Invasion of Naboo

At least one millennium prior to the Invasion, the Jedi and [Sith](/article/sith] engaged in a prolonged war. This conflict concluded with the defeat of the Sith, as their insatiable hunger for power led them to turn against one another, thereby enabling the Jedi to overcome and nearly eradicate the weakened Sith. Nevertheless, the Sith survived through a single individual, Darth Bane, who established the Rule of Two to ensure the Sith could operate in secrecy. Bane's doctrine persisted throughout the ages. Eventually, Darth Sidious, who served as an apprentice to Sith Lord Darth Plagueis, betrayed his master by assassinating him in his sleep, thereby succeeding him as the Sith Master. Sidious also took on his own apprentice, Darth Maul. The Sith also received assistance from Dooku, a former Jedi Master who maintained positive relationships with the Jedi Order.

Wilhuff Tarkin's obstruction of the investigations into the Eriadu Conference, during which the Nebula Front had killed the previous leaders of the Trade Federation, which allowed the anti-Galactic Republic Nute Gunray to become the Viceroy of the Trade Federation, contributed to the rise of the Naboo invasion. Similarly, due to a brief surge in popularity after surviving an assassination attempt at the conference, Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum possessed sufficient political influence to enact taxation legislation through the Galactic Senate. Under Prop 31-814D, the Senate designated the Free Trade Zones as subject to taxation, which provoked the Trade Federation. Around 33 BBY, the Federation began to threaten blockades in response to the new taxes they would be required to pay. In 32 BBY, with trade disputes being a major concern for the Mid Rim Territories, the Federation also introduced its own trade bill in the senate, which was repeatedly voted down and brought back up.

Enraged by Prop 31-814D and aiming to bolster its own repeatedly debated bill, the Federation blockaded the Mid Rim planet Naboo in 32 BBY. Aside from the broader taxation issues, Naboo was also engaged in its own trade dispute with the Federation concerning plasma mining. Representatives from the Federation and Naboo had previously convened to address a mutual concern, but discussions had broken down around 33 BBY. However, there were deeper motives behind the invasion; it was, in reality, orchestrated by the shadowy Sidious, with whom the Federation had formed an alliance. Sidious had proposed Naboo as the Federation's target, as, in his guise as Naboo Senator Sheev Palpatine, he intended to exploit his people's suffering to garner political sympathy, thereby propelling him to the position of Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, enabling him to further his own agenda. To achieve this, Sidious secretly engineered various taxation bills to be presented to the Senate, which he, as Palpatine, publicly opposed.

In 32 BBY, during that same year, Naboo conducted one of its biannual elections, in which the incumbent Queen, Sanandrassa, was defeated by the heavily favored candidate Padmé Amidala. Sanandrassa had adhered to a policy of isolation, which inadvertently aided Sidious' plans by weakening Naboo and depleting its food reserves, leaving its inhabitants vulnerable to starvation if the planet were to be isolated. Amidala had refrained from publicly criticizing Sanandrassa's policies during her campaign, but following her coronation, she initiated efforts to reverse these policies. Eventually, Amidala organized a summit, extending invitations to the heads of state from every other Republic member world within the Chommell sector. Upon learning of the summit from Amidala herself, Palpatine recognized that his plans would need to be expedited. Although many of the planets to which Amidala had sent invitations did not send ambassadors, the summit proved to be a success. However, the Trade Federation arrived on the day the summit concluded, with orbital sensors detecting unusual feedback that prompted Amidala's chief guard, Captain Quarsh Panaka, to instruct Governor Kelma of Karlinus, the last departing guest, to expedite her departure.

