Movies

General Grievous’ Cough Was Inspired by George Lucas’ Bad Cold and Explained in Two Timelines

BBG News

In Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, General Grievous exhibits a distinctive cough. This detail has roots traced back within the broader Star Wars lore. To put it simply, General Grievous, initially called Qymaen jai Sheelal, is a cybernetically-enhanced Kaleesh who heads the Separatist army and specializes in eliminating Jedi. His past was delved into more deeply during his initial appearances in the Star Wars Legends timeline, whereas his history in canon remains somewhat unclear.

In two distinct narratives, General Grievous has two contrasting backstories, and each tale offers a unique explanation for his distinctive cough. In the initial version set in Legends, General Grievous served valiantly during the Huk War. His intense dislike for the Jedi Order and Galactic Republic developed when they sided with the invading Yam’rii species against him. A shuttle bombing, orchestrated by Dooku and falsely blamed on the Jedi, left Grievous severely injured, intensifying his hatred for the Jedi and leading to his subsequent cybernetic reconstructions, which may have contributed to his distinctive cough. The amusing origin behind this cough is a behind-the-scenes detail in production.

From a devoted cinephile’s perspective, in the Star Wars universe, I, General Grievous, harbored a deep-seated resentment towards the Jedi Order due to feelings of envy and inferiority. To me, they were almost invincible warriors, while my lack of Force-sensitivity was a constant source of frustration. This led me to make the conscious decision to transform myself into a cyborg. As for the enigma surrounding my persistent cough, both timelines present distinct interpretations.

General Grievous’ Cough Was Explained In The Original Clone Wars Show

The micro series of Star Wars: Clone Wars (originally produced), plays a crucial role in comprehending General Grievous’ character. This is because the 20th and 22nd episodes of this series marked his onscreen debut and provided detailed insights into why he could defeat Jedi, but ultimately lost to them. In his first appearance, General Grievous engaged in a battle against seven Jedi during the Battle of Hypori. Despite not having any Force powers, he fought five simultaneously and left all but three dead.

In the future, Clone Wars depicted Count Dooku training Grievous in lightsaber combat, a skill he honed despite his lack of Force sensitivity. To offset this deficiency, Dooku taught Grievous to instill fear among the Jedi before engaging them and strategically retreat if his intimidation tactics fell short. Essentially, Count Dooku was grooming Grievous to use psychological warfare against the Jedi.

On Hypori, Grievous skillfully instilled terror among the Jedi before engaging them in combat, then swiftly departed once ARC trooper reinforcements arrived. His tactics were effective during the Battle of Coruscant as well, enabling him to ruthlessly slay clone troopers, a Senate guard, and two Jedi Masters, and eventually abduct Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.

Confident from his recent victories, Grievous may have grown complacent, failing to withdraw when faced unexpectedly by Mace Windu. This oversight led to Windu harnessing the Force to squeeze Grievous’ chest tightly, causing internal injuries and a persistent cough.

In the movie “Revenge of the Sith“, Grievous suffered greatly from Windu’s attack, which resulted in a constant cough and lessened physical strength. Despite being more inclined to withdraw throughout the film, Grievous made a fatal mistake on Utapau when he was ambushed by Obi-Wan Kenobi. This encounter cost him both hands and ultimately led to his demise.

Clone Wars Season 7 Subtly Called Out This Scene

According to the official Star Wars storyline, General Grievous’ persistent cough is due to his intentional robotic rebuilding process. However, it’s important to note that the manner in which General Grievous was abducted seems to have followed a similar path as its previous portrayal in the Legends continuity.

The last four-part sequence in Star Wars: The Clone Wars shows Jedi Master Shaak Ti being assigned to protect Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Additional contemporary canon sources mention Jedi Master Roron Corobb, a character who perished while safeguarding Palpatine in the Legends timeline, as another of his guardians. Interestingly, Grievous exhibited his distinctive cough much earlier than the Battle of Coruscant.

Why George Lucas Wanted General Grievous To Have A Cough

In the commentary for the movie “Revenge of the Sith,” it’s mentioned that General Grievous’ distinctive cough has an amusing real-life origin. During the film’s production, Director George Lucas himself had a cough, which was later recorded and used in the character of Grievous. This sound was actually introduced in the “Clone Wars” micro-series before the release of “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.” The series provided an in-universe explanation for this characteristic, linking it to Grievous’ training under Count Dooku and his disregard for Dooku’s warning.

Upcoming Star Wars Movies Release Date
The Mandalorian and Grogu May 22, 2026

Read More

2025-05-05 17:23

Previous post Clash Royale Witch Evolution best decks guide
Next post Kaia Gerber Stuns in Plunging Dress for Mango Capsule Collab