Maketh Tua

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Maketh Tua

Maketh Tua was ahumanfemale thathailed from theplanetLothal, and was a graduate of theImperial Academy. She entered the ranks of theGalactic Empire serving as an assistantminister toGovernorRyder Azadi and, eventually,Arihnda Pryce when she became the new governor of Lothal on behalf of the Empire.In the absence of Governor Pryce, Tua was tasked with overseeing Lothal's industries, making certain they all operated at peak efficiency for the Empire. However, after a string of failures to put down a growinginsurgency on her homeworld, Lothal was visited byGrand MoffWilhuff Tarkin, the Imperial Governor of the entireOuter Rim. He berated her and the other Imperial leaders for their failures, evenexecutingCommandantCumberlayne Aresko andTaskmasterMyles Grint for their incompetence, and took control of the situation himself.

However, Tarkin's efforts ultimately resulted in the rebelsdestroying his ownflagship, theSovereign, and thedeath ofthe Grand Inquisitor. In retribution, Tarkin ordered Tua to locate the rebels. Despite doubling patrols, setting up security checkpoints, and establishing curfews, she was unable to discover the whereabouts of the cell. In response, theEmperor dispatched his chief enforcer and apprentice, theSith LordDarth Vader, to deal with the situation. Having failed the Grand Moff, she was summoned to meet with him in person the next day to atone for her failure.

Fearing for her life, she contacted the cell and arranged for passage off of Lothal, in exchange for a list of rebel sympathizers provided on Lothal and its neighboringsystems, and information regarding the Empire's true mission on Lothal. Vader, however, suspected she would run, and decided to use her to draw out the rebels and lead the Empire to the larger rebellion.Kallus, anagent of theImperial Security Bureau programmed aspy droid to shadow the minister, and then personally escorted her to hershuttle for her meeting. However, the cell attacked the shuttle that day, and arebel ordered Tua to board the ship, telling her that they would be right behind her. As she entered the trooper compartment, the vehicle exploded, killing the minister.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Born around37 BBY^[2] andhailing fromLothal,^[8] a backwaterplanet located inthe galaxy'sOuter Rim Territories,^[9] Maketh Tua attended the highly toutedImperial Academy inher youth, hoping to escape the limited existence of^[8] her^[4]homeworld in favor of a grander, more rewarding life. She proved to be a fast learner^[8] and became a level-five Academy student.^[7] After completing her studies and graduating, she promptly joined theGalactic Empire.^[8]

During the last two months ofGovernorRyder Azadi's administration, Maketh Tua served as anassistant minister in his administration. Following Azadi's dismissal and arrest on charges oftreason, Tua continued to serve his successor GovernorArihnda Pryce, who ruled Lothal in the name ofEmperorSheev Palpatine. Under Pryce, Tua was appointed as the minister in charge of Lothal's industrial production. Ayear after Pryce was appointed Governor of Lothal, Tua greeted Governor Pryce when she returned to her homeworld.^[10]

After exchanging pleasantries, Pryce questioned Tua about the twenty percent decline in refinery output over the past four mines. Tua informed her that the mines were being exhausted. She also reported that they were having trouble recruitingminers sinceCommandantCumberlayne Aresko had successfully recruited many young people into theLothal Academy. Pryce ordered her to recruit foreign miners. Upon learning that thedoonium vein atPryce Mining had been exhausted, Pryce ordered Tua to shut down her family's former company immediately. At Pryce's request, Tua arranged a meeting withSenatorDomus Renking.^[10]

A few months later, Tua met with Governor Pryce to discuss the bidding war between Lothal andKintoni to host landing and maintenance facilities for theImperial Navy. While Tua was content with the current Imperial Navy presence on Lothal, Pryce reiterated that she wanted their homeworld to be the center of Imperial power and industry in this part of the Outer Rim. Pryce then placed Tua in charge of Lothal while she traveled toCoruscant to attend to the bidding war between Lothal and Kintoni, which Lothal ultimately won due to Pryce's political savvy.^[10]

As aminister of Lothal, Tua played a key role in the planet's affiliation with the Empire. One of her initial actions as minister was bringing new government-sponsored housing to Lothal. Those homes were reasonably affordable, and helped the growing population.^[11] Later, she attended the going-away party ofDhara Leonis, who had been accepted to the Academy for Young Imperials on Lothal, during which the two spoke.^[12]

