Poggle the Lesser

With the secret assistance of the manipulative Sith Lord Darth Sidious, Poggle the Lesser, who had once been a drone, ascended to the role of Archduke of Geonosis. This public leadership position was secretly under the authority of a Geonosian queen. Furthermore, Poggle gained control over the substantial Geonosian droid factories located on the planet. Sometime after becoming archduke, he also murdered Hadiss the Vaulted, the Geonosians' then-leader, to solidify his control over Geonosis.

During the Separatist Crisis, Poggle emerged as an early and enthusiastic supporter of the cause, initiated by Confederacy of Independent Systems Head of State and former Jedi Dooku. Dooku personally ensured that the droid manufacturing agreement between the Geonosians and Baktoid Armor Workshop remained in effect. This arrangement proved highly profitable for Poggle, and Dooku's influence allowed him to achieve a level of power unmatched by any previous Geonosian ruler. Despite his prominence, Sidious and Dooku considered Poggle easily expendable. Poggle also acted as an extension of Karina the Great's control over the Stalgasin hive, the most powerful hive on Geonosis, and received instructions from her regarding its management.

Poggle hosted a gathering of fellow Separatist conspirators on Geonosis for the Geonosian accord. At this meeting, Poggle committed his people's armies to Dooku's cause.

Subsequently, Poggle, Dooku, and their Separatist allies convened at the Petranaki Arena to witness the executions of Senator Padmé Amidala, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Padawan Anakin Skywalker. However, Jedi Master Mace Windu and a team of 212 Jedi intervened to rescue Kenobi, Skywalker, and Amidala. As the battle droids gained the upper hand against the Jedi, clone troopers under the command of Grand Master Yoda arrived to provide assistance. Poggle and the other separatist leaders then retreated to the underground Geonosian War Room to direct the battle. When the Republic Army forced their Droid Army into retreat, Poggle instructed his soldiers to seek refuge in the catacombs. He then entrusted Dooku with the plans for their ultimate weapon, assuring him that they would be secure with his Master, Darth Sidious.

Poggle collaborated with Trade Federation Senator Lott Dod and Scipio Senator Baron Rush Clovis to reconstruct the primary droid foundry on Geonosis. Upon Clovis's arrival at Dod's palace on Cato Neimoidia, Poggle and Dod demanded a greater share of the profits than the foundry was projected to yield. When Clovis refused to alter the agreement, Poggle supported Dod's scheme to poison Clovis's companion, Padmé Amidala. However, Clovis aided Amidala's guard (actually Anakin Skywalker in disguise) in obtaining the antidote. Subsequently, Poggle and Dod confronted Clovis regarding the missing holodisc.

Poggle reassumed his position on Geonosis, serving as the Overseer of the newly constructed Geonosis primary droid foundry. However, the conflict soon returned to the Geonosian homeworld. Following the Galactic Republic's invasion of the planet, Poggle took command of both the droid army and the native Geonosians in opposition to the Republic. As Republic forces approached his foundry, Poggle and his T-series tactical droid, TX-21, supervised the production of super tanks. They then deployed ten garrisons of droids against the clone troopers commanded by Jedi Generals Anakin Skywalker and Luminara Unduli. Subsequently, Poggle and TX-21 dispatched the super tanks, which successfully pushed back the clones. Poggle was then alerted to the infiltration of two Jedi into the reactor room. Accompanied by a pair of soldiers and one of his super tanks, Poggle ordered his troops to bomb the Jedi.

Following the destruction of the foundry, Poggle commandeered an AAT, along with several of his droids and soldiers, and headed towards the Progate Temple. En route, Poggle deliberately dropped crates to create a trail for Unduli and clone trooper Buzz to follow. Upon their arrival at the temple, Poggle and several undead Geonosians ambushed and killed Buzz, and captured Unduli. Poggle then transported her to the temple's catacombs and presented her to his queen, Karina the Great, as a gift. Their intention was to use Geonosian brain worms to control Unduli. However, Kenobi and Skywalker soon discovered Poggle and Karina. As they blinded the queen, Skywalker and Unduli captured Poggle. He was then taken aboard the Venator-class Star Destroyer Resolute.

While aboard the Resolute, Poggle was interrogated by Kenobi, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Unduli, but he refused to cooperate. When the worms boarded his Padawan's supply ship, Skywalker interrogated Poggle alone. Initially, Poggle resisted, but the Jedi then punched and Force-choked him. He then revealed that the worms were vulnerable to the cold. Subsequently, Poggle was transported to Coruscant, where he was imprisoned in a cell at the Republic Center for Military Operations.

During his time in prison, Poggle was routinely questioned by agents of Republic Intelligence. A primary focus of these interrogations, despite Poggle's removal of related information from the Stalgasin war room, was the supposed deep-space mobile battle station project, the "Ultimate Weapon" designed by the Stalgasin hive, which the Confederacy was believed to be constructing. However, the Archduke consistently denied any Geonosian involvement and feigned ignorance of the plans' existence, which were actually in the possession of the Republic Special Weapons Group.

