Halle Burtoni

Halle Burtoni's birth occurred on the aquatic planet of Kamino, the homeworld of the Kaminoan species, situated within the Abrion sector of the Outer Rim Territories. By the time the Clone Wars began in 22 BBY, she had accumulated extensive experience as a career diplomat and politician, serving the cloning facilities of her planetary government alongside Prime Minister Lama Su. In that year, the Clone Wars erupted, pitting the Galactic Republic, a democratic union governing a large portion of the galaxy from its capital planet of Coruscant, against its splinter state, the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Having already cloned a significant portion of the Grand Army of the Republic's clone troopers, the war presented a profitable business opportunity for the Kaminoans, along with the chance to gain representation on a galactic scale. Kamino secured a seat in the Galactic Senate, the Republic's legislative body, by leveraging its production of the Republic's armed forces, a feat partly attributed to Burtoni's negotiating skills.

With the support of influential contacts and her extensive diplomatic background, Burtoni accepted the position of Kamino's new representative in the Senate. Residing on Coruscant, Burtoni advocated for her planet's economic interests within the Senate. Given that Kamino's economic prosperity hinged on the continued or increased production of clone soldiers, Burtoni became a leading advocate for escalating military action against the Separatist's droid army. Besides forming alliances with senators who held corporate interests, such as Gume Saam of the Techno Union, Nix Card of the InterGalactic Banking Clan, and Lott Dod of the Trade Federation, Burtoni also found common ground with senators who espoused militaristic ideologies, notably Mee Deechi of Umbara. As a vocal and aggressive proponent of war escalation, Burtoni made adversaries of a faction of pro-democracy, anti-war senators, including Bail Organa of Alderaan, Padmé Amidala of the Chommell sector, Onaconda Farr of the Savareen sector, and Mon Mothma of Chandrila.

Burtoni maintained particularly strained working relationships with Amidala and Farr. She deeply desired the failure of Padmé's peace initiatives and publicly claimed that she had ties to the Separatists. Burtoni and Deechi viewed the personally-troubled Farr as a vulnerable target for use in propaganda and fundraising, deliberately misrepresenting his statements to discredit him. Despite being known for her aggressive demeanor, Burtoni was widely respected among many in the Senate due to her age and experience, although some privately suspected her of engaging in illicit or unethical activities to advance her career. Despite the persistence of these rumors throughout her tenure, they were largely unfounded, as Burtoni was primarily focused on advocating for the interests of her homeworld and its people, among whom she enjoyed significant support. At some point during the war, Burtoni presented a holographic display of Phase II clone trooper armor, an upgrade from the standard clone armor, to a group of politicians that included Deechi, Senate Vice Chair Mas Amedda, and Tarnab Senator Mot-Not Rab.

In 21 BBY, Burtoni was present in the Senate to witness Duchess Satine Kryze of [Kalevala](/article/kalevala], the ruler of Mandalore, present her argument for maintaining neutrality in the Clone Wars in the face of a planned Republic occupation. Kryze ultimately prevailed after providing evidence that the testimony used to justify the occupation had been fabricated. Burtoni later observed the conflict between Senator Riyo Chuchi of Pantora and Senator Dod of the Trade Federation, during which Chuchi accused the trade conglomerate of deliberately blockading Pantora for ulterior motives and demanded that Dod remove the Federation's ships from the moon's orbit. Following an investigation led by Chuchi herself, it was revealed that the Federation was acting in the interest of the Separatists, prompting Dod to remove their ships and reopen trade with Pantora.

In the same year, the Senate began to debate the financial strain the war was placing on the Republic, particularly as military efforts seemed to have reached a stalemate. Senator Saam introduced an emergency bill that would allow the Republic to deregulate the InterGalactic Banking Clan, granting the government access to new lines of credit for military spending. However, Bail Organa's faction opposed the motion, arguing that deregulation would lead the Republic to bankruptcy. Alongside Senator Dod, Burtoni spoke in favor of Saam's bill, asserting that deregulation was a small price to pay to secure the necessary funds to finance the war effort. Her comment sparked a brief uproar, with many in the Senate supporting her position, but Amidala intervened, urging the Senate to reconsider allocating more resources to the military and to open the Republic to negotiations with the Separatists. Amidala's idealistic plea was met with resistance, and many in the chamber quickly dismissed her.

