| “ | With these new Battle Droids we've built for you, you'll have the finest army in the galaxy. | „ |
| ~ Wat Tambor to Count Dooku. |
Wat Tambor is a minor antagonist in both Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. He is also the main antagonist of the Ryloth arc (Episodes 19, 20, and 21) of Season 1 of the TV show Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
He is a male Skakoan from the planet of Skako. He was the Foreman of the Techno Union and an executive and leader of the Baktoid Armor Workshop and also held the title of Emir in the Techno Union.
Leading up to the Clone Wars, Wat Tambor, joined by other known business leaders and corporate heads, had all joined up with Count Dooku and became members of the newly formed Confederacy of Independent Systems, and he became a member of the Separatist Council. Over the course of the Clone Wars, Tambor had led the Confederacy throughout the galaxy and supplied their armies with weapons and droids.
History
Early Life and Career
Wat Tambor was born on the planet of Skako into the Crimlin Clan. In his youth, he spent little time on his homeworld as he would frequently travel to Metalorn in pursuit of a career in industry and technology.
Tambor was a rare member of his species as the planet of Metalorn had an atmosphere unbreathable to Skakoans which caused Tambor to develop a full bodysuit that mimicked the atmosphere of his homeworld.
On Metalorn, he spent much of his time in his private estate on Foundry and became a superb combat engineer even to the point of rising to become a Representative of the Techno Union in the Galactic Senate with the aid of Hego Damask (secretly the Sith Lord Darth Plagueis).
Following the Dorvalla Incident in 33 BBY, the Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum had proposed increased taxation on the trade routes. Tambor voted against the action knowing that it would damage the Techno Union.
Tambor got lucky when a trade summit was being held on Naboo but, it went horribly wrong and it failed due to an assassination attempt on the chancellor that failed and killed several influential figures from the Trade Federation and the taxation bill was passed by the Senate.
Techno Union Foreman and Baktoid Leader
Over the next decade, Wat Tambor had risen within the ranks of the Techno Union where he rose to become the foreman of the company and became the executive of the Baktoid Armor Workshop.
As the foreman and the head of the Techno Union, Tambor had overseen the Haor Chall Engineering, supervising the Republic Sienar Systems, and oversaw Kuat Systems Engineering development labs.
In 32 BBY, Baktoid had suffered its biggest setback when the Trade Federation, its biggest customer, had deployed their droid army to invade Naboo and the Republic had sought to disarm the Trade Federation and Baktoid by extension.
Separatist Crisis and the Clone Wars
In 24 BBY, the Separatist Crisis had broken out and it saw a mass movement of countless star systems, planets, corporate conglomerates, companies and other organizations and entities which sought to secede from the Galactic Republic and Tambor had taken part in the crisis. He was a supporter of the secessionist movement and was eventually approached by Count Dooku, a former Jedi master-turned Sith Lord, who convinced Tambor to take part in his new movement, the Confederacy of Independent Systems, and Tambor agreed following the Trade Federation and other companies as well.
The Techno Union soon began to work on developing droid armies but, Tambor had moved production from the Inner Rim to the Outer Rim where the Republic wouldn't find out. There, he developed legions of Battle Droids on planets like Geonosis and on the planet, he along with the other corporate leaders pledged their allegiance to Count Dooku and the Confederacy.
In 22 BBY, Tambor and the other Separatist leaders gathered on Geonosis where they signed Dooku's treaty and officially joined the Confederacy and seceded from the Republic as well as supplying the Separatist military with new battle droids. The new Separatist leaders eventually went to the command center on Geonosis following the arrival of the Grand Army of the Republic and the beginning of the Clone Wars with the First Battle of Geonosis that year.
Tambor and the other Separatist Council members fled after the Republic forces were continuing their advance and would eventually support the cause of the Confederacy during the war. The Techno Union had declared neutrality but supported the Separatists in secret without the Senate knowing.
Supporting the War Effort
Cortosis Droid Plot
Wat Tambor during the Clone Wars.
During the Clone Wars, Wat Tambor was a leading combat engineer for the Confederate military as he sought to find new ways to give the Confederacy a military advantage over the Galactic Republic. Early on into the conflict, Tambor had secretly plotted to create a new battle droid and he met with Techno Union scientists in order to develop it on Metalorn.
Together, they created the C-B3 Cortosis Battle Droid, a modified B2 Super Battle Droid that was resistant to lightsaber attacks and obtained the funds for the droid from infamous Hutt crime lord Jabba the Hutt.