With the intention of compelling Amidala to sign a treaty, which could support their own proposed taxation bill and place Naboo under their control, the Federation blockaded Naboo using a fleet of Lucrehulk-class Battleships, warships illegally modified from the organization's Lucrehulk-class LH-3210 cargo freighters. As the blockade persisted for the following week, it left the planet undersupplied and facing starvation. Amidala collaborated closely with various officials to seek allies who could provide assistance. On the seventh day of the blockade, an agricultural transport from Karlinus attempted to deliver a shipment of grain to Naboo, but the ship was turned away and rerouted to Enarc, where the grain was placed in cold storage. When Graf Zapalo informed Amidala that the planet would suffer from its food supply due to the initial crop yield being converted into fertilizer, Amidala ordered the planet to initiate rationing.

In response to Queen Amidala's appeals for aid, Chancellor Valorum—who had experienced numerous political setbacks in recent months, including the breakdown of Federation-Naboo talks, the Federation's blockade threats, and the resumption of the Anselmi–Nautolan war—dispatched two ambassadors to engage in discussions with both Naboo and the Trade Federation, sending Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn—who had previously been Dooku's apprentice—and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi. Jinn had been studying the taxation bills presented to the Senate, which were the publicly stated cause of the situation, as he sensed that something was amiss, but neither he nor Kenobi could pinpoint the exact issue.

The two Jedi were scheduled to meet with Viceroy Gunray immediately upon their arrival at Naboo aboard the starship Radiant VII. However, TC-14, the hostess protocol droid they encountered first, promptly informed Gunray, his lieutenant, Settlement Officer Rune Haako, and invasion force Captain Daultay Dofine, that the ambassadors from Coruscant were Jedi Knights. Alarmed by the prospect of facing Jedi, Gunray contacted Darth Sidious and explained the situation. Sidious responded that the Chancellor should never have involved them in the crisis and ordered Gunray to kill the Jedi immediately and commence landing his troops on Naboo for an invasion, and when Gunray questioned the legality of the invasion, Sidious assured him that he would make it legal. Sidious also instructed Gunray to exclude Dofine from any future communications after the latter suggested calling off the plan.

Toxic dioxis gas was then released into the ventilation system of the Jedi's waiting room, and Gunray dispatched a squad of battle droids to confirm the Jedi's demise. However, they had survived the gas, and Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi decimated the OOM command battle droid and OOM-series security droids. The two Jedi continued to fight their way through the security droids and navigated the ship. Jinn then attempted to breach the blast doors leading to the bridge, where the Federation leadership was located. They nearly succeeded, but the arrival of two shield-bearing droidekas forced them to retreat. The two Jedi reached the ship's hangar, where they observed thousands of B1-series battle droids being loaded onto landing craft. Realizing that an invasion of Naboo was imminent, they concealed themselves on separate droid invasion craft to escape to the planet's surface. Kenobi's transport was forced to crash-land on Naboo, but the Jedi emerged unharmed.

After learning that the Jedi had escaped, Gunray contacted the invasion commander, an OOM command battle droid named OOM-9, and cautioned him about the Jedi's presence and the importance of not underestimating them. OOM-9 directed his droid troops and pilots to disable communication transmitters, preventing the Naboo population from reporting the invasion or seeking assistance, and to occupy settlements.

In the capital city of Theed, a communications disruption occurred while Padmé Amidala was consulting with Senator Palpatine. This prompted Theed's Governor Sio Bibble to declare that it was an invasion, although Amidala reaffirmed her commitment to non-violence. However, upon realizing that an invasion was underway, she promptly switched places with her decoy Handmaiden Sabé. Within a matter of minutes, the Trade Federation military had seized Theed, overwhelming Naboo's small Royal Naboo Security Forces and placing the planet entirely under Federation control. Nute Gunray himself landed in Theed and assumed control from Queen Amidala's own throne room. After Amidala refused to sign a treaty legalizing the occupation, she and her retinue were to be processed into Camp Four.

Meanwhile, Kenobi and Jinn had reached the Naboo swamps. After encountering the local Gungan Jar Jar Binks, the Jedi ventured underwater and contacted Boss [Rugor Nass](/article/rugor_nass], the leader of the Gungans, in the underwater city of Otoh Gunga. Although the Gungan leader declined to become involved in the surface conflict, he provided them with a Gungan transport, which they used to travel to Theed with Jar Jar. There, they discovered the Queen and her entourage being held hostage by battle droids. Following a brief skirmish against the escorting droids, the Jedi implored the Queen to accompany them back to Coruscant. Not only would she be safer there, but she would also have the opportunity to request that the Senate condemn the invasion and take military action. She eventually agreed.

