Chi Cho/Legends

"I have led our people since before you were born. I've seen a hundred planets rise and fall through force of arms. If it's not the Separatists out there, then it is an aggressive and malevolent enemy nonetheless, and I will not let whoever it is jeopardize the security of the people of Pantora."

- Chi Cho to Riyo Chuchi

Chi Cho was a male Pantoran and the Chairman of the Pantoran Assembly during the Clone Wars. Though a brave warrior, ready and willing to fight and die for his homeworld, he was quite stubborn and unable to seek peaceful solutions. Cho, along with Senator Riyo Chuchi embarked on a mission in 22 BBY. The mission, led by High Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi General Anakin Skywalker, was to intercept Separatist forces that were staging an invasion on Pantora. Orchestrating the attack on Orto Plutonia, Cho and the Jedi found a abandoned Separatist base on the planet but were convinced that there droids around and could attack the party. Cho soon found out that Talz, a species which inhabited Orto Plutonia, were responsible for the attack and could be a threat to the Pantorans. Senator Chruchi wasn't responding well to Cho's actions, when he decided to go to war with the Talz and free the planet for only Pantorans. Kenobi and Skywalker, whom thought Cho was walking into a trap, gave the Pantoran chairman Clone Captain CC-7567, nicknamed Rex, and his squad to help Cho and the Pantoran warriors. Though, Cho was heavily outnumbered and one of the Talz threw a spear in Cho's back and mortally wounded him which eventually led him to his death.

Biography
Chi Cho was the exalted ruler of the Pantoran people and the Supreme Chairman of Pantora, the principal moon of the Pantora system, elected through democratic means. After the beginning of the Clone Wars, he petitioned the Galactic Republic for protection from the CIS, to which the Republic replied with establishing the Glid Station on the frozen world of Orto Plutonia, an uninhabited Pantoran protectorate.



When Glid Station suddenly dropped out of contact, the paranoid Cho assumed Separatists were staging an attack on Pantora and tagged along with the Jedi mission to investigate the case, led by Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. He also brought Pantoran Senatorial Representative Riyo Chuchi with them so that he could exert influence over the Jedi.

When a Separatist base was discovered not too far away from Glid Station, it appeared Cho's beliefs were true. But when Anakin and Obi-Wan investigated, they found that base destroyed too. Eventually, the Jedi found a tribe of primitive Talz living in an ice canyon. The Talz were responsible for the slaughter of both bases, but the Separatists had attacked them and Glid Station got caught in the middle of the fighting. The Talz told the Jedi that they wanted peace, and the Jedi reported this back to Cho and Chuchi.

Cho was shocked to find that Orto Plutonia was in fact already settled by lifeforms, which meant that the Pantorans couldn't claim ownership of the planet anymore. Cho didn't want to lose ownership, and refused to believe the Talz were the rightful inhabitants of the planet. He claimed them to be savages and refused to acknowledge their intelligence. Cho later went with Chuchi and the Jedi to a meeting with the Talz high council. The Talz's chieftan, Thi-Sen, said his people wanted live peacefully with the Pantorans, and politely requested that they pull their presence off Orto Plutonia. But Cho refused to even consider diplomacy, deliberately provoking the Talz. Thi-Sen once again asked him to do as he requested, saying that war would be the result if he didn't. Cho simply agreed to war, and later framed it as a local Pantoran issue so the Jedi couldn't interfere.

Senator Chuchi was appalled by Cho actions, but she couldn't stand up to him. Instead, she contacted the Pantoran Assembly and informed them of Cho's actions. When the Assembly learned of his actions, they declared the Chairman out of order and gave Chuchi the authorization she needed to negotiate peace with the Talz.



Cho, meanwhile, led the Pantoran soldiers and clone troopers in his delegation on an attack against the Talz tribe. But the Talz viciously fought back, slaughtering Cho's forces almost to the last man while Cho was fatally wounded by a Talz spear. But the Jedi and Chuchi arrived with more clone troopers before the Talz could finish off the battered Republic forces. Cho's dying command was for Chuchi to destroy all the Talz. She politely refused, telling him of the Assembly's decision. Cho died seconds later, dumbfounded that his people preferred peace and claiming he had died for them. Chuchi offered peace to the Talz, recognized their sovereignty, and pulled all Pantoran presence off of Orto Plutonia, ending hostilities.

Personality and traits
Cho had an extremely strong sense of patriotism and did not hesitate to go into battle for his planet or the Republic. This would be considered admirable, however, he was also very arrogant. A prime example would be he looked down on any civilization he deems lower than him, namely the Talz, calling them savages. He believed that he was fighting for his people and wished to destroy the Talz at all costs. Cho may have felt that clone troopers were simply servants by the way he talked to Rex.

Behind the scenes
Chi Cho was voiced by Brian George. His accent resembles that of a white South African, possibly symbolizing historical events within that country.

Notes and references
Chi Cho