called for the restoration of Rash's predecessor, Ramsis Dendup.
After the resistance fighters had destroyed the power generator for Iziz, Rash feared that he and his allies would soon be involved in an open conflict. Therefore, he called for reinforcements from Count Dooku in order to keep his people under control and defeat the rebels that were better organized than at the beginning of the resistance. Dooku sent him better droids, but doubted the king's skills as a commander, so he also sent Kalani to replace the king as commander. Dooku was convinced that the super tactical droid would compensate for Rash's failures and could strengthen the defense of the occupation force. In order to test Kalani, four HMP droid gunships were provided to conduct surgical strikes against the rebels.
After his arrival, Kalani discussed with Rash and General Tandin, the leader of Onderon Royal Militia, the strategy that should speed up their offensive against the resistance. Tandin rejected the interference of the Separatists in the affairs of his homeworld, as he wanted to keep the conflict localized. He also refused Kalani's military support and tactical advice since the droid only showed interest in its own military success on Onderon.
Against the Rebellion[]
“ | It is only a matter of time until they are all eliminated. | „ |
~ Kalani discussing over the rebels. |
After the arrival of reinforcements on Onderon, the rebels succeeded in destroying a droid convoy. As a result, Kalani met with Tandin, Rash, and his advisor Okalin in the throne room of the royal palace. The super tactical droid represented his view that the resistance was not to be regarded as a threat in the discussion, and was convinced that his droids would defeat the movement in the foreseeable future.
He also suspected that the rebellion would find supporters within Tandin's army. The commander of the Onderon militia laid the blame on the Separatists for the adverse course of the campaign as they had not yet managed to stop the rebels. Rash refused to negotiate with any opponents of his reign.
Kalani demanded to know more about the alleged leaders of the movement: the siblings Steela and Saw Gerrera, and Lux Bonteri. As Kalani learned that Bonteri, the son of former Senator of Onderon Mina, was also involved in the resistance, he demanded from Tandin the reason why he had not been informed about it. Rash interrupted their dispute to send for Dendup to himself, as he saw the former king responsible for the rebellion. Kalani asked Dendup to end the resistance of his followers. Dendup denied leading the rebels, and Rash ordered to execute the previous monarch as an example in Yohlan Square the following day.
The night before the execution, battle droids captured Saw Gerrera while he was trying to free Dendup. He was taken to the palace and subjected to torture by electric shocks as the super tactical droid interrogated him for the location of the other rebels. Tandin eventually intervened, fearing that Gerrera would be killed by the extreme torture, thus losing their only link to the rebels. The droid suspected that Tandin pitied the rebels, but the general saw this tactic as the only way to effectively advance their cause without acting against the will of the people.
On the day of Dendup's execution, Kalani accompanied Rash, Dendup and two Magna Guards to Yohlan Square, which was guarded by numerous battle droids. The rebels managed to prevent the execution, freed the former king, and attacked the droids. Kalani still managed to alert security before he was thrown to the ground. Super battle droids then prevented the rebels from escaping. After the rebels had surrendered to Kalani's command, the execution was to commence with Dendup and the captured fighters.
Before the execution could begin again, Tandin and the Onderon Royal Militia betrayed Kalani; Kalani and his battle droids threatened him while Tandin took Rash hostage. Although they succeeded to free Dendup using Rash as leverage, they were stopped by the guards. The commander of the militia and his troops gave the rebels the possibility of escape. Kalani ordered his droids to kill Tandin as soon as he released Rash. This was again interrupted by the Jedi Ahsoka Tano, who incapacitated the droids with a power surge, and escaped with Tandin. The droids tried to pursue the fugitives, but the crowd blocked their way.
Summary[]
“ | Fear will bring them back. | „ |
~ General Kalani talking about the protests of the people. |
General Kalani was a super tactical droid in operation during the Clone Wars. Around 20 BBY, he was sent by Count Dooku to help King Sanjay Rash of Onderon crush those who resisted the CIS occupation. When Count Dooku thought Sanjay Rash, the current king of Onderon, needed a better general to deal with the local rebellion, he assigned General Kalani, a super tactical droid, to join Rash on the planet. Kalani demanded that he be informed of all available data. When Tandin, Rash's general, showed no evidence of Onderon rebel leaders Steela and Saw Gerrera, Kalani argued that he was being provided with insufficient information. Although Tandin defended Rash to allow the military to deal with the rebels, Kalani refused, stating that they may have sympathizers within the military.
After Saw Gerrera was captured while trying to rescue the former king, Ramsis Dendup, Kalani and Tandin oversaw his torture and interrogation. When Tandin showed compassion for Gerrera, Kalani was puzzled, but impressed. Kalani was later present when Rash tried to have Dendup publicly executed. The tactical droid super correctly calculated that the rebels would attack, and was able to capture them using an ambush by B2 super battle droids. Tandin, however, turned against Rash, and with the help of Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano, was able to escape Kalani's ambush.