Despite steady support for Saam's bill, Organa requested that Vice Chair Amedda table the vote until the Senate could determine whether deregulation was the right course of action. To the dismay of Burtoni and her allies, Amedda agreed to Organa's request, and the legislation was removed from the floor. Unlike Burtoni, however, Saam, Dod, and Senator Card were not loyal to the Republic and used their Separatist connections to orchestrate a bombing on Coruscant, hoping to pressure the Senate into passing Saam's bill out of desperation. Still committed to advocating for negotiations with the Confederacy, Amidala reached out to an old friend in the Separatist Parliament, Mina Bonteri, and together they developed a peace initiative. The proposal was enthusiastically approved in the Separatist congress, and Amidala returned to Coruscant to introduce the motion in an effort to prevent the Republic Senate from voting for Saam's bill.

During the scheduled second debate on deregulation, Amidala, Organa, and Senator Farr argued that Saam's emergency bill was unnecessary due to the Confederate push for peaceful negotiations. However, as the Senate opened voting on Saam's motion, the attack orchestrated by Burtoni's allies occurred. Coruscant's central power distribution grid was bombed, resulting in widespread blackouts and forcing the Senate to enter an emergency shutdown. When Republic Intelligence discovered that the attack had originated from the Separatists, Saam called on the Senate to hold the Confederacy accountable for their actions, an emotional appeal that swayed a majority of the Senate against Amidala's peace initiative. Burtoni moved that the Senate immediately vote to deregulate the Banking Clan, and Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, the head of the Republic, concurred and announced his support for Saam's bill, which passed shortly thereafter.

With the deregulation of the banks now a reality, Burtoni contacted her associates on Kamino and drafted an emergency appropriations bill that would utilize the Banking Clan to finance the purchase of five million additional clone troopers. Amidst the Senate's discord over the attack on Coruscant, Burtoni introduced her bill, which garnered immediate support despite attempts by Organa, Amidala, and Farr to salvage their plan to initiate negotiations with the Confederacy. Their efforts only amplified the chaos, but the Senate regained composure when Chancellor Palpatine announced that his office had received a message from Confederate Head of State Count Dooku. In his message, Dooku officially withdrew his government from the peace process, citing an attack by the Republic that resulted in the death of Mina Bonteri. With the peace initiative now defunct, it appeared that Burtoni's bill had cleared a path towards passage in the Senate, but her opponents remained persistent.

In an attempt to defeat Burtoni's appropriations bill, Organa, Amidala, and Farr launched an opposition effort. They began by highlighting the Banking Clan's interest rate increase due to deregulation, which swayed many to their side, and then began personally appealing to undecided senators. As the vote on Burtoni's bill approached, Organa decided to address the full Senate, but an assault by mercenaries hired to intimidate opposition left him hospitalized. Amidala spoke in his place, delivering a passionate speech in support of essential social amenities that would face severe budget restrictions and cuts if the Republic proceeded with an increase in military spending. Despite her reputation as a partisan, Amidala's speech received enthusiastic applause from the Senate, with Burtoni and her allies, such as Deechi, reluctantly joining in the praise for her address. Despite the warm reception, the speech was not enough to prevent the Senate from passing Burtoni's bill.

Hoping to prevent Burtoni's spending bill from ever taking effect, Amidala and Farr drafted and introduced counter-legislation that aimed to limit the amount of funding the Republic could allocate to the military. As with their attempt to rally opposition to Burtoni's bill, the pair and their faction worked diligently to gather support. To Burtoni's dismay, their efforts appeared to be yielding results, although they still needed a few more senators to join their cause. Following another speech given to the Senate by Amidala, Burtoni went to confront the senator and her allies in the former's office, where they were holding a small celebration over what seemed to be an impending victory against the Kaminoan. Burtoni overheard Amidala comment that it was too early for her faction to celebrate when the vote had not yet taken place, and she, interrupting, sarcastically stated that she and Amidala could finally agree on something. Amidala informed Burtoni that she had interrupted a private conversation, but Burtoni suggested that her opponents were instead engaging in a Separatist conspiracy.

