Separatist Council

Neimoidians are known for their business skills, but Nute Gunray, Viceroy of the Trade Federation, was more cutthroat than most. It was Gunray who conspired with the Sith Lord Darth Sidious to launch the blockade and subsequent invasion of Naboo. Once the planet was under siege, Gunray attempted to force Queen Amidala to sign a treaty that would legitimize the occupation. Amidala escaped, and returned to infiltrate her own palace and blast through Gunray's protectors. Arrested by Republic officials, Gunray was carted off to answer for his crimes, but evaded imprisonment and kept his post.

The leader of a collection of powerful galactic companies, Passel Argente was one of the chief backers of Count Dooku's Separatist movement, supplying funds, battle droids and warships for Dooku's cause.

The foreman of the Techno Union, Wat Tambor was one of the original and most fervent Separatist leaders, pledging his loyalty and his battle droid armies to Count Dooku at a pivotal meeting on Geonosis. Later in the war, Tambor was appointed emir of Ryloth. His occupation was a cruel one, in which Tambor stripped the Twi'leks of whatever valuables he could find, then bombed their villages.

Poggle the Lesser was the leader of the insect-like Geonosians throughout the era of the Clone Wars. Due to his control of the Geonosian battle droid factories, he was a powerful figure within the Confederacy of Independent Systems and commanded the droid armies that fought against the Republic in two battles for control of Geonosis. At the end of the war, Poggle lost his life to Darth Vader.

Count Dooku was a menacing Sith Lord and central figure in the Clone Wars. Once a Jedi -- trained by Yoda -- he became disillusioned with the Jedi Order and thirsted for greater power. Dooku voluntarily left the light side behind and became Darth Sidious’ dark side disciple, taking the secret name Darth Tyranus and leading the Separatist army. Dooku advanced Sidious’s secret plot to take over the galaxy, but forgot that betrayal is the nature of the Sith.

The Confederacy of Independent Systems, also known as the Separatist Alliance, was a collection of star systems and corporate titans that left the Republic and fought for independence against the Republic’s clone armies and Jedi Knights. The charismatic former Jedi Count Dooku was the Alliance’s political leader, while its military power came from credits and assets donated by powerful galactic trade groups. No one suspected that the Alliance was actually a tool of Darth Sidious, who had engineered the Clone Wars as part of a Sith plot to rule the galaxy.