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Imperial Senate

"Since my ascension, I have allowed a convenient fiction to persist—that the Empire is merely a continuation of the Republic. The Imperial Senate remains—an illusion of many voices coming together to govern. In truth, there is only one voice. Mine."

— Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious on how powerless the Senate has become in Secrets of the Sith

While being a formal continuation of the Republic Senate, the Imperial Senate had little of the power it once held, having surrendered it to Emperor Palpatine. While many senators thrived under the Empire, using their positions to enrich themselves, others sought to bring down the Empire and restore the Republic, with key senators becoming the secret civilian leadership of the Alliance to Restore the Republic and utilizing their public position to highlight Imperial atrocities. The Imperial Senate was eventually dissolved by the Emperor after nineteen years to remove one of the final impediments to his total rule of the galaxy.

In general

Authority in Name Only: Zigzagged. By 5 BBY, the few senators who do regularly attend Senate sessions are often shown to leave early out of disinterest in their jobs, and Palpatine’s scheme in The Bad Batch makes plain that he is truly the only one with any power in the Empire. However, fear of public backlash from the Senate still hangs over the heads of the Imperials for the 19 years until its dissolution. Time and again, someone expresses concern over what would happen if the Senate got wind of the atrocities the Empire was responsible for. The Senate has enough power that when the Death Star is complete, Palpatine dissolves it immediately to remove it as an obstacle to his absolute power.
Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Non-lethal example, though Palpatine surely would’ve liked it to be a straight example if he had the chance. The only reason the Senate isn’t dissolved until the Battle of Yavin is because Palpatine simply needs them to run the bureaucracy of his Empire until the Death Star is completed. Once the super weapon is ready, Palpatine dissolves the Senate on the spot since he plans to use the threat of planetary extinction to keep his Empire in line, with the regional governors taking over as smaller scale absolute dictators who report only to him.
Corrupt Politician: Jedi Survivor notes that many members of the Senate turned to corruption and the black market because Palpatine’s ascension to absolute ruler robbed them of much of their power.
Early-Bird Cameo: The Imperial Senate is mentioned quite a few times in A New Hope and technically exist at the end of Revenge of the Sith, but they have more major appearances in shows like Bad Batch and Andor as well as novels like Leia, Princess of Alderaan.
Even Evil Has Standards:
- The Senate applauded the transition to a fascist dictatorship, but they were appalled and horrified when Rampart’s destruction of Kamino was exposed. Palpatine himself had to take to the Senate floor immediately to convince the Senate that Rampart was not acting on his orders.
- In "The Summit", it is noted by Barton and Romodi that if word of Hemlock’s experimentation on clones without their consent gets out, the Senate will erupt into an uproar as they are still fond of their former army.
- Even on the eve of the Senate’s dissolution, Tagge and other members of the joint chiefs, such as Romodi, expressed fear of the backlash that the Senate would express if word got out that Leia Organa was being held prisoner by Vader and Tarkin.
Hoist by Their Own Petard: Signing away the galaxy to Palpatine’s ruler-for-life regime results in the Senate losing much of their power.
Orcus on His Throne: The Senate unknowingly helps facilitate this for Palpatine, who largely is uninterested in the minutiae of running his Empire and is more in it for the pleasure of being the Sith Lord in charge of the galaxy. Palpatine rarely takes part in Senate deliberations after becoming Emperor, with the party line espoused by his Grand Vizier Mas Amedda being that he trusts the Senate to govern their affairs without him.
Spanner in the Works: For much of Palpatine’s rule, the Senate was a persistent thorn in his side, as he had to pretend to be a benevolent ruler with the galaxy’s best interests at heart to keep them happy and on board with his rule. Many of Palpatine’s items on his agenda would’ve gone through a lot quicker had he not needed them to run the bureaucracy of his Empire.
Ungrateful Bastard: Unlike the rest of the Imperial government, a large amount of the Senate defies this when it comes to the clones, as they still want them to receive fair treatment and pension since as far as they know, they not only defeated the Separatists but the Jedi rebellion. Even after Palpatine voices his opinion that the clones can no longer be depended on to defend the galaxy and convinces the Senate to sign off on the stormtrooper program, the Senate is still loyal to the clones.

Imperial Senators

Orn Free Taa

Senator Orn Free Taa

Species: Twi'lek

Homeworld: Ryloth

Portrayed by: Jerome Blake (The Phantom Menace), Matt Rowan (Attack Of The Clones, Revenge Of The Sith)

Voiced by: Phil LaMarr (The Clone Wars), Matthew Wood (Revenge Of The Sith)

"Need I remind you that it is I who leads our people in the Senate!"

