Orn Free Taa/Legends

"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 a corpulent male Rutian Twi'lek who served as the senator of Ryloth during the waning years of the Galactic Republic. As the leader of the Rim faction, he was among the most senior members of the Galactic Senate. Indeed, Taa's power within the Senate helped skyrocket both Mas Amedda and Palpatine to power. He also had an unclear relationship with Jabba the Hutt.

Under Valorum
A wealthy former tax collector, Taa was a senator during Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum's time in office, succeeding the controversial Chom Frey Kaa. The Twi'lek became one of the most self-indulgent, corpulent and greedy members of the Senate, spending his time with later-Separatist and equally corrupt Senators such as Toonbuck Toora and Passel Argente, in addition to a pantheon of female Twi'lek aides.

These aides included a white Twi'lek male, a Lethan Twi'lek female, Pampy, Supi, a protocol droid, a Human male and a Human female. It is likely that the females were more for show than for administrative assistance, though the Lethan held the title of Associate Planetary Representative.

Taa was the leader of the Rim faction of senators; as such, he advocated lessening the Republic's interference in local affairs. Taa was the senator who nominated both Mas Amedda for the position of Vice Chair and Palpatine for the position of Chancellor; both of which became successful in their positions.

Under Palpatine
Taa was a member of the Allocations and Appropriations Committees and was one of the first members of the Loyalist Committee. A Militarist in the Separatist Crisis, he was one of the biggest supporters of the Military Creation Act, which was counter to the Twi'lek's cultural disdain of violence. However, he approved of an attempt by Palpatine to negotiate with Count Dooku just prior to the outbreak of the Clone Wars.

When Senators Tikkes, Bufus Ritsomas, Danry Ledwellow, and Wuja Wojaine were caught and arrested for their involvement in a slavery ring from their sectors, Taa expressed his disgust in public. All convicted Senators were put under house arrest to await trial, but one week later, Tikkes escaped on his Quarren vessel, the Krakana Current. Furious and unsure whether to denounce this escape as part of a conspiracy or a result of incompetence on security's part, Taa denounced it as proof of Tikkes' guilt. Senator Edcel Bar Gane of Roona, on the other hand, thought that Taa was jumping to conclusions and viewed Tikkes' situation as a flight for his life after Senator Aks Moe's death. Taa's accusation would prove to be correct when Taa joined forces with Count Dooku and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. After Neimoidian senator Lott Dod ended up in a skyway accident, Taa, when appearing on the Amberdawn morning news broadcast focusing on the accident, joked on the air that Dod was probably planning to file a lawsuit against the Skyway Flyer company for alleged anti-Neimoidian sentiments, and planned to issue evidence of them interfering with Neimoidian markets. The next day, Taa ended up making a public apology for his remarks on the Amberdawn after Dod complained about the joke being tasteless.

Battle of Ryloth
"The people have my promise that the clone army will leave once Ryloth is free of those droids!"

- Orn Free Taa

When the Senator's homeworld of Ryloth became the site of Separatist invasion, he was rightly worried about the welfare of his people. With the blockade in orbit and the onslaught on the surface, it seemed that the resistance would fail. The Jedi Council dispatched Senator Bail Prestor Organa to negotiate humanitarian aid from King Katuunko of Toydaria, in order to deliver supplies to Ryloth. Taa made a personal plea to the Toydarians via hologram regarding how his people are suffering. However, the Trade Federation representative Lott Dod made a counterargument that supporting Ryloth would end Toydaria's neutrality. Officially, Katuunko refused to get involved in the war, he nonetheless aided in delivering the supplies to Ryloth, right under Dod's nose.

After operations led by Jedi Generals Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi were successful in breaching the Separatist blockade and beginning a ground assault, Jedi Master Mace Windu briefed Taa and the Senate about what progress the clone army had made so far; namely, the securing of many villages and the entire southern hemisphere of Ryloth.

Windu believed that the Separatist occupation could only be defeated by capturing the capital city of Lessu, and that this could only be achieved with the help of Taa's political rival Cham Syndulla. Though both Taa and Syndulla were dubious over the possibility of an alliance between them, Windu managed to secure both of their aid through their mutual wish to save their people. Taa promised that once the battle was over and there were no more Separatist droids on this planet, the clone army would leave the system immediately, while Syndulla vowed not to make an attempt to seize power from Taa.

