Nute Gunray / Legends Nute Gunray was a Neimoidian male who served as a stint Minister of the Trade Federation until he rose in power after the Stark Hyperspace War in 44 BBY , eventually becoming Viceroy of the Trade Federation . In 32 BBY , Gunray participated in the occupation of Naboo with the Federation Army to settle a trade dispute that began in the Galactic Senate . With the help of Darth Sidious , Gunray invaded the planet to end the trade dispute and secured all facilities in the capital of Theed . He attempted to force the incumbent Queen of Naboo Padmé Amidala to sign a treaty to make his invasion legal , however she refused and the Siege of Naboo continued . The Trade Federation soon surrendered to Naboo forces following the Battle of Naboo . Gunray was taken to the Galactic Republic capital on Coruscant to be charged with acts of war . During the Separatist Crisis that following the Invasion of Naboo , Gunray confronted former Jedi Master , Count Dooku , who began a separatist movement that opposed the Republic . Dooku , who secretly was Sidious ' s Sith apprentice under the name of Darth Tyranus , helped him through his four trials in the Supreme Court , and soon after the trials , Gunray retained his position as Viceroy . The Trade Federation , under Gunray ' s command , joined Dooku ' s separatist movement and Gunray was named Head of the newly formed Separatist Council and so formed the Separatist Army . Gunray , along with Dooku and his master , Sidious , formed the Confederacy of Independent Systems which opposed the Galactic Republic in a three - year war known as the Clone Wars that followed after two years of the Separatist Crisis . During the Clone Wars , Gunray tempted Onaconda Farr , the senator of Rodia , with an offer to join the Separatists and receive the aid and protection for Rodia that the Republic had failed to provide , in exchange for Farr luring Senator Amidala to the planet and handing her over to him . Gunray ' s plan ultimately failed and he was captured by the Republic and given to Jedi Master Luminara Unduli and Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano . Dooku sent his Dark Jedi apprentice , Asajj Ventress , to rescue the Viceroy from the Republic forces . Stationed inside the Republic Star Destroyer , Senate Commando Faro Argyus released the Viceroy and met up with Ventress in Argyus ' s cruiser . Argyus was betrayed and murdered by Ventress , however , in a fit of rage over his arrogance . In 19 BBY , the Separatist Council was moved to the volcanic planet of Mustafar from the sink hole planet of Utapau , after Separatist General Grievous became leader of the CIS after the death of Dooku . Following the death of Grievous at the hands of Obi - Wan Kenobi Nute Gunray became the new leader of the separatists . Gunray along with the other Separatist leaders were betrayed by Darth Sidious after he sent his new apprentice , Darth Vader , to Mustafar to end the war . Gunray was the last council member to be killed by Vader ' s lightsaber , which had ultimately brought an end to the Clone Wars and fragmented the CIS into various Separatist holdouts that were represented by various warlords across the galaxy . Biography . Early life . Nute Gunray was born on Neimoidia , and like all Neimoidians , was brought up in the communal hive until the age of seven . There they he and the other grubs were deliberately forced to compete for limited supplies of food , a system designed to weed out the weak while the most acquisitive thrived by hoarding more than they could eat . Of them , Gunray was one of the most successful . When he declared himself to Gunray in 33 BBY , Darth Sidious attributed Gunray ' s voracious desires and ambition to the conditions of his early life . Early political career ( 44 – 33 BBY ) . Rising star . Gunray joined the Trade Federation as a junior trade officer , and soon enough , saw an opportunity for promotion . The Pulsar Supertanker corporation was being reviewed by the Federation for expulsion , and the verdict happened to depend on the testimonial of Gunray . Gunray supported the expulsion , citing " malicious disregard of profit " and " charitable donations lacking discernible reward " . The resulting expulsion of Pulsar voided its CEO ' s position in the Trade Federation Directorate , and was in need of replacement . Gunray quickly filled the role . By 44 BBY , Gunray served as the Trade Federation ' s senator in the Galactic Senate . He implored the Senate to intervene when the Stark Commercial Combine began attacking Federation transports carrying precious bacta . Gunray demanded the Federation be allowed to increase its Droid Army , though he secretly met with Senator Ranulph Tarkin to bring a more decisive end to the Combine . Gunray was pressured into giving Tarkin the name of the planet on which a conference was to