Lolo Purs, Farr's aide and Rodia's Junior Representative, and Amidala refuted Burtoni's allegation, with Padmé reiterating her faction's belief that an increased military size would not facilitate the resumption of diplomacy. However, Burtoni asserted that diplomacy had long ago failed the Republic. Senator Mothma urged the trio to end their argument, but Farr spoke up and addressed Burtoni, commenting that just because her planet provided the Republic with clone armies, she did not have free rein to do whatever she pleased. Escorting her towards the door, Farr sarcastically thanked Burtoni for visiting and dismissed her so that he and his allies could continue their meeting. Burtoni ominously warned him and his allies to enjoy their moment in the spotlight, as the war was far from over, before leaving and joining Senator Deechi as he spoke with Senator Orn Free Taa of Ryloth. Shortly after Burtoni's departure, however, Farr collapsed and died from what appeared to be heart failure. An autopsy revealed that Farr had not died of heart failure but had instead been poisoned, prompting the Coruscant Security Force to launch an official investigation into his murder under Lieutenant Detective Tan Divo. With little faith in Divo, Amidala and her allies decided to conduct their own investigation, with the former especially distraught by the death of a man she considered family.

Suspecting that Farr could have been targeted by political enemies, Amidala and Organa confronted Burtoni and Deechi in the latter's office. The two initially laughed at Amidala's insinuation that they had murdered Farr, but when Amidala and Organa made it clear that their intentions were serious, Burtoni reminded them that she had extensively used Farr's quotes in her fundraising efforts and jokingly asked why she would kill her best source of income. Padmé suggested that Burtoni and Deechi would have wanted to silence him. Deechi told their interrogators that he had greatly respected Farr, although Burtoni chimed in and stated that she had no respect for the Rodian. Deechi revealed that he had been secretly having Farr followed. He provided the two senators with information about a secret meeting Farr had held at the docks under the derrick major the night before his death. Amidala and Organa then left, but not before warning Burtoni and Deechi that they would have more questions upon their return.

At the dockyard Deechi had mentioned, Amidala and Organa were attacked by a mysterious cloaked figure, leading them to suspect that Deechi had set them up. However, when they returned to the Senate building to confront him again, they found the Umbaran dead in his office with a knife in his chest. Due to the run-in at the docks and a second murder, Lieutenant Divo placed the Senate building under lockdown. After Padmé revealed that the only other person who knew about their trip to the docks was Burtoni, Divo went to the Kaminoan's office, only to find it empty. Suspicions of Burtoni were further compounded when Lolo Purs accused Burtoni of attacking her, warranting her detainment. Burtoni was arrested by Divo's police droids while walking to her office late at night in the east wing corridor, but she had no recollection of the events that had taken place until she woke up in the Chancellor's office the following morning. There, she was met by Divo and his squad for another interrogation, witnessed by Chancellor Palpatine, Vice Chair Amedda, and the late Farr's allies.

Lieutenant Divo began questioning Burtoni, who was informally charged with the assassinations of both Farr and Deechi, in addition to attacking Purs. Burtoni plainly told Divo that she would not attack someone as insignificant as Purs and, likewise, only saw Farr as a "harmless bug" and considered Deechi an ally. Divo pointed out how Burtoni had coincidentally been in Amidala's office right before Farr's death and had been in Deechi's office to hear about Farr's meeting at the dockyards. The final piece of Divo's evidence was the poison used to kill Farr, which was designed by Kaminoan scientists to harm only Rodians. Divo theorized that Burtoni had slipped the poison into Farr's drink in Amidala's office, then killed Deechi when she discovered that he knew about a meeting she had with Farr under the derrick major. Despite Burtoni's protests, Divo ordered her arrest.

