Christo/Legends

"What does ideology matter at this point? Is it worth being beaten to death? Look at what they did to you.''" "These wounds will heal. But what about the millions dying in this war?" "''Who, the clones? We created them for just that purpose."

- Christo and Onaconda Farr

Christo was a Quarren male who served as a senator of the Galactic Republic Senate during the Clone Wars. Loyal to the constituents who had elected him to the Senate, Christo placed their needs before those of all others during his career, even the clone troopers who had been bred to fight for the Grand Army of the Republic. When Senator Halle Burtoni proposed a drastic increase in clone trooper production, Christo was initially undecided on the matter, but he reconsidered his position following a stirring Senatorial address from Senator Padmé Amidala.

Biography
"The people I care about are my constituents, the ones who put me in office.''" "And when was the last time you ever spoke to your people?" "Probably the same time you did. [To Padmé Amidala] Or you'', Senator."

- Christo and Onaconda Farr

A male Quarren, Christo lived during the final decades of the Galactic Republic's regime. He was eventually elected to the Galactic Republic Senate, and he remained loyal to the people who had chosen him as their Senatorial representative. While on Coruscant to attend sessions at the Senate Building, Christo lived in an apartment in a residential area on the galactic capital, one that provided an expansive view of the skyline of Galactic City. During his career in the Senate, he came to admire fellow Senator Bail Prestor Organa of Alderaan, whom many saw as a voice of reason amidst the frequent unruly clamor within the Senate.

At the time of the Clone Wars, Christo supported the Republic's production of clone troopers, who were bred for the Grand Army of the Republic's campaign against the Confederacy of Independent Systems&mdash;to the point that he considered their purpose to be little more than soldiers marked for death. Around 21 BBY, the war's second year, Senator Halle Burtoni of Kamino, representing the Kaminoan cloners who manufactured the Republic's clone troopers, introduced an emergency appropriations bill to order five million new clone troopers for the war effort. Christo initially considered giving the bill his support, especially after a series of thug assaults on several senators opposed to the measure. However, his position drew a visit from Senators Padmé Amidala and Onaconda Farr, the bill's main opponents.

At first, Christo dismissed Amidala's and Farr's claims that more troops for the Grand Army would mean greater death tolls&mdash;as he saw it, the clones were simply serving their purpose by doing just that. However, when Amidala mentioned that Bail Organa, who was also opposed to the bill, would soon be speaking before the full Senate, Christo reconsidered his position, though he promised he would only listen to Organa. When it came time to vote on Burtoni's bill, Organa was severely injured by bounty hunters and was unable to speak. Instead, the scheduled address for the bill's opposition was delivered by Amidala, who swayed the Senate with a moving account about how the war had affected the life of an everyday citizen and one of her handmaidens, Teckla Minnau. Christo joined in the thunderous applause that followed Amidala's speech, which resulted in many senators turning to support Amidala's opposition to the bill. Eventually, however, the bill was passed by the majority of the Senate.

Personality and traits
"Senator Organa? Hmm&hellip; I'll listen to what he has to say.''" "So you are open to voting with us." "I said, 'I'll listen to what he'' has to say.'"

- Christo and Padmé Amidala

A pink-skinned male Quarren with blue eyes, Christo was devoted to his constituents and placed their needs before all others during his career, as they were the ones who had selected him as their voice in the Republic Senate. He did not regard the Republic's clone troopers with much importance, believing that they had been born to die for the Republic. Like many others in the Senate, Christo held Senator Bail Organa in high esteem, as the Alderaanian Senator was seen as a voice of reason within the often indecisively argumentative Senate. During the Senate's debate on Halle Burtoni's troop increase bill, assaults on several opponents to the measure led Christo to consider voting for the bill to avoid a similar attack, as he was willing to sacrifice his ideology&mdash;and potential opposition to the bill&mdash;to avoid being beaten to death. When Padmé Amidala and Onaconda Farr attempted to persuade him to voice against the bill, Christo's respect for Organa caused him to reconsider his position; though he intended to listen to Organa's address before the full Senate, he did not promise them anything more than his attention. Like many others, he did reconsider his stance on the matter following Amidala's moving speech to the Senate.

Behind the scenes
The character of Senator Christo was developed for the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series and was first featured in the episode "Pursuit of Peace," which aired in January 2011 as part of the series' third season. He was voiced in the episode by voice actor Jason Spisak.

Notes and references
Christo Christo