However, bypassing the Trade Federation blockade proved to be exceedingly difficult, and the Queen's ship barely managed to escape, with its damaged shields requiring repair by astromech droid R2-D2 at the last possible moment. As the hyperdrive had begun to leak significantly during the escape, the group decided to seek refuge on Tatooine in the Outer Rim Territories until a replacement could be found.

In the ensuing days, the Trade Federation continued its takeover of the planet, eventually gaining complete control. Following the subjugation of the planet, command was transferred from the Saak'ak to the Droid Control Ship Vuutun Palaa, which had been at the center of the Federation's blockade. After this transfer, the blockade dispersed, but the Yuutun Palaa remained, and the commanders of the Saak'ak relocated to the control ship.

Upon learning that the Queen had evaded the blockade, Darth Sidious was enraged. He dispatched his Sith apprentice, Darth Maul, to locate the Queen and the Jedi, eliminate the latter, and bring the former back. After the Queen's ship landed on Tatooine, Qui-Gon Jinn, accompanied by Amidala—disguised as a handmaiden—and Jar Jar Binks, traveled to the Mos Espa settlement, where he attempted to barter for parts with Watto, the avaricious Toydarian owner of a junkyard. They also encountered the young enslaved boy Anakin Skywalker, who invited them to his home.

On their second day on Tatooine, they negotiated with Watto and secured permission for Skywalker's podracer to participate in the Boonta Eve Classic. The Jedi and Amidala assisted Skywalker in completing his podracer. While cleaning a small cut, Jinn managed to obtain a blood sample, which he transmitted via his comlink to Kenobi. The sample revealed a startling discovery—over 20,000 midi-chlorians, entities that resided within each individual and enabled them to commune with the Force.

Skywalker emerged victorious in the podrace and was granted his freedom, and Watto provided the Jedi with a replacement T-14 hyperdrive generator. Young Skywalker agreed to return to Coruscant to undergo training as a Jedi. As he packed his belongings, Obi-Wan made the necessary replacements.

Aboard his ship, Scimitar, Maul traveled to Tatooine. He landed on the planet's surface and deployed probe droids to various locations to locate his targets. One of the probe droids was destroyed by Jinn upon discovering that it was tailing them. Later that day, as the Jedi returned to their ship, Maul ambushed Jinn and his new protege, Anakin Skywalker. Maul leaped from his speeder and clashed with the Jedi. It was only through intense concentration that Qui-Gon could defend himself against Maul's relentless attacks. As he deflected a blow from the Sith, Qui-Gon instructed a puzzled Anakin to leave and instruct the Naboo pilot to take off. While he was forced back, Skywalker boarded the Royal cruiser and followed Jinn's instructions. Maul attempted to overtake Jinn by leaping over him, but Jinn blocked the strike to his back and jumped onto the ramp. Now safe from the clutches of the Sith, the Queen and her entourage departed Tatooine for Coruscant. Down in the cruiser's boarding ramp, Jinn expressed his concerns and introduced Skywalker to his future master.

After the duel on Tatooine concluded, the Jedi and Queen Amidala made their way to Coruscant. They were greeted upon arrival at the landing platform by Senator Palpatine and the then-current Supreme Chancellor, Finis Valorum. Palpatine escorted them to his personal residence.

Once inside his apartment, Palpatine proceeded to inform the Queen about the deep-seated corruption and inefficiency plaguing the Republic. He voiced his doubts regarding the Senate's ability to effectively address the invasion. Furthermore, he emphasized that Chancellor Valorum held minimal actual authority and that the bureaucratic officials had effectively become the true power holders within the Republic. Considering this state of affairs, Palpatine suggested that the Queen initiate a vote of no confidence against the Chancellor, with the aim of establishing a more functional government for the Republic. Alternatively, he proposed submitting a plea to the courts, although he noted that they were generally even slower than the Senate in reaching decisions. Unbeknownst to her, Amidala was being skillfully manipulated and deceived by Palpatine.