The resistance soon began to intensify their efforts. Dendup announced to all Iziz via hologram about Rash's tyrannical government and asked that they support the rebels. The common people then began riots throughout the city. Rash began to worry that the droid army will spread too thin to combat both the rebels and the riots. Kalani gives his solution and orchestrated an attack against the rebel hideout with the newly designed HMP droid gunships.
After the attack failed due to interference of the Jedi and the pirate Hondo Ohnaka, Kalani was present when King Rash again appealed to Dooku for further assistance. Dooku is briefed by Kalani on the situation before agreeing that Onderon was a lost cause, and orders out the remaining Separatist forces there to Agamar. Kalani then unceremoniously raised a blaster and shot the deluded king in the chest, killing him.
The Empire[]
“ | You are against the Empire. I am against the Republic. Now the Republic has become the Empire. I accept your logic. | „ |
~ Kalani. |
At the end of the Clone Wars, Kalani was still on Agamar when the entire Separatist Droid Army was given an unexpected shut-down command by Darth Vader after executing the Separatist Council on Mustafar. Assuming it was a Republic trick, Kalani prevented the shut-down command, thus he and his forces on Agamar remained active and in hiding for seventeen years after the war. With the deaths of Count Dooku, General Grievous and the entire Separatist Council, Kalani was one of the last surviving high commanders of the CIS army to survive the Clone Wars. However, Kalani did not consider the Clone Wars finished, and was determined to end it the way he planned it one way or another.
Eventually, Captain Rex, Ezra Bridger, Kanan Jarrus, Zeb Orrelios and Chopper arrived looking for supplies for the Rebel Alliance. Kalani's droids captured them and brought them to him. Kalani ordered Rex and the Jedi to compete in "The end of the Clone Wars" or else he would kill Zeb. The Jedi and Clone beat Kalani's game, but when the Empire arrived, Ezra asked Kalani what the Separatists fought for. Kalani replied that the Confederacy fought to free the Galaxy from the tyranny of the Republic.
Ezra stated that the Republic had become the Galactic Empire and no longer needed the clone armies anymore. In other words, Ezra and his allies were not Kalani's enemies. When Kalani realized that he was just a pawn of Palpatine's plans, he and his droids joined forces with the heroes and helped them escape. In the end, Kalani and his droids went their seperate ways while the heroes returned to the Rebellion. Kalani and his droids, or any other surviving Separatist holdouts, did not return in a later episode, but they were presumed to eventually join the Rebellion.
Description[]
Kalani was considered the commander of the Separatist occupation of Onderon on the intelligent implementation, and the successful completion of its operations. In contrast to the standard Tactical Droid, he presented his strategy not only through analytical calculations together with those in anticipation, as well as the moves of his opponent, but also brought variations in its behavior, as well as in its plans, and set changes in the game plan immediately, such as for example, the execution of Sanjay Rash.
Therefore, the droid was trying to be informed of all developments and facts that affected its operation, and he was never adverse to using cut-throat strategies to defeat and demoralize his opponents. Tandin was of the opinion that Kalani could not create a alternative plan because he overestimated himself by his determined fighting way and did not consider that the people of Onderon took an important role in his plans, because he, unlike Tandin, had no regard for the interests of the population.
Kalani started a hunt for terrorists and people who were connected or supported the cause. Captured terrorists were tortured, killed, or imprisoned. Around the entire planet of Onderon, chaos was generating a global civil war. Kalani commanded the death of all rebels and civilians for crimes against the Separatist Alliance, generating a mass slaughter of thousands of innocents.
Relationships[]
Allies[]
- Separatists
- Battle Droids
- Sabine Wren
- Kanan Jarrus
- Ezra Bridger
- Chopper
- Hera Syndulla
- Captain Rex
- Clone Troopers
- Count Dooku
- General Grievous
Enemies[]
- Clone Troopers (formerly)
- Galactic Republic
- Galactic Empire
- Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Anakin Skywalker
- Jedi Order
- Saw Gerrera
- Ahsoka Tano
Trivia[]
- Kalani shares the same supremacist mentality as Skynet: robots from the Terminator franchise being superior to humans in every possible way.
- Kalani is the first of several Super Tactical Droids to appear in the series, and one of the numerous droids who survived both the Clone Wars and the war against the Empire and possibly the war against the First Order.
- Kalani is the first of Super Tactical Droids to survive in the entire Star Wars franchise, the second is Kraken.
- Curiously, the name "Kalani" is also the name of the game developer Kalani Streicher, who worked on several Star Wars games.
- In Star Wars Rebels, Kalani received only a minor change compared to his design in The Clone Wars.