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.

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.

Growing up on his own during the age of the Empire, Ezra Bridger relied on his street smarts -- and subconscious Force abilities -- to survive. He became a con artist and small-time thief, doing what he needed to get by on his home planet Lothal. But this reality also hardened Ezra, who by the time he was 14 years old, had little trust for anyone. That would change with his introduction to the Ghost crew, a small band of rebels fighting back against the Empire. Ezra came to believe in their cause, and saw that he could help change the galaxy for the better. And with the help of Kanan Jarrus, he began to learn the ways of the Jedi.

Meet the muscle of the Ghost team. Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios was a cunning Lasat honor guard who adopted the cause of rebellion against the Empire. Despite his hulking frame, Zeb was actually highly-educated and articulate. Still, he loved beating up stormtroopers, who he nicknamed “bucket heads.”

Not every Jedi perished in Order 66. 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. 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.