Jinn, Kenobi, and Skywalker were presented before the Jedi Council for evaluation. Jinn recounted his encounter with Maul, prompting the Council to contemplate the possibility of the Sith's return after a millennium. Skywalker underwent testing by the Council members, who acknowledged his Force sensitivity but expressed reservations about the young boy's feelings of fear and loss.

During a special session of the Galactic Senate, Palpatine and Amidala addressed the vast assembly of Galactic delegates. Their appeals were immediately challenged as falsehoods and unfounded accusations by the Trade Federation's representative, Senator Lott Dod, who proposed the appointment of a commission to determine the truth. Senator Aks Moe of Malastare quickly seconded Dod's proposal. Valorum attempted to silence Dod and Moe, but he was interrupted by Vice Chancellor Mas Amedda. Palpatine seized this opportunity to further influence Amidala against Valorum, asserting that the Bureaucrats were the de facto rulers of the Republic and were on the Trade Federation's payroll, adding that Valorum's influence was waning. Following consultations with Amedda and his aide Sei Taria, Valorum inquired whether Amidala would postpone her motion to allow the commission to proceed. The Queen responded that she would not defer, stating that she had not been elected to stand by while her people suffered and died as the Senate debated the invasion through a committee. Unwittingly, Amidala had succumbed to Palpatine's manipulation and deception.

Frustrated by the Republic's inefficiency and corruption, Amidala surprised the Senate by calling for a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum's leadership, a suggestion that had originated from Palpatine himself. This proposal ignited a commotion within the Senate, with numerous senators demanding an immediate vote, while Amedda struggled in vain to restore order.

Within a matter of hours, Amidala's motion of no confidence was approved, leading to Valorum's removal from office. Palpatine was nominated as a candidate to succeed Valorum and pledged to Queen Amidala that he would eradicate the widespread corruption. Bail Antilles and Ainlee Teem were also nominated as candidates.

Defying Palpatine's advice, Amidala chose to return to Naboo, believing that her destiny was intertwined with that of her people. Shortly thereafter, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi reconvened with the Jedi Council. The Council denied Anakin's admission into the Jedi Order, citing his advanced age as the primary reason. They instructed Kenobi and Jinn to accompany the Queen back to Naboo and investigate her mysterious assailant, with the goal of shedding light on the existence of the Sith.

Upon their return to Naboo, Amidala and the Jedi devised a strategy to capture Viceroy Gunray in Theed, thereby reclaiming control of the planet. With the assistance of Jar Jar Binks, an alliance was forged with the esteemed Boss Nass and the Gungans. Captain Panaka coordinated all Resistance cells.

The plan involved the Gungan Grand Army engaging the Federation's Droid Army in open warfare, while the Queen and the Jedi discreetly infiltrated the palace in Theed, accompanied by the remaining Royal Security forces, to apprehend the Viceroy. The limited number of pilots in the Naboo security forces would then venture into space, attempting to destroy the sole battleship still in orbit: the Droid Control Ship, which served as the central command hub for all battle droids. Simultaneously, another conflict would erupt in Camp Four as Mariek Panaka and Sergeant Tonra spearheaded a prison revolt against Overseer Usan Ollin and her battle droids.

The plan commenced as intended, but the arrival of Darth Maul drastically altered the situation. The two Jedi confronted the Sith Lord in combat, while the Queen led a raid into the throne room. Shortly after, Amidala and her Security Captain Panaka successfully apprehended both Gunray and Rune Haako. Maul led Jinn and Kenobi through the hangar and into Theed's power generator complex, where Maul managed to knock Kenobi down, causing him to fall several stories. Jinn then managed to push Maul back. Jinn jumped down after him, but the Sith Lord managed to get up. They moved down the catwalk near the refinery.