be held between Iaco Stark and Republic representatives . Gunray himself joined the negotiating team on Troiken , though Stark , aware of Tarkin ' s plan to attack his forces , sabotaged the senator ' s fleet . Aggressive negotiations broke out on Troiken , during which Gunray commanded his battle droid bodyguards to open fire — without specifying the enemy . Jedi Master Tyvokka was gunned down by Gunray ' s droids , though the cowardly Neimoidian demanded the surviving Jedi help him to his ship . Unfortunately for Nute , his transport was destroyed , forcing him to tag along with the Jedi as they battled Stark ' s forces in what became known as the Stark Hyperspace War . Nute Gunray was eventually escorted back to Coruscant in the company of Senator Finis Valorum prior to Stark ' s defeat . Despite this encounter , Gunray would afterwards deny he had ever seen Jedi in action . Viceroy . For his dubious role in the conflict , Nute Gunray became Viceroy of the Trade Federation , though he was still restrained by the Trade Federation Directorate . This frustrated him to no end , and he came to feel that the Directorate would never accept a Neimoidian Viceroy . In this time , Gunray was involved in a number of underhanded dealings , including clandestine meetings in the Claus Building and in the Follin Restaurant in the Crimson Corridor , the diversion of funds to Malastare representatives Pax Teem and Aks Moe , and secret negotiations with Damask Holdings . Some time between 39 and 36 BBY , Nute Gunray sent a large part of his droid army to Alaris Prime , a recently rediscovered moon in the Kashyyyk system , despite rights to colonize the world being given to the Wookiees from Kashyyyk who ' d discovered it . Gunray still wanted to control the moon as he believed it could be a useful trade center for planets such as Kashyyyk , Bimmisaari and Kessel . The droid army landed on the planet before the Wookiees had arrived , giving them time to set up several bases including a Fortress . When the Wookiees finally arrived on Alaris Prime , they discovered one of the Trade Federation ' s Power core s that was suffering heavy damage after being attacked by the moons Gundarks . The Wookiees destroyed the power core and moved on , however Gunray noticed the loss of the core and sent a B1 battle droid , OOL - 2 to investigate . OOL - 2 mistakenly reported to Nute Gunray that Gundarks had destroyed the power core , and the Viceroy ordered that the gundarks be eliminated from Alaris Prime . The droid army then attacked the gundark nest , but then encountered the Wookiees , who were also about to kill the gundarks . The Wookiees then fought the Trade Federation and continued to fight until the corporation was completely removed from Alaris Prime . Despite illegally landing his army on the planet Nute Gunray still maintained his position . Association with Darth Sidious . In 33 BBY , Gunray received an anonymous gift : a red - spotted pylat bird . Though he was suspicious of the gift ' s provenance , the pylat was a sign of power and wealth in Neimoidian society , and the red - spotted bird was a particularly rare specimen . It soon occupied pride of place in Gunray ' s office , and Gunray savored the envy his colleagues had for the bird . Shortly afterwards , Gunray received an unexpected holo - call on his secure address from a mysterious cloaked figure . Outraged by the intrusion , Gunray attempted to trace the call until the figure calmly introduced himself as the sender of the pylat , the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious . Sceptical but curious , Gunray declared that he would have no part in covert schemes , but Sidious offered to enhance his position in the Trade Federation , both flattering and blackmailing the Viceroy with knowledge of his childhood and of his meetings across Coruscant . Sidious went as far as to accuse Gunray of being complicit in the death of the anti - Trade Federation Senator Vidar Kim ( whose death had actually been arranged by Sidious so that his public identity of Palpatine could become Naboo ' s senator ) . Intimidated , Gunray demanded to know what Sidious wanted . Sidious repeated his offer of a partnership , offering to demonstrate his power by choking the pylat over the call . Aghast , Gunray grudgingly accepted cooperation with Sidious , who told him that Naboo and the Republic were planning to betray the Trade Federation : Sidious ' public identity of Palpatine was advocating for renewed taxation of the Free Trade Zones that had made the Federation wealthy , while King Ars Veruna of Naboo was planning to abandon the planet ' s export agreement with the Trade Federation . Sidious flattered Gunray by saying that only he could provide the leadership the Federation needed . Promising Gunray a " surprise promotion " , Sidious dispatched his apprentice Darth