Later, Lieutenant Commander Orson Krennic of the Special Weapons Group approached Poggle in another attempt to obtain information about the Confederacy's Ultimate Weapon. Krennic, who was spearheading the project to develop the station, appealed to Poggle's loyalty to his people and convinced him to provide the Geonosian drone population as a workforce for the battle station's construction. Having pledged his allegiance to the Republic, the Archduke was returned to his homeworld on the eve of Meckgin, where, amidst bloody celebrations, he successfully persuaded the Geonosians to contribute to the Republic's construction efforts.

However, Poggle harbored ulterior motives for assisting the Republic. With a private retinue of drones, Poggle secretly orchestrated a large-scale uprising of the Geonosian soldiers working on the battle station as a diversion for his own escape to the Confederacy. In addition to sabotaging the construction project, the Archduke, using his modified personal shuttle, managed to slip through the Republic flotilla in orbit and flee into hyperspace.

After escaping Geonosis, Poggle rejoined the Confederacy as the war approached its end. Following a series of Republic victories, General Grievous ordered the members of the Separatist Council, including Poggle, to remain under his protection. Grievous concealed them on Utapau while preparing a strike on Coruscant. Following Count Dooku's death and Grievous's failure at Coruscant, Poggle and the other Separatist leaders convened with Grievous on Utapau. During the meeting, he informed them of his plan to relocate them to the volcanic planet of Mustafar for their safety. Grievous then dismissed the council, informing them that their ship was awaiting them shortly before his own death.

Upon arriving on Mustafar, Poggle and the rest of the Council established themselves in a fortified bunker. Shortly thereafter, they were contacted by Darth Sidious, who informed them that his new apprentice, Darth Vader, would arrive soon, claiming that he intended to make peace with them. When Vader arrived on Mustafar, the Separatist leaders discovered that he had been sent not to reward the council, but to execute them. Poggle attempted to defend himself with his staff, but to no avail, and was swiftly decapitated. Vader would eventually murder Gunray, shut down the Battle Droids and end the Clone Wars.

Following Poggle's death, the hive queen appointed a new archduke. However, this appointment was merely a gesture to appease the Geonosians, as the species was now effectively under the control of the Republic's successor state, the Galactic Empire. The Geonosians continued to be employed in the battle station project initiated by the Republic, which was now known as the "Death Star." To maintain the Death Star's secrecy, the Empire sterilized the Geonosis population, leaving only one Geonosian alive.

Poggle the Lesser, a male Geonosian who rose from the drone caste to the position of archduke, was an early and unwavering supporter of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, choosing to return to the Separatists rather than genuinely pledge his loyalty to the Republic. A capable and astute leader, Poggle possessed skills in both military strategy and negotiation. He also had a strong understanding of engineering.

Poggle carried the Staff of Command, the symbol of his office. Constructed from bone purportedly taken from a defeated enemy, it also served as a walking stick and, due to its sharp point, a weapon should the Geonosian ruler feel the need to motivate or punish those around him. He wore elaborate and aristocratic garments that reflected his status, wealth, and power. For similar reasons, Poggle also adorned himself with jewels and chain-like visgura thread. His chosen emblem of rank was inspired by arachnids and crafted from the egg cases of an extinct giant cave spider.

Marton Csokas portrayed Poggle the Lesser, while Ernie Fosselius provided his voice in the 2002 film Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, the second film in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. The character later reappeared in a non-speaking role in the 2005 sequel Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. Matthew Wood voiced him in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series.

On July 18, 2000, StarWars.com announced that Csokas would be joining the Attack of the Clones cast in the role of "a planetary leader," accompanied by casting director Robin Gurland's praise for Csokas' acting abilities. Initially intended to have a significant role in the screenplay, Poggle's role was reduced by the time production commenced. However, as the film approached completion, Gurland informed Csokas via letter that his performance would be removed, despite retaining a credit, due to director George Lucas's decision to render Poggle through visual effects and have his voice provided by sound effects.

Poggle was ultimately realized by Industrial Light & Magic animator Charles Alleneck, who served as the model for animating his movements. Sound designer Ben Burtt recorded himself reading the character's lines and playing them backwards during rehearsals. Later in production, Burtt recorded Fosselius reciting Poggle's dialogue in reverse, along with some Swahili-type clicking noises and the sound of blowing on the edge of a piece of paper, all of which were incorporated into Poggle's voice in the final product.

In the DVD commentary for Attack of the Clones, it is mentioned that Poggle was designed to look distinct from other Geonosians to clearly identify him as their leader, similar to how Boss Nass was designed to look different from the other Gungans.

In a deleted scene from Attack of the Clones, Poggle sentences Anakin and Padmé to death, finding them guilty of espionage, prompting Nute Gunray to urge him to deliver the sentence quickly.

In the final version of Revenge of the Sith, Darth Vader cuts Poggle in half. However, in the illustrated screenplay for the film, Poggle was beheaded.

According to the Star Wars: Card Trader San Hill Base Series 1, Poggle joined forces with San Hill, the Chairman of the InterGalactic Banking Clan, and Dooku to assassinate their unpredictable ally, the Kaleesh warlord Grievous, who they then sought to rebuild into a loyal cyborg. At the time, Pablo Hidalgo clarified that this was an outdated reference to Star Wars Legends rather than an established fact. However, recent canon sources have incorporated similar details from Legends regarding Grievous's backstory into the current canon.