T-7 ion disruptor shipment[]

During hertime as minister, Maketh traveled to the planetGarel aboard theStar Commuter 2000shuttleST-45, accompanied byAmda Wabo, a representative of the nearby world ofAndo, and twodroids,R2-D2 andC-3PO. She had been tasked with picking up someT-7 ion disruptor rifles, which, following their involvement with theattack onLasan, had been banned throughout the galaxy by theImperial Senate.^[7]

Since Tua was not fluent inAqualish, she had brought C-3PO along due to his vast knowledge oflanguages. When another passenger,Ezra Bridger, and hisastromech started causing a disturbance andKanan Jarrus complained to the shuttle's pilot,R-3X, the pilot sent all of the droid passengers, including C-3PO, to the back of the shuttle, as per Imperial regulations. Without herprotocol droid to translate, Tua was incapable of communicating with her business partner. It was then thatSabine Wren, undercover as a "level five Imperial Academy student," convinced Tua to allow her to translate for Wabo. In typical rebel fashion, Sabine used Wabo's information in order to steal the weapons while misinforming Tua, tricking her into heading to Bay 17 instead of Bay 7.^[7]

Upon the arrival of Tua and her companions at Bay 17, Tua discovered that Sabine had mistranslated Wabo's words and that the disruptors were actually in Bay 7. As Tua, Wabo, and theirstormtrooper escort made their way there, they were accosted by Chopper. Recognizing the orange astromech, Tua quickly realized she had been tricked and ordered all her men to Bay 7 as fast as they could. There they found therebels loading the weapons onto theirship. A firefight ensued between the two factions, and the rebels escaped on theGhost with the T-7s.^[7]

Soon after this, Tua contactedAgentKallus. The rebels were eventually confirmed to be the same ones that Kallus hadfaced not long ago, on the planetKessel.^[7]

Empire Day[]

Minister Tua was present at theEmpire Day parade, where she stood in for Governor Pryce, who was called to Coruscant at the command of the Emperor. During the celebration, Tua stood on stage beside Commandant Aresko, who commented on Pryce's choosing him to organize what he believed to be a "spectacle," to which the minister took offense. Tua then turned to address the crowd and introduced the citizens to the newTIE Advanced v1 prototype, which was to be piloted by BaronValen Rudor. As she was speaking, the TIE was destroyed by the Spectres, the explosion tossing the Tua and the other Imperials into the air as the stage collapsed. After being helped up by a stormtrooper, an infuriated Tua ordered that the party responsible be found and punished. Agent Kallus assured her they would deal with the rebels, but their priority was locating theRodianTseebo, who had stolen Imperial secrets. Unfortunately for the Empire, however, both the rebels and the Rodian managed to flee the planet.^[13]

The trap[]

Tua later broadcast over Lothal, labeling the rebels insurgents before her transmission was hijacked by Senator-in-exileGall Trayvis, urging the Spectres to meet with him. In reality, Trayvis was secretly an Imperial agent tasked with luring out dissidents to be met with "accidents." Tua later met with Agent Kallus, asking for his assurances that the trap they were laying for the rebels at theLothal City Capitol Building would work. She then tried to stressthe Grand Inquisitor's desire to see the Jedi captured. Kallus stated that the Inquisitor was too focused on capturing the Jedi and stated that by targeting the rebels as a group, they would be able to get the Jedi for him.^[14]

When the rebels arrived to meet Trayvis, Kallus and his stormtroopers surrounded them. Tua entered the building soon after, noting that Zeb and Sabine were absent. The two rebels soon revealed themselves in the rafters, dropping smoke bombs, which created enough confusion to allow the rebels to flee with Trayvis. Tua hid underneath a desk during the commotion. When the smoke had settled, she started yelling at Kallus to pursue the rebels. But once again, the rebels eluded them after discovering Trayvis' true loyalties.^[14]

Arrival of Grand Moff Tarkin[]

Following the latest failed attempt to stop the rebel cell,Grand MoffWilhuff Tarkin arrived on Lothal to take charge. Tua greeted the governor in the hangar of the Imperial Headquarters, and nervously expressed her pleasure and surprise to have him on Lothal. Tarkin quickly admonished her for failing in her task to protect the Empire's industrial interests and allowing the rebels to flourish under her nose. Tua merely choked out an awkward cough of agreement with Tarkin's assessment of her. She was not alone in this humiliation, as Tarkin proceeded to mock Kallus and the Grand Inquisitor as well.^[15]

