Sio Bibble

Sio Bibble

Sio Bibble was theGovernor of Naboo and the head of theRoyal Advisory Council. At first, he served underKingArs Veruna, and was highly critical of the young woman touted to succeed him:Padmé Amidala. When Veruna eventually decided to abdicate, however, Bibble was instrumental in preparing Amidala as his successor. Intime, he changed his opinion of her, and became one of her staunchest supporters. Some time into her reign,Station TFP-9, on the outer edges of theNaboo system, was attacked by a pack ofAgamari pirates. Despite interfacing with the Agamari government in the wake of the attack, Bibble was unable to verify their involvement, although he did learn that they had been hoping to steal several of theNaboo Royal Space Fighter Corps'N-1 starfighters.

The followingyear,Naboo wasblockaded by theTrade Federation, who were protesting theGalactic Senate's new taxation of trade routes.CaptainQuarsh Panaka, the head of Amidala's security, called for an increase in Naboo's armament, but Bibble disagreed with him vehemently. In due course, the Federation went so far as to invade the planet, arresting Bibble and the Queen. While Amidala was able to escape with the aid of twoJedi Knights, the governor elected to stay, and speak for his people. He led them in a hunger strike, and earned the ire of theTrade Federation Viceroy,Nute Gunray. Eventually, Amidala returned, and, allying herself withBossRugor Nass of theGungans, was able to defeat the Federation, and free the planet. Bibble continued to serve Amidala's successor, QueenJamillia, up until theClone Wars. During that pan-galactic conflict, Jamillia was succeeded byNeeyutnee and her byApailana, under both of whom Bibble also served.

Biography[]

Governor[]

A native ofNaboo, Sio Bibble spent much of his adult life teaching philosophy at one of the planet's foremost universities. He was later electedGovernor of Naboo during the reign ofKingArs Veruna.^[2] He was also head of theNaboo Royal Advisory Council,^[5] and a member of theNaboo Governing Council.^[8] In his capacity as governor, Bibble oversaw all matters that were to be brought to the King or Queen's attention. As head of the Advisory Council, Bibble would deal directly with regional representatives, and governing officials from the towns in their day-to-day administration.^[9] Bibble was highly critical of Veruna, especially when the King fell under the influence of the planet's representative in theGalactic Senate,SenatorPalpatine. Even more concerning to Bibble was the fact that Veruna's policies started to concern the galaxy at large, and away fromNaboo specifically.^[2]

In his official capacity, Bibble appeared withPadmé Amidala,Princess of Theed, at a public appearance on the steps of theTheed Royal Palace.^[7] He did not, however, support her in her campaign to be elected as the planet's ruler. Despite Bibble's opposition,^[10] as soon as King Veruna prepared to abdicate, the governor helped prepare Amidala to succeed him. As he and others groomed the princess for her coronation, a young man,Ian Lago, son of Veruna's advisorKun Lago, confronted Amidala and told her that he loved her. Bibble, however, had to ask Lago to leave, repeatedly, as the coronation approached. The man was eventually ejected from the room. That night, Veruna formally abdicated, and the next morning, Amidala was electedQueen of Naboo.^[7] Bibble was kept as Governor of Naboo, due to his political experience and his famed intellect.^[2] The governor's opinion of Amidala changed as she ruled the planet, and he eventually became one of her strongest supporters.^[10]

The incident at Station TFP-9[]

In33 BBY,Station TFP-9, located in the outskirts of theNaboo system, fell under attack by a band of what was assumed to be pirates. Bibble sat in as aSecurity Officer briefed the pilots ofEcho Flight andBravo Flight, who were to be dispatched to stop the attackers from destroying TFP-9. Bibble personally wished the pilots good luck before they departed. During the subsequentbattle, seven of Echo Flight's pilots were killed, and one of the Naboo pilots,Dren Melne, turned on his compatriots. Apparently, Melne had been hired by theAgamari to aid in the capture of at least two of theNaboo Royal Space Fighter Corps'N-1 starfighters. The station was successfully defended however, and Melne was killed by the Agamari forces that had been attacking the station in order to lure out Naboo's fighters.^[5]

