Naboo

Naboo was a small, pastoral world in the Chommell sector of the Mid Rim, marked by swamps, rolling hills, grass plains, and a beautiful Lake Country. It was home to two peoples who lived largely apart: the human population of Naboo, centered on the capital city of Theed, and the amphibious Gungans, who dwelt in underwater cities such as Otoh Gunga. The homeworld of the future Emperor Sheev Palpatine and of the senator and queen Padme Amidala, Naboo became the focal point of a Trade Federation invasion whose political fallout carried Palpatine to the office of Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic.

Settlement and the two peoples#

Around 4000 BBY, the Grizmallt people discovered the world and named it Nabu after one of their principal deities. It became known as a vacation spot and a private hunting preserve for big-game hunters across the Mid Rim, though permanent human settlement came roughly a century later. When the colonists made contact with the native Gungans, tensions arose between the two peoples, culminating in a series of wars.

The Naboo colonists later expanded to other uninhabited worlds in the Chommell sector, such as Karlinus, imposing contracts that obliged the new colonies to supply Naboo in times of emergency in exchange for start-up loans. These terms, which lacked any expiration date, were contested as unfair from the outset, and Naboo continued to take advantage of the other worlds of the sector.

The High Republic era#

During the High Republic Era, Naboo was ruled by an elected queen and represented in the Galactic Senate. A Jedi temple, the Gallo Temple, was established on the world and regarded as a much-prized posting; it was the first posting of Elzar Mann after he was knighted. As the marauding Nihil expanded their Stormwall, Naboo was eventually enclosed within the Occlusion Zone, and the Nihil general Abediah Viess led an invasion that established the planet as a military base. Theed was conquered after a barrage of Nihil ion blasts struck the capital's plasma mine shafts, causing a planet-wide blackout that crippled two-thirds of the Royal Space Fighter Corps. The Gungans withdrew to their underwater cities, and the reigning queen escaped into hiding with help from the Royal Security Forces.

The Invasion of Naboo#

In the twilight of the Republic, Naboo became the target of a blockade and invasion. The reigning monarch, Queen Amidala, refused to watch her people suffer while the Senate debated the crisis in committee. In an upsurge of sympathy and solidarity toward the invaded world, the queen's seemingly unassuming emissary in the Galactic Senate, Senator Sheev Palpatine of Naboo, was elevated to Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. The episode thus set in motion Palpatine's long ascent to galactic power.

The Clone Wars#

Both the Naboo and the Gungans remained loyal to the Republic during the Clone Wars, though many on the planet despaired at the idea of a galaxy-wide war. Senator Padme Amidala and Representative Jar Jar Binks worked in the Senate to represent the interests of the Naboo and the Gungans. Gungan forces under Binks were dispatched to aid in the Battle of Mon Cala. Later, the Gungan Boss Lyonie fell under the influence of the pro-Separatist minister Rish Loo, who used him to order the Gungan Grand Army to march on Theed and rendezvous with a Separatist droid army under General Grievous. The plot was foiled by the combined efforts of Amidala, Binks, Anakin Skywalker, and General Roos Tarpals, though the Naboo and Gungans were forced to release Grievous after Dooku took Skywalker hostage.

Empire and beyond#

Because it was Palpatine's homeworld, Naboo prospered during the Age of the Empire, its economy and environment regarded as far healthier than most worlds under Imperial rule. The world was not without resistance: Sabe, a former handmaiden of Padme Amidala, brought Darth Vader to Naboo in 3 ABY, where Captain Typho and a rebel cell fought him, even baiting a Sando aqua monster against the Sith Lord in a failed effort to protect Padme's tomb.

In the era of the New Republic, Naboo was represented in the reconstituted Senate by Senator Thadle Berenko, who was killed when the First Order destroyed Hosnian Prime. By 35 ABY, First Order Star Destroyers patrolled the planet's skies, but Naboo rose in open rebellion alongside worlds such as Bespin and Coruscant, contributing to the overthrow of the regime.