Sate Pestage
Sate Pestage was a male human who held a position as an official within the Galactic Empire's Ruling Council. During the era of the Clone Wars, he functioned as a Senior Advisor to Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, sometimes operating as a bureaucrat, emissary, or dignitary on Palpatine's behalf. On one occasion, he went to Geonosis alongside Janus Greejatus, Ars Dangor, Sly Moore, and Lieutenant Commander Orson Krennic to supervise the return of Poggle the Lesser. Pestage observed Poggle's address to his fellow Geonosians from his seat with the other emissaries in the Petranaki Arena.
Following the rise of the Galactic Empire, Pestage continued his service to Emperor Palpatine, acting as an adviser. He was characterized by a shaved head, a pointed beard on his chin, and sharply angled eyebrows. Like the other members of the Imperial Ruling Council, he was known to wear colorful robes and large, floppy hats. In 14 BBY, he was present at a meeting that included the Emperor, Sith Lord Darth Vader, Wilhuff Tarkin, and Grand Vizier Mas Amedda, along with the Ruling Council and Joint Chiefs. When Pestage brought up Tarkin's encounter with insurgents at Sentinel Base, Dodd Rancit from the Naval Intelligence Agency defended Tarkin, citing his efforts to undermine Separatist propaganda efforts during the Clone Wars.
Behind the scenes
The new Star Wars canon saw the introduction of Sate Pestage in Tarkin, a novel written by James Luceno in 2014. Previously, he had been introduced into the Star Wars Legends continuity, making his debut in the Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron comic book series created by Michael A. Stackpole. Within Legends, he occupied the role of Grand Vizier, a position held in canon by Mas Amedda.
Originally named Sate Molock, Sate Pestage was intended to be included in the 1980 movie Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. Molock made his initial appearance in the second version of the screenplay, where he informed Darth Vader about the Emperor's negative mood before Vader reported the Imperial victory on Hoth. In the updated second version, Molock's name was changed to Sate Pestage.
It was planned for Pestage to be in scene 286 of Episode V's fourth screenplay, appearing as a "shimmering holographic image." When Darth Vader tried to contact the Emperor, he reached Pestage, who, as stated earlier, warned Vader about the Emperor's bad mood and instructed him to wait. According to Pablo Hidalgo of the Lucasfilm Story Group, Pestage had already been removed by the fifth version of the film's script.
A production image featuring five of the Advisors from the 1983 film Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, the final installment of the Star Wars original trilogy, was included in an article on StarWars.com in 2003. The article's text stated, "Among the members of Palpatine's Inner Circle are: Sate Pestage, Janus Greejatus, Sim Aloo, Ars Dangor, and Kren Blista-Vanee." Jason Fry, the author of "Kernels and Husks" in From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi, confirmed in September 2023 that Pestage was the advisor dressed in black robes, thereby making his appearance in the film canon.