| “ | Hear me now! Duchess Satine, the so-called pacifist who could not protect you when your lives were at stake, has murdered Pre Vizsla, the true hero of Mandalore. Satine is now under arrest, and it was Pre Vizsla's last command that I be reinstated as Prime Minister. I know my past is checkered, but I promise you I take full responsibility for my people, and my heart now bleeds for your pain. However, from this point on, Mandalore will be strong, and we will be known as the warriors we were always meant to be. | „ |
| ~ Almec's speech to Mandalore upon taking power. |
Almec is a major antagonist in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Born during the final years of the Galactic Republic, Almec served as Prime Minister of Mandalore under the administration of Duchess Satine Kryze of the New Mandalorians during the Clone Wars.
As the war progressed, Almec turned to the Black Market to smuggle in the needed goods to support Mandalore and was later imprisoned for his actions. Sometime after, Satine was overthrown and Almec was reinstated as Prime Minister by Darth Maul and his Shadow Collective.
He was voiced by Julian Holloway, who also played the Duck Collector and Archie in Regular Show.
Biography[]
Mandalore's Neutrality[]
Almec was born on Mandalore at some point in time prior to the outbreak of the Clone Wars. He joined the New Mandalorian faction which ruled over the government of Mandalore and eventually rose to the rank of Prime Minister under Satine's administration as well as the head of the Council of Ministers of Mandalore's government. During the war, the Jedi Council had Obi-Wan Kenobi sent to Mandalore to investigate the rumor that Satine was secretly building up an army for the Confederacy of Independent Systems to which Almec refuted by saying that Mandalore had been neutral and would never turn its back on the Republic.
Kenobi was guided to meet Satine, an old friend of his, where he showed the two of them a hologram recording of an unidentified Mandalorian warrior who was responsible for leading an attack on a Republic cruiser before he ultimately committed suicide to avoid being taken into Republic custody. Almec stated that Mandalore had abandoned its warrior past and Satine informed Kenobi that all of Mandalore's warriors were exiled to the moon of Concordia, which was governed by Pre Vizsla at the time. After some time, it was revealed that Vizsla was the one leading the Death Watch, a Mandalorian splinter faction who was responsible for a series of terrorist attacks on Mandalore and was bent on assassinating Satine and restoring Mandalore's warrior past.
Eventually, the revelation of Vizsla as the leader of Death Watch shocked Satine and forced her to travel to Coruscant where she was to make her case in the Galactic Senate that the Death Watch was only a fringe movement and didn't represent the needs of the Mandalorian people, thus making it unnecessary to send Republic troops to occupy the planet. Almec remained on Mandalore during this time and was informed by a scout that the Death Watch was amassing an army and were planning a hostile takeover of Mandalore. While they both agreed that the Death Watch would need popular support to take over the planet, a Republic military occupation would make them liberators in the eyes of the people and all he could do was trust that Satine's efforts would prevent an occupation, which came true in the end.
Creating a Black Market[]
While Satine's actions kept Mandalore free from the horrors of the Clone Wars, it came at a cost as the planet was left without vital food and supplies that the Galactic Republic would normally supply them. As a result, Almec established a black market network that would smuggle in the needed supplies to Mandalore and ensure that all needed supplies came to the planet even without the Republic's aid. During this time, Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo was sent to Sundari to reassure the New Mandalorian government that the Senate would provide Mandalore the needed aid when she and Kryze came across illegal smuggling and trade that acted as a replacement of the former Republic aid and soon began endangering the lives of Mandalorian children.
It was then revealed that Moogan smugglers were sneaking in a chemical known as slabin via inside tea with the intent to give poison to its customers. The issue was brought to Almec who blamed Death Watch for the actions and after the smuggling ring was busted, the issue of corruption in the Mandalorian government was brought up to Almec's office who vowed to create a committee to investigate such allegations.
Imprisonment[]
When Satine was overthrown by the schemes of Deathwatch, she was placed in a cell adjacent to Almec. They shared words over the past and Almec told her that she would have plenty of time to tell him how her rule fared in jail.
When imprisoned with his brother, Maul decides to replace Pre Vizsla with Almec, whom Satine had imprisoned for corruption and was just as vile as him. Maul spoke with Almec and promised him a return to power if he sides with him. Almec suggested Maul challenge Vizsla for control, since he is bound by a warrior's code and Death Watch would follow Maul after. Easily breaking free with the Sith brothers, Almec watches Maul challenge Pre Vizsla to a duel to take over the Death Watch and Mandalore; he succeeds in killing Vizsla and then claims his former co-conspirator's darksaber. He wins the loyalty of most Death Watch members, but Bo-Katan Kryze retreats along with those loyal to their previous leader.
Return to Power[]
With Vizsla dead and Satine imprisoned, Almec took back power as Prime Minister of Mandalore. He loyally carried out Maul's order of leading the people, while Maul secretly pulled the strings. After Darth Sidious killed Savage and imprisoned Maul on Stygeon Prime, Almec sent a Death Watch squad under the command of Gar Saxon and Rook Kast to break Maul out which they sucessfully did.
Now free, Maul thanked him for his rescue to which Almec responded that he was merely repaying a favor since Maul broke him out of jail on Mandalore. Almec then ordered Saxon to return the Darksaber to Maul, which his men found in the palace and assured his master his loyalty.
Siege of Mandalore[]
When the 322nd Clone Leegion under the command of Captain Rex and Ahsoka Tano attacked Mandalore, Almec asked behind the meaning of the invasion through a hologram but Bo-Katan quickly informed them that they knew he was Maul's puppet and they were coming to them. Almec noted that he should have known she was behind the attack and warned her that siding with the republic would make her look like an enemy in the eyes of Mandalore's population, before she deactivated the hologram.
Almec then organized the defense squad and later ordered the retreat of the mandalorian forces in the sewers. Quickly thereafter Bo-Katan and her nightowls crashed in the thronerooom, Almec showed himself to be a surprisingly good fighter and put up a decent fight against Bo-Katan in his mandalorian armor but was ultimately defeated. Almec then mocked his captor by telling her that she was never the politician her sister was, Bo-Katan then threatened him to which he revealed Maul wanted her to bring the jedi but that she brought the wrong one, which made her realize Ahsoka was running into a trap for Obi-Wan Kenobi. Later, after having a run-in with Maul; Tano and Bo-Katan questioned Almec about Maul's plans. Almec revealed Maul had become very nervous and wanted not only Kenobi but someone else, however before he could reveal the name he was shot and mortally wounded by Gar Saxon who had been sent by Maul to prevent him from giving away valuable information to the Jedi. In his last moments, however he was able to reveal to Tano the name Skywalker.
