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- "Can anyone truly do that? See the whole galaxy and remain objective about it?"
- ―Mina Bonteri
Mina Bonteri was a human female politician who represented her native planet Onderon and the wider Japrael sector in the Confederacy of Independent Systems Parliament during the Clone Wars. Before joining the Confederacy, Bonteri represented Onderon in the Senate of the Galactic Republic but became disillusioned over time, faulting the Republic's bureaucracy and Core Worlds-centric government for inaction and inability to provide for its people. Privately, she was an ardent follower of Count Dooku of Serenno's political vision, through which she became an early supporter of the burgeoning Secessionist Movement. As a member of the Separatist Parliament, Bonteri was among the most influential and important political figures in the Confederacy. Bonteri also served as a leader of the Parliament's anti-war Peace Faction, believing that it was vital for the government to establish legitimacy through diplomatic means, a stance some of her peers were unwilling to accept.
As a member of the Galactic Senate, Bonteri briefly served as a mentor to Padmé Amidala early in the latter's tenure. Bonteri's connections with many Republic senators, including Amidala, became strained as she shunned them in favor of privately coordinating with anti-Republic elements during the Separatist Crisis, which later resulted in the establishment of the Confederacy and the departure of many member worlds into Dooku's new government. Guided by Bonteri, Onderon seceded from the Republic and joined the ranks of the Separatists. Despite Bonteri's support, the secession and the controversial Confederate-backed takeover of the Onderonian monarchy gave way to the Onderonian Civil War. As the political situation on Onderon worsened, the Separatist Crisis resulted in open warfare between the Republic and the Confederacy. Bonteri and her family relocated to Raxus Secundus, where Bonteri represented Onderon in the Separatist legislature.
In the middle stages of the Clone Wars, which claimed the life of her husband, Bonteri reconnected with Senator Amidala, who wished to collaborate on an initiative that would end hostilities. Eager to facilitate a peaceful resolution to the conflict, Bonteri introduced the motion to the Separatist Senate, which approved it enthusiastically. Despite this initial success, various parties interested in prolonging the war, including Count Dooku, orchestrated Bonteri's death to derail the peace process and give him reason to withdraw Confederate support for the initiative. Though Dooku claimed Bonteri died in a Republic attack, Republic Intelligence reported her death was at the hands of Separatist agents. Bonteri's death spurred her orphaned son, Lux, against the Confederacy, and he eventually joined the anti-Separatist rebellion on Onderon, which successfully ended the occupation, after which Lux sought to honor his late mother as Onderon's appointee to the Republic Senate.
Biography[]
Republic Senator[]
Early career[]
- "We could do so much more if people would listen."
"People are listening. They're just not paying attention." - ―Padmé Amidala and Mina Bonteri, on the Galactic Republic
Mina Bonteri hailed from the planet Onderon, a jungle world situated in the Japrael sector of the galaxy's Inner Rim Territories, where she lived with her husband and her son, Lux. An ancient world colonized thousands of years before Bonteri's time, Onderon was known for its vast wilderness, unforgiving terrain, and dangerous fauna. Despite its reputation for independence, Onderon became a member world of the Galactic Republic at some point, and Mina Bonteri was chosen to represent both Onderon and the Japrael sector in the Galactic Senate[3] by 32 BBY.[10] As Onderon's Republic senator, Bonteri split her time between Onderon and the Republic capital planet, Coruscant, which was located in the Core Worlds. Although she spent much time away from Onderon while serving on Coruscant, Bonteri furnished her office with paintings from her homeworld, including works created by her son when he was four.[8]
Mina Bonteri represented the planet Onderon (pictured) in the Galactic Senate.
In 32 BBY,[2] Bonteri was present when Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo was brought before the Senate to plead for aid in the face of an invasion by the Trade Federation.[8] Though Amidala and Senator Sheev Palpatine[11] of the Chommell sector[8] testified that Naboo had been blockaded and occupied by the conglomerate, the Trade Federation representative, Lott Dod, denied their claims,[11] which Bonteri found absurd.[8] Dod's suggestion that a Republic commission investigate the Naboo delegation's claim gained support from Malastare Senator Aks Moe, forcing Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum to acquiesce.[11] As Bonteri watched,[8] Amidala stated that she was unwilling to let her people suffer as the invasion of their world was discussed in a committee, then called for a Vote of No Confidence in Valorum's leadership.[11] Though shocked by the sudden Vote of No Confidence, the Senate moved with surprising immediacy, and Valorum was voted out of office within hours. The subsequent election ended with Senator Palpatine as his successor.[12]
Over the following four years, Senator Bonteri became involved in education reform in poorer sections of the Core Worlds, heading a Senate committee designed to investigate the topic. To Bonteri's disappointment, a bill put forward by the committee stagnated, largely in part due to the reluctance of Core Worlds members to admit that their homeworlds had poorer areas. Frustrated that the Republic no longer seemed able or willing to advocate for those in need, Bonteri steadily became disillusioned with the government. In private, Bonteri was highly critical of the Republic's overwhelming and cumbersome bureaucracy, which provided few resources in response to her calls for education reform. Coming to regard her service in the Republic as "procedure," Bonteri recognized that many in the Senate felt the same way. At some point before[8] 28 BBY,[13] Bonteri began collaborating with a man she referred to only as her "lord," from whom she received highly encrypted messages.[8]
Mentoring Amidala[]
- "You did well today."
