Who is Senator Chuchi in The Bad Batch Season 2 Episodes 7 and 8? This article answers who she is and where she and other senators have appeared before. There will be spoilers.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 2 Episodes 7 and 8 offer a plot full of political intrigue as Vice Admiral Rampart tries to get the Defence Recruitment Bill passed by the Imperial Senate and maintain the cover of what really happened on Kamino. Senators argue both for and against the bill, bringing up the point of the cost of the new military and the issue of clone rights.
Most of these senators aren’t new to Star Wars. Four of them have appeared already, and the other two represent known organizations. The Bad Batch has a reputation for forced Clone Wars and Rebels cameos, but here they are handled well and make sense to the story being told. But who are they, and where have they appeared before?
Who is Senator Chuchi in The Bad Batch Season 2 Episodes 7 and 8?
Senator Riyo Chuchi is a blue-skinned Pantoran senator first introduced in The Clone Wars season 1 Episode 15, “Trespass.” In this episode, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker assist the Pantorans in a dispute with the native Talz on Orto Plutonia. She argued against Chairman Chi Cho, who wanted to go to war with the Talz and brought a peaceful end to the conflict he started with them.
Her next major appearance would be in Season 3 Episode 4, “Sphere of Influence,” where she and Ahsoka would find the daughters of the new Chairman Papanoida (played in live-action by none other than George Lucas) after the Separatists hired Greedo to kidnap them. She has a handful of background images throughout the show, in or around the Republic Senate.
The Bad Batch Season 1 Episode 4 brought audiences to Pantora for the first time, the moon where Chuchi is from and represents. The moon readily accepted the rise of the Empire, celebrating the arrival of occupying clone troops and adopting Imperial chain codes.
She was a fervent proponent of clone rights and opposed the Defence Recruitment Bill because it didn’t accommodate the aging clone army. She also investigated what truly caused Kamino’s destruction and attempted to use what she found to stop the bill from passing. Unfortunately, Emperor Palpatine twisted the truth for his own gain and managed to pass the bill.
Who are the other Senators in The Bad Batch Season 2 Episodes 7 and 8?
There are a handful of Senators that are recognizable in the episode besides Chuchi.
- One of them is Alderaanian Senator Bail Organa, adoptive dad of Leia Organa, and someone who has appeared at Padmé Amidala’s side several times in The Clone Wars. His last appearance in Star Wars was in episode six of Tales of the Jedi, where he attended the funeral of Padmé and later recruited Ahsoka Tano to the growing Rebel movement.
- Senator Pamlo is a face that most audiences will have seen before. She first appeared in Rogue One as one of the Rebel leaders who advocates against the mission to the planet Scarif. She is voiced by Sharon Duncan-Brewster, the same actress who played the character in live-action.
- While the credits don’t name the green Senator with the long hat and neck, they explain that she is from the Commerce Guild. The Commerce Guild were a backer of the Separatist Alliance, with their leader called Shu Mai seen in Attack of the Clones. They created the OG-9 Homing Spider droid. It seems that the Guild has mended its relationship with the Galactic government and gained representation.
- Senator Riduli is a new face, but the audience will recognize the organization he represents, the InterGalactic Banking Clan. This group was most prominently represented by the tall and thin Muun people in The Clone Wars, but after an arc in season six of that show saw the banks come under the control of Chancellor Palpatine. It appears he has hired a new group of aliens, the Ishi Tib, to take over operations.
- Finally, Kaminoan Senator Halle Burtoni has also appeared in The Clone Wars several times, such as in the season two episode ‘Senate Murders’ and the season three episodes ‘Heroes on Both Sides’ and ‘Pursuit of Peace’. She was in favor of expanding the clone army by an additional five million troops in the middle of the war, and when asked how the Republic would pay for such an increase she suggested deregulating the banks and taking a huge loan. Both of these measures would pass, despite the opposition of Senators Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, Padmé Amidala, and Onaconda Farr.
- As a Kaminoan, she viewed all clones as Kaminoan property and didn’t recognize their rights as people. During the reign of the Empire, she was removed from office and the Defence Finance Committee as she knew that Vice Admiral Rampart had diverted funds marked for Kamino. She would later testify against him in the Imperial Senate.
Why don’t clones get representation in the Senate?
The clones are as much people as any other galactic citizen, but unfortunately, they don’t get any say in their future. This is because they are seen as products by many in the Senate, nothing more than mere numbers. They are assets that can be pushed about as the Senate decides.
This includes pushing them out of their military role and onto the streets.
A handful of senators did push for clone rights, such as Senator Chuchi, but they appear to be unsuccessful. For example, a clone veteran in episode two of Obi-Wan Kenobi is seen homeless on the planet Daiyu, begging for credits.