Maul to the mining world of Dorvalla , where Maul pit the rival companies Lommite Limited and InterGalactic Ore against one another . The Trade Federation had long sought to control the planet ' s lommite trade , and owing to Maul ' s actions the two companies merged to form Dorvalla Mining , which soon agreed to allow the Trade Federation to export lommite ore , and to accept Trade Federation representation in the Senate . As a result , Gunray ' s power was solidified , and so was the hold Sidious had over the Viceroy . Shortly afterwards , Gunray was again contacted by Sidious , who promised to make him the sole leader of the Federation , and would also be able to grant his forces a much larger and improved battle droid army . These new battle droids figured in Sidious ' s plan to rid Gunray of the Directorate : during a summit on Eriadu , the droids unexpectedly opened fire on the Directorate , killing all but the absent Nute and the new Federation senator , Lott Dod . Under the guidance of the enigmatic Darth Sidious , Gunray filled the remaining positions with his associates , Daultay Dofine , Rune Haako , and Hath Monchar , making the Trade Federation a Neimoidian monopoly . Hath Monchar ' s betrayal . During the final stages of plotting the blockade of Naboo , Hath Monchar — deeply involved in Gunray and Sidious ' s plot — went missing . Gunray correctly concluded that Monchar had gone into business for himself , and planned to sell information regarding the upcoming blockade to the highest bidder . Fearing the repercussions of Darth Sidious were to discover Monchar ' s treachery , Gunray told Sidious that Monchar had simply been taken ill from too much rich food . Believing that Sidious would easily see through the lie , he was astonished when the Sith Lord seemed to accept his excuse , and began to make plans to locate Monchar before the situation could escalate any further . On Rune Haako ' s suggestion , Gunray engaged the services of a bounty hunter named Mahwi Lihnn to track Monchar down and bring him back before the next meeting with Sidious . Although Lihnn managed to track down the errant deputy Viceroy , word soon reached Gunray that both she and Monchar had been killed in an altercation . While Gunray was consumed with dread over inevitably having to report the incident to Sidious , the Sith Lord had in fact dealt with the situation himself by dispatching his apprentice , Darth Maul , to kill Monchar and anyone he had spoken with , neutralizing the threat . The Battle of Naboo ( 32 BBY ) . Blockade . Under Sidious ' s command , Gunray blockaded Naboo from trade routes , with the official reason being that the Trade Federation was disgruntled by Outer Rim trade route taxation . Chancellor Valorum dispatched two ambassadors to talk with Gunray aboard the " Saak ' ak " , and he was shocked to discover that the ambassadors were in fact Jedi Master Qui - Gon Jinn and his Padawan , Obi - Wan Kenobi . He swiftly contacted Sidious , at which point Daultay Dofine expressed his concerns about the plan . Sidious angrily ordered that Dofine be kept out of his sight . Dofine hurried away , frightened by the Sith Lord . After Sidious ordered Gunray to begin the invasion of Naboo , Gunray was skeptical , as he was concerned over the legality of actually invading Naboo . Sidious assured the Viceroy he would " make it legal . " Sidious then told Gunray , upon being inquired as to what to do with the Jedi , to kill them , and Gunray destroyed their ship and released toxic gas into the conference chamber . However , the two Jedi managed to escape , but Gunray decided to keep this secret from Sidious for the time being . Gunray was smug when talking with Queen Amidala , telling her he knew nothing of any ambassadors . Amidala told Gunray he had gone too far before ending the transmission . Gunray secretly knew she was right , but insisted it was too late to back out , and then promptly ordered that they immediately black out all communication arrays on the planet . The invasion . The invasion was well - organized , and the planet fully conquered within the day . Gunray ordered OOM - 9 to find the Jedi , but the droids were unable to . Viceroy Gunray and Rune Haako entered Theed with their troops and Gunray received word from OOM - 9 that they had captured Queen Amidala . Gunray proudly proclaimed victory and marched into the palace . The outraged Governor Sio Bibble demanded how Gunray planned to explain this invasion to the Galactic Senate , to which Gunray replied he and the Queen would a sign a treaty to legitimize the occupation . The Queen quickly told the Viceroy she would not cooperate , but Gunray was not impressed , informing her that the suffering of her people would persuade her to see his point of view . The Queen was marched off to a detention camp , but on her way there was rescued by