Finis Valorum Finis Valorum was a human male politician from House Valorum who served as the penultimate Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic . His administration was hampered by corruption and bureaucracy in the Galactic Senate , which Valorum was unable to bring under control . Towards the end of his administration , Valorum attempted to resolve the Trade Federation ' s Invasion of Naboo to little effect . As a result of government inaction , Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo called for a Vote of No Confidence in Valorum ' s leadership . The Senate scheduled an election for a new Chancellor , and Valorum was replaced by Senator Sheev Palpatine of Naboo ; Palpatine was secretly Darth Sidious , the Dark Lord of the Sith , and had orchestrated the Naboo Crisis to become Supreme Chancellor and , ultimately , transform the Republic into the Galactic Empire . During the Clone Wars , over ten years after his political downfall , Valorum assisted the Jedi Order as they investigated the circumstances surrounding the death of Jedi Master Sifo - Dyas , who , as Chancellor , Valorum had sent on a mission to resolve a dispute with the spice dealers known as the Pyke Syndicate . The Jedi learned Sifo - Dyas had been killed by the Pyke Syndicate at the behest of the Sith — who wanted to control the clone army Sifo - Dyas had secretly commissioned for the Republic — during the mission that Valorum had sent him on . After the rise of the Empire , some Coruscanti continued to have fond memories of the former Supreme Chancellor . Biography . Early career and chancellery . Finis Valorum was born into the influential House Valorum on Coruscant , the capital of the Galactic Republic , and was a descendant of the Republic ' s first Supreme Chancellor . For his entire life , Valorum planned to ascend to the Office of the Chancellor . He entered into political life and became a civil servant within the Galactic Republic , in which House Valorum held much prestige and influence . At some point during his political career , he served as an administrator to Supreme Chancellor Kalpana . Along with the Chancellor , Senator Sheev Palpatine of Naboo , and other dignitaries , Valorum attended the commencement and commissioning ceremonies at the Sullust Sector Spacefarers Academy , a pilot ing academy on Sullust . Later , Valorum himself was elected to the chancellery by the Galactic Senate . During his administration , his political power became hampered by the massive bureaucracies of the government , and he became mired in accusations of corrupt conduct . Palpatine believed that Valorum did not care about the lower levels of Coruscant , beneath its surface , and suggested Valorum was happy to pretend they did not exist . At some point during Valorum ' s chancellorship , however , there was a crisis in the Pyke Syndicate , a criminal spice dealership , that could have resulted in a full - scale crime war beneath Coruscant ' s surface . In order to stabilize the Pykes , who held almost complete control over raw spice used to create a drug , Chancellor Valorum contacted Jedi Master Sifo - Dyas , a Jedi who had experience with the criminal underworld . Valorum did not , however , inform the Jedi High Council that he was sending Sifo - Dyas or the Chancellor ' s personal aide , Silman , to the Pyke planet of Oba Diah ; the Senate feared that holding open discussions with the Pykes could legitimize their criminal activities and offer opposition leaders in the bureaucracy an opportunity to take down Valorum ' s administration . After arriving on Oba Diah , Sifo - Dyas was diverted to Felucia by the Jedi Council , who ordered him to deal with a conflict between Felucian tribes . As the Jedi Master and Silman were leaving the Pyke world , the Pykes — who had been hired by the Sith Lord Darth Tyranus — shot Sifo - Dyas ' ship down , killing the Jedi Master and taking Silman as a prisoner . Valorum and the Jedi were left believing that Sifo - Dyas and Silman had been killed on Felucia . Towards the end of his chancellery , and against political expectations , Valorum was elected to a second term . According to Palpatine , who presented himself as an ally but — as Darth Sidious , the Dark Lord of the Sith — secretly plotted Valorum ' s downfall , Valorum was allowed to win by special interest groups who exploited legal loopholes , such as in Republic free trade laws , and needed a Chancellor who would become entangled in the governmental bureaucracies . Despite his reelection , citizens on Coruscant began placing bets on whether Valorum would be able to serve a full term . It was at that time that Palpatine ' s name was whispered as a potential successor . Valorum ' s chancellery was furthered hampered when he attempted to investigate the events of a disastrous trade summit on Eriadu , but was stonewalled by Eriadu ' s planetary governor , Wilhuff Tarkin , at the request of Senator Palpatine . Tarkin himself had been elected governor on Eriadu despite opposition from House Valorum , further weakening the Chancellor ' s position . In the final months of Valorum ' s chancellery , work began on the millennial celebrations intended to mark the thousand - year anniversary of the foundation of the Galactic Republic , which followed the last war between the Jedi and the Sith . Valorum and his team spent time exploring logo designs and artwork to commemorate the event , and the chancellor himself was intimately involved in the design process . Valorum rejected 250 different revisions for a millennial invitation for a variety of reasons — such as the warmth of the design as well as its exclusivity — out of concern for his declining public image . He ultimately delegated the responsibility for the design to Senator Palpatine , who finalized a design that featured Sistros , the ancient lawmaker who helped create the original constitution of the Republic after the fall of the Sith . The concept and layout were created by the artist Naveela Betuine , while the final execution was done by Dashira Dobeq . Political downfall . Thirty - two years before the Battle of Yavin , the Republic became involved in a disagreement over the taxation of trade routes to outlying star system s . The Trade Federation , which held a monopoly over shipping in the Outer Rim , blockaded the planet Naboo in an attempt to force the Senate into a resolution favorable to the Federation . The Naboo Crisis was secretly engineered by Senator Palpatine in order to end Valorum ' s chancellery , and was partly hastened by the events of the trade summit on Eriadu . With the blockade cutting off needed supplies to Naboo , this plunged the Republic ' s government into a political crisis that the Senate was unable to resolve . In an attempt to end the blockade , Valorum sent Jedi Master Qui - Gon Jinn and his Padawan , Obi - Wan Kenobi , to Naboo to negotiate with Nute Gunray , the Viceroy of the Trade Federation . The negotiations did not take place , however , as the Federation attempted to kill the two Jedi . Shortly thereafter , the Federation launched the Invasion of Naboo . Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo was able to escape the planet with the help of the Jedi , and she traveled to Coruscant in order to seek the help of Chancellor Valorum and the Senate . Valorum was present when she arrived and called for a special session of the Senate so Amidala could plead her case . The Senate session , which Valorum presided over , proved unproductive for Amidala ' s cause . Senator Palpatine and Queen Amidala proclaimed that the Federation had invaded Naboo , a claim that Lott Dod , the Senator from the Trade Federation , disputed on the basis that no proof had been provided . Dod recommended to the Chancellor that the Senate appoint a commission to study the allegations , a recommendation that was seconded by the representatives of the planet Malastare . Valorum consulted with his advisors , including Vice Chair Mas Amedda and ultimately asked Amidala whether she would accept a commission . Amidala refused and , at Palpatine ' s urging , called for a Vote of No Confidence in Valorum ' s leadership . Unknown to Valorum was that Mas Amedda was secretly working for Palpatine , and he knew that Valorum ' s indecision would make him look weak . Amidala ' s motion led to Valorum ' s removal from office . A new election was called to replace him , and led to the nominations of Senator Palpatine , Bail Antilles of Alderaan , and Ainlee Teem of Malastare . As Palpatine had predicted , the Invasion of Naboo created a sympathy vote in the Senate , and he was elected Supreme Chancellor in Valorum ' s place . Due to Valorum and the Senate ' s inability to act , Queen Amidala also returned to her planet and , with the help of the Jedi Valorum had first sent to Naboo , ended the invasion . Post - chancellorship and legacy . Valorum ' s political fall and the liberation of Naboo led to changes within the shipping conglomerates . The Trade Federation ' s monopoly on the Outer Rim was broken , and Valorum Shipping , controlled by House Valorum , suffered a loss of prestige . As a result , other companies , such as Eriadu Mining and Shipping , found new prosperity . Valorum maintained an estate on Coruscant for several years after his chancellery . During the Clone Wars , which were partly precipitated by the Naboo Crisis and which were also engineered by Chancellor Palpatine , the Jedi found a lightsaber that had once belonged to Sifo - Dyas , who the Jedi had previously learned was the one who secretly commissioned the creation of the clone trooper s comprising the ranks of the Grand Army of the Republic . The Jedi began investing Sifo - Dyas ' disappearance , which led to the uncovering of a file sealed by Valorum ' s administration regarding the events on Oba Diah . Yoda , the Grand Master of the Jedi Order and an old friend of the former Chancellor ' s , met with Valorum at Valorum ' s estate on Coruscant . At Yoda ' s request , the ex - Chancellor recounted the events that led to the mission on Oba Diah . Valorum ' s information led Obi - Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to Oba Diah , where they discovered