Some time later, she, Kallus and the Grand Inquisitor were summoned to Tarkin's office and stood at attention behind him as Commandant Aresko and Taskmaster Grint arrived. Tarkin questioned the two on their ineffective methods and consistent lack of results, going so far as to suggest their failures could inspire hope in the public and undermine the security of the entire Empire. Tarkin had the two men executed to serve as a warning to Tua and the others that failure would now have deadly consequences. Though Kallus was only somewhat unsettled at the execution, Tua was downright horrified by this execution as Aresko and Grint, though incompetent, were loyal and respectful members of the Empire, barely suppressing a scream of horror.^[15]

The Siege of Lothal[]

Themost recent attack by the rebels aboveMustafar caused Tarkin to mount an all-out search. Tua exhausted every resource to find information on the rebels and issued every conceivable order—doubling patrols, setting up checkpoints, and establishing curfews—but without success. After the arrival ofDarth Vader, theSith Lord used Tua as a pawn in his plan to incriminate the rebels.^[6]

As Tua explained herself to agent Kallus, Vader unexpectedly entered her office and chastised her for her lack of imagination. The frightened minister, trying not to anger theDark Lord, countered his accusation by claiming that he and Tarkin were expecting miracles. Vader announced his plans to employ more brutal tactics, which shocked Tua, and she objected to participating, as she was a mere public official. Vader informed her that she had been summoned off-world to account for her failures to Tarkin in person, implying she would be executed. Kallus sardonically offered her assurances that he and Vader would manage in her absence.^[6]

Tua apparently discovered the Emperor's true intentions for Lothal, which made her realize that her beloved Empire was not the perfect and benevolent government she had believed it to be. Now both appalled by Vader and Tarkin's intentions and fearing for her life, she resolved to defect from the Empire. She sought the help ofOld Jho, who put her in contact with the rebels. In exchange for safely transporting her off Lothal, she offered secret Imperial information, including a list of Rebel sympathizers on Lothal, and other nearby systems, with powerful allies in the senate. She also claimed to know thereal reason for the Empire's interest in Lothal. Faced with skepticism and hostility from most of the crew, Ezra Bridger sensed her sincerity and convinced the others to help her.^[6]

Unfortunately for Tua, Vader had threatened her life knowing she would defect and contact the rebels in order to help escape the planet. As she attempted to covertly sneak out of Imperial headquarters, Kallus followed her as her escort. Kanan Jarrus disguised himself as aStormtrooper Commander to get past security, but was caught by Kallus. Their cover blown, Tua fled to her escape shuttle with several of the rebels, which unbeknownst to her, had been rigged to explode. Tua was killed in the blast, and the Empire blamed the rebels for her death, using several cam droids to capture the event and use it against the "insurgents."^[6]

Legacy[]

Following her assassination, the Empire used footage of the attack recorded on the spy droid to incriminate the rebels as her killers, turning the citizens of Lothal against them. Soon after,journalistAlton Kastle covered the falsified story of her demise on theHoloNet News.^[6]

The rebels fled Lothal aboard an Imperial shuttle, which was secretly fitted with atransceiver, leading Lord Vader and twoImperial-class Star Destroyers to the location of thePhoenix Cell.^[6]

Tua's warning to the rebels about the Emperor's true intentions for Lothal would be later repeated by theLoth-wolves.^[16][17] Ultimately her warning became real after Ezra Bridger found aportal to aplace between time and space.^[18][19]

Personality and traits[]

Maketh Tua could be described as a product of Imperial propaganda, and believed the Empire and her own intentions were in the people's best interests. Having studied abroad on worlds more cosmopolitan than her native Lothal, Tua considered herself above the people of a "barely civilized Outer Rim world." She enjoyed the refined conversation of fellow intellectuals, and resented having to deal with unsavory types like Commandant Cumberlayne Aresko in the course of her duties as an Imperial public servant. Minister Tua was a loyal servant of the Empire and a graduate of the Imperial Academy.^[13] She followed the will of Emperor Palpatine, which brought her into contact with Agent Kallus and made her a recurring enemy of the Spectres.^[7]