"How can you possibly tell?"
"You're still standing. You're not attacking the buffet tables. You haven't started drinking. And you can still navigate a conversation with the Chancellor."
"I suppose if that's all it takes, then I am quite suited to senatorial life."
"Ah, there are her teeth. You do such a good job of playing a part, I was starting to wonder what kind of person was inside that dress." - ―Mina Bonteri and Padmé Amidala, shortly after being introduced
By 28 BBY, a Senate faction led by the influential Bail Organa (pictured) suspected that Bonteri was involved in something illicit.
When some of her peers discovered that she had begun receiving heavily encrypted transmissions from off-world, Bonteri became the target of suspicion, especially from a faction of loyalist senators led by the influential trio of Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and Onaconda Farr. In truth, Bonteri was secretly trying to foment distrust of the Republic among certain senators, believing that there was a growing sovereigntist movement among Republic member worlds. Because Organa and his colleagues could only speculate what Bonteri was doing, Bonteri moderated her life on Coruscant to mask their doubts further. In addition to ensuring that she never directly opposed Chancellor Palpatine, she remained cordial with her colleagues, including Organa, and continued to attend Senate functions. It was at one of these functions, a reception hosted by Palpatine for the eight incoming senators elected[8] in 28 BBY,[2] that Bonteri formally met Padmé Amidala, who was appointed to represent the Chommell sector.[8]
When Palpatine was forced to leave the reception shortly after Amidala's arrival, he introduced her to Bonteri, who offered to walk with Amidala around the gathering in his place. Bonteri complimented Amidala for successfully making it through her first day in the Senate, then joked that Padmé had impressed her by maintaining her composure. Amidala responded by letting her mask slip for a moment and joking back, to which Bonteri told her that she was curious who Amidala was behind her formality. Amidala explained that part of political life on Naboo was performance but that she should open herself to new methodologies of politicking. Bonteri replied that she could start by recognizing that no one had any faith in the Republic, which Amidala automatically denied, saying that she had faith in the government. Though surprised by her response, Bonteri continued to walk with Amidala, advising that the real politicking was done at functions and parties and that she should consider networking through them.[8]
After being introduced to her by Chancellor Palpatine, Senator Bonteri took an interest in the newly-appointed Senator Padmé Amidala (pictured).
Amidala rhetorically asked who would want to ally themselves with her, especially since she had already featured in local newsnets for narrowly avoiding an attempt on her life. Bonteri dismissed her concerns about the newsnets, which she claimed were immaterial since Amidala already had a name for herself because of her actions during the Naboo Crisis. When Bonteri explained that some in the Senate were unsure whether to work with her, Amidala asked who Bonteri was referring to. Bonteri avoided the question, stating that it was up to Amidala to determine how the Senate's various factions operated. Bonteri paused and turned to face Padmé, telling her not to get worked up over the newsnets, which went after her because she was an "easy story," not an "easy target." She advised that Amidala would benefit from ignoring the newsnets and focusing on her job, which would deprive them of something to sensationalize. Amidala thanked Bonteri for such usable advice, which she had not expected.[8]
Over the next hour, Bonteri introduced Amidala to numerous senators, including Senator Organa and the senator from Targappia, before parting ways. After meeting Amidala, Bonteri sought to broach the subject of loyalty to the Republic with her and got her chance several days later when she happened upon Amidala while walking through the Senate halls. Bonteri invited Amidala to her office for tea, which Padmé readily accepted. Inside Bonteri's office, Amidala took notice of Lux's crude paintings. When Bonteri explained that Lux had made them when he was four, Amidala stated that children on Naboo were encouraged to express themselves through art to learn where their talents lie. As she prepared the tea, Bonteri asked what Amidala's were, and Padmé replied that hers were oration and poetry, even though her mother wanted her to be a musician. Though surprised, Bonteri stated that parents were never good at letting their children choose their paths.[8]
While advising Amidala on how to navigate the Senate, Bonteri cryptically alluded to her growing sovereigntist sympathies.
While speaking about Amidala's parents, Bonteri asked about her father, Ruwee Naberrie, and his friends in the Senate. Amidala explained that her father was a relief worker, and having contacts in the Senate, such as Onaconda Farr, was useful for him. When Bonteri asked why she had not reached out to her father's friends, Amidala stated that she wished to stand alone rather than be an extension of her father, which was also why she had avoided allying with Chancellor Palpatine. Steering the topic of the conversation to loyalty, Bonteri asked if Amidala minded being an extension of Naboo's queen, which the younger woman affirmed she was. After pouring two cups of tea and giving one to Amidala, Bonteri stated that a growing number of senators believed that loyalty to one's homeworld before the Republic was not a bad thing. Amidala responded that a senator should be able to maintain a balance between loyalty to their home and loyalty to the galaxy at large.[8]
Despite the cryptic conversation, Amidala expressed interest in Bonteri's education reform work, and the two spent the following thirty minutes discussing what changes they would make to the system with unlimited resources before hashing out what they could do with the resources Bonteri actually had. Shortly after, Amidala's comm chimed, and she prepared to depart. As she did, Mina told her that she was always available if Padmé ever wanted to vent her frustrations about the Republic before also receiving a chime, which she recognized as being from her "lord." Despite Bonteri's attempts to recruit Amidala to her cause, the faction led by Organa, Mothma, and Farr also had designs on her, and they won out after Organa privately approached Amidala about formally joining them at a gala hosted by Mothma, which Bonteri was present at. Though Amidala decided to join Organa over Bonteri, she made it clear that she would not spy on Bonteri or sacrifice their friendship.[8]
Crisis on Bromlarch[]
- "Congratulations, Senator Amidala. You have done what few other senators before you have accomplished."
