Grievous is depicted as a brilliant military strategist who serves as the Supreme Commander of the Confederacy of Independent Systems' Droid Armies during the Clone Wars.

He is a powerful Kaleesh cyborg who has mastered all forms of lightsaber combat, under the tutelage of Count Dooku, to rival the Force abilities of the Jedi of the Galactic Republic.

The character has also appeared in several forms of non-canonical media in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, including novelizations, comic books, and video games.

Some of these works explore his past as Qymaen jai Sheelal, a reptilian warlord whose vendetta against the Jedi began when he blamed them for the plight of his people.

One drawing presented Grievous as an eight-year-old alien child on a hover chair guarded by two IG assassin droids, which Lucas rejected for not being threatening enough.

[2] Fu's sketch was made into a 1-foot (30 cm)-tall maquette sculpture which was then refined into a realistic computer-generated model by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM).

[7][8] Having previously performed voices for other Star Wars projects, Wood took Lucas' feedback on the various auditions he modulated and submitted his own under the pseudonym Alan Smithee.

During filming, Grievous' dialogue was read off-screen while Kyle Rowling wore a motion capture suit to perform the character's fight scenes with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

If you don't believe in the [Expanded Universe] version of the story or didn’t like it, then perhaps this new revelation that Grievous was a warrior whose lust for power made him choose to be altered, suits you better.

"[12] The official Star Wars Databank describes General Grievous as "a brilliant Separatist military strategist and a feared Jedi hunter".

[13][23][24] In spite of Grievous' physical and acrobatic prowess, Dooku has advised him to retreat should he lose the elements of surprise and intimidation, and thus his advantage, in a fight against the Force-sensitive Jedi.

[25] According to Tartakovsky, Lucas initially pitched Grievous to him as "this ruthless, totally capable Jedi killer," but later developed the character into "one of those old B-serial villains who does something bad ... twirls his mustache and then runs off.

"[25] The series depicted Grievous as a nigh-unstoppable fighter capable of dispatching multiple Jedi simultaneously with ease,[23] which contradicted the then-upcoming film's less powerful portrayal of the character.

To reconcile these continuity differences, the series finale of Clone Wars sees Mace Windu crush Grievous' chestplate with the Force, damaging his internal organs and providing a reason for both his hacking cough and his weakened state in the film.

Literature in the Star Wars Expanded Universe written by Warren Fu, the original designer of Grievous, had the general's hatred of the Jedi stem from their role in the plight and enslavement of his people.

[21] In the first season, Grievous encounters Obi-Wan for the first time when he uses the ion cannons of his flagship, the Malevolence, to attack the Republic fleet, but is forced to abandon ship when Anakin sends it crashing into a nearby moon.

[33][34][35][g] In light of Grievous' defeats, Dooku arranges for Kit Fisto, Nahdar Vebb, and a group of clone troopers to infiltrate the general's hidden fortress on Vassek to test him.

[36][g] Grievous later dispatches a group of infiltrator droids to stage a bombing on the Galactic Senate on Coruscant to sabotage a peace agreement between the Republic and the Separatists.

[37] In the fourth season, Grievous is neutralized by the Gungan army while attempting to invade Naboo, but is soon freed in a prisoner exchange after Dooku captures Anakin.

[38] Grievous defeats Adi Gallia during his attack on a Republic cruiser, though a rescue team led by Plo Koon frees her from captivity.

Grievous briefly duels Ventress before foiling Mother Talzin's voodoo spell against Dooku and killing Daka, the leader of the Nightsisters.

[42] He launches a full-scale attack on Florrum and fights pirate leader Hondo Ohnaka, Ahsoka Tano, and a group of Jedi younglings, forcing them to flee.

Towards the end of the Clone Wars, Grievous escapes from the Battle of Coruscant after his attempt to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine is thwarted by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.

[51][52][53][54] General Grievous was originally introduced as a mysterious new antagonist in "Chapter 20", the season two finale of the 2003 Clone Wars micro series.

[5] He leads the Separatist droid armies on the planet Hypori as they surround a group of seven Jedi, comprising Masters Ki-Adi-Mundi, Shaak Ti, Daakman Barrek, and K'Kruhk; and Knights Aayla Secura, Tarr Seirr and Sha'a Gi.

Impressed by Grievous' abilities as a fighter, Hill and Count Dooku arranged for his shuttle to crash to ensure his permanent servitude to the Separatists.

Grievous accepted Dooku's offer to reconstruct him with a cyborg body and became the Supreme Commander of the Droid Armies to seek revenge against the Jedi.

Grievous swiftly defeats the pair and emerges victorious, earning his position as the Supreme Martial Commander of the Separatist Droid Armies.

Though Windu overwhelms Grievous in combat, the cyborg outwits the Jedi Guard and takes Palpatine hostage, setting the stage for Revenge of the Sith.

[59][60][61][67] The character's line from Revenge of the Sith, "Your lightsabers will make a fine addition to my collection", has gained popularity as an Internet meme.