# General Grievous' Origin: What's Known? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 23, 2005, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-grievous-origin-whats-known/305090 "2005-05-23T14:19:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-grievous-origin-whats-known/305090/1 "2005-05-23T14:19:02Z")
Okay - so in ep III, we see that he has a human (?) - or at least a biological - heart, eyes and perhaps some other innards So what do we know about his origins? I don’t think they were referenced in either the movie or in the Micro Series cartoons. It does seem that perhaps given his organic parts, he went through a transformation similar to Anakin/Darth’s where 'droid parts got swapped in - but to a much greater degree? or perhaps there is techology to integrate biological parts in with droid parts? but to what advantage? His wheezing and coughing and stooped posture would suggest that he is not as enduring as a full droid… ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-grievous-origin-whats-known/305090/2 "2005-05-23T14:31:17Z")
Ask, and ye shall recieve. > **[General Grievous](https://www.starwars.com/databank/general-grievous)** > > Visit the StarWars.com Databank and explore the life and legacy of General Grevious with a character biography, pictures, and videos. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-grievous-origin-whats-known/305090/3 "2005-05-23T14:47:03Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > Ask, and ye shall recieve. > [http://www.starwars.com/databank/character/generalgrievous/](http://www.starwars.com/databank/character/generalgrievous/) That’s a great start - thanks **Bosda**. But it doesn’t answer my fundamental questions: - did he start as a man or a 'droid? - if as a man, did he “evolve” into GG due to war/accident or by choice? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-grievous-origin-whats-known/305090/4 "2005-05-24T14:54:15Z")
_bump_ so no one knows? Hmmm, got a few views on this thread, so people saw it. Curious… ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-grievous-origin-whats-known/305090/5 "2005-05-24T16:30:41Z")
Apparently his origin is in one of the Comic books. I think it’s called “Visionaries.” I haven’t read it yet, but I’m curious about the same thing. The cough is explained, though. Its due to Mac Windu crushing his chest with the force at the end of the Clone Wars cartoon. No time for repairs yet. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-grievous-origin-whats-known/305090/6 "2005-05-24T21:13:50Z")
> [@gonzoron](#): > > Apparently his origin is in one of the Comic books. I think it’s called “Visionaries.” I haven’t read it yet, but I’m curious about the same thing. > > The cough is explained, though. Its due to Mac Windu crushing his chest with the force at the end of the Clone Wars cartoon. No time for repairs yet. Ah - that’s good - thanks! I can explain that to my son, who was really curious and has seen the Clone Wars cartoons… ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-grievous-origin-whats-known/305090/7 "2005-05-24T21:30:00Z")
He was an Ulee and presumably lost most of his body somehow. He is a badarse mofo. ---
**Author:** ![Rufus\_Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-grievous-origin-whats-known/305090/8 "2005-05-24T21:54:24Z")
Wiki has some backstory on GG here: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General\_Grievous](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Grievous) I am unable to vouch for it’s accuracy, but what the heck. It’s an answer. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-grievous-origin-whats-known/305090/9 "2005-05-24T23:08:07Z")
> [@gonzoron](#): > > Apparently his origin is in one of the Comic books. I think it’s called “Visionaries.” I haven’t read it yet, but I’m curious about the same thing. > > The cough is explained, though. Its due to Mac Windu crushing his chest with the force at the end of the Clone Wars cartoon. No time for repairs yet. Ah. I had simply assumed that major bionic reconstruction automatically resulted in respiratory problems. ---
**Author:** ![DataZak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ea666f/32.png) [@DataZak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataZak)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-grievous-origin-whats-known/305090/10 "2005-05-25T03:16:28Z")
> [@gonzoron](#): > > Apparently his origin is in one of the Comic books. I think it’s called “Visionaries.” I haven’t read it yet, but I’m curious about the same thing. Yes it is in _Star Wars Visionaries_. IIRC, his planet was at war with some other planet and both sides wanted the Jedi to side with them. But the Jedi chose to side with GG’s enemies. Somehow or other his ship crashed (sabotaged? I dont remember) and was rescued by the Separatists and given a new cyborg body. And since the Separatists were fighting against the Jedi, GG joined them. I dont know if this origin is considered canon. ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-grievous-origin-whats-known/305090/11 "2005-05-25T07:45:20Z")
