Nute Gunray (Veteran series)

Nute Gunray was a Neimoidian male who served as a Stint Minister of the Trade Federation until he rose in power after the Stark Hyperspace War in 44 BBY, eventually becoming Senator of the Trade Federation. Sometime around 33 BBY, he, Lott Dod, Rune Haako and Hath Monchar entered an agreement with the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, who had the leadership assassinated at their behest, allowing Gunray to ascend to the position of Viceroy and replace the directors with his like-minded subordinates. In 32 BBY, Gunray participated in the occupation of Naboo with the Federation Army to settle the trade dispute that began in the Galactic Senate and failed to settle during the Eriadu conference. With the help of  Sidious, Gunray invaded the planet to end the trade dispute and secured all facilities in the capital of Theed. He attempted to force the incumbent Queen of Naboo Padmé Amidala to sign a treaty to make his invasion legal, however she refused and the Siege of Naboo continued. In order to prevent the Senate from siding with her, Gunray tasked Dod with delaying the congress with procedures and Gode Takrab with providing them with a false treaty. The Trade Federation, however, was soon forced to surrenderto Naboo forces following the Battle of Naboo. Gunray and Haako were sent to the Galactic Republic's capital world of Coruscant, where they were joined by Dod. The three Neimoidians were then sent on trial for their acts of war, only to avoid conviction and retain their respective positions.

During the Separatist Crisis that followed the Invasion of Naboo, Gunray and Dod were convinced by promises of wealth and revenge on Amidala to pledge their support to the Confederacy of Independent Systems, which opposed the Galactic Republic in a three-year war known as the Clone Wars that followed after two years of the Separatist Crisis. Despite this and numerous nefarious affairs with the Confederacy, Dod kept on to his seat in the Galactic Senate through the Federation's plausible neutrality and worked to ascertain Gunray's neutral stance in the war.

Around 20 BBY, the Republic uncovered files that proved the Federation's alliance with the Confederacy. Following a petition by the Delegation of the 2,000, Dod was ousted from office and Gunray was forced to enter the war on the losing side of the Separatists. While his "cohort" retreated to his palace on Cato Neimoidia, Gunray himself hid with the rest of the Confederate leadership on the sink hole planet of Utapau, where they awaited new instructions.

In 19 BBY, the Separatist Council was moved to the volcanic planet of Mustafar from Utapau, after General Grievous became leader of the Confederacy in the wake of his master, Count Dooku's death. Following the unexpected demise of Grievous at the hands of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, Nute Gunray became the major leader of the Separatists. He along with his peers were betrayed by Darth Sidious after he sent his new apprentice, Darth Vader, to Mustafar to end the war. Gunray was the last council member to be killed by Vader's lightsaber, which had ultimately brought an end to the Clone Wars and fragmented the Confederacy and the Fedeeration into various Separatist holdouts, in which they were represented by various ununited warlords across the galaxy. Not long after, the Federation itself was turned into a puppet government by the Galactic Empire, the successor of the Galactic Republic.