- “Curious how speaking up for what's right has become an act that causes a stir, unlike inaction, apathy, or ignorance.”
- ―Riyo Chuchi
Riyo Chuchi is a character who debuts in the Star Wars franchise as a supporting character in the 2008-2020 animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and then in its spin-off Star Wars: The Bad Batch. A senator from the planet Pantora, Riyo works in the galactic senate to make the galaxy better.
During the Clone Wars, Riyo participated in the conflict on the planet Orto Plutonia originally as a mere observer until Chairman Chi Cho's warmongering actions against the local Tarz people pushed her into conflict through diplomacy and reasoning. Months later, she protested the Trade Federation's blockade of her planet and participated in the rescue of Chi Eekway Papanoida, allowing her to force an end to the blockade in the process.
Following the transformation of the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire, Riyo retained her status as a senator of Pantora, but was now opposed to a new regime that no longer upheld the values of the past.
Background[]
Personality[]
Riyo is an idealistic, empathetic, morally, and benevolent woman. She suffered at the beginning of her career from uncertainty about her own abilities as a senator because of her young age and her lack of experience, preferring to leave the management of the situation to others because of being someone very reserved but after finding the courage to go through with peace with the Talz, Riyo has become much more confident and determined to the point of always standing up for the truth and standing up for what is right in defiance of danger. She also seems quite fond of children.
Physical appearance[]
Riyo is a young and lovely Pantoran woman, similar to a human, of slender build with a refined figure and short stature, but differing in the sky blue skin typical of her species. She has pink lips, yellow eyes, pinkish hair usually hung by gold jewelry, and sporting golden line tattoos on her cheeks.
Abilities[]
- Political Expert/Negotiation: As a senator, Riyo masters the way of diplomacy and negotiation.
- Cold Resistance: Like all Pantorans, Riyo is able to withstand freezing temperatures better than humans, having traveled to the frozen planet of Orto Plutonia without a fleece garment.
History[]
The Clone Wars[]
Conflict on Orto Plutonia[]
- “We will leave Orto Plutonia under the watchful eyes of the Talz from this day forth, and recognize your sovereignty as a free and equal people.”
- ―Riyo Chuchi.
To die for one's people is a great sacrifice. To live for one's people, an even greater sacrifice. I choose to live for my people.
Following the attack on two separatist and republic bases on Orto Plutonia, the Senate sends a unit of Clone Troopers led by the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker accompanied by a group of dignitary Pantorans, including Chairman Chi Cho and Senator Riyo Chuchi. Riyo's opinion on how to resolve this conflict quickly puts her on a point of disagreement with the fiercer Cho more than willing to fight rather than resolve the issue peacefully. Upon encountering the Talz, the planet's previously unknown primitive inhabitants responsible for the skirmish, Riyo's efforts to achieve peace with these creatures are stymied by Cho's obstinacy in asserting Pantora's sovereignty over the Tarz, sparking a brutal conflict. The Chairman's recklessness causes The Pantoran Assembly to give Riyo full authority to negotiate peace with the Tarz but instead suggests that the Jedi deal with it due to their experience, only for Obi-Wan to encourages her to represent her people in the name of peace. With her newfound self-confidence and a discord of mutual respect, Riyo is able to reason with Chief Talz Thi-Sen and declares Orto Plutonia independent.
Blockade over Pantora[]
- “I beg the Senate to listen to our pleas. Ignore the Trade Federation's feeble attempt to paint this as a domestic financial issue and allow us to resume trade.”
- ―Riyo to the Senate.
Riyo and Ahsoka hiding aboard a Trade Federation ship.
