As a Star Wars fan, you might have noticed that a certain corpulent Twi’lek Senator made his return in The Bad Batch’s episode “Devil’s Deal.” Orn Free Taa is a Senate representative from Ryloth who was disliked on his homeworld for enriching himself in Coruscant. He was a Loyalist and a strong backer of the Republic military, but he was also seen as a symbol of all that the Separatists considered rotten about the Republic.
Background
A corpulent Rutian Twi’lek senator, free orn was a leading Loyalist during the final years of the Republic. He amassed a great deal of wealth on Coruscant while representing his homeworld, Ryloth, in the Senate and became one of the Republic’s most powerful power brokers, even as he was viewed by reformers as a symbol of all that was rotten about it. During the Separatist Crisis, Free Taa joined the Republic’s Loyalist Committee and helped bolster Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine’s military effort against Count Count Dooku’s Confederacy of Independent Systems. Even after the formation of the Empire, he continued to put his own interests first, the people of Ryloth second, and the Empire third.
Free orn is a major character in the Star Wars series The Bad Batch, which premiered two weeks ago. He was played by Paul Kemp, whose other credits include The CW’s The 100 and The Outlander.
Characterization
A corpulent Twi’lek Senator from Ryloth, Orn Free Taa was a leading figure in the waning days of the Galactic Republic and its successor state, the Empire. He was a staunch supporter of the military, but his greed and corruption made him unpopular on his homeworld. During the Separatist Crisis, Free Taa joined the Loyalist Committee to back the Republic’s leader, Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, against Count Dooku’s Confederacy of Independent Systems. After the war, he retained his seat in the Imperial Senate and his treasured wealth.
Despite his jovial nature, Free Taa was always looking for ways to line his pockets. He was a master of manipulation, and he put his own interests ahead of those of his people on Ryloth. This is why the freedom fighter Cham Syndulla saw him as a threat. He is a man of many words, but no action, and he will continue to cheat the people of Ryloth for his own benefit. He even survived the events of last week’s episode “Devil’s Deal,” which means he will be back to scam Ryloth again another day.
Attacks
Although he was a loyal supporter of the Republic during the Separatist Crisis and a key power broker in the Senate, Orn Free Taa became extremely unpopular on his homeworld due to his self-serving actions. The corpulent Twi’lek was a self-enricher on Coruscant and often put his own needs ahead of the people of Ryloth. Even after the formation of the Empire, Free Taa continued to put his own ambitions before those of the planet he claimed to represent. Then, he was shot from his sniper perch by Admiral Rampart. He died from his wounds shortly thereafter.
Star Wars fans who keep close tabs on the canon quickly realized this show had to take place very shortly after Revenge of the Sith and before the canon novel Lords of the Sith, written by Paul Kemp.