Shu Mai was a female Gossam who served as Presidente of the Commerce Guild during the final years of the Galactic Republic. During the Separatist Crisis, she attended a meeting with Count Dooku and the heads of other noted corporate holdings on Geonosis to discuss joining the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Though Mai showed misgivings about the situation, stating that the proposal could be viewed as treason, she was the only one to do so and ultimately pledged the forces of the Commerce Guild to the Separatist cause and gained a seat on the Separatist Council as a result. Despite the Commerce Guild not openly backing the Separatists, Shu Mai's provided DSD1 dwarf and OG-9 homing spider droids to fight for their cause during the Clone Wars.
Towards the end of the war during the Outer Rim Sieges, Shu Mai led the occupation of Felucia, and while there attempted to persuade the local Felucians to align with the Separatists Shu kidnapped Ormo Hyn, a relative of a pro-Republic Felucian leader. Jedi Master Aayla Secura and the 327th Star Corps were dispatched to the planet with the objective of capturing Shu Mai and freeing her hostage. Before the Republic forces were able to engage her droid army, Shu had already been evacuated to Utapau alongside the rest of the Executive Council.
Shu was present when General Grievous arrived following his defeat at the Battle of Coruscant. Under the instructions of Lord Sidious, Grevious sent the entire Council to the planet Mustafar in the Outer Rim Territories under the pretext of their own protection from the advancing Republic forces. There they remained sequestered until the promised arrival of Sidious's new apprentice: Darth Vader, who was to take care of them. When Lord Vader arrived he promptly slaughtered Shu Mai alongside the rest of the council before transmitting shut down command to all Separatist droid forces, effectively ending the Clone Wars.
Concerned only with wealth, status, and power, Mai worked her way up the Commerce Guild using aggressive and unscrupulous tactics until no rivals stood in her way of becoming President. Her obsessions remained when she became a member of the Separatist Council. She opted to join the Confederacy after being convinced by Dooku on Geonosis, despite her initial doubts.
Shu Mai first appeared in Star Wars canon in the 2002 film Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones. Before that, Mai appeared in the Star Wars Legends 2002 novel The Approaching Storm, primarily by Alan Dean Foster.
In the illustrated screenplay of Revenge of the Sith, Mai lasts longer than in the final cut. Rather than getting killed almost immediately, she runs to the conference room along with Wat Tambor only to be cut down by Vader after Tambor's death.
Shu mai (燒賣) is also the name of a popular type of Chinese dumpling.