Bon Tapalo, formally styled as His Royal Highness, King Tapalo of Naboo, was a male Human Naboo of House Tapalo who served as Monarch of Naboo from c. 65 BBY to 46 BBY. His reign saw his homeworld's full transition into the Galactic Republic as a member world. Tapalo was later succeeded by Ars Veruna as King of Naboo.
Biography
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The election of 65 BBYEdit
In 65 BBY, Bon Tapalo was a front-runner in the election of the next Monarch of Naboo. Tapalo supported his homeworld's complete integration into the Galactic Republic. Although much of the electorate agreed with Tapalo, the more conservative Royal Houses opposed the move for full membership, claiming that it would be at the expense of Naboo's independence. While faced with opposition from the more elite factions of his own people, Tapalo received strong support from outside sources—including mega-corporations such as Damask Holdings and the InterGalactic Banking Clan—that had an interest in Naboo, particularly the planet's abundant plasma resource.[1]
One of Tapalo's supporters was Darth Plagueis, the Dark Lord of the Sith whom Tapalo knew as Magister "Hego Damask", the owner of Damask Holdings. Plagueis traveled to Naboo during the election where he learned that valuable information had been provided to Tapalo by an inside source within his opponent's camp. Plagueis then discovered that the mysterious contact was a young noble named Palpatine, the seventeen year-old son of Cosinga Palpatine and heir to House Palpatine. While Plagueis ultimately went on to claim Palpatine as his apprentice, Tapalo won the election and became king of Naboo.[1]
ReignEdit
Tapalo's reign—manipulated by Plagueis and other interest groups from behind the scenes—marked Naboo's assimilation into the greater galaxy. Outer Rim Construction and Assembly and the Trade Federation received contracts to export Naboo's plasma. Over time, however, the alliance came to be seen as exploitative and corrupt: isolationists like Senator Vidar Kim pointed out that the deal allowed the Trade Federation to sell the plasma on at up to twenty times the price it paid the Naboo for it.[1]
In 52 BBY, Tapalo instructed Palpatine, now serving as senator for the Chommell sector in the Galactic Senate, to abstain from a vote on seating several Trade Federation client worlds: many Naboo had come to feel that the agreement for exports was exploitative, but with his own arrangements with the Trade Federation, and not wishing to break with Hego Damask, Tapalo did not wish to antagonise it. By abstaining from the vote, Naboo would appear to have stood up to galactic conglomerates, appeasing domestic concerns, while the Trade Federation's contracts remained unchanged. The whole affair was in fact conducted at Palpatine's suggestion to antagonise the Trade Federation and so in future undermine Tapalo's successor, Ars Veruna.[1]
Tapalo was later succeeded by his political ally, Ars Veruna. Like Tapalo, Veruna also owed his throne to Plagueis' contributions to his election.[1]
Personality and traitsEdit
Bon Tapalo was regarded by conservative factions as a corrupt politician and a radical reformer who wanted to sell out Naboo's independence to large corporations that were only interested in their planet's plasma. He was also not opposed to accepting political and financial support from wealthy off-world sources in order to secure his own election to the throne.[1]
Behind the scenesEdit
Bon Tapalo first appeared in the novel Darth Plagueis.[1]
AppearancesEdit
- Darth Plagueis (First appearance)