"I couldn't have done it without you."
"No, I don't suppose you could have. But your patience with the Republic is commendable, and I applaud you for it." - ―Mina Bonteri and Padmé Amidala, after the latter secured aid to Bromlarch
Mina Bonteri supported Senator Rush Clovis's (pictured) proposal that an auditing team survey the damages on Bromlarch.
While Amidala began openly associating with Organa, Mothma, and Farr's faction, Bonteri slowly became more withdrawn over the subsequent six months. By the time the Senate broke for a weeks-long recess, Bonteri had seldom spoken during Senate hearings. Upon returning from the furlough, the Senate convened in an emergency session with the news of a disaster on Bromlarch. As told by Bromlarch Senator Caelor Gaans, a series of devastating groundquakes destroyed the planet's aqueduct system, threatening the native population with drought and famine. After Senators Mothma and Moe questioned Gaans on the conditions on Bromlarch, Senator Rush Clovis of Scipio proposed that an auditing team go to Bromlarch to assess the damage and provide the Senate with a cost estimate of repairs. Bonteri spoke up and seconded the motion, after which Palpatine conferred with his advisors, including Vice Chair Mas Amedda, and announced that he would accept Clovis's proposal.[8]
After approving the survey team, Palpatine informed Clovis and Bonteri that he would speak with the Jedi Order, a religious group considered the guardians of the Republic, and ask if one of their own could accompany the mission. He also gave them approval to bring along whichever colleagues they wished. After the session ended, Bonteri exited the Senate chamber to find Amidala, who intended to join the mission to Bromlarch. Unsurprised that Amidala wanted to be involved, Bonteri told Padmé that she had already considered asking her to join. Bonteri walked Amidala to a small bench nearby, where she grimly told her young friend that, despite their best intentions, the Senate could alter and tighten the auditing team's recommendations for aid and that she would have to vote for the final product no matter how conditional it was. Moments later, Clovis arrived and asked Bonteri if they had their first volunteer, which she confirmed.[8]
Although Clovis proposed the idea, Mina Bonteri became the de facto leader of the Bromlarch audit.
Clovis told the two women that he would provide his ship and its crew at their disposal and asked if they wanted to bring anyone else along. Bonteri replied that her secretary would join them to record the details of their audit, while Amidala stated that she would only bring her astromech droid, R2-D2. After jointly deciding to depart for Bromlarch in four hours, Clovis left, after which Bonteri remarked that, despite his strangeness, Clovis seemed honest, comparing him to Amidala for that aspect. As Bonteri prepared to return to her office, Amidala thanked her for including her in the mission, especially since causes such as this one meant a lot to her. To Amidala's confusion, Bonteri responded that she would try her best not to take advantage of that before leaving. Later that day, the auditing team, joined by Senator Gaans and Jedi Master Depa Billaba, set off for Bromlarch.[8]
Upon arriving on the planet's surface, the survey team immediately met with the Bromlarch Council. After Gaans introduced the team to the council, Councilor Eema introduced the planetary government's liaison, Ninui, before the council departed to a nearby city with the supplies brought by Clovis. Soon after, Bonteri and her secretary joined Ninui, Amidala, and Clovis on board the ship, where they began asking the liaison about the situation on Bromlarch. Bonteri and Amidala deduced from Ninui's testimony that repairing the aqueduct was vital to securing water resources for the population and controlling potential flooding in the Dravabi Province. They learned that the Bromlarch Council already had an order of repairs in place, which Bonteri decided to use as a basis for their audit. Shortly after, Ninui led the team on an aerial survey of the damages. Although Clovis had proposed the audit, he and Clovis let Bonteri make the official report, and they would decide their next move based on its reception.[8]
Despite their friendship, Bonteri's relationship with Senator Amidala (pictured) cooled as she struggled with her allegiances.
Upon returning to Coruscant, Bonteri and Amidala departed Clovis's ship aboard a shuttle. Bonteri admitted to Amidala that she doubted the Senate would pull through despite how simple she had made the final report. Once home, Bonteri secured the first spot on the next day's speaking schedule. The following morning, Bonteri was speaking to her "lord" in her office when, moments after Bonteri ended the call, Amidala stepped in, and Bonteri adopted a cheerful tone to greet her colleague. Soon thereafter, both went to the Senate chamber, where Chancellor Palpatine opened the session and gave Bonteri the floor. After she delivered a brief address about the survey and the Bromlarch Council's recommended plan, however, Palpatine recognized Senator Dod, who criticized the plan on financial grounds, arguing that the Republic should not bear the cost of Bromlarch's vast repairs. Despite Senator Gaan's pleas against Dod's argument, Bonteri's motion failed, dismaying her.[8]
Over the following week, Amidala and Clovis reworked the motion into a larger bill that shifted repair and labor costs into a new trade system between Mid Rim planets. Although she had been integral to initial efforts to aid Bromlarch, Bonteri was absent from these developments, which did not escape Amidala's notice. After the bill passed and she completed another survey of Bromlarch's aqueduct, Amidala sought out Bonteri to update her on their progress. When Amidala found Bonteri speaking with her "lord" at a communications console outside her office, Bonteri quickly ended the conversation. Speaking only briefly with Padmé, Bonteri congratulated her on her victory and commended her faith in the Republic. Her primary alliance necessitating that she distance herself from Amidala, Bonteri turned down an offer to hear more details about her plan, stating that she had a call scheduled with her son. After a tense goodbye, Bonteri entered her office and shut the door behind her.[8]
Secession[]
- "There are a growing number of senators who feel that loyalty to one's own world first, regardless of procedure, is not a bad thing."