As the CSF droids took Burtoni into custody, Amidala realized that Purs would have been killed had she drunk the poisoned wine as Farr had. With suspicion now turned on her, Purs revealed her true colors and pointed her blaster at Amidala, inadvertently admitting to everything Divo had accused Burtoni of committing. She revealed that she had killed Farr because of his previous, later disavowed, support for the Confederacy during a planetary crisis earlier in the war, believing that he was too weak to represent the Rodian people. Before Purs could leave the room, however, Divo used his wrist comm to order his police droids outside to enter, surrounding her, and Amidala swatted the blaster out of her hands and knocked her out with a punch. Divo subsequently had Purs arrested and Burtoni freed. With the murder cases settled and resolved, the Senate reconvened to vote on the late Farr's legislation, but the situation following his death diminished the support he had garnered. His bill was rejected, and the Republic was set to increase clone trooper production as outlined in Burtoni's appropriations act. Having secured a significant victory for Kamino's economic interests, Burtoni celebrated her triumph as her opponents conceded defeat.

In 19 BBY, the Clone Wars came to an abrupt and tumultuous end when the remaining Confederate leaders were assassinated and the Republic was reorganized into the first Galactic Empire by Chancellor Palpatine, who bestowed upon himself the title of Galactic Emperor. Amidst the chaos, Burtoni's primary adversary, Padmé Amidala, was among those who perished. As the new Empire organized itself and began efforts to eliminate loose ends from the war, the business relationship established between the former Republic and the Kaminoan government was brought into question. With the need for continued production of clone troopers and other economic considerations up for debate, the future of Kamino's prosperity appeared uncertain. While Burtoni remained in her position as the planet's representative in the now-Imperial Senate, even serving on the Defense Finance Committee, she disagreed with early attempts by Prime Minister Lama Su to demonstrate Kamino's necessity to the Empire, believing that he was fighting a losing battle.

Shortly after the establishment of the Empire, the high-ranking Imperial officer Wilhuff Tarkin designated Vice Admiral Edmon Rampart to oversee Kamino. His duty was to continue the Empire's assessment of the clone trooper initiative. In this capacity, Rampart was granted authority over the financial resources allocated to Kamino's cloning operations, funds that were documented with the Defense Finance Committee. Despite her advanced age, Burtoni remained assertive and meddling. She discovered that Rampart had begun diverting Senate-approved funds intended for Kamino to external ventures. This revelation made her a liability to prominent government officials, who secretly plotted to close Kamino's cloning facilities, despite Prime Minister Su's objections. Given Burtoni's awareness of the missing funds and the Empire's intentions to sever ties with the Kaminoan government, her demise was inevitable.

The Empire ousted Burtoni from her position and publicly discredited her, leading to her private retirement on Coruscant as the situation on Kamino worsened. Months later, after Su's arrest for treason, Rampart executed an aerial assault on Kamino's cities and installations. Burtoni had privately feared this outcome since witnessing his diversion of the earmarked funds. The bombardment decimated Kamino's established infrastructure and annihilated a significant portion of Burtoni's people, scattering the surviving Kaminoans across the galaxy. Alone, without a home planet or community, Burtoni chose to isolate herself and maintain her privacy, acknowledging her lack of influence, rather than concerning herself with other Kaminoan exiles. Like the few others aware of the Empire's actions against Kamino, Burtoni remained silent, while official reports attributed the destruction to a catastrophic natural disaster.

Several months following the obliteration of Kamino's facilities, the Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill, a piece of legislation championed by Admiral Rampart to formally phase out the clone armies and replace them with a new military composed of conscripted soldiers, was presented to the Senate. Similar to military expansion initiatives from the Clone Wars era, the proposal garnered support from Burtoni's former allies, such as the InterGalactic Banking Clan, and faced opposition from her previous adversaries, the remaining members of Bail Organa's faction. Suspecting that the Empire's explanation of a storm destroying Kamino's cloning laboratories was false, Riyo Chuchi, a staunch advocate for clone rights, contacted a clone named Slip, who claimed that Rampart had ordered the attack. However, Rampart had the informant assassinated. In an effort to assist Chuchi in uncovering further evidence, Organa encouraged her to reach out to Burtoni, believing that the Kaminoan, having previously served on the Defense Finance Committee, would know who had misappropriated Kamino's funding. He cautioned Chuchi, however, that Burtoni's cooperation might be uncertain.