In the meantime, Kenobi managed to climb back onto the catwalk where Jinn and Maul were engaged, rushing to assist Jinn. However, Jinn, Kenobi, and Maul found themselves trapped behind the laser shields, separated from one another. Maul waited impatiently, glaring mockingly at Jinn, who was calmly meditating, possibly in an attempt to catch the Sith Lord off guard. As the walls deactivated, Kenobi charged forward, and Jinn leaped up to resume his battle with Maul. At the melting pit, Maul clashed with the Jedi and inflicted a mortal wound upon Jinn. He then had to confront Kenobi. The wall shut down again, leaving Kenobi alone to face Maul. Maul managed to kick Kenobi into the pit, but Kenobi grabbed hold onto a nozzle which was jutting out a little below Maul. The Sith Lord then kicked Kenobi's lightsaber into the bottomless shaft, past the still hanging Jedi. Summoning his Master's lightsaber to him, Kenobi jumped and bisected the Sith Lord at the waist. Maul then plummeted into the shaft, presumed dead. Kenobi rejoined his dying Master who, with his last breath, instructed him to train Skywalker, the prophesied "Chosen One" destined to bring balance to the Force. Jinn passed away in a distraught Kenobi's arms. With Maul presumed dead, Amidala's assassination was averted, but the Droid Army remained active until the Droid Control Ship was miraculously destroyed by an unexpected participant in the day's events: young Anakin Skywalker. The destruction of the control ship shut down every Federation droid, with even OOM-9 being temporarily inactive.

With the Trade Federation defeated and its mechanical army deactivated, the invasion came to an end. Peace was restored, and positive relations between the Gungans and the people of Naboo were re-established. Soon after, Palpatine, who had been elected as the new Supreme Chancellor, arrived on Naboo with members of the Jedi High Council to oversee the arrest of Gunray and Haako. Yoda elevated Kenobi to the rank of Jedi Knight and assigned him to train Skywalker. That evening, Qui-Gon was given a Jedi funeral. The Council members believed that Kenobi had destroyed Darth Maul, but he had in fact survived and went into exile. The following day, the Gungans and Naboo celebrated with a parade in Theed, featuring flyovers by N-1 starfighters of Bravo Squadron. Amidala and Boss Nass shared a symbolic globe as a Gungan band performed music.

In remembrance of the five hundred forty-three Gungans who perished in the battle at the Great Grass Plains, Nass and Amidala pledged to collaborate, envisioning a new era of cooperation and transparency, and established a Naboo-Gungan pact. This treaty yielded immediate benefits, providing low-cost medicinal herbs to Theed, mechanical components for seawater pumps to Otoh Gunga's engineers, and new trade routes. Although some Gungans even relocated to surface settlements to sell their goods, the planet's long-standing sentiments caused the exchange between the two civilizations to largely cease within a year of the invasion. Nevertheless, relations remained amicable, with the Gungans even granted the right to vote in Naboo's elections.

While the Naboo had always been protective of their environment, the treaties established between the Gungans and Naboo in the aftermath of the invasion further safeguarded regions such as the Lake Country. During the [Clone Wars](/article/clone_wars], Battle of Naboo veteran Roos Tarpals emphasized his strong belief in the friendship between the Gungan and Naboo civilizations. The people of Naboo came to simply remember the crisis as "the Occupation."

Learning of his former apprentice's death deeply affected Dooku, who confronted Sidious at the Works on Coruscant, accusing him of "allowing" Maul to kill Jinn. Unbeknownst to Dooku, Jedi Master Yaddle was secretly following him. Dooku engaged her in a duel and killed her after concluding that he was too far gone to return to the light. Subsequently, Dooku replaced Maul as Sidious's apprentice, assuming the name "Darth Tyrannus."