- ―Mina Bonteri
Over the following years, Senator Bonteri remained highly critical of the Republic and found she was not alone.[3] Many member worlds, especially those in the Inner and Mid Rims that lacked the political pull of the central systems and the ability to exploit the Outer Rim Territories, began voicing similar dissatisfaction with the government.[14] Despite their apparent falling out,[8] Bonteri and Amidala were able to rescue their friendship, to the point that Bonteri considered her younger colleague one of her dearest friends in the Senate, even if they could not reconcile their different beliefs regarding the Republic. Much to Amidala's chagrin, however, Bonteri[3] and her husband[6] became ardent supporters of Count Dooku of Serenno after the latter[3] delivered his famed Raxus Address in 24 BBY.[2] A former Jedi Master, Dooku had taken leave from the Order to reclaim his titles of nobility, after which little was heard from him until he returned to challenge the Republic's galactic dominance that year.[15]
During the Separatist Crisis, Bonteri became an early follower of Count Dooku of Serenno (pictured).
Dooku staged a theatrical return to public life by commandeering a HoloNet station in the Raxus system to deliver a rousing speech[15] condemning the Republic as a futile enterprise burdened by corruption and favoritism towards the Core Worlds. Following through on his words, Dooku announced the formation of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, which he promised would offer both a smaller, centralized government and more egalitarian representation for Rim governments long isolated by the Core.[9] Dooku's actions set the stage for the Separatist Crisis,[15] in which the Republic faced competition from the Confederacy on political and regional grounds.[9] Immediately taken with Dooku's promise of an alternative to the Republic, Bonteri was among the first to join the ranks of the Separatists. Though Bonteri[3] and Dooku[16] supported Onderon's secession from the Republic, King Ramsis Dendup's chosen policy of isolationism meant that Onderon stayed with the Republic.[17]
While Onderon's political future lay in Dendup's indecisive hands,[17] Bonteri stayed a nominal member of the Galactic Senate despite openly siding against it.[3] With thousands of systems tendering articles of separation from the Republic, Republic leadership opened internal debates over creating a military for use in a potential war against the Separatists.[9] The Confederacy, realizing the strategic importance of Inner Rim systems,[7] orchestrated[18] and supported a coup against Dendup[19] under the guise of legitimate political action:[18] within days of the outbreak of the Clone Wars between the Separatists and the Republic during the First Battle of Geonosis,[3] the young upstart Sanjay Rash,[17] backed by Dooku,[16] orchestrated a swift takeover of the Royal Court,[17] deposing Dendup and immediately seceding from the Republic to join the Confederacy.[20] With Onderon now a full-fledged part of Dooku's Separatists, Bonteri absconded from the Republic Senate to serve as Onderon's representative in the Confederate Parliament on Raxus Secundus.[3]
The Clone Wars[]
Parliamentary service[]
- "That's a very polarized point of view, my dear. Would it surprise you to know that many of the people you call Separatists feel the same way about the Republic and the Jedi? Lux's father was like that."
"Maybe I could speak with him."
"If only you could. A year ago next week, he was setting up a base on Aargonar when clones attacked. My husband fought bravely in self-defense, but was killed." - ―Mina Bonteri and Ahsoka Tano
Despite Bonteri's support,[3] Onderon's secession from the Republic proved controversial, and Rash's coup against Dendup was soon a cause for protest.[17] Rash, who was merely a puppet for Dooku,[16] had only been able to cement his rule by allowing the Separatist Droid Army to establish a firm foothold on the planet,[20] an act many on Onderon viewed as an invasion.[16] Many Onderonians preferred the isolationist stances championed by Dendup, and some refused to recognize the legitimacy of Rash's rule. The protests against Rash's reign soon broke into open rebellion, with local insurgents banding together to topple Rash's regime and restore Dendup to the throne. While the Onderonian Civil War unsettled their homeworld,[21] the Bonteri family relocated to serve the Confederacy elsewhere. As Onderon's representative in the Separatist Parliament, Senator Bonteri relocated to Raxus, taking Lux with her.[3] There, they lived in a mansion in the Raxian foothills.[6]
Mina Bonteri was an influential and important figure in the Confederate Parliament.