Obi - Wan and Qui - Gon , who managed to get her off the planet and past the blockade . Gunray was now forced to inform Sidious , who was not pleased with this latest turn of events . Sidious revealed his apprentice to the shocked Gunray and Haako , and told him that Darth Maul would find the Queen . Occupation . Gunray quickly secured the planet , with only the " primitive " Gungans eluding him . He set himself up in the Queen ' s palace in Theed , taunting Governor Bibble from his mechno - chair . He soon grew tired of the Governor ' s protests however , and informed him he would die much sooner than his people . After unsuccessfully pleading for intervention by the Old Republic Senate , Amidala called for the expulsion of Chancellor Valorum , who was unable to out - talk Senator Lott Dod . A new chancery election was called for , and Naboo ' s own Senator Palpatine was ultimately elected the new Chancellor . Despite the ouster of Valorum , the Galactic Senate still would not take action , and Amidala returned home , vowing to liberate her planet or die trying . Gunray reported his success to Sidious , who was pleased , he told the Viceroy that his apprentice Darth Maul was coming to join him . As Maul arrived , Gunray detected the Queen ' s ship and tracked it to the swamps on Naboo . He reported this to Sidious , who was wary of the Queen ' s more aggressive motives . Gunray next detected the assembled army of Gungans in the swamps and dispatched OOM - 9 and a large majority of his army to crush them , dismissing them as primitives . Defeat . Gunray remained in the throne room with Rune Haako and Darth Maul . Maul left to deal with Obi - Wan Kenobi and Qui - Gon Jinn as Gunray became concerned the battle was taking place far too close to him . The Queen was able to work her way into the palace , before being captured and marched before the Viceroy . Gunray ordered her to sign the treaty , but the Queen ' s disguised handmaiden appeared , confusing him . He ordered his droids after Sabé , the Queen ' s decoy , believing her to be the real Queen . This was Gunray ' s fatal mistake . The real Queen used the distraction to take out Gunray ' s guards and held him and Haako at gunpoint . Gunray was not worried at first , because he thought his droids would break through to rescue him . But his hopes of rescue were shattered when a young boy named Anakin Skywalker destroyed the Droid Control Ship , deactivating his army . With his forces destroyed and Darth Maul believed to be killed by Obi - Wan Kenobi , Gunray and Haako were captured and sent back to Coruscant to stand trial for their crimes . Separatist Crisis . After four trials in the Republic Supreme Court , Gunray still maintained control over the Trade Federation , although several of his associates were killed in the Battle of Naboo . Gunray never publicly revealed the involvement of Darth Sidious in the blockade of Naboo , partly out of fear , but also because Gunray felt that Sidious had not abandoned him completely , and was working to ensure nothing ever came of the many trials that Gunray and his chief officer ' s went through . During this time , Gunray was alleged to be having an affair with Lora Besh , who , in 22 BBY , just before the start of the Clone Wars , released an unauthorized biography of Gunray , entitled " Gunray On Top " . It spent at least several months as a top - ten bestseller , and its sales may have increased due to its subject ' s involvement in the war . During his final trial by the Republic , Viceroy Gunray was approached by Count Dooku , and , in a moment of weakness , he revealed the existence of Sidious to the former Jedi — who promised to bring the matter before the Jedi Council . Gunray decided to join the Confederacy of Independent Systems , which wished to secede from the Galactic Republic , although he had one demand : that Senator Amidala be killed as revenge for his capture ten years prior . The leader of the Confederacy , Count Dooku , had promised him this , so he hired a bounty hunter named Jango Fett to kill the senator with his bounty hunter companion , Zam Wesell . Much to Gunray ' s dismay , they both failed , and Jango silenced Zam ' s attempt to name her client by shooting her with a saberdart . Clone Wars ( 22 – 19 BBY ) . Beginnings on Geonosis . Obi - Wan Kenobi tracked Jango through the saberdart to the droid factory on Geonosis and overheard Gunray ' s ongoing negotiations with Dooku . Though he was captured by the Geonosians , Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker attempted to rescue him , getting themselves captured in the process . Gunray saw his chance for revenge and was delighted when the former Queen was sentenced to death and he would be there to witness it . To his fury , she escaped being killed by the nexu unleashed on her , and left the planet with the aid of