The Federation and Valorum bore the brunt of the blame for the invasion, and every subsequent anti-Republic speech referenced the "debacle at Naboo." Following the invasion, the Federation's monopoly on shipping in the Outer Rim Territories was dismantled. This, coupled with Valorum Shipping's loss of prestige due to scandals and Chancellor Valorum's abbreviated term, enabled Eriadu Mining and Shipping to flourish. The lost cost the company an inconceivable amount of money, only for it to again need for divert a great deal of funds of Gunray's legal battle. However, ultimately, the ineffective Senate failed to take a major move against the Federation, allowing it to recover from the Senate's minor sanctions and, despite no longer holding a monopoly, keep its power over the Free Trade Routes.

Upon assuming the Chancellorship, Palpatine assured the galaxy that Gunray, his associates, and the Federation would be held accountable for their actions against Naboo. However, despite being indicted for his crimes in the Republic, Gunray was eventually acquitted by the Supreme Court after four trials. Adding insult to injury, the Federation remained active, with Gunray continuing to serve as its leader. Following his acquittal, the Federation persisted in exerting its influence over the Free Trade Zones, and while the taxation issues appeared to be resolved after the Naboo invasion, the corporation continued to obstruct regulations, laws, and taxes. It has also been speculated by historians and accountants that Gunray and the Federation had only sent a third of the taxes it owed to the Republic, after having tied the process up through bureaucracy.

Due to the Federation's evasion of Republic laws, several worlds decided to establish their own trade agreements with the corporation, despite their previous opposition. Shortly before his final trial, Amidala's term as Queen concluded. Although the Naboo people were willing to amend the Constitution, Amidala stepped down, and former Queen Réillata was elected as her successor. The new Queen offered Amidala a position as Senator to replace the retiring Oshadam, which she accepted. Eventually, Count Dooku became apprenticed to Darth Sidious, but became the public face of the Separatist Crisis. Gunray continued to harbor resentment towards Amidala for her role in his defeat and sought revenge against her.

Palpatine's ascension to the position of Supreme Chancellor was an integral part of his elaborate plan to gain total control of the galaxy. The invasion exposed three critical weaknesses in the Republic government—the absence of an official military, the weak central authority, and excessive bureaucracy—on a galactic scale. Palpatine was gifted a reputation of being a crusader for reforms to the Republic government. Although Maul was believed to have perished, he had in fact survived, albeit crippled, and went into hiding until his brother, Savage Opress, discovered him. During those years, Maul became consumed with the desire to exact revenge on Kenobi, blaming the Jedi Padawan for his misfortune.

For the Sith, the Invasion of Naboo initiated a chain of events that would ultimately lead to the Clone Wars, the downfall of the Jedi Order, and the rise of the Galactic Empire. So much so that at the height of the Clone Wars a decade after, Count Dooku considered the Invasion of Naboo the true start of the war. Despite the routing of Federation forces, the organization secretly left behind a laboratory and a hidden base that the Separatists would later come to utilize throughout the war.

The Invasion of Naboo was first depicted in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. The Encyclopedia entry for Daultay Dofine stated that the blockade of Naboo lasted for a month. However, the later novel Queen's Peril established that Naboo did not possess sufficient food reserves to withstand a blockade of that duration. Indeed, the reference book Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy established the blockade was in place only a week before the invasion began, which was also implied in Queen's Peril when the chapter that sees the start of the invasion is the same which notes, before a time break mid-chapter, that seven days have passed since the blockade began.

The Phantom Menace does, however, establish that the blockade was withdrawn at some point before the main characters' return to Naboo, with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ric Olié noting that the Droid Control Ship is the only battleship to appear on the Royal Starship's scope. While Battles that Changed the Galaxy concurs with this, several other sources have erroneously described the blockade as still being in place during this frame of time. Nute Gunray claims that the Royal Starship managed to get past the blockade in Queen's Peril, and several reference books, including Battles that Changed the Galaxy despite its text, feature images that depict several Federation battleships being involved in the battle. This article assumes the film, and therefore the text in Battles that Changed the Galaxy that supports it, is correct.