Tannon Praji

"The transit tax made it difficult for refugees to go to the capital. These new ventures may make it altogether impossible, but I guess that's Coruscant's intent, isn't it?"

- Bronwynn Koft

Tannon Praji, a Human male, was the First Minister of the Coruscant Ministry of Ingress. Responsible for overseeing immigrants and emigrants to and from Coruscant, Praji ascended to the job in a difficult time. CMoI's directives began to clash with that of the Republic, and so Praji had to invalidate their core ideals for the sake of Republic security. During the Clone Wars, he closed the borders of Coruscant to all but those known to be loyal to the Republic. Later, he called for the deportation of all those hailing from Confederate worlds. He received much criticism for his hardliner policies, was labeled as a rich, uncaring maniac, and became the subject of several assassination attempts.

In reality, Praji resented the decisions he had to make, but he was under a great deal of pressure from other governmental factions. In order to relieve his stress, he spent a great deal of time at the Galaxies Opera House, where he would commune with political entities and industry tycoons. He enlisted the help of a bodyguard, Ottegru Grey, who unwittingly drew funds from Praji and donated them to Palpatine. This wound up working to Praji's advantage however, as he crept into favor with Palpatine, who would soon ascend to the position of Galactic Emperor.

Early life
Though the details of Praji's early life are unclear, it is known that he was born into an influential founding Core World family, and a wealthy one at that. Through inheritance, Praji was able to secure his own private fortune—an asset that would one day be used against him. He, like the rest of his family, invested heavily in the Bank of the Core, which effectively bought him a variety of friends and assets in high places.

First Minister of the Coruscant Ministry of Ingress
Sometime after 32 BBY, Praji rose to the position of First Minister of the Coruscant Ministry of Ingress, where he helped to oversee emigration and immigration on Coruscant. Praji was able to fulfill his role with a minimum of fuss until the advent of the Separatist Crisis. Suddenly, a wave of paranoia swept across the galaxy as the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems teetered towards war.

Suddenly, CMoI's obligations to provide unlimited opportunity to offworlders and foreigners clashed with the wellbeing of the Republic. The onus fell upon Praji to reorganize CMoI to better operate under the extraordinary circumstances.

Believing that Coruscant's security might be compromised due to the influx of refugees, Praji made an executive decision and closed the capital's borders to newcomers. Those suspected of treason by the government could and would be deported. This caused a great amount of dissent, and left Coruscant's spaceports overcrowded. In a knee-jerk reaction, such movements as the Refugee Relief Movement decried Praji and his actions, labeling him as a distant, cold trillionaire who cared little for the plight of those in need.

Clone Wars
The accusations stung Praji, who found his own position morally taxing. When the Clone Wars broke out, the Commission for the Protection of the Republic was formed in order to secure the survival of the Republic in testing times. The committee, however, would bully government officials into leaning their way, and Praji was no exception. COMPOR forced Praji to deport those whose homeworlds had sided with the CIS, the results of which for Praji were twofold.

Supreme Chancellor Palpatine praised Praji's efforts and movements, claiming that they were instrumental in securing peace and security on the capital. However, many of Praji's critics were pushed to extreme measures, and several assassination attempts were made on the First Minister by both dissidents and agents of the Confederacy.

Following one particular attempt by Aqualish Separatists, Praji enlisted the help of Ottegru Grey, a family friend. Grey served as Praji's bodyguard, assistant and accountant, although in reality he was acting as an agent for the Bank of the Core. He secretly siphoned funds from Praji's coffers and leaked them into Palpatine's war chest, which allowed Palpatine to pay off the debts of Romeo Treblanc, owner of the Galaxies Opera House. Grey's actions secured both him and Praji a lifetime pass to the Galaxies Opera House, which Praji frequented whenever his work schedule allowed. He thoroughly enjoyed the opera and ballet, and he had the added advantage of access to the Treblanc's private box. There, he would meet with lofty industrialists such as Onara Kuat, who he introduced to Ottegru Grey, and by making choice connections, secured his position in the coming New Order.

Personality and traits
Praji, though rich and privileged, did not seek to oppress the poor and disadvantaged as his detractors asserted during the Separatist crisis. In fact, he lamented his choices, despite finding himself in which neither of the two possible courses of action were particularly attractive. He was also seemingly ignorant of the actions of his bodyguard, Grey, who committed a wide array of shady deals behind his back. Praji was aware, however, of the fact that Palpatine would make a grab for power in 19 BBY, and he was known to share his knowledge with celebrities such as Romeo Treblanc and Onara Kuat.

Behind the scenes
One of the first characters to have their back story fleshed out through the StarWars.com "What's The Story?" feature, Tannon Praji first appeared in George Lucas's Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, in which he was portrayed by John Knoll. This was Knoll's second role in the picture, the first being an emergency firespeeder pilot. Knoll had previously appeared in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace as Rya Kirsch. The other opera patrons that shared the box with Knoll were all played by crew from the film in cameo roles. Interestingly enough, a throwaway comment by Knoll about their character's motivations would later be adopted by "What's the Story?" authors. Zack Bossan created Praji's back story, and intended to make him Commander Nahdonnis Praji's uncle, although this element was left out of the published entry. Onnelly Praji, a supporting character in Paul Ens' Evasive Action: Recruitment, was likely intended to be related to Tannon, but this has not been confirmed in any canon source. Later in the "What's the Story?" cycle, Tannon Praji's story would be interwoven with those of Onara Kuat and Ottegru Grey by Aidan Hennessy (for Kuat) and Bossan with "magicofmyth2" (for Grey).

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith