Quarsh Panaka Quarsh Panaka , human male native to the planet Naboo , was a security forces captain who served the Royal House of Naboo during the final years of the Galactic Republic . When the Trade Federation invaded Naboo in 32 BBY , Panaka fled the planet , accompanying Queen Padmé Amidala to Tatooine and then Coruscant before ultimately returning to Naboo in order to liberate their homeworld . He later acquired the title of Moff during the rise of the Galactic Empire . He was assassinated by Saw Gerrera ' s partisans in 3 BBY . Biography . Early life and career . The human male Quarsh Panaka was born during the final decades of the Galactic Republic . He hailed from Naboo , an idyllic planet that was inhabited by peaceful humans known as the Naboo , and a species of sentient amphibian s called the Gungan s . In his youth , he gained combat experience in a Republic Special Task Force that fought against space pilot s in his native Chommell sector . Eventually , he became Head of Security for the Royal House of Naboo , overseeing every branch of the volunteer Royal Naboo Security Forces , namely the Palace Guard , the Security Guard , and the Space Fighter Corps . Crisis on Naboo . By 32 BBY , he served under the fourteen year old Queen Padmé Amidala of the Naboo , whose safety he was personally entrusted . Because he knew his world was vulnerable to planetary assaults , Panaka advocated for stronger security measures , but the Queen ' s Advisory Council convinced her otherwise . That year , however , the shipping and trade conglomerate known as the Trade Federation decided to blockade and invade Naboo in retaliation to the taxation of the Free Trade Zone voted by the Republic ' s Galactic Senate . When the battle droid s of the Trade Federation raided the palace , both Panaka and his queen were taken into custody . However , unbeknownst to the enemy , the captain initiated a scheme in which one of the Amidala ' s handmaidens served as a decoy . Although the real queen was captured as well , the Neimoidian overlords of the Federation were fooled , and focused on the impersonator , a handmaiden named Sabé . Along with the queen , Governor Sio Bibble , and several security guards , Panaka was escorted out of the palace . As the Naboo party were on their way to a detention camp , two Jedi and a Gungan jumped from a balcony to begin an attack and rescue the queen . Said Jedi , Master Qui - Gon Jinn and his Padawan Obi - Wan Kenobi were Republic ambassador s that had been sent to resolve the dispute behind the blockade , but to no avail . Panaka begrudgingly agreed with the Jedi ' s plan to take the queen with them to Coruscant , capital of the Republic , where she would plead her cause before the Senate . The party then retook the Theed Hangar from the battle droid s stationed there , entered Amidala ' s Royal Starship , and blasted away from Naboo . However , in trying to slip through the blockade , the ship ' s hyperdrive engine took heavy damage . When Kenobi suggested that they land on the desert world of Tatooine for repairs , Panaka protested vigorously , arguing that the planet was ruled by Hutt gangster s . The queen , however , sided with the Jedi . Once they arrived at Tatooine , Panaka remained on the ship while the Jedi , Jinn , their Gungan ally Jar Jar Binks , the astromech droid R2 - D2 , and Amidala — disguised as a mere handmaiden — went scouting for spare parts for the hyperdrive . At one point , the ship received a garbled transmission of a Sio Bibble hologram , pleading with the Queen to contact him rapidly . However , Kenobi suspected a trick , and he ordered Panaka and the others to send no reply nor transmission of any kind . Eventually , Jinn and Amidala managed to obtain the missing hyperdrive parts thanks to the help of local slave boy named Anakin Skywalker , who earned his freedom in the process . The party then traveled to Coruscant , where they met Naboo ' s representative in the Senate , Sheev Palpatine . Anticipating an ambush by the Federation , Panaka accompanied Amidala to the Senate Chamber , where she and Palpatine pleaded their cause . The Senate , however , would not budge , so the Queen decided to return to Naboo and take the matter in her own hands . Panaka strongly objected , claiming that she would be captured and forced to sign a treaty that would legitimize the invasion . Return to Naboo . While the Queen set off to make contact with Boss Rugor Nass , leader of the Gungan people , Panaka organized the few Naboo security volunteers not captured by the Trade Federation into battle groups , who brought with them Flash speeder s and Gian speeder s . Eventually , the leaders met to discuss strategy . It was decided that the militiagung s of the Gungan Grand Army would engage the droid army out of the city , while the Jedi and the Naboo would infiltrate the Royal Palace to try and capture Nute Gunray , Viceroy of the Trade Federation . Using secret passages on the water fall side of Theed , Panaka divided his forces in two . His group created a diversion , while the other , including the Jedi , liberated the N - 1 starfighter s from the Theed Hangar , allowing pilots to neutralize the Trade Federation droid control ship in orbit . On their way to reach the throne room , Panaka , the Queen , and the Jedi , encountered Darth Maul , a malevolent Sith Lord who had been following the Jedi since Tatooine . Panaka ' s group were forced to go the long way around while the Jedi stalled Maul . The captain ' s party only made very slow progress , battling waves of battle droids throughout the halls of the palace . When the Queen expressed her frustration , Panaka decided to used ascension gun s to bypass a level of the palace , in an attempt to reach the throne room more quickly . In the mean time , a small group led by Sabé , still posing as the Queen , kept advancing . The Neimoidians finally saw through the ruse , and realized who the real Amidala was . Consquently , Panaka and the Queen ' s group were swiftly captured by droideka s and escorted to Gunray . In the nick of time , Sabé ' s party made it to the throne room , and drew out the droids stationed there while Amidala grabbed a couple of blaster s from a secret compartment in her throne . Panaka and her sovereign then eliminated the remaining droids in the room , leaving the Viceroy defenseless . After the battle , Panaka handed over the Viceroy and his aide Rune Haako to the Republic for trial . As he did this , the captain dryly observed that the Neimoidians could " kiss your Trade franchise goodbye . " Shortly thereafter , Panaka attended the cremation of Jinn , who was slain during the fight with Darth Maul , before participating in the parade held in Theed to celebrate the liberation of Naboo and the newfound alliance between the Naboo and the Gungans . Meanwhile , Palpatine had been elected Supreme Chancellor of the Republic thanks to a groundswell of sympathy in the Senate . Serving other queens . Panaka remained in Amidala ' s service . When her two terms were over , Amidala became senator of Naboo , and Panaka stepped down from his functions as her personal bodyguard , making way for his nephew Gregar Typho . He did , however , continue his services as head of Security under Queen Jamillia . During the Clone Wars , a three - year conflict that pitted the Republic against the Confederacy of Independent Systems , Panaka met Viceroy Bail Organa of Alderaan several times . Imperial Moff . Immediately after the Clone Wars , Supreme Chancellor Palpatine abolished the Republic and replaced it with the Galactic Empire , an authoritarian government with him as sole ruler . Panaka remained loyal to the newly anointed Emperor and was made the Moff , or governor , of his native Chommell sector . Once in office , Panaka had a red wood chalet built on Onoam , one of the moon s that orbited Naboo . At one point , he presented the Emperor with an ornate statue . In 3 BBY , Panaka briefly met with Queen Dalné of the Naboo and Leia Organa , prince ss of Alderaan , at his chalet . As soon as he saw her , the Moff was struck by the image of Organa wearing a Naboo jubilation dress , who strongly reminded him of Queen Amidala decades ago . Although his visitors wanted to discuss the working conditions of the local spice miners , Panaka redirected the conversation toward Organa ' s background , asking her whether she had been adopted and who her birth parent s were . By the end of the meeting , Panaka came to suspect that Organa was in fact the long - lost daughter of the late Amidala — which she was indeed . Although the Moff intended to warn the Emperor of his findings as soon as his visitors were gone , he did not have the time , as a bomb exploded in his chalet , destroying the building and killing him in the process . As Organa later found out , the bomb was planted by Saw Gerrera ' s Partisans . Seven years after the Moff ' s untimely death , the statue he had once offered to his liege stood in the Emperor ' s receiving chamber aboard the second Death Star battle station . Personality and traits . Panaka was a dark - skinned , powerfully built man with a smooth face and a steely brown gaze . He was handsome and tall , measuring 1 . 83 meter s . By the year of his death , his black hair was marked by flecks of gray at the temples . He had a deep , distinctly masculine voice . Unlike many high - ranking Imperials , Panaka did not like to surround himself with ostentatious and expansive items . Instead , he favored the simple and practical , while still showing good taste . Also unlike many of his colleagues , he was impervious to corruption . However , he often turned a blind eye on actions he did not approve of , because he believed Imperial abuses of power were the work of rogue elements , as opposed to the norm . Although Panaka ' s great loyalty to Palpatine made him dangerous , Breha Organa of Alderaan believed him to be " as good a man as anyone in the Emperor ' s inner circle could ever be , and much better than most " . Equipment . As Queen Amidala ' s Head of Security , Panaka wore a brown leather jerkin , a blue shirt with a pair of burgundy horizontal stripes near the hem , and a crested officer cap . He wielded a hand - crafted S - 5 blaster pistol . Behind the scenes . Quarsh Panaka was portrayed by Ghanaian British actor Hugh Quarshie in . Quarshie was originally set to reprise his role as Panaka in , but when the producers denied him the film ' s full script only allowing him to read his lines , Quarshie declined to reprise his role and the character of Gregar Typho , portrayed by Jay Laga ' aia , was created to replace Panaka . The first name " Quarsh " was created by Jason Fry for a war portrait of Panaka that was to be featured in the " Legends " reference book " The Essential Guide to Warfare " . While said portrait was cut from the manuscript , it ended up being published on StarWars . com as part of the series of articles . The name was canon ized upon its inclusion in Claudia Gray ' s 2017 novel " Leia , Princess of Alderaan " . Panaka ' s role as Moff in " Leia , Princess of Alderaan " , according to Claudia Gray , had the potential inherent in having someone present in the lives of both Leia and her mother Padmé Amidala , an idea which ended up becoming Gray ' s favorite turn in the novel ' s story . As an interesting fact , during the novel ' s writing , Gray considered making Panaka a member of the Rebellion , but she changed her mind after Pablo Hidalgo reminded her that Panaka became a Grand Moff loyal to Emperor Palpatine in the Legends continuity , a great detail that she believed deserved to also be included in the new canon .