Bonteri's husband, meanwhile, as a former member of the Royal Onderon Militia, enlisted in the Confederacy military.[3] The war forced the Confederate and Republic militaries into a race to establish strategic boundaries,[9] and Bonteri's husband was sent to Aargonar to establish a forward base just months after the Battle of Geonosis. His forces were attacked by the Republic while on Aargonar, and he was shot down by clone troopers.[3] After her husband's death, Bonteri became concerned when she noticed how withdrawn Lux had started to become.[1] In contrast, Senator Bonteri refused to be personally embittered against the Republic despite what had happened to her husband.[3] Though the Republic Senate made it illegal for its members to speak with members of the Confederacy out of concern that official meetings could legitimize the Separatist state,[6] Bonteri and Amidala maintained clandestine contact, although neither shared sensitive information with the other.[3]
As an early supporter of what would become the Separatist Movement, Bonteri became an influential figure in the Confederate Senate on Raxus.[3] Believing that diplomacy was the only sure way for the Confederacy to coexist with the Republic,[6] Bonteri became the leader of the Parliament's Peace Faction, which had the stated goal of ending the Confederacy's war with the Republic. While many members, like Bonteri, supported ending the Clone Wars for moral reasons, some had other motivations. Some opposed the war powers granted to Dooku, claiming it made the Confederacy no better than the Republic, which granted similar executive powers to Chancellor Palpatine, and others opposed war taxes or the dangers the conflict posed to interstellar shipping. Within the Senate, Bonteri's Peace Faction was primarily opposed to the War Faction, led by Senator Voe Atell, while also contending with the small yet vocal Independence Faction, consisting of systems threatening to secede.[9]
The peace initiative[]
- "How many lives on both sides have to end before we see the futility? Surely there's room in the galaxy for Confederate and Republic planets to coexist. I move that we immediately open peace negotiations with Chancellor Palpatine on Coruscant."
- ―Mina Bonteri proposes the peace intiative in the Separatist Senate
With the Clone Wars reaching a stalemate, Senator Amidala sought out Mina Bonteri illegally to discuss opening peace negotiations.
Almost a year after the death of Bonteri's husband on Aargonar, the Separatist Senate found itself in gridlock as the Clone Wars reached a point of stagnation[6] in 21 BBY.[2] When the Parliament began considering an escalation of the war effort, many delegates were unsure how the Confederacy should proceed. Similarly, the Republic Senate faced internal difficulties advancing legislation to increase war spending,[6] with various bills contested by anti-war leaders, such as Amidala, Organa, Farr, and Mothma.[22] Amidst this period of unproductivity, Amidala, wishing she had Bonteri's guidance, decided to reach out to her old friend, believing that the two might be able to begin a negotiation process between the Republic and Confederacy. After Amidala explained that she needed to speak in person urgently, Bonteri agreed to help her arrive on Raxus in secret. To avoid Republic scrutiny, Amidala recruited Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano, whose Jedi clearance gave her access to neutral worlds.[6]
With Tano's military credentials, Amidala and the Jedi traveled to the neutral planet Mandalore and boarded a cargo ship bound for Raxulon, the capital of Raxus.[23] When the vessel arrived at the spaceport, Bonteri and two aides awaited it. While one aide distracted the battle droid port security, the other helped the disguised Amidala and Tano bypass the identification check and reach Bonteri. Bonteri immediately greeted her old friend, who introduced her to Tano. To Bonteri's amusement, Tano, who had only encountered Separatist military officers in the past, was surprised that Bonteri was a Separatist. The group boarded Bonteri's H-2 executive shuttle, which brought them to her house outside the city. As they exited the ship, Bonteri called to Lux, who was waiting for them on the mansion's steps, to help Amidala and Tano with their luggage. Embracing Amidala, Bonteri told her how pleased she was to see her in person again before inviting her inside to speak.[6]
Despite Padawan Tano's naïve assertions that the Separatists solely started the Clone Wars, Bonteri was not offended and challenged the youngling's worldview.
Inside, Mina prepared two glasses of wine for herself and Padmé, who watched as Lux sat in the backyard by himself. When Bonteri returned, her former colleague expressed her shock at how much Lux had grown since she had last seen him. Bonteri replied that time would not stop despite the war, regretfully adding that the conflict was shaping his young life.[6] To Amidala's embarrassment, Tano interjected and asked if the Separatists had started the Clone Wars, but Bonteri reassured Padmé that she was not offended. Bonteri explained to Tano that her belief the Separatists started the war was polarized and that many Separatists felt the same way about the Republic and the Jedi. When she used Lux's father as an example, Tano asked if she could speak with him, but Bonteri informed her that her husband had died in battle less than a year before. Tano excused herself and went outside, after which Amidala gave Bonteri her condolences.[23]
After refreshing their drinks,[23] Bonteri and Amidala sat down to talk.[6] At first, they discussed the war in general terms, speaking like friendly politicians, before slowly speaking like a pair of friends. When the conversation turned to the Republic's internal crisis, Amidala let slip an insult against Count Dooku, prompting Bonteri to defend her leader, who she explained was just the Confederate Head of State, not the "leader of the entire universe." Unable to stop herself, Amidala rebuked Bonteri for admiring the man. After a brief moment,[23] Bonteri stated that while they would never share the same opinions about Dooku, they could agree that the war needed to end. Amidala explained the Republic's deadlock and insisted that if the Separatist Parliament extended an olive branch to the Republic, there might be enough sympathy among the Republic Senate to open negotiations. Admiring Padmé's spirit, Bonteri agreed to put the motion on the floor, and the two toasted to peace and hope.[6]
Senator Bonteri argues in favor of opening negotiations with the Republic in a session of the Separatist Parliament.
