Mas Amedda/Legends

"Enter the bureaucrats."

- Palpatine

Mas Amedda was a male Chagrian and the Vice Chairman of the Galactic Senate during the administrations of Chancellors Finis Valorum and Palpatine. Amedda served during the Clone Wars and continued to serve under the self-proclaimed Emperor Palpatine.

Biography
"Order! We shall have order!"

- Mas Amedda

Early life
In the years prior to the invasion of Naboo, Mas Amedda served as a senator in the Galactic Senate, representing his homeworld of Champala. He considered himself an honest politician and strove to voice the wants and needs of his people in the Senate.

Amedda was a member of the Rim faction led by Orn Free Taa, and as such, was successfully nominated by Taa to be elected to the position of Vice Chair in 40 BBY. His main duties were to provide Taa's faction with a means of control over Chancellor Valorum, who had been weakened by a debacle at Eriadu and a scandal involving money laundering. The support of Valorum's policies in the Senate degenerated, which effectively paralyzed the Chancellor's government.

Palpatine, as his alter-ego Darth Sidious, once sent Darth Maul on a mission to eliminate Amedda because he was gaining political power and could potentially stand in the way of Sidious' plan. Palpatine's need for Amedda's death, however, evaporated when Palpatine became Chancellor.

The invasion of Naboo
The following year Mas Amedda presided over the motion of a Vote of No Confidence in Valorum's leadership, as requested by Queen Amidala of Naboo following Senate inaction in response to the invasion of Naboo. Mas knew he couldn't become Chancellor himself, but he hoped to be able to manipulate the future Chancellor in order to aid the galactic populace.

Separatist Crisis
Following Palpatine's election, Amedda continued to serve as Vice Chair for the duration of Palpatine's term as Chancellor. Mas fed his ideas to Palpatine, and they would wind up being used by the Head of State. But Palpatine was truly manipulating the Vice Chair. During the Separatist Crisis, the Military Creation Act was highly debated by the Senate. The discovery of a droid army on Geonosis, a clear threat from the Separatists, meant that action needed to be taken. Amedda was the first to suggest that Palpatine be granted emergency powers after being manipulated by Palpatine, a suggestion taken into consideration by Representative Jar Jar Binks.

The Clone Wars
"You can't keep them reined in obviously, so we will."

- Mas Amedda to Satine Kryze.

The Senate voted to grant Palpatine the emergency powers, and the Supreme Chancellor's first act was to create a Grand Army of the Republic. An army of clone troopers discovered by Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi on the planet Kamino served the role, and the galaxy-spanning Clone Wars began. Amedda continued to serve in his post during the war, and was present during a session of the Senate that discussed the threat that the Death Watch terrorist organization posed to the people of Mandalore. Despite the protests of Mandalore's Duchess Satine Kryze, the Senate was preparing to vote to allow the Republic to occupy the planet in order to resist the Death Watch. Amedda placed a datacard into a holoprojector that displayed a hologram of Mandalore's Deputy Minister Jerec calling for Republic assistance, though the message had in fact been doctored. Kryze was later attacked, and after being granted an audience with Palpatine, was told by Amedda and the Supreme Chancellor that the assassination attempt proved that Mandalore needed the Republic's aid. Amedda expressed his belief that Kryze was unable to keep the Death Watch reigned in by herself. When Senator Amidala uncovered Jerec's actual holorecording, requesting that the Republic leave Mandalore alone, Amedda and Palpatine presided over a Senate session that rescinded the Senate's earlier vote to occupy the planet. Kryze, Kenobi, the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, and Amidala later discussed the outcome of the vote with Amedda and Palpatine in the Supreme Chancellor's office, and the latter three discussed the logistics of ratifying the Senate's vote.

He attended Palpatine when the Supreme Chancellor welcomed Skywalker, Jedi Master Mace Windu, the astromech droid R2-D2, and the giant Zillo Beast of Malastare to Coruscant; Palpatine was eager to study the beast's fearsome armor. Palpatine assigned Doctor Sionver Boll to the task, and brought Amedda with him to check on her progress. Back in the Supreme Chancellor's office, Skywalker and Amidala appealed Palpatine's decision to kill the creature, but Amedda expressed his opinion that uncovering the secrets to its armor was for the greater good. Some time later, Amedda and Palpatine presided over a session that saw Amidala present a bill proposing the cutting of military spending, and soon after attended the funeral of Amidala's ally in the Senate, Onaconda Farr of Rodia, who had been poisoned by his aide Lolo Purs. Amidala's bill was voted down, and Amedda was present outside of the Senate Chamber when Palpatine and Amidala discussed the outcome.

At one time, Mace Windu suspected Amedda might be Darth Sidious, but discovered his folly when the real Darth Sidious&mdash;none other than Palpatine himself&mdash;revealed himself and killed the Jedi Master.

Mas Amedda was also present when Grand Master Yoda barged into Palpatine's office and the two dueled. He, however, did not witness the duel, having left before the first blow. Following the duel, Amedda was present with Palpatine in a Senate pod during the clone shock troopers' search for Yoda. He was then told by the Emperor to tell Captain Kagi to prepare his shuttle for departure to Mustafar.



Rebellion
Following the Empire's formation he became one of the first members of the Inner Circle. Amedda remained in office even after the declaration of the Galactic Empire, acting as Palpatine's representative in the Senate. He was responsible for taking care of Palpatine's collection of Sith statues and decorations, having a fondness for antiques, presumably receiving a staff from the collection. This role included traveling to Yavin 4 to search for Sith relics; Amedda instead returned with some piranha beetles which delighted the Emperor.

His position was far less important than it had been in earlier years. Palpatine kept both Amedda and the Umbaran Staff Aide Sly Moore at his side, appointing them both to the original Imperial Interim Ruling Council.

Behind the scenes
Mas Amedda was played by Jerome Blake in The Phantom Menace, David Bowers in Attack of the Clones, and by both Blake and Bowers in Revenge of the Sith.

He appeared in the episodes "Duchess of Mandalore," "Senate Murders," "Heroes on Both Sides" and "The Zillo Beast Strikes Back" of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He was voiced by Stephen Stanton.

Amedda's name is mispelled in Jedi Quest: The School of Fear, as Ameeda.