That same year, Riyo protested in the senate against the Trade Federation's blockade of Pantora, with the risk that the planet would eventually join the Confederacy of Independent Systems. She denounces Lott Dott's statements about Pantora's financial debts as false due to the Federation's rallying with the Separatists and implores the senate to let the Pantorans resume their trade but achieves less success. Padme Amidala nevertheless commends her for her courage and assures her that many in the senate support Pantora, to which Riyo replies that Pantora will always remain loyal to the Republic. The next day, following the kidnapping of the daughters of the successor Chairman Papanoida to force the Pantorans into submission to the Separatist, Riyo travels to the Commere Federation ship under the guise of a diplomatic visit to attempt to rescue the youngs women, also accompanied by the Padawan Jedi and her close friend, Ahsoka Tano. Spying and snooping, Riyo and Ahsoka eventually find Chi Eekway in custody and then ambushed by the Separatist representative but Ahsoka easily destroys his Battle Droids. Riyo then confronts the Trade envoy for his deceit and forces him to bring about the abolition of the blockade in exchange for not reporting his schemes to the Senate.
Imperial Era[]
The Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill[]
- “If we don't, who will? After all they have sacrificed, you now wish to discard them? Leave them with nothing? Is that how we repay them for their service? Is that what this Empire stands for? How can we debate commissioning a new army without a plan in place to care for our current one?”
- ―Riyo defending the future of the Clone Troopers.
Riyo opposes the Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill in favor of Clone Troopers.
Nearly a year after the rise of The Empire which also saw the end of the Jedi Order, Riyo openly opposes the Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill proposed by Admiral Rampart following the destruction of the cloning facilities on Kamino, worried about the repercussions of the legislation on the living conditions of Clone Troopers who are increasingly downgraded due to their accelerated aging and being considered only consumable individuals by the Empire. More than willing to speak on behalf of the clones since no one else will, Riyo confronts the assembled for the unfair treatment of the old Republic army after all the sacrifices they made for them and especially suspects Rampart to disregard the interests of the clones despite the admiral assuring that arrangements are in place to assist in the removal of the Clone Troopers.
It's time you did. All of you. As difficult as it is to accept, your military service will come to an end. You get to choose what your lives will be. You've spent years fighting for us. Let me fight for you.
As the recruiting project is once again postponed, Riyo go to the 79's for talking with clones at the end of their careers but stubborn to continued to be soldiers, the concept of retirement not being something they are. able to understand. She is able to convince them to reconsider the continuation of their lives and urges them to speak out about their need to ensure that the recruitment bill meets their expectations. Afterwards, Riyo is approached by the clone Slip who warns her against Rampart, revealing to her that the towns on Kamino were not destroyed by a storm according to the admiral but by Rampart himself. Slip, who at the time was present on the Rampart Venator during the bombing, also warns Riyo that any clones who tried to talk about the event were silenced.
Riyo meets Captain Rex years after Orto Plutonia, the latter having just saved her life against Clone X.
After a meeting with Rampart, whose sincerity she quickly doubted about what happened on Kamino, Riyo meets Senator Bail Organa who is wary of Rampart while she reinforces her belief in the statements of Slip since Tipoca City was built to withstand storms and also urges her to be careful. She finds Slip in the evening, having had trouble locating him before, but the clone is panicked because he fears for his life and waits for someone to exfiltrate him from Coruscant. Obsessed with the search for the truth, Riyo tries to convince a Slip seeking to leave the area that justice must be done for all those who died by Rampart's actions so Slip reveals that there is proof of the Tipoca City bombing in Rampart's Venator Command Log before being shot by a mysterious sniper. Fleeing for his life on the streets and then in an abandoned foundry, Riyo loses her two guards and nearly gets hit by laser blasts but is suddenly saved by a mysterious individual who knocks the assassin out with stun gunfire. The individual turns out to be the former clone captain Rex whom Riyo had previously met on Orto Plutonia, the latter was the one who was going to exfiltrate Slip before his death. Much to their shock, Riyo and Rex discover that the assassin is a clone.[1]
The truth about Tipoca City's fate[]
- “The recovered command log from Admiral Rampart's Venator. Which indicates his own ships caused the destruction of Tipoca City.”
- ―Riyo exposes Rampart.
Riyo meets the Bad Batch.