After securing the funds and successfully developing them, the droids saw their combat debut on Coruscant where Count Dooku and other members of the Dark Acolytes had led them to storm the Jedi Temple and steal a Sith artifact of which they succeeded but, many of the droids were destroyed by Anakin Skywalker and Republic Officer Rom Mohc.
After Tambor had been informed that the Jedi High Council was sending Anakin Skywalker to destroy the C-B3 factory, he began to fear for both his life and his project so he hired the bounty hunter Vandalor to be his personal bodyguard. Skywalker had succeeded however with the factory being destroyed and Vandalor killed, the project remained defunct for the rest of the war and Tambor was arrested as well. It wouldn't be for long however as two Skakoan legal representatives visited Tambor in his jail cell and blew up the facility and allowed him to escape and have him back on the Confederate warpath supporting the Confederacy's war effort.
Conspiracy with Oviedo
After escaping Republic custody, Wat Tambor had sought revenge against the Republic and plotted to sabotage Republic military munitions. He managed to come into contact with Lorca Oviedo, the Director General of Oviedo Engineering, a munitions manufacturer, and the two met on the planet Asurias to discuss a business proposition. Oviedo was always being accompanied by a Clone escort so, Tambor had ordered his escort to be destroyed and Oviedo to be extracted safely so that his plans wouldn't be foiled. As Oviedo was being delivered to the meeting spot, a group of surviving Clone Commandos got out of the wreckage and began searching for the director.
At the meeting site, Wat Tambor wasn't present instead, he appeared via hologram to communicate with Ovideo and cited the planet's atmosphere not being able to support the one that he needs being a Skakoan. Tambor then discussed plans of sabotaging Republic munitions and how the two of them would both profit and it would support the Separatists and their war efforts. He also said that an "assassination attempt" would give Oviedo the clemency in the eyes of the Senate, however, the surviving Clone commandos overheard the conversation and a fight broke out. The clones suffered heavy losses and Tambor ordered the director to be assassinated but his troops failed and Oviedo was heading to Coruscant but died before arriving.
Zygerria and Gha Nachkt
During the war, Wat Tambor and Commerce Guild President Shu Mai traveled to the planet of Zygerria where the planet's queen, Miraj Scintel, had invited them to come after she joined the Separatists and aligned her planet with the Confederacy. While there, an auction was held where Togrutan slaves from a colony on Kiros were being sold. Upon arrival, Tambor greeted the queen with pleasure and she said how she wouldn't disappoint him. While on the planet, Tambor witnessed the auction and was eventually stunned when he witnesses Jedi General, Obi-Wan Kenobi as one of the captured prisoners of the Zygerrian Slave Empire. Tambor had gotten worried at the presence of Kenobi as he knew what the Jedi were capable of but Miraj had assured him that there wasn't anything to worry about. His fears came true however when Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and 501st Captain Rex had all emerged from hiding and attacked the queen's guards. During the ensuing battle, Tambor and Shu Mai fled and escaped Zygerria.
Later on, Wat Tambor got into a rivalry and moved against fellow council member Passel Argente, the Magistrate of the Corporate Alliance. The Skakoan was suspicious of Argente's movements and would often use his mistrust of Tambor to his advantage. Tambor contacted Trandoshan dealer Gha Nachkt and paid him to seal a spy droid to Argente knowing that Passel would try to use the dealer in a move against Wat Tambor. As he had predicted, the Koorivar had contacted the Trandoshan dealer and sold him the protocol droid that would secretly be spying on him for Wat Tambor and he paid Nachkt for his services.
Conquerer of Worlds
Subjugation of Ryloth
At some point in time, Tambor had acquired the title of Emir while he was tracking Passel across the galaxy. During his mission, he spotted the Korrivar arrive at the Outer Rim planet of Ryloth. Argente had arrived at the Twi'lek homeworld to meet with Artruk, a male Twi'lek that hid all stolen treasures that Argente had in his possession and upon finding out the location of these treasures, Wat Tambor had ordered a complete Separatist military invasion and occupation of Ryloth to acquire the planet's wealth. Tambor had the Confederate forces invade Ryloth and they quickly conquered the planet where its native population was subjugated and starved while a Separatist blockade was established around the planet and was commanded by Captain Mar Tuuk to maintain Tambor's grip on the planet. After subjugating Ryloth and its people, Wat Tambor began exploiting its inhabitants by enslaving them and stealing all of the treasure and valuable goods that he could get. He was eventually spotted by the Republic and they would soon send in an invasion force to liberate the planet from Separatist control.
