Romeo Treblanc

Romeo Treblanc was a Human male holodrama actor and later businessman who owned the Galaxies Opera House of Coruscant during the waning years of the Galactic Republic. Always in the limelight, Treblanc used his fame to mask the fact that he had a severe gambling problem. He would constantly journey to the Outer Rim Territories to observe and bet on illegal podraces, usually to no success. On one trip to Tatooine to see the prestigious Boonta Eve Classic podrace, Treblanc encountered Diva Shaliqua, a Theelin half-breed in which he saw great operatic potential.
Unfortunately for Treblanc, his string of poor gambling luck sent him plummeting into financial ruin. A stroke of good fortune befell him, however, when Supreme Chancellor Palpatine offered to clear all his debts in return for a high-security private box at Galaxies Opera House. Treblanc happily accepted, and even gave the supplier of the funds, Ottegru Grey, a lifetime pass to the Opera House. Treblanc then returned to Tatooine and freed Shaliqua, hoping to give her a part in an upcoming musical. However, she fled his custody, taking some of his possessions, and he found himself once again the arbiter of a poor financial gambit. The Opera House flourished, however, and during the Clone Wars, it played host to many members of Coruscant high society.
==Biography==
===Holodrama actor===
Romeo Treblanc began his career in the entertainment industry as a holodrama actor. This profession garnered him a considerable amount of public notice, and he found himself surrounded by the rich and famous. He retired early, but he still loved the attention and glamor of his life as an actor. As such, he continued to keep the Coruscanti high-life in proximity, and always made sure he had at least one foot in the limelight. Seeking to prolong his success and fame further, he pooled his money into the founding of the Galaxies Opera House. Located in the upper Uscru District of Galactic City, the House would become one of the foremost entertainment centers on the planet.
===Podrace gambler===
Treblanc's fame soon served as a smokescreen, however, to disguise his true nature: that of a gambler. At first addicted to simple card and dice games, Treblanc started to express an interest in the illegal and highly dangerous sport of podracing. To avoid tarnishing his name, he would travel wearing simple disguises and adopting aliases. Sometimes, he would travel to the Outer Rim worlds that allowed the sport as the guest of underworld crime lords, such as the Hutts.
When attending the Boonta Eve Classic as Gardulla the Elder's guest, Treblanc encountered a slave by the name of Diva Shaliqua. Shaliqua was a rare half-breed Theelin; the species was considered to be amongst the greatest opera singers in the galaxy. Treblanc took great interest in Shaliqua and claimed that she had untapped talent and potential. Upon departing, he promised to see her at next year's Boonta Eve Race.
Despite this possibly advantageous discovery, Treblanc was not a particularly skilled gambler, but this did not deter his enthusiasm. Eventually, his determination drove him into deep debt. When he was on the brink of losing the Galaxies Opera House, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine approached him with an offer: he would subtly cover Treblanc's gambling debts, in exchange for a private box at the opera with heightened security measures. Treblanc hastily agreed, and also offered Ottegru Grey, whom the funds had apparently come from, a lifetime pass to the opera house.
===Freeing Shaliqua===
As he had promised, Treblanc returned to Tatooine and the Boonta Eve Classic to see Diva Shaliqua once more. His debts paid, he was able to buy her from her master, Jabba Desilijic Tiure, who had lost interest in the Theelin. Treblanc freed Shaliqua and took her back to Coruscant, where he hoped give her a small role in an upcoming musical playing at the opera house. Unfortunately for Treblanc, and Shaliqua, the young half-Theelin left only hours after reaching the capital, taking only her emancipation papers and several items of value from Treblanc's residence. Once again, Treblanc found that he had made a poor investment.
===Clone Wars===
Despite this, the Opera House continued to do solid business. In 19 BBY, Treblanc attended a showing of Squid Lake and shared his private box with Ottegru Grey, Tannon Praji, and Onara Kuat. Palpatine, his benefactor, was also in attendance, in one of his first public appearances following the Battle of Coruscant.
==Personality and traits==
Romeo Treblanc loved the limelight: having grown accustomed to it during his days as a holodrama star, he sought to perpetuate it through the rest of his life. While at first this was purely for enjoyment, he began using it to mask his unsavory appetite for gambling. He was, however, a particularly poor gambler, a fact that would not be so damaging if he had restricted himself to dice and cards. Instead, his addiction to the high-octane sport of podracing drove him deeper into debt. During his sojourns to the Outer Rim, he used disguises and aliases to great effect, probably due to his acting experience. Despite the need for subtlety, Treblanc scouted for talent during his Outer Rim trips, coming across Diva Shaliqua. He trusted her enough to free her, but once again, his financial judgment proved poor when she left him. Treblanc was also grateful for whatever help he could get, offering free services to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and Ottegru Grey, the two men that had saved him from his debt.
==Behind the scenes==
Romeo Treblanc first appeared in George Lucas' Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, as a background character in the Galaxies Opera House scene. He was portrayed by Rob Coleman. The backstory of the character was developed by Aaron Sinner and Benjamin Christopher Norton Dawe through StarWars.com's Hyperspace feature "What's The Story?." Sinner had originally chosen the name of "Bor Nameloc," an anagram of "Rob Coleman," but Dawe's alternate anagram of "Romeo Treblanc" was used instead. Sinner contributed the bulk of the entry, but Dawe wrote the retcon consolidating Coleman's cameo in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace with his Sith one, effectively retroactively placing Treblanc into the former. Treblanc's backstory was later greatly elaborated on by "nelwyn53100" and Nathan O'Keefe through the Diva Shaliqua entry in the Databank, which expanded his exploits on the Outer Rim. It was once again expanded by Zack Bossan and "magicofmyth2" through the Ottegru Grey entry, which added context to Palpatine's generosity.
==Appearances==
*Darth Plagueis 
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==Sources==
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*The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
*Star Wars: The Official Starships & Vehicles Collection 25
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==Notes and references==
Category:Businesspeople
Category:Coruscanti
Category:Gamblers
Category:Humans
Category:Individuals with he/him pronouns
Category:Males
Category:Performing artists