GovernorChallep of Agamar denied that his people had any degree of involvement in the incident, but Bibble and his people requested that Naboo's senatorial delegation prompt an investigation nonetheless. Bibble and his people learned that the Agamari had been purchasing a variety of weapons and starfighter technology, includingvulture droids fromXi Char. Bibble's people had also traced a credit transfer from Melne'sOrd Mantell account to hisSelton account of one thousandcredits, but were unable to verify where the credits had originated. Making matters more complex was the fact that the authorities on Ord Mantell were reluctant to cooperate with Bibble.^[5]

Ric Olié, commander of the Royal Space Fighter Corps, and Bravo Flight leaderEssara Till were summoned to Bibble's office fivedays after the incident, and Olié reported that the Agamari had made three requests to purchase N-1s orN-X Police Cruisers from the Corps, but the Advisory Council had declined each time. Bibble then inquired as to whether there were any connections between the Agamari government and Melne, but Olié conceded that most mercenaries would spend some time in the service of the Agamari. Till, who had once personally served with the Agamari, had nothing to add. Bibble was disappointed with the scant results, and did not look forward to informing Amidala about the lack of developments.^[5]

Invasion of Naboo[]

In32 BBY, a fleet ofTrade Federation cruisers under the command ofViceroyNute Gunrayblockaded Naboo, as a protest against the Senate's new taxation of trade routes.^[4] With the planet threatened,CaptainQuarsh Panaka, who was in charge of the Queen's security, called for greater armament, but Bibble strongly opposed such measures, as he considered himself a philosopher and a pacifist.^[9] Amidala, Bibble and Panaka contacted Palpatine onCoruscant, to inform him of the Federation's actions, and the senator promised them that he would immediately press the Republic to intervene.^[11]Supreme ChancellorFinis Valorum reacted by dispatching two ambassadors to Gunray's flagship, theSaak'ak, in the hopes of reaching a settlement. However, when Amidala contacted Gunray after the ambassadors were supposed to arrive, the viceroy claimed that he had met with no such emissaries. Bibble and the rest of the Advisory Council were present when Amidala contacted Senator Palpatine, and inquired as to what was going on. Palpatine was surprised, as he had been assured by Valorum that the ambassadors had already arrived. Before the senator could go on, however, hisholographic image faltered, and then disappeared.^[4]

Amidala demanded to know what had happened, and Panaka had one of his subordinates check the palace's transmission generator. Bibble, however, had come to his own conclusion already: that a disruption in communications meant that the Federation was invading Naboo. Amidala was not convinced, and Panaka agreed with her. The Queen insisted that they keep their faith in negotiation, but Bibble was quick to remind her that they had already lost all their capacity for communication. Also distressing to the governor was the absence and possible whereabouts of Valorum's ambassadors. Panaka reminded the Queen that hisSecurity Forces would not be able to repel the Federation's advance, and Amidala insisted that she would not go to war with the aggressors.^[4]

Occupation of Theed[]

Sure enough, an invasion was in progress, and Gunray'sDroid Army swept into Theed. Bibble was arrested, along with Amidala and Panaka. Gunray personally met with them in the palace, and spoke with the group briefly as they were escorted out of the building. Bibble was curious as to how the viceroy would explain the situation to the Galactic Senate, but Gunray was convinced that Amidala would sign a treaty legitimizing the Federation's occupation after she witnessed the suffering of her people. Bibble, Amidala, and Panaka were grouped with the Queen'shandmaidens and severalPalace Guards, and were to be taken toCamp Four.^[4]

As the group was marched through the streets of Theed, twoJedi and aGungan leapt in front of them, and the Jedi quickly dispatched thesecurity droids that had been escorting the group. The elder of the two Jedi,Qui-Gon Jinn, urged the Queen and her entourage to move off the streets, and she obliged. Jinn and hisapprentice,Obi-Wan Kenobi, were revealed to be Valorum's ambassadors, and Bibble quipped that their negotiations had been somewhat of a failure. Jinn retorted, claiming that they had never been given the opportunity to enter into such negotiations. He insisted that they make contact with theGalactic Republic, but Panaka informed him of the communications disruption. Needing another way to reach the Republic, the group made their way towardsTheed Hangar.^[4]

