Separatist Council / Legends The Separatist Council , also known as the Council of Separatists , the Separatist Union , or the Leadership Council , was an executive corps in charge of the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars , the conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy itself , which was seeking to leave the former . Sith Lord Count Dooku originally summoned wealthy businesspeople and politicians to the planet Geonosis , where they formed a pact with a common goal : to create a " new " governing body for the galaxy and obliterate the Republic . The members of the Council participated actively during the war , leading brigades of battle droids against the forces of the Republic , though mainly to further their own ends . During the course of the war , bounties were placed on the Council members ' heads , which led to their rendezvous at the planet Belderone . Shortly after , however , the public leader and Head of the Council , Dooku , died at the hands of the young Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker . The Council was placed under the personal protection of General Grievous , Supreme Commander of the Separatist Droid Army , and now leader of the Separatist Movement and the Council . The Council members , along with Grievous , were relocated to the planet Utapau due to security issues , but were discovered by Jedi Master Obi - Wan Kenobi and an armada of clone troopers . Sith Lord Darth Sidious ordered the Council relocated to the planet Mustafar , prior to a major battle on the planet . The Council departed , and Grievous was killed by Kenobi in the midst of the battle . Nute Gunray became Head of the Council , and he and the rest of the corporate conglomerates were placed in charge of the Confederacy . Darth Sidious sent Skywalker , by now christened the Sith Lord Darth Vader , to eliminate the Confederacy ' s remaining leaders . It was on Mustafar that the members of the Separatist Council were massacred one by one by the vengeful Sith Lord . History . Pre - War and Geonosis . With Count Dooku ' s political ambition to create a separate galactic body opposite the Galactic Republic , the dominant galactic government of the time , many of the galaxy ' s largest financial and political benefactors decided to join Dooku ' s movement under the lure of free trade zones . These included Nute Gunray , Viceroy of the Trade Federation ; San Hill , Chairman of the InterGalactic Banking Clan ; Passel Argente , the Magistrate of the Corporate Alliance ; Tikkes of the Quarren Isolation League ; Wat Tambor , the Foreman of the Techno Union ; Po Nudo of the Hyper - Communications Cartel ; Poggle the Lesser of Geonosian Industries ; and Shu Mai of the Commerce Guild . These individuals and several others were summoned to the planet Geonosis , where they would formally join the Separatist movement and organize an army to destroy the Republic . Jedi Knight Obi - Wan Kenobi arrived on Geonosis before being captured and imprisoned , though he discovered Dooku ' s plot before being apprehended . Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker and Senator Padmé Amidala promptly proceeded to Geonosis in an attempt to rescue Kenobi , though were also apprehended by bounty hunter Jango Fett shortly after their arrival . The Council attended the trial of Amidala and Skywalker shortly before the duo and Master Kenobi were sentenced to death in the Petranaki arena . The Jedi and the Senator managed to survive , however , and were reinforced by approximately 200 Jedi under the leadership of Jedi Master Mace Windu and a large number of clone troopers . This battle started the Clone Wars , sealing the fate of the newly formed Separatist Council and ensuring that their loyalties lay with Dooku . Councilors during the War . Throughout the course of the war , the members of the Council were held on a very loose leash ; they were free to do as they pleased — though their numerous plots and escapades proved to be more of a hindrance than a help , at least in Dooku ' s mind . Nute Gunray continued to attempt to assassinate Padmé Amidala , with an attempt to persuade Rodia ' s senator , Onaconda Farr , to give her to Gunray for execution in exchange for food and supplies for Farr ' s people . The attempt failed , and Gunray was captured by the Republic , though he was rescued shortly after his capture , from the assistance of Dark Acolyte Asajj Ventress and Captain Faro Argyus . Later in the war , Gunray attempted to hold his citadel on Cato Neimoidia . Council members Wat Tambor and Passel Argente spied on each other , as they both grew to mistrust each other . Using Argente ' s suspiciousness to his own advantage , Tambor knew that Argente would seek out a spy droid to utilize against Tambor from the dealer Gha Nachkt , so Tambor paid Nachkt to sell a spy droid to the Koorivar . As Tambor had predicted , Argente contacted Nachkt , and the Trandoshan dealer dutifully sold Tambor ' s protocol droid to Argente . Once the Koorivar had the droid , Nachkt contacted Tambor , and the Skakoan transmitted the dealer ' s reward to him . Tambor tuned into the droid ' s frequency , allowing the Foreman to directly spy on Argente and track his movements across the galaxy . As Tambor tracked Argente ' s movements , the Koorivar traveled to the Outer Rim planet Ryloth to meet with Twi ' lek broker Artruk , whom Argente had hired to conceal treasures in his possession . Upon noticing the treasures , Tambor ordered his personal T - series tactical droid , TA - 175 , to move Ryloth to the highest priority for a Confederate invasion . Tambor soon invaded Ryloth , starving and subjugating the Twi ' lek population to a harsh rule . After annihilating the Republic fleet defending Ryloth , the Skakoan blockaded Ryloth , placing Captain Mar Tuuk in charge of the Confederate fleet , while Tambor made headquarters for himself in Ryloth ' s capital city , Lessu . The Republic eventually returned to Ryloth , successfully defeating the blockade , and landing their troops on the surface for an attack on the capital . In a holographic conference with Tambor , Count Dooku , displeased with the Emir ' s weakening hold on Ryloth , ordered him to salvage what he could of the Twi ' lek treasures on the planet and retreat before Windu arrived with his forces in Lessu . Dooku also ordered Tambor to liquidate whatever he could of Ryloth , as the massacre would show the galaxy the " cost " of a Republic victory . To accomplish this , Tambor dispatched a squad of " Hyena " - class bombers — and , at TA - 175 ' s recommendation , an army of ground forces — to begin destroying several Twi ' lek villages in the area . However , Windu soon enlisted the help of the Twi ' lek leader Cham Syndulla and Ryloth ' s resistance against the Confederate oppression . Tambor decided to wait for the last of several Multi - Troop Transports hauling the treasures , despite Dooku ' s order to retreat and bomb Lessu . TA - 175 , too impatient to wait for his master , departed aboard Tambor ' s shuttle , and the Skakoan was left stranded just as the Republic forces arrived in the city . Windu cornered Tambor ; however , Dooku was intent on eliminating Lessu , even with Tambor ' s life in jeopardy . The Confederate Head of State ordered TA - 175 to continue with the bombers ' attack , but the intervention of Skywalker and Tano in their fighters prevented the destruction of Lessu . Tambor surrendered and was taken into Republic custody . With Geonosis , along with other worlds , secured again for the Separatists , Archduke Poggle the Lesser made a deal with the Trade Federation and the Banking Clan to fund a new factory complex on his homeworld . Poggle was present at a meeting on Cato Neimoidia along with Senators Lott Dod and Rush Clovis . However , Clovis brought with him Senator Amidala , who managed to steal the plans to the new droid foundry and deliver it to the Jedi Council . It wasn ' t long before the Jedi arrived to shut down the new factories on Geonosis . While Poggle remained inside to oversee production , battle droids and Geonosian warriors defended the ray - shielded factory from an offensive strike led by Jedi Generals Skywalker , Obi - Wan Kenobi , and Ki - Adi - Mundi . During the battle , Poggle ' s aide TX - 21 informed him the factory was operating at 50 % capacity and had produced ten garrisons of droid troops . In response to the show of force at the bridge near the factory , Poggle authorized twenty of his new ray - shielded super tanks to be deployed , which forced the Jedi forces to fall back . Meanwhile , inside the catacombs , Ahsoka and Barriss Offee accidentally woke a Geonosian spy , who quickly informed Poggle of their intrusion . While the two Padawans planted explosives in the reactor room , Poggle and TX - 21 arrived with a super tank and several Geonosian warriors . Poggle left them to deal with the intruders and the explosives were quickly disable , though TX - 21 was destroyed by a detonator placed on the super tank – which remained unharmed . Councilors San Hill and Shu Mai attempted to hold Muunilinst and Felucia , respectively . Queen Miraj Scintel of Zygerria , however , now a Councilor , abused her position on the Council to make slave trade easier and far more profitable for her organization . She invited fellow Council members Wat Tambor and Shu Mai to a live auction on her homeland and territory , Zygerria , eventually enslaving Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker . When ordered to kill her new bodyguard , she disobeyed , which led to her death at the hands of Count Dooku . Bounties were also placed on the Separatist Council member ' s heads by various high - ranking officials within the Galactic Senate , none of which proved any fruit . Belderone and Utapau . In the final stages of the Clone Wars , the Council was to hide in the Outer Rim on General Grievous ' s orders , due to Republic victories at Separatist strongholds in the Core and Colonies . Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray traveled to Cato Neimoidia before it fell to purge his citadel of any remaining treasures he " could not live without , " before Jedi Knights Anakin Skywalker , Obi - Wan Kenobi and Plo Koon took the system . In his haste to evacuate , Gunray accidentally left his mechno - chair behind — which held vital Separatist information and holo - transmissions regarding the Council ' s whereabouts . Gunray and his assistant Rune Haako arrived at Grievous ' s ship , " Invisible Hand " , to find that Grievous had already uncovered the Neimoidian ' s fumble . A quick change of plans was made , and the Council was moved to the planet Utapau . Before Grievous ' s death , Darth Sidious ordered Grievous to send the Council from Utapau to Mustafar , supposedly to keep them safe from the Republic , as troops led by Jedi Master Obi - Wan Kenobi were soon to storm the sinkhole planet . However , the Council was doomed to die on Mustafar . Grievous briefed the Council on their travel arrangements shortly after Kenobi arrived ; Kenobi was , however , able to eavesdrop on Grievous and the Council , though he let the Council members ' retreat before challenging Grievous . Clone Commander Cody soon arrived , bringing Republic clone troopers with him , and engaged the battle droid forces . In the midst of the skirmish , Kenobi killed Grievous . Death of the Council . The Council established their makeshift headquarters in the Klegger Corp Mining Facility after being sent to Mustafar by Darth Sidious . Upon Grievous ' s death at the hands of Obi - Wan Kenobi , the Council assumed direct control of the Confederacy , and began monitoring the Outer Rim Sieges , which they were mostly losing . Sidious then tasked his new Sith apprentice , Darth Vader , with the assassination of all ten Council members , as well as their many aides , after Sidious no longer had any need for the Separatist Movement . With Sidious ' s puppets , the Jedi and the last remaining Separatists dead , Sidious would have little opponents to challenge his rule as Emperor . Vader swiftly traveled to Mustafar , and once inside their hidden command center , was greeted by Gunray and the other council members . Vader trapped the Separatist leaders in their own war room and conference room before murdering the leaders methodically , killing Denaria Kee , Nudo ' s aide , Tikkes , Passel Argente , Po Nudo ' s Shi ' ido aide , Cat Miin , Shu Mai , Po Nudo , San Hill , Poggle the Lesser and Aruteous Gunnay in the War Room , and proceeded to the conference room . There , he killed Rune Haako , Wat Tambor , and , finally , Nute Gunray , whom Vader held a grudge with for Gunray ' s attempts to assassinate his secret wife , Amidala . The Command Center was later host to a duel between Darth Vader and his former Jedi Master , Obi - Wan Kenobi , where Kenobi saw the Council ' s bodies and the length of the terror his former pupil had created . With the death of the Council , the Clone Wars officially came to an end , bringing about the age of the Galactic Empire . Post - War . For at least two months following the war ' s end , Palpatine maintained that the council members ' final fates were unknown , using the possible threat of their return to justify his military expansion . However , it is known that Rogwa Wodrata was not on Mustafar when her comrades were slaughtered by Darth Vader , but was presumably killed later . Many of the businesses involved in the Separatist Movement faded into oblivion after their Head ' s death , while others were forced to turn their assets over to the newly - formed Galactic Empire . The IG Banking Clan , however , survived the incident , though they were much less profitable than they were before the War . Powers . The Separatist Council was the governing body of the Confederacy . It was led by a Head of State - Count Dooku . Should the Head of State be assassinated , the Supreme Commander ( General Grievous ) would take control . The Council leaders held equal voting power , but should both the Head of State and Supreme Commander be incapacitated , the Council member with the largest economic investment to the war would become acting head — namely , Nute Gunray . Though the Council members were able to contribute to the war effort in almost any way they pleased , they were required to follow orders given by Count Dooku or Darth Sidious , the Sith conspirators behind the war . Miraj Scintel , slave trader and Queen of Zygerria , was unwilling to follow her superior ' s orders . She was promptly killed by Count Dooku for her misconduct . Composition . The Council was composed of representatives of Separatist - allied worlds and quasi - government entities . It was chaired by a Head of State . The members of the Council were as follows : Republic Senators who joined the Separatist cause : Other members of power included :