Tundra Dowmeia

"The Quarren Isolation League is no more, and the exploitation of our people will end now. The new government of Mon Calamari will more properly reflect the will of our planet, not the will of the guilds that grew rich from our work."

―Tundra Dowmeia addresses a Quarren audience^[3]

Tundra Dowmeia was a Quarren male who hailed from the planet Mon Calamari. In 22 BBY, Dowmeia succeeded fellow Quarren Tikkes as Mon Calamari's senator to the Republic Senate after Tikkes was censured for his connections to a slaving ring. Dowmeia represented a different faction of more progressive Quarren, and the new senator became a Loyalist during the Separatist Crisis. When the Clone Wars broke out, it was revealed that Tikkes and his Quarren Isolation League had allied with the breakaway Confederacy of Independent Systems, and civil war came to Mon Calamari. The Republic won the battle, and peace was brokered between the Mon Calamari and Quarren races a year later. Dowmeia signed the peace accords but drew criticism from many of his fellow Quarren, who saw their senator as a Republic and Mon Calamari pawn.

As a result of the peace agreement, Mon Calamari was jointly represented by a Quarren and a Mon Calamari in the Republic Senate. Dowmeia and Meena Tills fulfilled this obligation until the end of the Clone Wars, though they were faced with many Separatist spies in their midst. Both senators gradually became weary of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's increasing wartime executive powers, prompting them to sign the Petition of 2000 near the climax of the war. They joined with like-minded senators in the Delegation of 2000, but their membership in the organization marked them as political enemies to the Supreme Chancellor. Palpatine's executive powers only increased with time, and in 19 BBY, he reorganized the Republic into the Galactic Empire with himself as its Emperor. Dowmeia was arrested by Imperial agents before Palpatine's Declaration of a New Order to the Senate even concluded.

Biography[]

Becoming senator[]

"Arkanis sector goes without milk and bread for two months, and it's the price of being in a remote region. Commenorans can't get their volcho sprig garnishes, and it's a calamity."

―Senator Dowmeia, responding to a food shortage "catastrophe" on Commenor^[4]

TundraDowmeia-DB — Dowmeia at the onset of the Clone Wars.

Born on the planet Mon Calamari, Tundra Dowmeia belonged to a faction of progressive Quarren. In 22 BBY, he succeeded fellow Quarren Tikkes as the senator of Mon Calamari in the Senate of the Galactic Republic when the latter was censured after being tied to a slaving ring operating in the Outer Rim Territories.^[1] After Tikkes escaped from house arrest on the Republic capital of Coruscant, Dowmeia issued a statement saying that the Quarren government on Mon Calamari would assist the Republic in bringing the fugitive Tikkes to justice.^[5] Some time later, Dowmeia commented on the planet Commenor's shortage of fresh comestibles, noting that people seemed to care more about one planet's lack of volcho sprig garnishes than the two-month-long lack of essentials like bread and milk in the Outer Rim's Arkanis sector.^[4]

The Clone Wars[]

"Dowmeia is a tool of the Republic and the Cals. He's going to sell out our mines to the Mon Cals and open our seas to who-knows-what. Mark my words: Before long, these seas will be bloodied again."

―Ruke Chowall criticizes Dowmeia and the peace accords on Mon Calamari^[3]

During the Separatist Crisis, Dowmeia was a Loyalist, remaining close to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's office.^[1] When news reached Coruscant that Count Dooku's breakaway Confederacy of Independent Systems was preparing for war against the Republic, Palpatine was granted emergency powers by the Senate; Dowmeia,^[6] with aides Zil Topur and Nor Wedd,^[7] applauded the move from his repulsorpod within the Grand Convocation Chamber. The Clone Wars erupted shortly thereafter when the Confederate droid army engaged the Republic's clone army in open warfare on the Outer Rim world of Geonosis.^[6]

As the war progressed, it was revealed that former Senator Tikkes had allied with the Confederacy and pledged Mon Calamari's resources to Dooku's war machine. Since Tikkes lacked the authority to do so, and the progressive Dowmeia held Mon Calamari's Senate seat, civil war erupted on Mon Calamari. Tikkes formed the Quarren Isolation League, but it was soon defeated by a combined Republic–Mon Calamari force.^[8] Engagements in the Calamari system continued nonetheless; on one occasion, one or more Separatist slicers stole documents and other data from the Mon Calamari Orbital Shipyards. Dowmeia assisted Republic forces in improving Mon Calamari defenses and capturing those responsible for the data theft.^[9]

In 21 BBY, one year after the end of the civil war, Jedi Master Kit Fisto arrived at the Quarren city of Morjanssik on Mon Calamari to oversee the authorization of peace accords between both species. Dowmeia signed the accords in his own ink, a move he had intended to signify the importance of the document.^[3] The Mon Calamari–Quarren peace accords established a new precedent of joint Senate representation for both species. Fulfilling this obligation, the Mon Calamari Meena Tills joined Dowmeia in the Senate chamber. Their administration ultimately lasted until the end of the conflict. During the duration of the war, however, both senators were faced with many Separatist spies who had infiltrated their delegation.^[10]

Following his signing of the accords, Dowmeia proceeded to address a largely Quarren audience, declaring that the new Mon Calamari Council would work to the benefit of the entire planet and not the special-interest guilds that had dominated affairs in the past. Although the Mon Calamari population was supportive of the accords, the Quarren believed it to be damaging to Dowmeia's career. Quarren journalist Ruke Chowall of the counter-cultural newsnet Bends accused Dowmeia of being a Republic and Mon Calamari pawn, selling out Quarren mines to the Mon Calamari and only stalling further bloodshed between both species.^[3]

Rise of the Empire[]

"Fang Zar has already been arrested, and Tundra Dowmeia, and it won't be long until the entire Delegation of the Two Thousand are declared enemies of the state."