When the Republic had finally arrived, Tambor had put Captain Mar Tuuk in charge of maintaining the Separatist blockade and stopping any Republic ground assault from happening. During the first attack, the Confederate Navy was able to destroy the Republic assault force and forced the Republic forces to retreat. After some time had passed, Anakin Skywalker had rammed a damaged Republic ship into Mar Tuuk's flagship and forced him to evacuate and putting the Separatist blockade in complete disarray. Republic troops eventually arrived and began landing after the Separatist cruisers were all destroyed as well as the blockade. After the Republic ships began to enter into Ryloth's atmosphere, Tambor had ordered a Tactical Droid to hold off the Republic cruisers using new proton cannons and allowed the use of native Twi'lek villagers to be used as living shields so that the canons wouldn't be destroyed by a Republic airstrike and was able to hold off the cruisers and instead, the Separatist forces were sent in to deal with a small detachment of Clone soldiers who were able to break through and engaged the droid forces in a brutal ground assault.
TX-20, the tactical droid officer holding back the Republic ground assault, began using native wildlife against the clones by starving them and unleashing them on Shadow Company, the Clone division that was going after him, while he maintained his position. Tambor sat in the Twi'lek capital of Lessu while the battle was going on and continued to hold his position as the Separatist Forces were being overrun and were eventually forced to withdraw. Tambor waited as he had every piece of treasure collected and ready to be shipped off-world which made Count Dooku furious as he wanted him out of the city before the Republic could take the capital back. Tambor stayed however and waited for two more means of transportation from a Separatist base in Southern Ryloth which had the last pieces of the planet's goods he needed before Tambor was satisfied and would retreat. Tambor would then gather a squadron of Hyena-Class Droid Bombers and send them all across Ryloth where they would attack and destroy nearby villages in order to show the galaxy the cost of a Republic victory which encouraged the Twi-lek resistance to join forces with the Republic and launch a final assault against the capital of Lessu. During the battle, Tambor's tactical droid, TA-175, had stolen his shuttle and escaped without him which resulted in the city being taken, Ryloth being liberated, and Tambor being brought into Republic custody.
Attacking Mustafar
Wat Tambor held in Republic custody.
Following the Battle of Ryloth, Wat Tambor was able to escape Republic custody once again and rejoined the Confederate war effort against the Republic. He was liberated after a downed Techno Union transport crashed into Mustafar and Tambor escaped and sent out a droid army to kill the Republic slicers on the planet and besieged the Republic defenses on Mustafar as well. The Republic forces were lead by Commander Cody and an unnamed Jedi Knight and were being overrun at first but, Tambor's troops were unable to stop the slicers from uploading the information and worked with a spy within the Republic military. He would continue to besiege the Republic forces stationed on Mustafar and they eventually withdrew after getting the required information.
Besieging Orto Plutonia and Iego
Wat Tambor had eventually set his sights on the icy world of Orto Plutonia where he sought to claim the entire planet for himself. He allied himself with TA-175 once more and with Separatist Military Commander Asajj Ventress and they sent their forces to besiege a Talz village when the same unnamed Jedi Knight from Mustafar had showed up once more. The unnamed Jedi lead the Republic forces as they held the line on Orto Plutonia and defended the planet from the Separatist Forces and was eventually forced to retreat. Tambor then led a campaign against Iego to take the planet where the Separatists had previously had a base stationed there but, the same Jedi Knight had forced him back again and he retreat via a Munificent-Class Star Frigate while he left his tactical droids in charge of the battle. The Jedi tracked Tambor to Kessel and it caused his ship to crash and he made his final stand on Kessel.
Operations on Xagobah
Towards the later stages of the Clone Wars, Wat Tambor had traveled to the planet of Xagobah where the Separatist forces had a large fortress and the planet was under their control. Upon his arrival, he established a de-facto rule over the native Xamster species and wrecked ecological destruction on the planet to turn the area around the citadel into a natural death trap. The natural death trap around his fortress made it the perfect command center for the Confederate forces on the planet as it made it virtually impervious to penetration, however, it didn't phase the Republic who dispatched Jedi Knights Glynn-Beti, her padawan Ulu Ulix, and Anakin Skywalker to Xagobah to retake the planet from the Separatist forces. General Skywalker led a sizable Republic force who attacked the fortress but its defenses were so strong that it devolved into a siege as the Republic troops had to dig in while wave after wave of Separatist Droid soldiers were deployed in order to break enemy lines.