—Orn Free Taa To Political Rival Cham Syndulla

Orn Free Taa was the Senator of Ryloth and a leading member of the Loyalists in addition to being a strong proponent for the Republic military. Following the rise of the Empire, he continued to serve in the senate as a puppet for Imperial interests on Ryloth.

0% Approval Rating: Though a Senator representing Ryloth, he is hated by his people for being a corrupt and useless figure who allowed Ryloth being subjugated by the Separatists and later the Empire. It has gotten so bad that when he gives a speech to his people to step down from their military posts, they booed at him and demanded Cham Syndulla instead in spite of Syndulla's agreement to not seek political power.
Adaptational Nice Guy: In the Legends works, he's described as one of the most corrupt senators in the Republic (even the official online character encyclopedia describes him as such). In the Canon (which is presented via The Clone Wars), he at least cares about the survival of his people, even if he still is fairly corrupt and will put his own needs first.
A Lady on Each Arm: He is almost always seen with at least one scantily clad Twi'lek female accompanying him.
Ascended Extra: In the Prequel Trilogy’s films, he is a noticeable background senator with exactly one line of dialogue. He receives an expanded role in The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch.
Butt-Monkey: In Lords of the Sith, Taa spends the novel being terrified and abused while being constantly dismissed as an unimportant figurehead. Vader uses the Force to toss him around or choke him a couple times, while the Free Ryloth Movement does not really consider him a very high-profile target anymore even though he is the face of the Imperial occupation of Ryloth.
Big Eater: In "Voyage of Temptation", Obi-Wan describes him as having a "legendary appetite". Not very surprising, considering his weight.
Damned by Faint Praise: Vader and the Emperor discuss Taa's loyalty and note he is indeed loyal to the Empire, in the sense that he's self-interested and siding with the Empire is how he gets what he wants.
Dirty Old Man: He's often seen in the company of one or two Twi'lek females who appear quite a bit younger than he is and are dressed in a rather questionable manner for someone accompanying a Senator.
Enemy Mine: With his political rival Cham Syndulla during the Clone Wars. When Wat Tambor started bombing Twi'lek villages across Ryloth, the two came to a compromise: the Republic would withdraw their forces once Ryloth was free if Syndulla did not try to seize power for himself.
Fat Bastard: An obese Twi'lek politician who happens to be loyal to the Empire, even as it exploits his own planet for its own gain.
Gonk: Most Twi'leks, male and female, have slender yet athletic bodies and are attractive. Taa is obese, ugly, and has disgusting teeth.
Hidden Depths: It's easy to dismiss him as Palpatine's toady, but Vader and Sidious agree Taa puts what's best for Ryloth ahead of what's best for the Empire. The issue is that Taa puts what's best for himself ahead of either.
Hypocrite: He accuses Cham Syndulla of being a selfish, treasonous, power-hungry traitor, but as Cham point out Taa is the real traitor because he always puts himself above his own people.
Never My Fault: He blames his political unpopularity on Cham Syndulla, accusing his rival of plotting a political coup against him with civil unrest. He never considers that his lavish, corrupt lifestyle plus willingness to sell out his planet to the Empire might have played a part in this.
Non-Standard Character Design: Unlike most Twi'leks, he has four lekku (head-tails) instead of two. Official resources claim that this is something that happens to male Twi'leks who are able to grow especially obese; lekku are mostly fat deposits, so truly bloated male Twi'leks like Orn are able to have their brow-bumps grow into secondary lekku. Additionally, in The Clone Wars, he has Four-Fingered Hands, which is unlike in the Prequel Trilogy’s films (where he has five-fingered hands, as is normal for his species).
The Paranoiac: He is consistently paranoid of Cham Syndulla's popularity with the Twi'leks, even when the Imperials give him evidence that his political rival is staying true to his word. For example, he is convinced that the cheering crowds for Syndulla is part of a conspiracy to stage a political coup on him despite the clear fact that Syndulla is using his popularity to help Taa when he is unable to quell civil unrest with his speech. His paranoia extends to all of Syndulla's followers, whom he all wants to be punished for association.
The Quisling: After the rise of the Empire, he works in a figurehead position to keep the Twi'leks loyal to the Empire as it exploits Ryloth for spice.
Rubber-Forehead Alien: A corpulent, blue-skinned Twi'lek.
Screams Like a Little Girl: Shows up in "Voyage of Temptation" when he and the rest of the Senators on the Coronet are swarmed by micro assassin probes. Even when one's trapped under a (relatively) indestructible glass serving tray, he still freaks out. That said, it's justified since even a single micro probe can be deadly and was still attempting to kill him from under it.
'Tis Only a Bullet in the Brain: Rather amazingly survives being sniped in the side of his head by Crosshair when the Empire frames the Syndulla family for Taa's attempted assassination.
Uncertain Doom: In Lords of the Sith, he is last seen panicking aboard the Star Destroyer Perilous right before it explodes. Darth Vader and the Emperor briefly discuss his possible fate, with the latter noting that it would be in Taa's nature to find some way to survive.
Ungrateful Bastard: Despite Cham keeping his word to not seize power and helping Taa maintain his position as Senator in the post-Clone Wars period, Taa could never get past the idea that Cham will supplant him due to his popularity with their people. He thus repays Cham by trying to get the Imperials to arrest him and his followers with the filmiest of excuses.
Villain Has a Point: Even though he repays Cham for his promise by having the Imperials to arrest him with weak excuses, he is correct about Hera who should be dealt with as soon as possible, since she becomes Captain of the Ghost and meets up with Kanan Jarrus/Caleb Dume, who later recruit Sabine, Zeb, and Ezra to their little "family" to aid the Rebellion in their war against Palpatine.
Would Hurt a Child: He wants all of Cham's followers to be dealt by the Empire for a being a potential political threat to him, including Cham's young daughter Hera. Cham is furious about the last part and nearly kills his political rival for threatening his daughter. Though since Hera becomes one of the Empire's biggest threats to their peace and prosperity, Taa is ironically right in the long run.

