Veruna Arcadia

Veruna Arcadia was the ruling monarch of Utapau a few years before the invasion by the Trade Federation. He was also the father of his immediate successor, Sabé Arcadia.

Early Life
Veruna Arcadia was born into the royal House of Arcadia, the house that had ruled Utapau for centuries. They had originally been a house of warriors, some of which had fought against the Gungan Empire of the great lakes. It was not until three hundred years before the Invasion of Utapau that they decided to become politicians, and one of Veruna's ancestors thrust herself into the void left by a late heirless monarch to become queen. The House of Arcadia ruled Utapau ever since then and always had the love and respect of the people, aside from when Veruna had ruled with an iron fist. During his time as monarch, his wife gave birth to a daughter named Sabé Arcadia. During her early and teenaged years, he made sure that he raised his daughter to be self-sufficient, a trait that he hoped would help her later on in life.

Reign
Veruna’s reign became unpopular when Utapau became a player in the interstellar plasma energy market. High grade plasma veins were discovered below the streets of Theed, so Veruna and Senator Malus Palpatine decided to build a plasma mining and refining center in the heart of the city. Because the Utapauans were not fond of actual trade, they agreed to allow the Trade Federation to purchase the refined plasma at a fixed cost, though the Federation sold Utapau short by selling the plasma for marked up prices. The Utapauans immediately recognized that the Neimoidians had taken advantage of their lack of experience in interstellar commerce.

It did not take long for the people to protest and demand to be free of the contract. Veruna never wanted the trade agreement to begin with and sensed that there would be a military confrontation. Therefore, he expanded the role of the Space Fighter Corps, which was a division of the Royal Security Forces, and founded the N-1 starfighter squadron. The move was unpopular to the Utapauans, as they perceived them to be a provocative move towards the Trade Federation. Veruna quickly began attempting to suppress the dissenting opinions and expanded the size of the security forces twofold to spread them across the planet in an effort to create a police state. Shortly thereafter, Veruna was assassinated and his daughter rose to power as Queen of Utapau at the young age of twenty-three. Two years later, the Invasion of Utapau began.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode I - The Chosen One