Working alongside her friend, Governor Tawni Ames of Desix, Bonteri drafted a peace treaty for the Confederacy to present to Republic leadership,[24] then prepared to introduce the[6] cease-fire[25] to the Parliament in the Senate Building. At the hearings, presided over by Dooku via hologram, Amidala and Tano sat disguised in the upper benches to watch the debate. Bonteri argued that continuing the war effort was futile and that ensuring coexistence with the Republic was the best outcome for the Confederacy. Despite fierce opposition from Voe Atell, who threatened that the Corporate Alliance would never approve such a motion, Bonteri found support from Senator Kerch Kushi, who pushed back and stated that, unlike the Republic, the Confederate Parliament was not ruled by corporations, after which Dooku brought the motion to a voice vote per the Bylaws of Independent Systems.[6]
When Dooku called for the "aye" vote, Bonteri and Kushi were joined by notable senators such as By Bluss,[6] one of the earliest Separatists,[3] and Separatist Congress Leader[25] Bec Lawise, who voiced their support for the proposal. After hearing the "nay" vote, Dooku called the vote in favor of the "ayes," confirming the Parliament's approval of the peace initiative. Happy with the result, Bonteri looked up and smiled at Amidala and Tano.[6] Shortly after the successful vote, Bonteri's Republic guests prepared to return to Coruscant.[23] Mina, Lux, and their aides brought Amidala and Tano to the spaceport to see them off. Before parting ways, Bonteri told Amidala that, for the first time, she believed the tide of the war was going to change. After Lux and Ahsoka, who had bonded at the Bonteri's house earlier, said goodbye to each other, Mina told Padmé and Ahsoka to hurry, and watched as the two boarded their ship[6] bound for Mandalore.[23]
Death[]
- "Your Republic forces have carried out a barbaric attack on our people! And among the deaths was the very sponsor of the peace accord, Senator Mina Bonteri. With her needless death, I must formally withdraw the proposal for peace offered by our Senate."
- ―Count Dooku
Count Dooku falsely blames Bonteri's death on Republic forces in a message to the Republic Senate.
Despite the enthusiasm building for Bonteri and Amidala's peace proposal,[5] forces operating out of public view conspired to sabotage the negotiations and prolong the war. Seeking to push the Republic Senate to deregulate the InterGalactic Banking Clan,[6] corporate barons[4] from the banks, the Trade Federation, and the Techno Union,[6] the leaders of which also served on the Executive Separatist Council,[25] contacted Dooku to organize the bombing of Coruscant's power distribution grid. The mass blackouts on Coruscant coincided with Amidala, Organa, and Farr introducing the peace initiative in the Senate, and the outage interrupted the subsequent vote. When the Senate reconvened in an emergency session,[6] Chancellor Palpatine personally rejected negotiations with the Separatists,[24] and the Senate consequently voted in favor of deregulation to secure more military funding.[6] While the Republic Senate rejected the treaty,[24] Dooku plotted to end Separatist support for negotiation by targeting Bonteri for assassination.[5]
Dooku and his Sith Master, Darth Sidious, orchestrated[3] a brutal attack[6] on Raxus Secundus[3] that resulted in the deaths of numerous citizens, including Senator Bonteri. The circumstances surrounding Bonteri's death were an immediate mystery.[4] Details of her demise were muddled by Dooku, who sent a recorded statement to the Republic Senate announcing that, due to Bonteri's death, he and the Separatist Parliament were withdrawing the peace proposal they had offered to the Republic. Dooku claimed in his brief address that Republic forces had killed Bonteri in a "barbaric attack." Republic Intelligence failed to corroborate Dooku's claims, however, and accounts from Republic spies[22] correctly[26] reported that Bonteri had been killed by Separatist agents on Dooku's orders. With Bonteri's death, the peace initiative came to a decisive end, leaving the two sides of the war further apart and poised to accelerate war spending and expand their military efforts.[22]
Legacy[]
- "It's like you once said. 'Many lives get caught between the Republic and the Separatists.'"
"I did say that once. Then after watching the heroics and selflessness of the Jedi, I do believe the Republic is the right side to be on."
"What do you mean?"
"Dendup has appointed me the new senator of Onderon. I will follow in my mother's footsteps. And I will bring us back to the Republic." - ―Ahsoka Tano and Lux Bonteri
After hearing about Bonteri's death, Amidala and her allies resolved to achieve an anti-war victory in her name.