over 200 Jedi and the Republic ' s new clone army . Gunray was barely able to flee for his own life in the melee between battle droids , Geonosians , Jedi Knights , and clone troopers . The Clone Wars had begun , and Gunray suddenly found himself preparing his droids for war . Gunray was a businessperson , not a commander , but there was no way he could break his ties with the CIS without losing his life . He soon ended up providing the bulk of CIS funding . Gunray soon found himself at odds with the Confederacy ' s new Supreme Commander , General Grievous . When he was first introduced to the General on Geonosis , he thought of the cyborg General as nothing more than a droid — greatly angering Grievous , who might have killed Gunray had Count Dooku not intervened . Gunray ' s attitude quickly changed when he witnessed the General ' s capabilities , and Grievous ' s actions in the catacombs on Geonosis helped Gunray and the other Separatist leaders escape the planet alive . However , the two would share a mutual enmity of one another throughout the rest of the war . Soon after the war had begun , Count Dooku revealed himself as a Sith , with his master as none other than Darth Sidious . Nute Gunray was frustrated that he had once again found himself in service to forces over which he had no control whatsoever . Due to the stress of war , the wrinkles on Gunray ' s face became more severe than most Neimoidians . Rodia and capture . A short time after the Battle of Geonosis , the swamp planet of Rodia was attacked by pirates . Desperate , Rodia ' s Senator , Onaconda Farr , looked to Nute Gunray for help . He agreed to supply Rodia ' s citizens with the needed food , shelter and other everyday materials in return for one small favor : to kidnap fellow Senator Padmé Amidala , with whom the Viceroy still held a grudge . Farr was a close family friend of Naboo ' s former Queen , and called her to Rodia under the pretext of aiding the Rodian people . Amidala came with her personal protocol droid , C - 3PO and incumbent Gungan representative from Naboo , Jar Jar Binks . Eventually , she and C - 3PO were captured and imprisoned by Gunray and his battle droids , but Jar Jar interrupted his plans by disguising himself in Anakin Skywalker ' s Jedi cloak and running into the battle , along with the help of a Kwazel Maw he had nicknamed " Bogey " . Gunray attempted to flee the ensuing chaos , but found his battle droids being destroyed one by one . Eventually , Farr turned against the Viceroy , and Gunray found himself held at gunpoint by both Amidala and Farr . Soon , clone troopers arrived on Rodia and arrested the Viceroy . Gunray was whisked upon the " Tranquility " , a Jedi Cruiser with Luminara Unduli , Ahsoka Tano , Commander Gree , Captain Faro Argyus , and the latter ' s squadron of Senate Commandos . He was to be taken to Coruscant , where he would stand trial for the fifth time in his life . Gunray attempted to hold out under Jedi interrogation , but after being threatened by Tano , he reconsidered and offered to negotiate a bargain . He soon withdrew the offer when Separatist droids boarded the ship , and Asajj Ventress arrived in the detention area and set him free — once free , Gunray locked Tano in her cell and gloated over her predicament . His victory , however , was short - lived when Ventress was forced to flee after reinforcements arrived led by Unduli , and Gunray found himself back inside his own cell . After diverting Tano , and making sure she joined Unduli in battling Ventress , Captain Argyus revealed to Gree he was with the Separatists and killed the commandos — letting Gunray out of his cell once again . As Argyus faced off with Gree , Nute saw that Gree had the upper hand , sneaked up behind the clone and knocked him unconscious with a blaster rifle . Gunray , Argyus , and Ventress managed to escape the crippled vessel , but when Argyus stated he had done the most work in saving Gunray , intending to claim credit for the rescue to Count Dooku , Ventress promptly murdered the boastful Commando for the insult , after which Gunray told Ventress he had always had a ' good feeling ' about her . Gunray later assisted Count Dooku in a plot to lure Jedi Master Kit Fisto and his former Padawan , Jedi Knight Nahdar Vebb , to the droid leader General Grievous ' s castle on the moon of Vassek ; they arrived under the pretense that Gunray was there , but instead engaged the cyborg general himself . Assisting Cad Bane . Darth Sidious later ordered Gunray to dispatch reinforcements to assist bounty hunter Cad Bane at Devaron . Bane had stolen a Jedi Holocron which contained vital information which Sidious desired . Gunray sent a Trade Federation escort of Munificent - class frigates to safeguard Bane ' s escape from Devaron , but was furious when he discovered that Bane had lost four of his ships