When they reached the hangar, Jinn requested that Amidala accompany him to Coruscant, but the Queen decided that she would stay on Naboo with her people. The Jedi warned her that the Federation would have her killed, but Bibble balked at the threat, insisting that they wouldn't dare to harm her. Panaka agreed, and he pointed out that the Federation needed her to sign the treaty. Jinn, however, felt that the situation was not what it seemed, and that if she were to stay, Amidala would be killed.^[4] Bibble, alarmed by Jinn's speculation,^[12] came to agree with the Jedi, advising the Queen that the aid of the Galactic Senate was their only hope, and that Palpatine would need aid from her. Amidala was unsure, but one of her handmaidens encouraged her, prompting her to join Jinn in leaving the planet. Panaka and his men departed with her, leaving Bibble to stay in Theed.^[4] Several of the guards and the handmaidens remained with him.^[12] With his Queen on the run, Bibble took it upon himself to represent his people, and to placate Gunray.^[1]

In an attempt to locate Amidala, theZabrakDarth Maul—aSith Lord who was working with the Federation—transmitted a number of faked transmissions that purported to be from Bibble. One such forged message,^[11] which depicted Bibble pleading that the Queen try to contact him and claiming that thedeath toll from the occupation was reaching "catastrophic" levels, was received by Amidala'sJ-type 327 Nubian royal starship.^[4] The ruse was successful and a reply was sent to the transmission, which allowed Maul to trace the ship to the planetTatooine.^[11] Bibble was later re-captured by the Federation forces and he decided to protest the occupation by participating in a hunger strike, and he was soon joined by others. As a result, Bibble was brought before Gunray. The viceroy was growing impatient,^[12] and he saw fit to remind the governor of his current predicament. Bibble was defiant, however, lambasting Gunray and declaring that the people of Naboo participated in a democracy. The viceroy responded by having the governor dismissed from his presence. The Queen was unable to find support in the Senate, but when she returned to Naboo, she allied herself withBossRugor Nass of the Gungans. He, in turn, had theGungan Grand Armyengage the Federation's forces, and, in a combined effort between the Gungans, the Queen's security forces, and the two Jedi, Naboo wasliberated. Gunray was arrested, and several days after the Federation's defeat, Bibble attended thefuneral of Jinn, who had died in battle, before participating in avictory parade, helping Amidala present Nass with theGlobe of Peace.^[4]

The Separatist Crisis[]

Although Gunray was taken to theSupreme Court for his actions at Naboo, he retained his position as Trade Federation Viceroy, to Bibble's outrage. In time, Amidala's term as Queen ended, and she was replaced byJamillia. Bibble continued to serve, and when theSeparatist Crisis came to bear, the governor feared that the galaxy would hurtle towards a state of war. Amidala, now serving as Naboo's Senator, returned home in22 BBY following anattempt on her life bybounty hunters. She was accompanied by a bodyguard, JediPadawanAnakin Skywalker, and the pair of them met with Jamillia and Bibble in the throne room. Bibble, Jamillia, and Amidala all aired their opinions on the crisis, before Jamillia turned her attention to Amidala's safety. Although Amidala and Skywalker argued briefly, it was agreed that the senator would stay in theLake Country.^[13]

The Clone Wars[]

Bibble's predictions turned out to be correct: later thatyear, theClone Wars broke out on the planet ofGeonosis.^[13] As the conflict raged, war had again come to Naboo when a droid scout party was detected near theEastern swamps by theRoyal Naboo Security Forces. After learning about the incident, Bibble expressed his concerns about the possible upcoming invasion to the QueenNeeyutnee, successor to Jamillia.^[14] Later investigations by Naboo Senatorial Representative Padmé Amidala uncovered the presence of aSeparatist laboratory on Naboo, which was successfullyneutralized byJedi Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker and theirclone troopers.^[15] Bibble attended the annualFestival of Light, a celebration held in Theed that commemorated Naboo's joining the Republic later that year and was present when a team ofbounty hunters attacked. The group wasattempting to kidnap Palpatine, now the Supreme Chancellor, who was the celebration's keynote speaker. Bibble was subsequently escorted to safety in a group lead by the Jedi PadawanAhsoka Tano, and the bounty hunters were quickly apprehended by the Republic.^[16] In 20 BBY, Bibble accompanied Amidala to the Senate when Queen Julia called. Palpatine was about to assign Amidala and Senator Bail Organa, but Julia specifically called for Jar Jar Binks, confusing everyone.^[17]