Gall Trayvis

Senator Gall Trayvis

Species: Human

Voiced By: Brent Spiner

Appearances: Rebels

A human who until recently served as a member of the Imperial Senate. He was removed from office for speaking out against the Empire's policies, though he remains in touch by frequently hijacking the Imperial HoloNet with less-savory news about the regime.

Bookends: His first and last^note appearances both involve him helping lure the Ghost crew into an Imperial trap, and their subsequent escape preventing the Empire from using the trap again.
Broken Pedestal: He becomes one to both Ezra and Hera once they realize his true loyalties and that everything he spoke for was a lie.
Bullying a Dragon: There's no galaxy where it's safe to gloat to a superpowered teenager about his parents' deaths and then imply you had a hand in it. His face when Ezra glares back at him before he leaves implies that he realized this too late.
But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Averted. He remembers the Bridgers quite well.
Dirty Coward: He's wimpy and more cowardly in real life, rather than how his image on the HoloNet depicted him as fatherly and supportive. It's because he helps the Empire catch rebels that are lured out by his words, which in itself is cowardly.
The Exile: He was removed from office and then forced into hiding for his anti-Imperial views. He's actually an Imperial agent.
Expy: Of Emmanuel Goldstein, being a Fake Defector posing as the Voice of the Resistance to lure out real dissidents. He even seems to be modeled after George Orwell himself.
Foil:
- The Bridgers were just ordinary people that made rebel broadcasts to keep hope going and to encourage action against the Empire so that people would be free from its tyranny. Trayvis is a senator who made rebel broadcasts to encourage action against the Empire so that they know exactly who to arrest.
- Tseebo was the major source of an information leak that became important to the rebels so that they knew what the Empire's plans were for a number of things. Trayvis leaked out false information to the rebels so that they could be lured into a trap by the Empire, thus, ending their operations right then and there.
- Ahsoka/the Fulcrum informant network and the senators-in-exile both preferred more covert activities and planning ahead, while Senator Trayvis wants people to act out without thinking of the consequences so as to easily find and arrest those who would commit treason against the Empire. In fact, it's implied that Ahsoka and/or Senator Organa informed Hera that Trayvis was a suspicious character before performing the retrieval mission in "Vision of Hope".
- Ezra mistakenly believed that Trayvis knew the Bridgers personally or was close to them. However, Governor Azadi did. Ezra learns about both of their possible connections to his parents through a vision at the beginning of their respective in-person debut episodes. Also, both Azadi and Trayvis are wanted former political leaders with warm color palettes and are fatherly (at least seemingly for Trayvis), but Azadi has a larger build while Trayvis is wimpy. Azadi also defiantly wanted to stay out of prison and thus initially wanted to stay out of rebel activities after his escape, while Trayvis wanted to give up easily when cornered by Imperial forces and encouraged acting out without foresight due to being an Imperial spy.
Foreshadowing: His first appearance has him leaking out word of Luminara Unduli's survival. With the revelation that Luminara was Dead All Along and that she was part of a trap set by the Grand Inquisitor, this hinted at him trying to bait rebel groups, which was confirmed in "Vision of Hope".
Meaningful Name:
- Maybe. He has the "gall" to "betray" Ezra's vision.
- According to behind-the-scenes material, he was called DeGaulle before he was given his current name.
The Mole: His messages deliberately lead rebels into traps.
Token Good Teammate: While senators like Mon Mothma and Bail Organa were more covert in spreading dissent, Gall Trayvis was much more open about his criticisms of the Empire during his time in the Senate. That's what he wanted the public and the rest of the Empire to think, so he could lure rebel cells into traps.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: After The Reveal that he was actually claiming to be a rebel so to lure out rebels, this gives the crew the idea to make a rebel broadcast of their own in the next episode, setting off a chain of events that lead to the Rebellion becoming more united and able to take action.
Voice of the Resistance: Until "Vision of Hope", he's only been seen on the HoloNet as he hijacks it and provides "news the Empire doesn't want you to hear." After "Vision of Hope", he officially returns to the Empire once his cover was blown.
Walking Spoiler: After his appearance in "Vision of Hope". It doesn't affect the rest of the show later on, however, so it's mainly for Season 1.
What Happened to the Mouse?: He never appears again after he blew his cover in "Vision of Hope" and after he put a Bounty on the Rebels, so its unclear what became of him when the Imperial Senate was disband.