in battle with the Republic . Though Bane assured Gunray that Sidious would compensate him for the loss of his fleet , Gunray demanded that Bane transmit him the data from the Holocron , but Bane had been unable to open it thus far . Much to Gunray ' s shock , Bane let Jedi board his ship , and then successfully forced Jedi Anakin Skywalker to open the Holocron in exchange for his Padawan ' s life . Bane reported his success to Gunray , and the Viceroy offered to send him a rescue ship in exchange for the data from the Holocron — but Bane remained far too cagey to accept Gunray ' s offer , and made his own escape as the last ship in Gunray ' s borrowed fleet was destroyed . End of the War ( 19 BBY ) . In 19 BBY , near the end of the Clone Wars , Gunray attempted to convince the Wookiee royal families of Kashyyyk to join the Confederacy . The royal families , acting through a council dominated by King Grakchawwaa , were on the verge of agreeing to join the Confederacy out of self preservation — but General Grievous , having grown impatient , ordered Gunray to deploy droids to " persuade " the Wookiees to join the Separatists . Gunray did not agree with this move , but deployed the droids anyway . Unfortunately , this resulted in the death of Grakchawwaa ' s son , Prince Rikummee . In anger , Grakchawwaa allied himself with the Republic , forcing the Separatists to launch a massive invasion of Kashyyyk in the closing days of the war . As the Separatists were being driven from the core , and the Neimoidian purse world s Deko Neimoidia and Koru Neimoidia devastated , Gunray returned to his personal redoubt on the Neimoidian purse world of Cato Neimoidia , in an attempt to recover his many possessions and treasures before escaping to the Outer Rim . He was quickly being advanced upon by clones and Jedi Generals Anakin Skywalker and Obi - Wan Kenobi . Though the Republic forces managed to penetrate the fort , Gunray was able to narrowly escape to a " Lucrehulk " - class battleship above the planet with only his most treasured possessions . In his haste to leave the planet , Gunray forgot to take his mechno - chair , which he used to communicate with Darth Sidious . The chair fell into the hands of the Republic , and provided them with a valuable clue in the hunt for Sidious . Gunray attempted to conceal his mistake , but he was found out by General Grievous , who was furious that the Republic had eavesdropped on one of his transmissions to the mechno - chair , and thwarted his plan to make the planet Belderone the new home of the Separatist council . Gunray and the Separatist Council were later relocated to the outer rim world of Utapau , where Gunray and the others watched Grievous ' s attack on Coruscant via the HoloNet , for the first time , Gunray began to believe that he had underestimated the Cyborg General , and joined the rest of the council in celebration . Gunray ' s celebration was short - lived , as news soon reached the Council that Count Dooku had been killed and the Separatist forces defeated . Gunray was furious , and openly challenged Grievous before the council , noting the General ' s failure at Coruscant , the escape of Chancellor Palpatine and the death of Count Dooku , but he was dismissed by the General . Death and legacy . Shortly after , he and the rest of the Separatist Council were moved to Mustafar by General Grievous at Darth Sidious ' s command , and Grievous himself was killed a short time later . As the head of the Council , Nute Gunray now found himself the leader of the remaining Confederacy forces . He and the Council were contacted once more by Darth Sidious , who told the Viceroy he had done well , and promised that his new apprentice , Darth Vader , would arrive on Mustafar to " take care " of him . When Vader arrived , Gunray welcomed him , but Vader mercilessly cut down all of the council members , saving Gunray for last . Nute Gunray begged before Vader , pleading desperately and trying to tell Vader that all the Confederacy wanted was peace , but he was cut down by the Dark Lord . Afterwards , the Confederacy ' s droid armies were deactivated and the Clone Wars came to an official close . His body was found shortly thereafter by salvage crews who investigated the mining facility after its destruction . He was briefly succeeded as Viceroy of the Trade Federation by fellow Neimoidian Sentepeth Findos , the final holder of the position , who reluctantly surrendered the Federation ' s assets to the new Galactic Empire . Personality and traits . Gunray was pessimistic , intolerant , highly concerned for his own welfare , and often trying to shift blame onto others . He was openly fearful of Sidious and the Sith in general . Despite this , he almost always played into their hands . He had no qualms about exploiting innocent people for the love of money — rather , he