Passel Argente

Passel Argente

Passel Argente was amaleKoorivar who served as theMagistrate of theCorporate Alliance and a member of theGalactic Senate representing his homeworld,Kooriva in the final days of theGalactic Republic. Following a protractedSeparatist Crisis, Argente pledged the Alliance's support forCountDooku and theConfederacy of Independent Systems before seceding from the Republic and taking a seat on theSeparatist Council as theClone Wars drovethe galaxy into chaos. Taking the lead on a series of projects and operations during the war, Argente preferred to play a more administrative role during the war, remaining in the background while his more assertive colleagues on the Council planned and enacted their operations. Following the Council's move toMustafar, their mysterious benefactor,Darth Sidious, betrayed them by sending hisapprentice,Darth Vader, to slaughter Argente and his comrades.

Biography[]

Early career[]

AmaleKoorivar native to theInner RimplanetKooriva, Passel Argente entered politics as well as the corporate world at an early age. The head of the powerful mercantile companyLethe Merchandising, a company affiliated with theCorporate Alliance,^[6] Argente was also appointedSenator of his homeworld and represented his people in theGalactic RepublicSenate. Entering into the Senate duringSupreme ChancellorFinis Valorum's second term, Argente's appointment came on the heels of his rise toMagistrate of the Corporate Alliance. During his years on the Senate floor, Argente was often criticized for graft and corruption, and used his corporate connections to amass great wealth.^[1]

An outspoken opponent of Valorum and his weak stances on the protection of commerce and trade along thehyperlanes of theOuter Rim Territories, Argente was closely affiliated with other members of the Senate who wished to supplant the Chancellor. In32 BBY Argente was invited toRylothian SenatorOrn Free Taa's box at theCoruscant Opera, joining his colleaguesEdcel Bar Gane,Toonbuck Toora andPalpatine for a discussion on Valorum's ineffectiveness.^[7] Not long after, theNeimoidians of theTrade FederationblockadedNaboo, an event which eventually led the planet'squeen,Padmé Amidala, to ask for aVote of No Confidence in Valorum's leadership. One of the first to support Amidala's vote, Argente was pleased to see Valorum leave and Naboo's SenatorPalpatine take up the Chancellorship.^[8]

Continuing to work in the Senate and lead the Corporate Alliance, Argente's security was overseen by EnforcerJerv Riske, a man who accompanied the Magistrate to the planetBarlok in27 BBY to negotiate a dispute between the Corporate Alliance andGuildmasterGilfrome over a mining dispute. During the negotiations Argente was staying at theStarbright hotel; while the negotiations were underway, anassassin attempted to kill Argente, but was thwarted byJedi MasterJorus C'baoth.^[9]

During the two terms of Chancellor Palpatine, aSeparatist Crisis plagued the Senate. During this time, Argente ordered an attack on theFakir system'sYirt-4138-Grek-12 to destroy an industrial espionage training facility. Argente issued aholomessage to shareholders of the Corporate Alliance to inform them of the attack and its legitimacy regarding the protection of their holdings.^[5] Despite his sometimes questionable allegiances during this time period, Argente was known to have made a sizable donation on behalf of the Corporate Alliance to theRefugee Relief Movement.^[10]

Joining the Confederacy[]

In22 BBY, as the Separatist movement began to pick up momentum, Argente was invited to a meeting onGeonosis byCountDooku, the leader of the Separatist cause. Accompanied by his aide,Denaria Kee, Argente met withViceroyNute Gunray of theTrade Federation;Techno UnionForemanWat Tambor;San Hill Chairman of theInterGalactic Banking Clan;Commerce GuildPresidenteShu Mai, and several others. Pledging the Corporate Alliance's full funding and dedicating their enforcement branch to Dooku's cause, the group would soon be organized into theConfederacy of Independent Systems. Not long after the clandestine meeting concluded, Geonosis wasattacked by theGrand Army of the Republic, under the command of theJedi Order. While taking shelter in ahidden war room, Argente and the other corporate heads fled the planet once it was clear that the Republic would take the world.^[12]

Renouncing his place in the Senate, Argente took a place on theSeparatist Council, the leading governing organ of the Confederacy. Hoping to maintain a low profile on the war front and remain in the background manipulating events, Argente was not pleased when Dooku forced him to coordinate battles and oversee operations.^[1] Argente funded and marketed both anti-Jedi and anti-Republic propaganda, which helped keep the public in Confederate territory pro-war.

Vying for power[]

At the beginning of the war, Passel Argente briefly headed a plot to oust Count Dooku as leader of the CIS. He pushed for an early attack on thecloning facility atKamino to be headed by his pawn, theMon CalamariCommanderMerai. He hoped that an early victory there would shut down the Republic's war-making capabilities before the war even began, and that he would be given credit for winning the war, garnering enough political support to overthrow Dooku. However, bothDarth Sidious and Dooku were aware of this plot and arranged to have the Confederacy's battle plans leaked toJedi KnightQuinlan Vos onthe Wheel, through Dooku's agentTookarti. As a result, the outcome of theFirst Battle of Kamino was disastrous for the Confederacy, and instead of being hailed as a glorious leader, Passel Argente was deemed responsible for the failure and disgraced, which proved to be a fatal setback to his plans for a coup.^[14]

Following his failed plot against Dooku, Argente learned that fellow CouncilorWat Tambor, theSkakoanForeman of theTechno Union, was planning to move against him. Fearing that he would be assassinated, Argente met with aTrandoshanscavenger namedGha Nachkt to purchase a droid to act as a spy for him. Unknown to Argente, Nachkt had already been bought by Foreman Tambor who had given him a spyware-infectedRA-7 protocol droid to present to Argente. Argente kept the infected droid close to him at all times in hopes of detecting any spyware aboard his ship; all the while unknowingly broadcasting covert business operations directly to Tambor. During one of these meetings, Argente's focus on the planetRyloth piqued Tambor's interest in conquering thesystem, sparking theTechno Union invasion of the planet.^[13]