In a garage in the Coruscant Underworld, the pair interrogate the assassin to whom he reports, only for him to commit suicide with the suicide shocker implanted in his mouth. In view of the situation, Rex brings his friends from the Bad Batch, a squad composed of genetically improved clones who were also present in Tipoca City during its bombardment. While the clones infiltrate the shipyard where Rampart's Venator is docked to retrieve the command log to expose the Empire's crimes, Riyo returns to the senate to gather support with Omega, a deviant clone girl and the newest member of the Bad Batch. Riyo notably shows Omega the senate chamber, explaining to her what the role of a senator is. Upon learning that the clones never had a representative, Omega finds it unfair but Riyo assures her that she is fighting for the clones to get the same rights as any living being.
Later and on Organa's advice, Riyo and Omega bring the former senator of Kamino Halle Burtoni to Riyo's apartment to clear up the misappropriation of funds for the cloning facilities before they were destroyed. With Burtoni unwilling to help but confirming that Rampart was responsible for siphoning off the funds, Riyo begs her to come and testify in the senate even though the evidence of the attack on Kamino is not yet in her hands.
Riyo trying to expose Rampart's crimes.
At the reopening of the vote for the recruitment project, Riyo begins to denounce the embezzlement of funds by Rampart without the endorsement of the senate, just for the admiral to retort that Burtoni's words have no value, so Riyo comes from there. quickly to the accused for the destruction of Tipoca City but the lack of evidence does not allow her to prosecute and she is quickly threatened with being expelled from the senate by the senators in favor of the legislation. At the last moment, Omega is able to bring the Command Log to Riyo, allowing him to expose Rampart. Emperor Palpatine then enters the Senate and has Rampart fully take responsibility for the assault on Kamino and have her arrested, only for him to use the blind loyalty of the Clone Troopers under Rampart's orders to justify the need for the Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill, leading to the creation of the Imperial Stormtroopers.
Gathered at the garage, Riyo and the clones discuss how Palpatine used their actions to his advantage. Despite this, Riyo remains determined to fight for the clones to get the rights they deserve, also swearing to Omega that she will never give up.[2]
Helping Clones[]
Riyo telling Echo to be careful.
Some time later, Riyo continues to operate at the garage now serving as a base of operations for the clones who have turned against the Empire. When Echo returns from a rescue mission that he leads him to go find the Bad Batch so that they can help him decrypt Imperial data in order to find the place where the captive clones are taken, Riyo wishes him good luck.[3]
A Potential Alliance[]
Riyo arranges a meeting with former Raxus senator and fugitive from the Empire, Avi Singh.
Due to growing dissent against the Emperor on several planets and systems in both the former Republic and Separatist, Riyo arranges a secret meeting with former Raxus Separatist senator Avi Singh on Pantora with the help of the Clone Underground. Despite their opposing sides during the Clone Wars, Riyo claims that their goals are now aligned and that her people increasingly desire their own independence. Singh is concerned about the lack of good leaders to unify them, and that nothing will ever stop the Empire from occupying the planets, but for the sake of Raxus, he is willing to listen to Riyo's suggestions. The meeting is unfortunately interrupted by the attempted murder of Singh by another assassin clone but the senators are quickly protected by the clones and the Pantorian guards until the assassin is captured by Howzer. Afterwards, Rex suggests that Riyo keep a low profile until the situation gets back under control.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Jennifer Hale, Riyo Chuchi's voice actress, also voiced the Jedi Aayla Secura in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. While Hale voices Aayla Secura with a lower voice, she uses her normal voice for Riyo Chuci.
- During the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, which took place at the end of the Clone Wars, Riyo Chuci was replaced by Chi Eekway Papanoida as Pantora's senator. Her reintroduction as a senator during the Imperial era in Star Wars: The Bad Batch is never explained.
- She is the main protagonist of "The Clone Conspiracy".
- Although she does not appear in the final episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, "The Cavalry Has Arrived", she is mentioned by Echo as wanting to listen to Emerie Karr's testimony about the skirmish on Tantiss in order to best help the cause of the clones.
References[]
External links[]
Riyo Chuchi on Wookieepedia: The Star Wars Wiki- Riyo Chuchi on StarWars.com (backup link on Archive.org)