After Master Windu successfully captured the capital, as well as Separatist leader Wat Tambor, Senator Taa attended a parade that marked the victory and liberation of Ryloth.

Part of the Council of Neutral Systems
Sometime during the Clone Wars, Senator Taa was asked by Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore to consider joining her Council of Neutral Systems. He accompanied the Duchess during her voyage to Coruscant to plea her case to the Galactic Senate. He was present during the incident aboard the Coronet, during which he bore witness to the horrid monstrosities deployed by the Death Watch and the Confederacy of Independent Systems in an attempt to murder the Duchess.

Senate hostage crisis
"Look at Senator Orn Free Taa! He looks so unhappy!"

- Ziro the Hutt, to Orn Free Taa

When the notorious bounty hunter Cad Bane and his posse were able to successfully enter the Senate Building and capture a group of important Senators, it was Senator Orn Free Taa who alerted Chancellor Palpatine to the emergency. Taa remained with the Chancellor throughout the duration of the crisis and was privy to the Chancellor's refusal to bow to the bounty hunter's demand: the pardon of crime lord Ziro the Hutt.

However, when it became clear that Bane was in control of the Senate, Palpatine agreed to pardon the Hutt. Orn Free Taa was placed in charge of a pardon chip, which under his authority, would ensure the release of Ziro. After freeing Ziro, Taa organized a force of clone troopers to ensure the Chancellor's safety, as well as to prevent the escape of Bane. Unfortunately, Bane had rigged the room holding the hostage Senators with detonation devices, and as such, the Republic were forced to allow him his freedom.

Fortunately, when Bane detonated the devices despite the compliance of the Chancellor, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker foresaw Bane's treachery and was able to save the lives of the hostages.

Personality and traits
"Few cultures have suffered as much from slavery as the Twi'leks, and to know that that kind of blood money has reached as far as the Senate sickens me. I say throw the leeches out of office, and then let them have a taste of the shackles themselves!"

- Orn Free Taa shows his ire for slavery and how it can corrupt the Senate.

Taa served as a very vocal, leading member of the Loyalist Committee until the dissolution of the Galactic Republic in 19 BBY. Like Chom Frey Kaa, another obese Twi'lek, he differed from the normal Twi'lek in that he had four lekku instead of the normal two. His weight allowed him to develop an anterior set of fatty lekku from the thick brows common in male Twi'leks. In Twi'lek culture this may have been seen as a sign of power or virility. In addition, he had three fingers and a thumb instead of the normal four fingers and thumb of most other Twi'leks. He also had the sharpened teeth that were apparently common for Twi'lek males.

Although he genuinely cared about his homeworld and what was best for it, he was nevertheless one of the most greedy and corrupt senators in the Republic. Coming from the poor Outer Rim world of Ryloth, Orn Free Taa used his position of influence to satisfy his every whim while on Coruscant. As such he was quite decadent, flaunting his wealth and power with gaudy robes, beautiful Twi'lek consorts, and living in a lavish penthouse in the high skyscrapers of Coruscant. His given name meant "bird of prey" in Ryl.

There were instances when Orn Free Taa had spoken his outrage at particular Senators for what he viewed – correctly for the most part – as injustices against the Republic and Ryloth, most notably when Senator Tikkes and other members' slave ring was uncovered.

Behind the scenes
Orn Free Taa is featured in all three episodes of the prequel trilogy. He was played by Jerome Blake in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. He is played by Matt Rowan in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. In Revenge of the Sith, his voice was dubbed by Matthew Wood for Orn Free Taa who in the movie, has one line of dialogue in Revenge of the Sith. He utters "Watch It" to Jar Jar Binks when the Senator seems to either be in his way, or bumps into him at the Republic Executive Building. Wood also provided the voice of General Grievous in the film, and also several Expanded Universe productions. Stock Footage of Rowan as Taa is seen in a full-motion cutscene of the video game Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron. In Star Wars: The Clone Wars, he is played by voice-actor Phil LaMarr using a French accent. He is portrayed by David W. Collins in the HoloNet News — A Galaxy Divided segment.

Orn Free Taa's appearance in The Phantom Menace video game is only a brief cameo. When the player, controlling Qui-Gon Jinn, falls into Jabba Desilijic Tiure's beast pit, Orn Free Taa is seen standing next to Jabba.