Toonbuck Toora

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Toonbuck Toora was a female Sy Myrthian Senator representing the people of Sy Myrth in the Galactic Senate during the final decades of the Galactic Republic until she withdrew her planet from the Republic and pledge her support to Count Dooku's Confederacy of Independent Systems after the Separatist Crisis.

Biography

A Sy Myrthian politician, Toonbuck Toora served in the Galactic Republic Senate as the representative of her people and all of Sy Myrth. An idealist who had hoped to end corruption within her administration, Toora became jaded and cynical as time progressed and ultimately she embraced the culture of greed that permeated the elite on Coruscant. Over her time in galactic politics, Toora became one of the most corrupt Republic politicians of the time. Dressing herself in fine linens and adorning her arm with an ever-present consort, Toora's wealth was beyond any she could have imagined and gladly made herself comfortable throughout her career.^[1]

Profiting greatly from investment in the Trade Federation, Toora became one of the Federations more vocal supporter's in the Senate at the time surrounding their invasion of the planet Naboo. While most of the Senate was divided, belonging either to the Core faction or to the Rim faction, Toora was autonomous and still influential, being a political ally of figures such as Orn Free Taa of Ryloth, Edcel Bar Gane of Roona and Passel Argente, the Magistrate of the Corporate Alliance. This group was a partidary of Senator Palpatine of Naboo, a relative newcomer to the political scene of Coruscant who, nevertheless, had managed to grasp Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum's attention.^[4]

Noticing that Valorum favored Palpatine, Toora questioned Palpatine about the advice he had been giving to the Chancellor. The Naboo was noncommittal, suggesting that he had only helped the Chancellor to grasp the bigger picture. By saying this, he surprised the Sy Myrthian and perked her interest, but he excused himself before answering any further inquiry.^[4]

In 33 BBY, Chancellor Valorum proposed the taxation of the until-then free trade zones. Toora visited the Coruscant Opera, like many other politicians of the time where she met with Palpatine to discuss politics. Attending a reproduction of The Brief Reign of Future Wraiths, performed by a Bith company, she shared a balcony with her political allies when she learned from Senator Palpatine that he had suggested to the Chancellor that a part of the collected money could be invested in the growth of planetary systems in the affected areas. While senators of that region supported the idea, Toora and other delegates including Po Nudo and Wat Tambor openly opposed to it. She was in luck when Palpatine proposed that the matter be resolved at a Trade Summit on Eriadu and, once the Eriadu delegate accepted the idea, Toora was quick to second the motion.^[4]

Following Palpatine's ascension to the Chancellorship, Toora continued to be a vocal opponent of his policies over the next decade, criticizing his attempts to regulate the Commerce Guild's operations in the Outer Rim Territories. As a major secessionist movement plagued the Senate, Toora was absent from the Senate for over a month before submitting her world's resignation from the galactic government via a droid proxy.^[3] Toora public gave her support to the Confederacy of Independent Systems after being won over by Count Dooku's promises of power. When the Clone Wars broke out, Toora remained faithful to the Confederate cause throughout the three year conflict.^[2]

When the war came to a crashing end in 19 BBY, Toora escaped with a small fleet as the Republic and the Confederacy collapsed and the Galactic Empire assumed absolute control over the galaxy. One of the last Confederate holdouts, the former senator had managed to reactivate a significant number of droids. Aboard her flagship, the Defiance's Banner, Toora fought against the Empire on many fronts, losing ground at Charros, Diado, and Metalorn before eventually being cornered over the planet Trasemene. She was killed when the insurrection ended in the Battle of Trasemene, where the Imperial Praetor-class Star Battlecruiser Battalion destroyed the cruiser.^[2]

Personality and traits

A wide-mouthed Sy Myrthian with small eyes, Toonbuck Toora had three short beards growing from her chin. Neckless and squat-headed Toora lacked legs like all Sy Myrthians and instead achieved locomotion through the use of a single foot similar to other gastropods. Toora was corrupt, very rich and prone to luxury. Non-confrontational, she was also said to enjoy conspiracy.^[4]

Behind the scenes

Toonbuck Toora was portrayed by Howard Swindell in The Phantom Menace and by special effects artist Hilton Howson in Attack of the Clones. Toora was scripted to be in the Separatist war room scene on Geonosis in Attack of the Clones, but was digitally replaced by Rogwa Wodrata because George Lucas was unsatisfied with Toora's mask.^[5] She is still present in the novelization and the comic of Attack of the Clones.

The novelization of Attack of the Clones misspelled her name as "Toonebuck Toora". According to her now defunct databank entry, Toora's name is derived from Live Action Animatronics Effects Supervisor Nick Dudman's acquaintance's dog.

According to Leland Chee's "Ask Lobot" article in Star Wars Insider 101, "There has been some suggestion that the Toonbuck Toora we see on Geonosis was actually a Shi'ido shape-shifter involved in a duplicitous ploy to bring Sy Myrth to the Confederacy. In that scenario, the plot is ultimately foiled, leaving the planet firmly loyal to the Republic."