Chuchi contacted Burtoni, and upon receiving an invitation, the Kaminoan journeyed to the Pantoran's residence. She was escorted to a sitting room by the senator's guards, where she encountered Chuchi and a young girl named Omega, a member of the renegade clone unit known as "the Bad Batch." Burtoni inquired about the necessity of the guards, and Chuchi dismissed them. After observing her and Omega, Burtoni sat down to hear the senator's purpose. Chuchi asked the Kaminoan if she was aware of the misappropriated Kaminoan funds, which Burtoni affirmed. Chuchi questioned who had diverted the money, but Burtoni bluntly stated that it was unwise to pry into matters that did not concern her. In response, Chuchi invoked the plight of the Kaminoan people. Burtoni interrupted, declaring her indifference to the remaining Kaminoans. Disturbed, Omega questioned Burtoni's lack of concern for the events on Kamino, but Burtoni deflected the question back to the child. Omega revealed to Burtoni that she was a clone and had witnessed the destruction firsthand.

Omega passionately asserted to Burtoni that the Empire's actions were unjust, prompting Burtoni to reveal her thoughts. The elder Kaminoan admitted to Chuchi and Omega that she had suspected the Empire would attack her planet and believed that the destruction demonstrated that no one was essential to the Empire. Chuchi reiterated her question about who had diverted the Empire's funding for Kamino, and Burtoni confirmed Rampart's involvement. The Pantoran urged Burtoni to join her in the Senate to testify about her knowledge, but Burtoni rejected the idea, arguing that Rampart was merely a "cog in the machine" and that her testimony would be ineffective. She advised Chuchi to seek concrete evidence instead of relying on a discredited former senator. Chuchi insisted that she needed both and informed Burtoni that she would have sufficient evidence by the time of the Defense Recruitment Bill vote the following day.

In accordance with Chuchi's request, Burtoni accompanied the senator to the Senate building for the scheduled vote. As the session commenced, Rampart implored the Senate not to further delay the vote on the bill. However, Chuchi, accompanied by Burtoni, moved her pod onto the floor and declared to Rampart that the Senate could not trust him, announcing Burtoni's willingness to testify about his mishandling of Senate-approved funds. Attempting to undermine Chuchi's efforts, Rampart dismissed Burtoni as a disgraced senator, but the Pantoran defended her case and suggested that a formal investigation could validate her claims. As Rampart attempted to defend himself, Chuchi publicly asserted that the Empire had intentionally destroyed the cloning facilities. Rampart denied the accusation, and Burtoni leaned towards Chuchi, inquiring about the evidence she had mentioned. Chuchi admitted that she was unaware, and calls for her censure erupted. Before any action could be taken to silence Chuchi, Senator Organa received the evidence from Omega and delivered it to her pod. Chuchi then announced that she possessed the command log from Rampart's Venator-class Star Destroyer.

As Burtoni watched, holographic footage of Rampart's Venator firing upon Tipoca City was displayed before the Senate. As the congress descended into chaos over the revelation, an alarm sounded as the Emperor's podium rose from his office beneath the chamber, carrying Emperor Palpatine and the now-Grand Vizier Mas Amedda. Amedda informed the Senate that Rampart's attack was "unprovoked" and instructed the Coruscant Guard to arrest the admiral, then struck his staff and demanded order. Palpatine rose from his seat and announced that Rampart would face full consequences but added that the fact that the clones under his command had followed orders to destroy Tipoca City proved that the standing armies needed replacement. Palpatine officially endorsed the Defense Recruitment Bill, stating that it would usher in a new era of the Imperial stormtrooper. Following her public involvement in the debate over the defense bill, Burtoni disappeared from public life, and her ultimate fate remained unknown.

Halle Burtoni was a female Kaminoan with a height of 2.13 meters, equivalent to 7 feet. Like all Kaminoans, Burtoni possessed a slender build and an elongated neck, but by the Clone Wars era, her posture had become stooped with age. In her later years, Burtoni exhibited tremors during movement, and while capable of walking unaided, she often relied on a cane for support. Her lavender eyes and almost luminous skin reflected her species' evolution from the ancient inhabitants of Kamino's oceans. By the initial year of the Imperial Era, Burtoni's skin had slightly darkened and developed spots. Her attire included a headband adorned with jewelry that cascaded down both sides of her head.