Conquering Ukio[]

Later in the war, Argente began to plot the invasion and conquest of a Republicagriworld calledUkio. Despite the presence of the Grand army and the Jedi Order on the planet, Argente was intent on striking a blow at the Republic and therefore commissioned theT-series tactical droidDoctor to assist in the planning ofProject Instinction. When in orbit around the planet, Argente's fleet dumped mass amounts of soil harvested from the planetMoorja on the planetary shields protecting Ukio, effectively blocking out the sun. When theUkians were forced to lower their defenses to allow the soil to disperse, Argente's fleet dropped a series of strange weapons onto the planets surface. These devices, when activated, emitted an unusual frequency which caused non-Force-sensitives to act vicious and bloodthirsty. While the Jedi stationed on the planet were able to destroy the devices and knock back Argente's attack, stocks invested in the planet's food supply plummeted, allowing Argente to effectively conquer the planet and all of its resources, robbing the Republic of a major supplier.^[4]

Betrayal on Mustafar[]

As the war dragged on, Kooriva fell to the Republic as well as the other home and purseworlds of the Separatist leadership. As their homeworld's would not accept them, the members of the Council were forced to roam about space on their private vessels under the protection ofSupreme CommanderGrievous. Joining the Council aboard thecyborg'sflagship, theInvisible Hand, the leadership of the Confederacy was sent to the sinkhole worldUtapau to await further instructions. Following Dooku's death overCoruscant at one of the most tumultuousbattles of the war, Argente was present with the other Councilors at the meeting during which Grievous ordered them toMustafar, a mining planet on theOuter Rim where they were promised safety. Not long after departing Utapau, Grievous was killed byJedi MasterObi-Wan Kenobi, and the Council took full control over the Confederacy.^[15]

As the Council arrived on Mustafar, they quickly settled into the dimly lit command center at the mountainsideKlegger Corp Mining Facility. Argente and the other Confederacy leaders were pressed into work at the facility's command center, supervising strategy and battle plans from their remote sanctuary. During their stay, the Council received a communications from the mysteriousDarth Sidious, the Confederacy's shadowy benefactor. Sidious promised that the war was over and that the Republic had crumbled under the Separatist'swar machine. Advising the Council to remain on the planet, Sidious assured them that he would send hisapprentice,Darth Vader, to watch over them. Relieved by the news of victory, Argente and the others anxiously awaited for Vader's arrival and their eventual departure from the inhospitable world. Upon Vader's landing, the Council and its aides gathered in the facility's main command center to greet Vader only to realize soon after he sealed off all of the exits to the facility that he was not there to protect them. Igniting hislightsaber, Vader savagely cut down the guards flanking the doorway before attacking the unarmed Councilors and their aides. Denaria Kee, Argente's aide, was quickly stabbed while Argente tried to defend himself. Argente was not swift enough and was killed by Vader's saber, suffering a fast decapitation and dying instantly.^[15] Soon after his death, the Corporate Alliance relocated its distribution companies to theCorporate Sector; with the death of Argente, the Corporate Alliance faded into oblivion.

Personality and traits[]

A corrupt and wheedling individual, Argente was often viewed as unaccountable by his peers and colleagues, unwilling to shoulder any responsibility or admit a mistake. Suspicious by nature, Argente did not feel guilty by blaming others for his failures, believing them all in the process of trying to undermine him in every venture he took. Even in his days as a Koorivar Senator, Argente was colored by graft and corruption brought upon by his strong ties to corporate interests. Often one to shirk personal accountability, Argente was more than willing to blame others for his shortcomings and mistakes. Like all Koorivar, Argente prized the shape and size of his cranial horn, a physical feature prized by the race the larger it was. He was completely obsessed with wealth. Throughout his political career, Argente wore various articles of clothing, including ashimmerbird tongue robe around the time of being asenator and a burnt orange robe with asun-like pattern on it while holding a position in the CIS. Like many Koorivar, Argente wore twine-like head wrappings.^[1]

Behind the scenes[]

Passel Argente was played by actorSteven Boyle inStar Wars: Episode IIAttack of the Clones.^[16] and by Marty Wetherill inStar Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith.

Appearances[]

Explore all of Wookieepedia'simages for this article subject. Darth Plagueis(andaudiobook) Secrets of the Jedi(Mentioned only) Cloak of Deception Star Wars: Episode IThe Phantom Menace(First appearance) Outbound Flight(andunabridged audiobook) Corporate Alliance Attacks Slicer Compound —HoloNet News Vol. 531 #48(original site is defunct) RRM Fundraiser a Huge Success —HoloNet News Vol. 531 #53(original site is defunct) Star Wars: Episode IIAttack of the Clones Star Wars: Episode IIAttack of the Clones novelization(andunabridged audiobook) Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones 3 Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: Clone Campaigns(Appears only in non-storyline event)(Mentioned only) Republic 50 "Spy Girls" — Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures Volume 7(Mentioned only) The Clone Wars: Discount The Clone Wars: Covetous The Clone Wars: Act on Instinct "CIS Shadowfeed Year's Start Fete Day Edition" —Star Wars Insider 72(Picture only) Reversal of Fortune Labyrinth of Evil Star Wars: Episode IIIRevenge of the Sith Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith 1 Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader(andunabridged audiobook)(Mentioned only)

Sources[]

Notes and references[]