How is he able to handle lightsabers? He is not a jedi, since there can only be two Sith. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-grievous-origin-whats-known/305090/12 "2005-05-25T08:35:43Z")
Most non-Jedi can’t handle lightsabers because there’s no sense of weight to the blade, and it’s hard to tell where exactly it is until they accidentally cut themselves in half. (Hell, it’s easy enough to whack yourself in the head with a stick if you don’t know what you’re doing.) But Greivous, being largely mechanical, can get a program upgrade that prevents this. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-grievous-origin-whats-known/305090/13 "2005-05-25T11:59:53Z")
A lightsabre is a weapon. Period, With training, anybody could use it, although only Jedi/Sith Lords can do the really wild stuff with it. Grevious simulates Jedi skills with advanced tech. Finally, there **are** non-Sith Lord/non-Jedi Force wielders. Various alien races, and assorted mystics have used the Force, or so it is implied. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-grievous-origin-whats-known/305090/14 "2005-05-25T12:11:37Z")
> [@sturmhauke](#): > > Most non-Jedi can’t handle lightsabers because there’s no sense of weight to the blade, and it’s hard to tell where exactly it is until they accidentally cut themselves in half. (Hell, it’s easy enough to whack yourself in the head with a stick if you don’t know what you’re doing.) But Greivous, being largely mechanical, can get a program upgrade that prevents this. Wouldn’t this imply that droids should be able to defeat anyone else using lightsabers? Why not equip the droid army with lightsabers and the programming to use them? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-grievous-origin-whats-known/305090/15 "2005-05-25T12:16:21Z")
> [@Rufus Xavier](#): > > Wiki has some backstory on GG here: > > [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General\_Grievous](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Grievous) > > I am unable to vouch for it’s accuracy, but what the heck. It’s an answer. Ah - there you go. Thanks **RX** - I gotta get used to checking Wiki… ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-grievous-origin-whats-known/305090/16 "2005-05-25T12:20:42Z")
Maybe that would be too dangerous in a ‘Pandora’s Box’ way. You never know if that army is going to turn on you. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-grievous-origin-whats-known/305090/17 "2005-05-25T12:45:05Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Wouldn’t this imply that droids should be able to defeat anyone else using lightsabers? > > Why not equip the droid army with lightsabers and the programming to use them? Well, probably a _droid_ isn’t as good, but a cyborg (i.e., human brain) is closer. But notice, also, that GG has those robots with the zappy staves that guard him. They’re pretty tough (more so in Clone Wars … and gotta say, I was disappointed by GG’s performance in Sith … he seemed more badass in Clone Wars). ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-grievous-origin-whats-known/305090/18 "2005-05-25T17:04:02Z")
According to the lore, only people with a certain level of ability and training in the Force can create lightsabers, and the blade focusing crystals are pretty rare. So while you might be able to put together an elite squad of Greivous-type cyborgs with lightsabers, a whole army is impractical. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-grievous-origin-whats-known/305090/19 "2005-05-25T17:43:33Z")
Can internal organs be suspended like that, exposed to open air? I would have thought that they would be very vulnerable to infection, and that kinda thing. Also, isn’t the whole "blow out the “windscreen” thing kinda… plot holish? I mean, he breathes, so shouldn’t he kinda like expire after being sucked out? And how did the glass magically regenerate for the landing sequence? ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-grievous-origin-whats-known/305090/20 "2005-05-25T17:51:18Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > Can internal organs be suspended like that, exposed to open air? I would have thought that they would be very vulnerable to infection, and that kinda thing. It was a very quick shot, but it looked to me like they were encased in glass or some other transparent material. No idea why, other than the visual effect. > [@](#): > > Also, isn’t the whole "blow out the “windscreen” thing kinda… plot holish? I mean, he breathes, so shouldn’t he kinda like expire after being sucked out? Just a WAG, but he’s probably on a respirator, same as Vader. TIE Fighters aren’t pressurized, hence the almost-Vader getup TIE pilots have to wear, but Vader didn’t need a special suit of his own, as he already had one. > [@](#): > > And how did the glass magically regenerate for the landing sequence? Uh… …Let’s not get nitpicky here. 😉 After seeing Grievous, I wish I’d been following the Clone Wars series more closely. For a one-shot, he’s a very interesting character. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-grievous-origin-whats-known/305090.md?page=2)