Throughout her extensive career dedicated to serving the people of Kamino, Burtoni displayed unwavering resolve and a commitment to achieving her objectives. Possessing a strong will and firm convictions, Burtoni was a shrewd politician whose commanding presence garnered respect from both her colleagues in the Galactic Senate and her constituents on Kamino. Burtoni was renowned and notorious for her combative demeanor, characterized by an aggressive and intrusive approach to politics. She readily disregarded others' personal boundaries and provoked her adversaries. While her allies were spared from her aggression, those who confronted her could only hope for swift and painless encounters. However, her aggressive tendencies led many to suspect Burtoni of employing underhanded tactics to advance her career. Driven by her desire to promote her homeworld's economic prosperity, Burtoni advocated for increased Republic military spending, supporting policies of deregulation, militarization, and increased war expenditures.

Burtoni's stances positioned her as an opponent of the small coalition of progressive, anti-war senators, including Padmé Amidala and Onaconda Farr. Burtoni and Amidala were frequently at odds, and the Kaminoan harbored a personal animosity towards the senator from Naboo. Burtoni eagerly anticipated the failure of Amidala's idealistic efforts to negotiate with the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Despite the spectacle and discord that characterized their confrontations, Burtoni and Amidala shared a mutual affection for their government. Although her primary political focus was Kamino's economic benefit, Burtoni maintained a strong allegiance to the Republic. A devoted patriot, she consistently supported Chancellor Palpatine and would challenge or even threaten those who did not endorse the war. Unlike Amidala, Burtoni considered all Separatists traitors and viewed efforts to pursue diplomatic resolutions to the war as tantamount to betrayal.

In her public persona, Burtoni projected an indifferent attitude, dismissing the widely admired Onaconda Farr after his death and remaining unmoved by Mee Deechi's murder, despite their close alliance. Following the destruction of her homeworld by the Galactic Empire, Burtoni similarly concealed her opinions and pain behind her caustic and unapproachable facade. Her intrusive actions led to her downfall when they posed a threat to the Empire, and she recognized her limited value to the Empire, cautioning others against interfering in the Empire's affairs as she had. Deprived of a planet or people to represent, Burtoni disregarded the few remaining Kaminoans in the galaxy. However, when confronted by the young clone Omega, who had witnessed Tipoca City's destruction, Burtoni openly expressed her emotions regarding her people's fate and agreed to assist Senator Riyo Chuchi in advocating for the rights of the clones she had collaborated with the Republic to procure.

As a seasoned diplomat and politician, Halle Burtoni possessed exceptional proficiency in her field. Burtoni excelled in political strategy and negotiation, leveraging her refined skill set to her advantage within the Senates of the Galactic Republic and the Galactic Empire. Equipped with a natural aptitude for leadership and a comprehensive understanding of legislation, Burtoni relied on her political acumen to achieve her objectives. Despite her physical frailty in old age, Burtoni could still command those around her with her presence and was renowned for her impactful and impassioned speeches.

Halle Burtoni was created for the animated television program Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Concept art for the character, dated April 2008, was created by artist David Le Merrer. Burtoni made her debut on February 12, 2010, in the second season episode "Duchess of Mandalore," where she is depicted walking through the corridors of the Galactic Senate. She was first identified in the subsequent episode, "Senate Murders," which was released on March 19. In "Senate Murders," Burtoni was voiced by Jameelah McMillan. Later that same year, Burtoni was featured in two episodes of The Clone Wars season three, "Heroes on Both Sides" and "Pursuit of Peace," which chronologically precede the events of "Senate Murders."

Approximately thirteen years after her initial appearance, Burtoni was featured in the animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch in the second season episode "Truth and Consequences," which premiered on Disney+ on February 8, 2023. McMillan reprised her role as Burtoni for the episode. The Trivia Gallery for "Truth and Consequences" on StarWars.com inaccurately states that Burtoni lost her position in the Senate during the events of "Senate Murders." "Truth and Consequences" itself establishes that her position in the Senate outlived the Republic, making her part of the Imperial Senate before her eventual fall from power.

Commentators have observed that Burtoni's name bears resemblance to that of Halliburton, an American petroleum services company that has faced criticism for its connections to the Iraq War and US Vice President Dick Cheney, subjects that have previously been satirized by Clone Wars creator George Lucas.