In the aftermath of Dooku's message to the Republic Senate[22] and the breakdown of Bonteri's ceasefire negotiations,[25] Senator Halle Burtoni of Kamino introduced an appropriations bill that would allow the Republic to commission five million new clone troopers. Distraught by the sudden turn of events, Amidala privately expressed to her allies her doubt that the Republic would target Bonteri, to which Senator Organa revealed that his sources in Republic Intelligence were already discrediting Dooku's misinformation. Together, Amidala, Organa, and Farr resolved to defeat Burtoni's bill in Bonteri's name. Despite initial successes in gathering support,[22] Burtoni's bill passed, forcing Amidala and Farr to introduce counter-legislation that would reduce war spending. These efforts would also fail when Farr was assassinated, leading the Senate to dismiss the bill.[28] With the deaths of Bonteri and Farr, Amidala lost[2] two of her closest mentors[8] in only a short time.[2]
In the Separatist Parliament, meanwhile, the late Mina was succeeded as Onderon's representative by her son, Lux. In part due to meeting Amidala and Padawan Tano, the orphaned Lux was suspicious of the events surrounding his mother's death, and his investigation into the matter would shape the rest of his life. After discovering Dooku's complicity, Lux vowed revenge.[3] By 20 BBY,[2] Lux resigned from his position as Onderon's senator and absconded from Raxus Secundus, and a twist of fate put him in contact with the Mandalorian terrorist group known as the Death Watch.[3] The leader of Death Watch, Pre Vizsla, was a Mandalorian zealot who had previously allied with Dooku in a failed bid to overthrow the pacifist ruler of Mandalore, Duchess Satine Kryze.[29] Seeing how each other's ties could benefit their plans to kill Dooku, Bonteri and Vizsla struck a deal: if Bonteri could provide Dooku's location to them, the Death Watch would move to destroy him.[30]
Seeking revenge against Dooku, Lux Bonteri sought to ally with the terrorist group Death Watch.
Armed with a holotrace device, Lux knew that he would get Dooku's attention if he publicly accused him of murder. He opted to interrupt a peace conference between the Confederacy and Republic on Mandalore, attended coincidentally by Tano and Amidala. After being granted permission to speak by Kryze, Bonteri accused Dooku of murdering his mother, earning vehement opposition from Confederate Senators Lawise, Atell, and Amita Fonti. Despite Kryze's objections, Lawise ordered Lux's arrest, and the young man was brought before a hologram of Dooku, allowing him to track his location. Tano rescued Lux, and the subsequent firefight saw a breakdown in the negotiations and Bonteri's flight to Carlac to meet with Vizsla. On Carlac, however, Lux saw that the Death Watch were not the honorable warriors he believed them to be when they massacred a local village, and he narrowly escaped the planet with aid from Tano.[30]
Parting ways with Tano, Lux returned to Onderon, where a stalemate between King Rash's soldiers and the insurgents was ongoing.[31] While Rash sought to secure his rule by escalating the Separatist presence,[32] the rebels lacked the needed supplies to combat the droid army. With his faith in the Confederacy broken, Lux joined the rebels, soon becoming one of three central leaders of the insurgency alongside the siblings Steela and Saw Gerrera.[3] Through Lux, the rebels secured aid from the Jedi High Council, which supported the rebels in secret due to the Onderonians' refusal to commit to the Republic once Ramsis Dendup was reinstalled on the throne. The rebels, now resupplied and trained by the Jedi, including Tano,[31] performed surgical strikes in the capital city of Iziz. Their success, conjoined with Rash's increasing reliance on the Separatist occupational forces, brought the rebels popular support.[32]
Radicalized by his mother's assassination, Lux became a leading member of the Onderon resistance.
Soon enough, the rebels successfully freed Dendup from prison and fled the capital,[2] and the climactic battle in the Onderon highlands resulted in a rebel victory. With Onderon a lost cause, Dooku ordered Rash's execution and withdrew the Confederate armies from the planet. For Lux, however, the end of the civil war was bittersweet; Steela Gerrera, with whom he had formed a relationship, died during the final battle. No longer subscribing to[33] his late parents' beliefs about the Jedi and the Republic,[6] Lux, believing the Republic was the right side to be on, accepted Dendup's offer to serve as Onderon's senator, resolving to follow in his mother's footsteps by guiding Onderon back into the Republic fold.[33] Less than a year after accepting the position, however, the Clone Wars came to a tumultuous end when the Confederate leadership collapsed, and the authoritarian Chancellor Palpatine transformed the Republic into the first Galactic Empire.[2]
In the early years of the Empire, Lux continued to serve as Onderon's representative in the Imperial Senate,[34] while Mina Bonteri's allies in the former Confederacy fended for themselves. Disillusioned with negotiation after the Republic rejected Bonteri's peace treaty, Governor Tawni Ames led a Separatist holdout on Desix and resisted the Empire until she was killed by Imperial agents.[24] Lux, meanwhile, married an Imperial woman and cared for her daughter as his own until he was disgraced and forced to step down from office. Through his later years serving in various rebel outfits, including the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the Dreamers, Lux often reminisced about his late parents and wrote about his past, including his mother, in a private journal. The journal was later used by Commander Iden Versio of the Imperial Inferno Squad to identify Lux when the team infiltrated the Dreamers.[35]
Personality and traits[]
- "Senator Amidala, I think you'll do all right here. But I will tell you a secret: you can do all the reading you want, believe in all the truths you think the galaxy has to offer, but the real work of the Senate is done at parties like these. A conscience vote is a wonderful thing, but allies are far better."
- ―Mina Bonteri
Mina Bonteri was a female human[4] who stood at 1.78 meters, or 5 feet and 10 inches.[5] Senator Bonteri was a slender woman with light skin, gray eyes, and brown hair fashioned in a short style that had begun to turn gray[6] by 21 BBY.[2] According to Padmé Amidala, Bonteri had a warm voice comparable to an embrace.[23]
As an Onderonian, Mina Bonteri was more loyal to her homeworld than to the Republic while serving in the Galactic Senate.
