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Valorum, Finis

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this man served as the Chancellor of the Old Republic, having been elected shortly before the rise of Senator Palpatine and serving nearly two full, four-year terms in office. Finis was the latest member of a family whose political roots stretched back over a thousand years, and had inherited the Chancellorship from his father. Historians point to Valorum's ancestors, many decades before the Battle of Naboo, laying the groundwork for giving the Trade Federation free reign to do as it needed to make a profit. The Valorum family was known for its favoring of rules and procedures over taking direct action, and Finis himself was almost blind to the idea of taking the initiative in a given situation. When Palpatine was appointed the Senator of Naboo, Valorum had just started his second term, and sought out Palpatine as a potential ally. Note that Star Wars: Galactic Crisis! indicates that Valorum was also a native of the planet Naboo, just as Palpatine was. However, Valorum was no match for Palaptine's political maneuverings, and was in trouble from false accusations even before the Trade Federation blockaded the planet Naboo. When Queen Amidala appealed to the Galactic Senate for a lifting of the blockade, Valorum was unable to act without a considerable resistance from many factions within the Senate. The Senators from Malastare demanded a review of the situation, and Valorum was forced to agree. As Palpatine's plan unfolded, he urged Amidala to call for a vote of no-confidence in Valorum. Amidala had very little understanding of the Seante's workings, and went along with Palpatine's suggestion. Shortly thereafter, Valorum was voted out as Chancellor, to be replaced by Palpatine himself. Valorum remained in the background of the Old Republic's political environment for several years, writing his autobiography and working with the Refugee Relief Movement, until the onset of the Clone Wars brought war to the galaxy. He returned to Coruscant some sixteen months after the Battle of Geonosis to speak with Bail Organa about the growing power of Chancellor Palpatine, berating Organa and the Senate for granting Palpatine additional powers and chafing at their assumption that Palpatine actually believed them to be temporary. He also believed that a pirate attack on one of Organa's transport ships had been orchestrated by Palpatine, as a way to eliminate Organa and obtain approval for the Security and Enforcement Act. As he left Coruscant, Valorum boarded the Star of Iskin to return to his self-imposed isolation. Just after liftoff, however, the ship exploded, killing Valorum and all aboard. The Separatists ultimately were blamed for the attack. Despite his troubles with the Republic, Valorum's memory was honored with the creation of the Finis Valorum Memorial.