Nadea Tural

Senator Nadea Tural

Species: Thradian

Homeworld: Thrad

Appearances: Rebels Magazine | Star Wars (Marvel 2015)

A female Thradian who represents her homeworld of Thrad in the Imperial Senate. While initially viewing the Empire as a positive force in the galaxy, she realized the corruption and flaws of the Empire after an encounter with the crew of the Ghost. Tural subsequently became an ally of the Rebel Alliance in the senate.

Entertainingly Wrong: From her initial point of view, the crew of the Ghost are terrorists who rob from the Empire to feed their fellow insurgents and criminals. Tural also believes that once a vote passes in the Senate, the Emperor then enacts whatever legislation they passed while she and her colleagues never give a second-thought about it. Hera quickly sets her straight about the rebels' true nature and the lack of power the Senate holds.
Heel–Face Turn: After seeing firsthand how ruthless the Empire could be and learning how the Imperial Senate had no real power, Tural becomes a rebel and starts to secretly support rebellious activity on her homeworld.
Humanoid Alien: Thradians are humanoid in body type, but obviously not human.
Killed Offscreen: Following the dissolution of the Senate, Tural and several other senators known to be sympathetic to the Rebellion are arrested and imprisoned in Arrth-Eno Prison on Coruscant. They are all killed when the prison is destroyed by Palpatine during a failed rescue of the senators and assassination attempt on the Emperor, with the blame pinned on rebel terrorists.
Oh, Crap!: Her reaction to meeting Hera and the Ghost crew, who she only knows as terrorists from Lothal due to Imperial propaganda broadcasts, is to freak out and pull a blaster on Hera when she rescues Tural from a crashed transport.
Took a Level in Cynic: When first introduced, she was an idealistic senator who, while gaining a new understanding of the Empire and the rebels' actions, did not support armed struggle against the Empire. Around four years later, she is a ally of the Rebel Alliance who suggests to Eneb Ray that they attempt to assassinate Emperor Palpatine.

Domus Renking

Senator Domus Renking

Species: Human

Homeworld: Lothal

Appearances: Thrawn

"Trust? Don't be a fool. There's no trust in politics. Never has been. Never will be."

The representative of the Lothal Sector in the Imperial Senate. In the early years of the Empire, he made a deal with mining company owner Arihnda Pryce to sell her company for her mother's freedom from a false claim of embezzlement and working for him as his senatorial aide on Coruscant.

Corrupt Corporate Executive: Pryce sees him as this, and holds a grudge against him for costing her her family's mining company thanks to his rivalry with Azadi. She's not entirely wrong about this view, for once.
Corrupt Politician: As per the norm for any Imperial senator who is not deluded about what the Empire is. Eventually he is too corrupt for even the Empire to ignore when he bribes another governor to drop their bid for a military base in order to get it built on Lothal. Pryce lets this information slip to the ISB and Renking is promptly arrested.
Laser-Guided Karma: His ultimate downfall is caused by Pryce, whom he manipulated and screwed over repeatedly, which set her on the path to claw her way up to become governor of Lothal.
Only in It for the Money: It's rather clear he does not give a damn about Lothal or its people and everything he does is to line his own pockets.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: After Pryce becomes governor of Lothal, Renking despises having to work with her as she repeatedly cuts into his profits for having manipulated her and her family for years.

Winmey Lenz

Senator Winmey Lenz

Species: Human

Homeworld: Chandrila

Appearances: Leia, Princess of Alderaan

The senior senator of Chandrila who served alongside Mon Mothma in the Imperial Senate.

Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Bail and Mon Mothma regarded him as an ally in building the nascent rebellion and were completely unaware of his close ties to the Empire's secret construction projects.
Playing Both Sides: While plotting with the Rebellion, he is also selling cheap building materials to the Empire in secret deals. It is unclear what his ultimate goal was, but he may have been hoping to trigger a war to get rich supplying the Empire.
Stereotype Flip: Chandrila and its people are well-known for being honest and their opposition to the Empire. Lenz is a highly skilled liar and cooperating with the Empire's construction projects.

Daho Sejan

Senator Daho Sejan

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sejan.png

"You lost. The Republic is dead."

Species: Pau'an

Homeworld: Utapau

Portrayed By: T. J. Ramini

Appearances: Jedi: Survivor

"I'm sure the Emperor won't mind if I deliver you to him in pieces!"

The senator of Utapau around 9 BBY. He was a corrupt official with ties to the black market of Coruscant and sought favor with the Emperor by attempting to capture Jedi Knight Cal Kestis.

0% Approval Rating: His own constituents on Utapau hate him, considering him a greedy coward who sold them out to maintain his life of wealth and comfort.
Bode Akuna: I've been to Utapau, Senator. They spit your name out like a curse.
Ambition Is Evil: His desire for more power and the Emperor's favor drives him to go behind the backs of Vader and the Inquisitors to hunt for the Jedi himself, believing it will please Palpatine and elevate him.
Corrupt Politician: As is typical for Imperial senators, Daho is out to line his own pockets, having heavy ties to the black market and using his authority to terrorize entire districts with lockdowns.
High Collar of Doom: Like with many Pau'ans, his clothes have an extremely large collar. Unlike them, it is dark green instead of red and contributes to his sinister nature.
I Did What I Had to Do: Attempts to claim this, stating that he protects Utapau from the Empire through compromise and cooperation and that it would have been useless to resist. The looted relics and his general profit-driven corruption cast doubt on this claim, and it's clear that Cal and his crew don't buy it for a moment, with Bode noting that Sejan's name is spat like a curse by his people.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: He dies when Ninth Sister throws her lightsaber at him and hits him in the chest, skewering him.
Ironic Echo: When Sejan has Cal imprisoned, he calls the Jedi Order a corrupt institution that was destroyed by its own arrogance, and muses that one day future generations may not even know what a lightsaber is. When Cal turns the tables on him, he bites back with this:
Cal: Someday when your children see this, they'll know the Jedi never stopped fighting for them.
Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: He is disgusted by what he perceives as Cal naive belief that the Empire can be fought and that his actions are having any effect on the massive machine that is the Empire.
Sejan: Why fight when you can't win? Surrender tastes bitter at first, Cal, but it sweetens with time.
Too Dumb to Live: Tries to conduct a deal to capture a Jedi on Coruscant with a massive lockdown and hundreds of soldiers behind the backs of Vader and the Inquisitors. Unsurprisingly, the Ninth Sister does not take this lightly and executes him for treason immediately.
Torture Technician: Prefers to get his own hands dirty when interrogating captives or rivals, having his own space for torture in the office aboard his private yacht.
Villain Has a Point: He is right that planets that didn't capitulate and cooperate with the Empire are far worse off than those that did, and in his belief that Cal's small crew cannot do anything that would truly manage to hurt the Empire. However, his points are mitigated by the fact that those planets that capitulate are still subjected to brutal Imperial rule and all the small moments of resistance Cal's crew does pull off give hope and inspires others to rebel.
Weak-Willed: Proves to be susceptible to Cal's mind tricks, managing to resist slightly but then give in completely on the second use.

Imperial Senators on other pages

Senator Bail Organa: see his entry on the Rebel Alliance page.
Senator Leia Organa: see her entry on her own page.
Senator Mon Mothma: see her entry on the New Republic Senate page.
Senator Nower Jebel: see his entry on the New Republic Senate page.
Senator Tynnra Pamlo: see her entry on the Rebel Alliance page.
Senator Vasp Vaspar: see his entry on the Rebel Alliance page.

Senatorial Aides

Senatorial Aides on other pages

Senatorial Attaché Erskin Semaj: see his entry on the Rebel Alliance page.
Administrator Arihnda Pryce: see her entry on the Lothal Imperial Garrison page.

Apprentice Legislature

Apprentice Legislators on other pages

Kier Domadi: see his entry on the Core Worlds page.
Amilyn Holdo: see her entry on the Resistance page.
Chassellon Stevis: see his entry on the Coruscant page.

Characters / Star Wars - Imperial Senate