Finis Valorum
Stamp recalls that director
George Lucas described Valorum as a good but beleaguered man.
He was the
Chancellor of the Galactic Republic before
Padmé Amidala introduced a successful
motion of no confidence into the Galactic Senate. He was subsequently deposed and replaced by his colleague, Senator
Palpatine of
Naboo, who ends up being the last Chancellor of the Republic, and the first
Emperor of the
Galactic Empire. Finis Valorum had a deep respect for the Force.
According to material published as part of the
Expanded Universe, Valorum comes from an ancient and distinguished family, and at least one of his ancestors had served as Chancellor in the past. This background, ironically, works against him, although he was a Senator of the
Lytton Sector, many believed he had been elected solely because of his famous
surname. Valorum's appropriate first name, Finis (which means "the end"), was first mentioned in Expanded Universe material. Actually, his full name is Latin for "the end of values," as if presaging the imminent fall of the Republic; it finds an echo in Padmé's consternated statement that
"So this is how liberty dies....with thunderous applause."Death
Valorum was killed shortly after the
Battle of Geonosis, in a
terrorist attack that was attributed to
Separatists. However, Valorum had earlier been meeting with Senator Bail Organa, and had revealed that he was suspicious about Palpatine's political maneuverings. It is reasonable to conclude that the future Emperor had orchestrated Valorum's death. The Finis Valorum Memorial was constructed on Coruscant to honor the last person to serve as Chancellor before Palpatine's rise to power.