As a native of the fiercely individualistic planet Onderon, Bonteri shared her people's penchant for independence.[3] Even as a member of the Galactic Senate, Bonteri was known for keeping to herself, a trait that made her colleagues suspicious of her private life. Unlike some members of the Senate, Bonteri was more loyal to her homeworld than to the Republic at large. Bonteri believed it was impossible to have an objective view of the galaxy beyond one's homeworld and, as such, valued Onderon more than she did the Galactic Republic. To Bonteri, trying to maintain objective beliefs about the galaxy was a form of idealism, but despite her disagreement with such a stance, she sympathized with the impulse.[8] Over her years as a member of the Republic Senate, Bonteri became increasingly frustrated with the government's parliamentary process, which she regarded as overwhelming, cumbersome, and time-consuming rather than productive.[3]
As she saw her efforts to introduce educational reform in the Core Worlds falter due to the Senate's stonewalling and procrastination, Bonteri became highly critical of the Republic in private, only seldom hinting at her disillusionment due to her colleagues' distrust of her. Bonteri was cynical about her colleagues, believing none had actual faith in the Republic despite their outward appearances. In addition, she felt that ideology had become meaningless to the Senate's functions, concluding that most senators performatively voted along faction lines. Although she still believed in the value of a "conscience vote," Bonteri recognized the futility of such measures when dealing with Republic procedure. When mentoring Padmé Amidala early in her Senate career, Bonteri advised that she avoid falling into idealistic trappings.[8] While Amidala steadfastly believed that there could still be salvation for the Republic, Bonteri was not as sure.[3]
Bonteri opposed the Clone Wars and argued in favor of Confederate coexistence with the Republic.
Because of her contempt for the Republic's bureaucracy, Bonteri strongly admired Count Dooku for taking a stand with his signature Raxus Address. She was among the earliest Republic members to join the nascent Confederacy, believing in its promise of better government. Bonteri wielded significant influence during her time in the Separatist Parliament.[3] Despite her disdain for the Republic,[8] Bonteri opposed the Clone Wars and disagreed with polarized notions that either side caused the war, unlike her husband, who pointedly blamed the Republic and the Jedi.[6] As the leader of the Separatist legislature's Peace Faction,[9] Senator Bonteri believed that the Confederacy and the Republic could reasonably coexist, arguing that there was "room in the galaxy" for them both and that the war's rising death toll only pointed to its futility.[6]
Even though the conflict claimed the life of her husband, Bonteri refused to let his death influence her reasons for disagreeing with the Republic.[3] Despite not becoming withdrawn over the loss like her son Lux did,[1] Mina still grieved her husband's death. According to Senator Amidala, while Bonteri's physical appearance had not changed since the start of the war, except for appearing "grayer," she believed that her former mentor was carrying a deeper sadness.[23] Despite both governments enacting laws banning official communication with the enemy, Bonteri maintained clandestine contact with Amidala[3] and received her on Raxus illegally to discuss negotiating a cease-fire. Although their relationship had changed since before the war, Bonteri and Amidala recovered some of their old rapport, even if their differing political stances meant they could not fully repair what had been broken between them years prior.[23]
Skills and abilities[]
A practical and influential politician who served in both the Galactic Senate and the Separatist Parliament,[3] Bonteri was effective in legislative strategy and diplomacy. She was also a talented leader who was highly skilled in persuasion, abilities that helped her successfully convince her colleagues in the Separatist Senate to approve cease-fire negotiations with the Republic during the Clone Wars.[5]
Equipment[]
Senator Mina Bonteri wore an elegant Onderonian dress while representing Onderon in the Separatist Senate.[5] After she and her son relocated to Raxus Secundus at the beginning of the Clone Wars,[3] Senator Bonteri came to own a mansion in the Raxian foothills, as well as a red[6] Slayn & Korpil[36] H-2 executive shuttle.[6]
Behind the scenes[]
Mina Bonteri was first pictured and named in the Star Wars Insider 121 Launchpad department,[37] and first appeared in "Heroes on Both Sides," the tenth episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars' third season, which aired on November 19, 2010, and was directed by Kyle Dunlevy and written by Daniel Arkin.[38] She was voiced by Kath Soucie in "Heroes on Both Sides."[6]
Mina Bonteri's inclusion in the 2019 novel Queen's Shadow was based on her appearance in The Clone Wars, with author E.K. Johnston writing backstories for several Clone Wars characters with histories only mentioned in the series, including Bonteri, Onaconda Farr, and Rush Clovis.[39] Although "Heroes on Both Sides" establishes that Bonteri was Padmé Amidala's "...mentor when [she] was growing up on Naboo,"[6] Queen's Shadow depicts them meeting after Amidala is already a senator.[8]
Appearances[]
- Queen's Shadow (and audiobook)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Heroes on Both Sides" (First appearance)- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Pursuit of Peace" (Mentioned only)
- "Pursuit of Peace" — The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark (and audiobook)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "A Friend in Need" (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "A War on Two Fronts" (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "The Soft War" (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Tipping Points" (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: The Bad Batch — "The Solitary Clone" (Mentioned only)
- Battlefront II: Inferno Squad (and audiobook) (Indirect mention only)
