Orn Free Taa

"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 male Twi'lek who represented his homeworld of Ryloth in the Galactic Senate during the waning years of the Galactic Republic. Because he was content with amassing riches for himself on Coruscant, Taa was very unpopular on Ryloth. During the Secessionist Movement, Taa joined the Loyalist Committee, which supported the Republic's leader, Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, against the growing threat of Count Dooku's Confederacy of Independent Systems. Despite his professed loyalty, Taa was corrupt and self-indulgent, which made him a perfect incarnation of of everything the Confederacy considered rotten about the Republic.

Imperial Senator
After the Clone Wars and the rise of the Empire, Taa maintained his position as senator and continued to loyally serve Palpatine. By this point he was little more than a puppet delegate, serving under Moff Delian Mors and willingly taking part in the exploitation of his home world. After previously allying himself with his rival Cham Syndulla during the Clone Wars, he now found himself at war with him. As head of the Free Ryloth movement, Syndulla carried out a series of attacks against the imperial occupation forces on Ryloth, which gained the attention of the Emperor and his apprentice Darth Vader.

After the attacks by the Free Ryloth movement began to slow the spice production on Ryloth, Taa was summoned for an audience with the Emperor. Now openly afraid of Palpatine and his apprentice, Taa feared the worst as he optimistically tried to reassure the Emperor that the Twi'lek security forces and Moff Mors would have the situation under control. Palpatine dismissed Taa's assertion and informed him that he had come to a decision. Taa was relieved to hear that the Emperor's decision was to accompany him and Vader on an official visit to Ryloth to investigate the matter personally. The senator expressed his reluctance to return to Ryloth, but Palpatine assured him his presence would reassure the people they were truly part of the Empire.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
 * Lords of the Sith
 * Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
 * Lords of the Sith
 * Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
 * Lords of the Sith
 * Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
 * Lords of the Sith
 * Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
 * Lords of the Sith
 * Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
 * Lords of the Sith
 * Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
 * Lords of the Sith
 * Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
 * Lords of the Sith