that Silman was still alive — though he was soon killed by Count Dooku — and that the Sith had helped orchestrate the creation of the clone army . At the end of the war , and thirteen years after Palpatine conspired to remove Valorum from office in order to seize power for himself , Palpatine declared himself Emperor , transformed the Republic into the Galactic Empire , and destroyed the Jedi Order . Despite Valorum ' s reputation as an ineffective leader , some Coruscanti citizens had fond memories of the former Supreme Chancellor and gossiped about him , particularly after Emperor Palpatine all but removed himself from public life . Personality and traits . For his entire life , Valorum prepared for when he could one day become the Supreme Chancellor . Once elected , he enjoyed the privileges that came with being the leader of the Republic , though this attitude was to his detriment as ordinary voters did not respond well to it . Despite this , while his administration was hampered by corruption and the complex bureaucracies of the Republic , as Supreme Chancellor he was nonetheless a well - meaning man and a progressive diplomat . The final days of his term saw him attempt to resolve the conflict between the Trade Federation and Naboo , but his efforts led to his removal from office . Valorum was a human male who stood at 1 . 7 meter s . By his chancellorship , he had white hair , blue eyes , and fair skin . Skills and abilities . Though well - intentioned in his approach to governance , Valorum was nonetheless unable to rein in the complex and powerful bureaucracies that the Senate had become entangled in . According to Palpatine , Valorum ' s reelection was achieved only through the desires of the special interests , who wanted a Chancellor who would be unable to push back on their power and influence . Despite being unable to control them , he was aware of them and could at times counter them . When he assigned Sifo - Dyas to deal with the conflict in the Pyke Syndicate , Valorum and the Senate committee in charge of the situation feared that open negotiations with the Pykes could legitimize the Syndicate ' s criminal enterprise , as well as strengthen opposition leaders in the bureaucracy . As a result , they chose to keep their discussions with the Pykes a secret . The end of Valorum ' s chancellery was marked by inaction over the Naboo Crisis , as Valorum deferred to the interests of the Trade Federation , despite wanting to help Naboo during the invasion . His inability to control the bureaucracies allowed Palpatine to exploit Valorum ' s political weaknesses , which led to Valorum ' s removal from office . Behind the scenes . Supreme Chancellor Valorum first appeared in , where he was played by Terence Stamp . Stamp , who filmed all of Valorum ' s scenes against a blue screen , took the role of Valorum because he felt that the character was not a one - dimensional cameo , and he wanted to work with George Lucas , the creator of " Star Wars " and the writer and director of " The Phantom Menace " . Stamp did not have much time to prepare for the role and was unable to read the full script , so he felt he did not have much to base his character on . To understand what Valorum was like , Lucas told Stamp that Valorum was similar to then - , describing Valorum as " a good man but he ' s beleaguered , " though Stamp noted that this was prior to Clinton ' s impeachment trial . Stamp later expressed disappointment in the role and how it was filmed — despite appearing in scenes with Natalie Portman , the two never acted together on set . The character returned for a second canon appearance in " The Lost One , " the tenth episode of , the sixth and final season of the animated television series " " . For the animated appearance , the character was designed by " The Clone Wars " artist Kilian Plunkett and voiced by Ian Ruskin . The character ' s full name of Finis Valorum , which was not used in " The Phantom Menace " or " The Lost One , " was introduced into official canon in the 2014 mobile app " " as well as the novel " Tarkin " , by James Luceno ; the name was previously used in " Star Wars " Legends , including stories such as Luceno ' s 2001 novel " Cloak of Deception " . The name " Valorum " has been part of " Star Wars " since the earliest drafts of . In " " , Valorum was a Sith knight who was demoted to the level of stormtrooper after failing to capture Rebel fighters , before defecting from the Galactic Empire and joining the Rebels ; the character bore some similarities to Darth Vader . For " " , the character was renamed Dodana . The name Valorum was again used in a later draft , titled " " . Although he did not physically appear in the story , Prince Espaa Valorum was the Master of the Sith and the ruler of the Galactic Empire on Alderaan . Darth Vader served as his second in command . A discrepancy about Valorum arose after the publication of " " in 2016 . The Databank on StarWars . com lists Valorum ' s height as 1 . 83 meters , while " Star Wars Character Encyclopedia : Updated and Expanded " lists it as 1 . 7 meters .