Zill Kartay Zill Kartay was a male Neimoidian consul of the Trade Federation . In 32 BBY , when the Federation successfully invaded the planet Naboo , he was appointed to the Occupation Council overseeing the planet and took up residence in the planetary capital of Theed . Following the liberation of Naboo by its Human and Gungan inhabitants , Kartay and the remainder of the council were arrested and sent to Coruscant , the seat of the Galactic Republic , to face justice . Biography . Zill Kartay was a male of the Neimoidian species who lived during the rule of Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum in the last decades of the Galactic Republic . He worked in the Trade Federation , a labyrinthine organization of trade officials and associated bureaucrats . As a Federation consul , he was entrusted with ambassadorial duties on one of the Federation ' s member worlds or territories . In 32 BBY , the Trade Federation invaded the backwater planet of Naboo by order of Darth Sidious , a mysterious Dark Lord of the Sith . On that occasion , Consul Kartay accompanied the Viceroy Nute Gunray to Naboo ' s capital city of Theed , where he took a seat in the so - called Occupation Council . In addition to Gunray and his aide , the Settlement Officer Rune Haako , Kartay ' s colleagues on the council were Magistrate Kund Ekorr , Treasurer Hap Brehg and Chronicler Viff Almay . While the Occupation Council discussed their options in the Theed Royal Palace , the Human and Gungan inhabitants of Naboo decided to set aside their quarrels and to work together to take their planet back . When a battle was expected to take place in the neighboring Great Grass Plains , Kartay and the other councilors remained in the relative seclusion of the Theed palace throne room , believing they would be safe there . After a fierce struggle both on the ground and in space , the revolting locals destroyed the Federation ' s droid army , while an elite group led by Queen Amidala , the legitimate sovereign of Naboo , infiltrated the palace to capture the Neimoidian dignitaries . In the wake of the battle , Kartay was arrested by Captain Panaka of the Royal Naboo Security Forces , alongside his fellow councilors Ekorr and Brehg . Subsequently , he and his colleagues were all shipped as prisoners to the Republic capital of Coruscant to await trial . Personality and traits . Zill Kartay was a red - eyed Neimoidian who stood between 1 . 75 and 1 . 91 meters tall . His pale , yellowish skin was mottled , a common trait among high - ranking Neimoidians who had an overly self - indulgent lifestyle . He wore a set of subdued purple - gray robes and a simple cap made of black material that revealed his high , hairless forehead . Behind the scenes . Zill Kartay appeared as a nameless background character in the movie , which was released on May 19 , 1999 . However , since the members of the Occupation Council made a collective appearance in the Terry Brooks ' s movie , which was published a month earlier , Kartay ' s actual first appearance can be dated to April 21 of the same year . In 2014 , the character ' s name was revealed in " Rogues Gallery : The Devious Neimoidians Revealed " , an article written by Tim Veekhoven , Kevin Beentjes and Sander de Lange for the 147th issue of the " Star Wars Insider " magazine . Kartay was named after the Neimoidian fan Lizzi Kartay - Dod , known as on the online " Star Wars " encyclopedia Wookieepedia .