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| “ | I never risk my own skin if I don't have to. | „ |
| ~ Nute Gunray to Ahsoka Tano. |
Nute Gunray is a major antagonist in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, appearing as the main antagonist of the first film The Phantom Menace, and a major antagonist in both the second and third films Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. He also served as a recurring antagonist in the 2008 TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
He is the Viceroy of the Trade Federation and later became a high-ranking leader of the Confederacy of Independent Systems as the chairman of the Separatist Council. He was one of Darth Sidious' first, and most important, pawns in his plan to attain ultimate power. Following the deaths of both Count Dooku and later General Grievous, Gunray became the de-jure leader of the CIS. However, he was ultimately slain by Darth Vader along with the other members of the Separatist Council on Mustafar.
In the prequel trilogy, he was portrayed by Silas Carson, who also played Ki-Adi-Mundi in the prequel trilogy and The Ood in Doctor Who. In Star Wars: The Clone Wars, he was voiced by Tom Kenny, who also played Scaramouche the Merciless in the Samurai Jack series.
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Personality
When he was the Viceroy of the Trade Federation, Nute Gunray was powerful, opportunistic, deceptive and ready to kill for financial gain. He showed himself as being a stingy and calculating entrepreneur who was mainly concerned with maximizing profits and his own well-being. Because of his greed, he was very receptive to Darth Sidious' influence, who used him as a pawn for his sinister plans, when the Republic imposed taxation on commercial roads.
Under Palpatine's orders, he was hesitant to break the law, as he demonstrated a good sense of organization and relatively good leadership. Due to Amidala's role in his defeat on Naboo, Gunray greatly resents the politician and made several attempts on her life in the years following the invasion of Naboo. He generally prefers to flee when conflict occurs, leaving this task to his droids. However, he was still capable of taking matters into his own hands when he has no choice anymore, as he knocked out Commander Gree from behind during Ventress's attempt to rescue him on the Tranquility.
Trivia
- Nathan Lane, Tim Curry, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Kevin Bacon, Jim Carrey, Billy Crudup, Nicolas Cage, John Travolta, the late Bill Paxton, Mel Gibson, Jason Isaacs, Robert De Niro, and John Malkovich were all considered for the role of Nute Gunray before Silas Carson was selected.