―Senator Padmé Amidala^[11]

RyyderOpera-ROTS — Dowmeia was present at the Galaxies Opera House.

By 19 BBY, Dowmeia was being assisted in the Senate by Cellheim Anujo.^[12] That same year, the Separatists launched an assault on Coruscant. In the ensuing battle, the Separatist General Grievous captured the Supreme Chancellor, only for Jedi Generals Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi to rescue Palpatine. Dowmeia and Tills were two of many senators who greeted Palpatine, accompanied by Skywalker, upon his return to the Republic Executive Building following his brief Separatist captivity.^[13] Dowmeia insisted that Skywalker pay a visit to his family's estate, located deep within the oceans of Mon Calamari. Skywalker, who was preoccupied with thoughts of his wife, had to break free of Dowmeia's grip and the mass of senators to find her.^[11] Shortly thereafter, Dowmeia was present at Coruscant's Galaxies Opera House, in the company of a Lethan Twi'lek, during the Mon Calamari Ballet's performance^[14] of the Squid Lake opera.^[13]

Both Dowmeia and Tills became concerned with Palpatine's increasing executive war powers, prompting them to sign a Senatorial petition calling for a peaceful resolution to the crisis, and join with other signatories in the Delegation of 2000. Dowmeia's signing of the document marked him as a political enemy to Palpatine.^[15] As such, when Palpatine reorganized the Republic into the Galactic Empire, Dowmeia was arrested, being taken into custody even before the new Emperor could finish his Declaration of a New Order.^[11]

Personality and traits[]

"Let not his activities color perceptions of innocence or guilt in his pending trial. Of fleeing Coruscant, though, our cousin is unmistakably guilty, and the Quarren government of Mon Calamari will assist the Republic by whatever means necessary."

―Dowmeia, following Tikkes's escape^[5]

TundraDowmeiaCellheimAnujo-SWBC66 — Dowmeia with his aide, Cellheim Anujo.

Possessing a clammy grip^[11] and having a resonating baritone voice,^[3] Tundra Dowmeia was representative of a progressive,^[8] Loyalist faction of Quarren who supported the Republic,^[1] as opposed to the members of former Senator Tikkes's Quarren Isolation League.^[8] Dowmeia put his loyalty to the Republic above loyalty to his own species, openly stating that the Quarren government on his homeworld would assist in finding Tikkes following the censured senator's escape from house arrest.^[5] Dowmeia criticized Commenor First Minister Tomlin Gorastor's reaction to a "catastrophic" shortage of fresh comestibles on Commenor, knowing that entire Outer Rim sectors often went without basic food supplies for months.^[4] Following the signing of Mon Calamari–Quarren peace accords, Dowmeia displayed a commitment to improving relations between his homeworld's two dominant species, though his fellow Quarren accused him of being a Republic pawn.^[3]

Concern over Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's increasing wartime executive powers prompted Dowmeia to sign the Petition of 2000, joining with a larger group of Loyalist senators in the process. This move branded him as one of the Chancellor's enemies in the Senate.^[15] As Palpatine was reorganizing the Republic into his own Empire, Dowmeia was one of the first senators to be arrested by agents of the new Imperial government.^[11]

In Quarrenese, Dowmeia's first name meant "bold," while his surname was an archaic term for "speaker for the clutch."^[16] He had blue eyes and orange skin.^[1]

Equipment[]

While in the Senate Building applauding Palpatine's emergency powers, Dowmeia wore a red and black-colored cloak.^[6] When greeting Palpatine after the Battle of Coruscant, Dowmeia wore a grey dress with a dark-grey collar and a red-colored cape.^[13]

Behind the scenes[]

Tundra Dowmeia was created for HoloNet News Vol. 531 #51, published online as part of the HoloNet News website^[5] on April 11, 2002.^[17] Pablo Hidalgo and Paul Ens wrote the site content.^[18] The character made his first on-screen appearance in the prequel trilogy film Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones in 2002, portrayed by an uncredited actor,^[6] though this was not established until Dowmeia's StarWars.com Databank entry was released at some point that year.^[1] For 2005's Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, Dowmeia was portrayed by Jeremy Prestoe,^[12] as well as Adam J. Smith.^[19] In Attack of the Clones, both Dowmeia and Tikkes wore the same costume, leading to a case of mistaken identities between the two Quarren. The same situation occurred in Revenge of the Sith, albeit with a different outfit.^[20]