encouraged it . He grew increasingly impatient over the years , often sacrificing tact for speed . His personality grated against General Grievous , who , unlike Gunray , was a vicious , strategically - minded brave general with a sense of authority . Gunray , in turn , despised Grievous , and believed the General to be unstable and arrogant . Gunray was skilled in the political arena , often discouraging an opponent with a series of baseless , condescending assurances . These skills carried over to his role as Federation Viceroy , where he was constantly in the position of having to pacify an employee , client or opponent . Gunray was also a highly successful businessman , his talents in this field catching the attention of Darth Sidious . Although frequently perceived as a coward , Gunray was willing to get his own hands dirty if he was threatened , and delighted in exacting revenge upon those he felt had wronged him in some way ; this was especially true in the case of his unhealthy obsession with killing Padmé Amidala . While often perceived as villainous , Gunray was not any different from his Neimoidian peers , whose culture was entirely devoid of the notion of morality that motivated other species . However , he is shown to be at least pragmatic enough to realize if he broke the law , he would suffer for it , as evidenced by his skepticism towards Darth Sidious ' s order that he have the Trade Federation invade Naboo due to the likelihood of such an action being illegal . Behind the scenes . Nute Gunray was played by Silas Carson , who also played Ki - Adi - Mundi , Neimoidian Senator Lott Dod , and Republic Lieutenant Williams in all three episodes of the prequel trilogy . Carson , when portraying the character , voiced him with a Thai accent . He was played by voice - actor Phil Proctor in the game " " , by Tom Kenny in , by David W . Collins in , and by Scott Cleverdon in . Besides Palpatine , he is the only villain to appear in all three episodes of the prequel trilogy . A scene cut from " " shows Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala put on trial by the Geonosians . Nute Gunray watches from the side and , when the trial goes on too long , he shouts to Poggle the Lesser : " Get on with it , carry out the sentence . I want to see her suffer ! " . Poggle the Lesser quickly wraps up the trial and orders his guards to take Anakin and Padmé to the execution arena . A scene in the script for " " , which did not make it into the film but was probably filmed , featured Nute Gunray and Rune Haako hiding under a table as Darth Vader slaughtered the Separatist Council . Rune Haako panicked and tried to escape , but was quickly killed by Vader ( seen in the film ) , but Nute stayed hidden . As Vader killed the others , Nute quickly got out from under the table and activated the control panel for the doors to open . As the other council members were all killed , droidekas entered and opened fire on Vader . Gunray watched as the smoke cleared and found Vader gone . Vader then drops down from the roof and destroys the droids , after which he jumps over to Gunray and cuts off his head . This explains why Nute is so surprised when Vader jumps at him — he thought he had been killed off by the droids . Various adaptations of " The Phantom Menace " and " Revenge of the Sith " had minor differences . In the , Gunray can be killed while playing as Queen Amidala in her final level ( this will lead to the next phase of the level regardless if the final droids he summons are disposed of , this also does not affect the final outcome of the game ) . In the , Gunray escaped Vader in the Separatist control center on Mustafar and attempted to flee in his ship , which was destroyed by the vengeful former Jedi and then plunged into the lava river beneath . In the , Vader responded to Gunray ' s remark of the promise of peace by saying that Sidious ' s transmission had been garbled , and that the Sith had actually said they would be " left in pieces " ( though Gunray ' s body was relatively intact when compared to most of the other Separatist leaders ) . In the , Gunray appears in his " Attack of the Clones " costume on Utapau , unlike in the film . Gunray ' s " Revenge of the Sith " head piece is the only one without three points . Nute Gunray ' s name had two sources from real life : The first was the Republican congressman , and the second was former president . The former source was because he primarily wrote the Trade Federation members in terms of motives and characterizations in response to the 1994 Republican Revolution ( which occurred eight days into Lucas ' s draft - writing the film ) , specifically then - Speaker of the House Gingrich ' s " Contract with America " , and the latter source was as a response to Reagan ' s SDI program being labeled as " Star Wars " without Lucas ' permission .