She served the Empire out of a belief in its ideas and a desire to spread law and order rather than her own personal ambitions, which set her apart from the Empire's servants such as Agent Kallus, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, and the Grand Inquisitor. Unlike her Imperial colleagues, Tua was not known to use her position as Minister to vent sadistic or even sycophantic urges,^[13] but was nonetheless an ineffectual leader.^[20] Despite her expertise at managing Lothal's industrial infrastructure, Tua was not politically savvy and did not regard the governor of Kintoni's bid to expand Imperial Naval facilities as a threat to Lothal's position in the Empire. Pryce belittled Tua's foibles and despised her tendency to drift back to thinking like a native despite her offworld schooling.^[10]

Unlike other Imperial officials, Maketh Tua appeared to care for the common people and used her position to introduce government-sponsored housing.^[11] Tua threw a celebration on Empire Day to rally support for the Empire's goals on Lothal and reassure the citizens of their importance to the Empire.^[13] While she often appeared cold and authoritative, she was also friendly, as shown during an encounter with Sabine Wren, a rebel posing as a "level five Imperial Academy student." However, she would bend laws and participate in underhanded actions if it served the Empire's interests. For example, she was willing to mass-produce T-7 ion disruptor rifles on the orders of the Empire, despite knowing that they had been outlawed by the Imperial Senate.^[7] In addition, Tua was self-absorbed^[20] and had a short temper.^[7]

Maketh Tua rarely displayed any sign of weakness, even in the intimidating presence of the Inquisitor. Her confident bravado was only diminished by Grand Moff Tarkin, who publicly lambasted her failings and threatened her career in the Empire's service. Tua was also visibly horrified and shaken by the summary execution of Aresko and Grint at the hands of the Grand Inquisitor. If Tarkin's measures that day weren't bad enough,^[15] Darth Vader's presence on Lothal—inside her own office—frightened Tua more than ever.^[6]

Tua revealed her true colors when her superiors shattered her belief in the Empire's supposed good intentions. Witnessing the execution of Aresko and Grint^[15] and later being ordered by Vader to employ brutal tactics against her own people caused her to morally object to the Emperor's true plans for Lothal, which all resulted in her choice to aid the rebels. However, much of her motivation was out of fear of Vader's wrath, which she made clear by telling the rebels that she felt her life was in danger.^[6]

Equipment[]

Maketh Tua wore a close-fitting conicalhelmet^[10] over ablue tunic and set of trousers.^[7]

Behind the scenes[]

Maketh Tua was created for the2014 animated seriesStar Wars Rebels, in which she was voiced byKath Soucie. Tua first appeared in the episode "Droids in Distress," the third episode ofseason one.^[7] Extras appearing in the episodes "Spark of Rebellion,"^[21] "Call to Action,"^[15] "The Future of the Force,"^[22] and "Legacy" have recolored and reused versions of her character model.^[23] The "Call to Action" extra was identified asAngmi Lihosh in the mobile gameStar Wars Rebels: Recon Missions.^[24]

Abandoned ideas[]

In the story outline for "Fighter Flight," Maketh Tua was to be the principal Imperial involved in the plot, but was replaced bySupply MasterYogar Lyste in the first draft script.^[25]

In an early outline forStar Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal, it was instead Governor Pryce who was to have died in the shuttle explosion, and Minister Tua would have been promoted to governor.^[26]

Appearances[]

• Thrawn(andaudiobook)
• HoloNet NewsSpecial Report: Empire Ensures New Affordable Housing on Lothal(backup link) (original site is defunct)(First appearance)(Appears in hologram)
• Servants of the Empire: Edge of the Galaxy
• Droids in Distress chapter book
• Star Wars Rebels — "Droids in Distress"
• Star Wars Rebels — "Breaking Ranks"
• Star Wars Rebels — "Empire Day"
• Ezra's Duel with Danger
• "Empire Day" —Path of the Jedi: A Star Wars Rebels Cinestory Comic
• Servants of the Empire: Imperial Justice(Mentioned only)
• Star Wars Rebels — "Vision of Hope"
• "Vision of Hope" —Path of the Jedi: A Star Wars Rebels Cinestory Comic`
• Star Wars Rebels — "Call to Action"
• "Call to Action" —Path of the Jedi: A Star Wars Rebels Cinestory Comic
• Battle to the End
• Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal

Non-canon appearances[]

• LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales — "Mission to Mos Eisley"

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

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