Imperial Era[]

When the Clone Wars concluded in19 BBY,^[18] Amidala waskilled in a dispute with Anakin Skywalker. Her body was taken to Naboo for burial and Bibble joined herfuneral queue in Theed.^[19]

Personality and traits[]

Sio Bibble was an outspoken man, and was loath to resort to any sort of violence,^[9] as he had never wielded a weapon in his life, and believed himself to know more than a simple soldier.^[2] He was also intelligent, and saw himself as a scholarly and philosophical person.^[1] He was quick to jump to conclusions, and was consistently outraged at events he thought to be unconscionable. Bibble was defiant in the face of great danger, as he demonstrated when Nute Gunray invaded Theed.^[4] He would occasionally disagree vehemently with Captain Panaka,^[9] and was genuinely fearful for the safety of his Queen.^[12] Bibble spoke his mind on such matters as the Separatist Crisis and Gunray's continued trials in the Supreme Courts,^[13] and was considerably louder than others when doing so.^[20] In turn, Amidala trusted Bibble and relied on him, especially during the times of crisis.^[21]

Bibble took particular care about his appearance: during Amidala's reign, he wore his beard sharply pointed, as was the fashion. His clothing was often flamboyant but stately, and at the time of the Invasion of Naboo, he opted to wear a Naboo philosopher's cloak, with a formal collar, as well as fashionable sleeves and cuffs. Complimenting his appearance was the fact that Bibble held a deep love for both art and fashion.^[2]

Behind the scenes[]

The character of Sio Bibble was conceived forGeorge Lucas'1999 film,Star Wars: Episode IThe Phantom Menace. Concept art for the character was developed byIain McCaig.^[1] Bibble was portrayed in the film byOliver Ford Davies, who would go onto reprise the role inStar Wars: Episode IIAttack of the Clones andStar Wars: Episode IIIRevenge of the Sith. During the principal photography ofAttack of the Clones inItaly, Davies was unable to attend, as he was shooting another film, and was in a play. Ninemonths after principal photography onAttack of the Clones had ended, Davies' scene was shot on a bluescreen stage, and digitally inserted into the scene shot in Italy later.^[22] The character was voiced byJamie Alcroft in the gameStar Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds. According to George Lucas' daughterKatie, it was she who came up with the name "Sio Bibble."^[23]

Appearances[]

Explore all of Wookieepedia'simages for this article subject. Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds Darth Plagueis(andaudiobook)(Appears in hologram) "The Starfighter Trap" —Star Wars Gamer 1 "A Summer's Dream" — Star Wars Tales 5 Star Wars Journal: Queen Amidala Star Wars: Episode IThe Phantom Menace Star Wars: Episode IThe Phantom Menace novelization(andunabridged audiobook)(First appearance) Star Wars: Episode IThe Phantom Menace junior novelization Star Wars Episode I:The Phantom Menace script facsimile Star Wars: Episode IThe Phantom Menace Movie Storybook Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Cine-Manga Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace 1 Star Wars Journal: Darth Maul(Mentioned only) Episode I: Obi-Wan Kenobi(In flashback(s)) Star Wars: Episode IIAttack of the Clones Star Wars: Episode IIAttack of the Clones novelization(andunabridged audiobook) Star Wars: Episode IIAttack of the Clones junior novelization(andaudiobook) Star Wars: Attack of the Clones Cine-Manga Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones 2 The Clone Wars: The Valley Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Crisis on Naboo" The Wrath of Darth Maul(Appears in hologram)(In flashback(s)) Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "The Disappeared, Part I" Star Wars: Episode IIIRevenge of the Sith Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Cine-Manga

Sources[]

Notes and references[]