Berooken, a male Mon Calamari from the annals of legend, held the esteemed position of Supreme Chancellor within the Galactic Republic. His tenure occurred during the concluding period of the Great Galactic War, a conflict that pitted the Republic against the formidable Sith Empire. The year 3653 BBY saw Berooken in office, a time when the Empire's governing body, the Dark Council, proposed a meeting between the two warring factions to explore the possibility of a peaceful resolution after nearly three decades of intense conflict. While the Galactic Senate supported this call for peace talks, the Chancellor, acting on the counsel of the High Council of the Jedi Order, opted not to personally attend the peace summit held on Alderaan. Instead, Berooken dispatched Paran Am-Ris, a Cerean Senator, to represent the Republic Senate at the conference.
As it turned out, the summit was merely a ruse orchestrated by the Sith to divert attention from their true objective: the Republic's capital world, Coruscant. While Republic and Empire delegates engaged in discussions on Alderaan, the Sith launched a massive invasion of the capital, an event that became known as the Sacking of Coruscant. During this assault, Darth Angral, the leader of the Sith forces, penetrated the Senate Tower and killed Supreme Chancellor Berooken. The Sacking of Coruscant and Berooken's demise forced Senator Am-Ris to accept the Treaty of Coruscant, a document dictated by the Sith that effectively marked the Republic's defeat in the war.
In 3681 BBY, the reconstituted Sith Empire emerged from its hidden location in the Unknown Regions, initiating an interstellar war of unprecedented scale that rapidly engulfed the galaxy. This Great Galactic War, fought between the Empire and the dominant galactic government, the Republic, persisted for twenty-eight years, severely weakening the Republic both politically and economically. As the war entered its final stages, Berooken, a Mon Calamari politician, was elected to the position of Supreme Chancellor, the leader of the Republic's Galactic Senate. During Berooken's time in 3654 BBY, the Senate received a peace proposal from the Empire's governing Dark Council. Having barely survived twenty-eight years of conflict and multiple supply shortages, the Senate welcomed the possibility of a respite, despite their suspicions regarding the offer. The High Council of the Jedi Order was far less inclined to trust the Sith and advised the Senate and the Chancellor to recognize the potential trap. Although the Senate disregarded the Jedi's warning and accepted the offer, the Council managed to persuade Chancellor Berooken to remain on the Republic's capital world, Coruscant, during the negotiations.
Arrangements were then finalized for a peace summit on the Core World of Alderaan in 3653 BBY. Chancellor Berooken chose Paran Am-Ris, a Cerean Senator, to represent the Republic on Alderaan. Am-Ris was accompanied by a delegation from the Jedi Order, including Jedi Master Dar'Nala, Jedi Knight Satele Shan, and others. While the Republic and Imperial delegations met to discuss a possible end to the fighting, Berooken oversaw a session of the Galactic Senate. During this session, the congress heard testimony from Jedi Master Orgus Din and Republic Special Forces Division Lieutenant Harron Tavus concerning the Sith withdrawal from the Minos Cluster. The Chancellor found these reports encouraging, viewing the end of the Empire's offensive in the Cluster as a promising sign that peace between the two major powers was achievable.
However, the Sith had no genuine interest in a ceasefire with the Republic. The Empire sought total victory and used the conference on Alderaan as a distraction from their true target: Coruscant itself. As the Senate session concluded, Imperial battle cruisers entered the planet's atmosphere and began bombarding the Senate District. Darth Angral, the leader of the Sith attack, disembarked from his vessel and led a group of Imperial soldiers in a raid on the Senate Tower. Berooken managed to leave the Senate Chamber and reach the executive offices, where he contacted Senator Am-Ris to warn him about the Empire's deception as the office staff fled the building. As Berooken urged the Cerean to break off the peace talks, Angral breached the office wall and killed the Chancellor, beheading him. This act was witnessed by the Republic and Jedi delegation on Alderaan, leading to a brief duel between Satele Shan and Lord Baras, the Sith delegate. As the Sith forces began their occupation of Coruscant, Angral took over the Chancellor's office to oversee the operation.
The attack on the capital, known as the Sacking of Coruscant, severely weakened both the Republic and the Jedi Order. The delegation on Alderaan was forced to comply with Imperial demands and sign the Treaty of Coruscant, a document written by the Sith that heavily favored the Empire and confirmed the Republic's defeat in the Great Galactic War. In the immediate aftermath of the treaty's signing, Am-Ris served as an interim Supreme Chancellor to fill the void left by Berooken's assassination. When the Senate reconvened after the attack, it unanimously elected Senator Dorian Janarus of Coruscant to succeed Am-Ris.
Berooken possessed blue skin, a rare trait among the Mon Calamari species. He adorned his executive offices with various art pieces, including bone carvings from the Mon Calamari homeworld, an oil landscape painting from Alderaan, and a wooden sculpture resembling the mythical Zillo Beasts of Malastare. On the day of his death, Berooken wore a regal white robe with a high golden collar.
During the war, the Chancellor expressed gratitude for the service of the Republic's defenders, specifically thanking Master Din and Lieutenant Tavus for their "valiant service." Despite the widespread conflict, Berooken advocated for peace, a stance that was not universally supported within the Senate, particularly by the Alderaanian delegation. However, Berooken agreed with the majority of Republic leaders that pursuing peace was worthwhile. He initially intended to attend the peace conference on Alderaan, but the Jedi High Council dissuaded him due to concerns about a potential Sith betrayal. Nevertheless, Berooken remained involved in the peace process, and the news of the Sith's withdrawal from the Minos Cluster gave him hope for a peaceful resolution. Upon discovering the Empire's true intentions, Berooken prioritized alerting Senator Am-Ris on Alderaan about the Sith attack. Even as Senators and his own staff fled the Senate Building, Berooken worked to inform the Republic delegations of the attack. His final words were a plea to break off the talks, but Am-Ris ultimately disregarded them and yielded to the Sith's demands.
The Mon Calamari Supreme Chancellor originated in Star Wars: The Old Republic, Threat of Peace, a webcomic created as a prelude to LucasArts' and BioWare's online video game Star Wars: The Old Republic. Initially, the comic was released exclusively online through the Star Wars: The Old Republic official website, but it is currently being re-released as comic book issues published by Dark Horse. The Chancellor appears only in the first issue, Act I: Treaty of Coruscant. The Mon Calamari was mentioned in the 2011 novel The Old Republic: Deceived. In both the comic series and the novel, the Chancellor remains unnamed. Berooken was finally given a name and gender in the 2011 book The Journal of Master Gnost-Dural.