During the battle, Wat Tambor had been tracked by young bounty hunter Boba Fett who was tracking Tambor and wanted to kill him as his first genuine bounty since Tambor and the other members of the Separatist Council all secretly had bounties placed on their heads by the Galactic Senate and was being spearheaded by Jabba the Hutt. Tambor defended himself from Fett and the young Mandalorian was eventually forced to retreat. After Fett had fled, Tambor had decided to withdraw as the Republic forces began to break through and Ventress had covered both Tambor and Grievous' escape.
End of the War
Arriving on Utapau
In 19 BBY at the final months of the Clone Wars, Wat Tambor and the other members of the Separatist Council were in dire need of a new headquarters. Their demand was answered when General Grievous and the Separatist Droid Army had invaded the planet of Utapau and quickly subjugated the entire world and its native inhabitants after decimating their forces. With Utapau now under Separatist control, Tambor and the other council members settled in and remained on Utapau until the Battle of Coruscant.
Escape to Mustafar
Wat Tambor with the other Separatist leaders on Utapau.
Following the Battle of Coruscant, the Separatist leadership had begun to fragment as the Confederate Head of State, Count Dooku, had been killed over the Republic capital on board the Invisible Hand, the Separatist flagship that lead the assault. After the battle, Grievous returned to Utapau where he was instructed by Darth Sidious to evacuate the Separatist leaders to Mustafar and during a meeting between Grievous and the Separatist Council on Utapau, the new head of state had sent them to Mustafar to hide knowing that the Republic would eventually find them on Utapau. Tambor was present and Nute Gunray, the leader of the council, objected to the decision but, he, Tambor, and the other council members all obeyed Grievous and fled to Mustafar moments before the Republic attacked Utapau.
Massacre on Mustafar
Wat Tambor killed on Mustafar.
Wat Tambor and the other members of the Separatist Council had eventually arrived on Mustafar at the Klegger Corp Mining Facility and remained in the war room with the rest of the council. For the last moments of the Clone Wars, Nute Gunray had assumed the title as the new Confederate head of state and the council took over as well but it was short lived as Darth Sidious promised that he would "reward" the council for their loyalty and sent his new apprentice to "take care" of them. Eventually, Anakin Skywalker, now known as Darth Vader, landed on the planet and arrived at the room where the council members were at. There, he proceeded to cut them down and slaughter all of them one by one. Wat Tambor had fled into the conference room where Vader eventually found him and he begged the new dark lord to spare him but it fell on deaf ears as Vader stabbed Tambor and killed him and the other council members shortly afterward. Following the deaths of the council members, the Separatist leadership was wiped out and the shutdown order was given out deactivating the droid armies, dissolving the Confederacy, and ending the war.
Legacy
After Wat Tambor was killed along with the rest of the Separatist Council, the Confederacy was dissolved along with the republic and the Techno Union had also collapsed as well. The company's assets were taken by the newly formed Galactic Empire which had also annexed all worlds that previously belonged to the Confederacy and the Republic making the Empire the dominant ruling force in the entire galaxy. Tambor was known for his crimes but was instrumental in the rise and return of the Sith back into power.
Personality and Traits
Wat Tambor was a confident and prideful individual who took pride in his accomplishments. He had faith in the systems he set up on Metalorn and Xagobah and wouldn't shy away from advertising their advantages. Tambor was an elitist who held no care for the common people and ignored their needs for the benefit of his production and focused more on the systems he'd established and wanted them to spread to other planets that were under the contorl of the Confederacy. Tambor was also obsessed with a politically clean record as he would try to cover up his tracks and prevent people from finding out what he was really doind even after the outbreak of the Clone Wars following the First Battle of Geonosis.
Like all members of the Separatist Council, Wat Tambor was a corporate tycoon and was greedy as well. He profited off of the war effort like the other council members and exploited other star systems to enrich himself and acquire more wealth. He would often sack various worlds and strip them of their money and treasure to have for himself. Tambor was also a master strategist as he led many campaigns against the Republic during the war and broke out of Republic custody numerous times. Tambor was also authoritarian as whenever he'd conquer a system, he'd rule the planet with an iron fist and often enslave its native population, strip away the planet's money and treasure, and devastate the planet to benefit the cause of the Separatists.
