Highlights
- Not all in the Galactic Republic were good - some corrupt politicians like Lott Dod and Orn Free Taa put profits over responsibilities.
- Mas Amedda willingly aided Palpatine in turning the Republic into the Empire, knowing Palpatine was a Sith Lord.
- Sheev Palpatine, a literal Sith Lord, patiently schemed for decades to dismantle the Republic for unlimited power.
It is easy to fall into the trap of black-and-white thinking when it comes to Star Wars, especially since the constant struggle between good and evil is such a prevailing theme. While the franchise has its share of characters who are undeniably good and undeniably evil, sometimes they can appear where they aren't expected. It is, for instance, easy to view the Galactic Republic as the good guys. Living under the republic certainly seems preferable to some far worse regimes.
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But, just as the Separatists aren't all evil, the republic isn't all good. In fact, it could get pretty bad when it came to the Senate. For every decent politician trying to do the right thing, there were about a dozen corrupt leaders who made a mockery of their position. These were the types of people who favored profits and power over their actual responsibilities. It was in large part thanks to these poor excuses for leaders the Republic was vulnerable to collapse in the first place.
1 Lott Dod
A Double-Dealing Senator Who Lined His Own Pockets
Lott Dod was a representative of the Trade Federation - yes, that Trade Federation. When he wasn't trying to line his own pockets, he was finding ways to cut corners and maximize profits for the Federation. Like many other corporate leaders on the Separatist Council, Lott Dod spent the Clone Wars secretly making deals with both sides, not caring what would be good for the Republic.
He was actively blocking reforms and turning Republic leaders into Federation puppets who were forced to vote for his interests. But he wasn't just good at profiteering. Lott Dod was also good at lying and gaslighting. When Padmé tried to get support for Naboo, he was there actively denying the blockade was even happening, despite his involvement with it.
2 Orn Free Taa
A Greedy Twi'lek Who Was Little More Than A Puppet
This Twi'lek senator was so corrupt that even his own people hated him. At his best, he was a right-wing extremist who regularly advocated for authoritarian policies and liked to suck up to whoever held the most power. At worst, he was a greedy, corrupt, and cowardly politician who jumped on any opportunity to profit and used that money to fund expensive parties, escorts, and fancy clothes.
He also had a habit of publicly slandering his political rivals to get ahead. Even after the Republic became the Empire, he continued to prioritize advancing his station in the Imperial Senate over actually advocating for Ryloth or the Twi'leks.
3 Mas Amedda
A Willing Participant In Palpatine's Schemes
While corruption was a problem throughout the Senate, few reached quite the level of Vice Chancellor Mas Amedda, who quickly became one of Palpatine's closest allies. Amedda was a power-hungry tyrant who was 100% on board with the Republic becoming more authoritarian and turning into the Empire. One of his biggest contributions was pushing the bill to give Palpatine "emergency powers" for addressing the Clone Wars and, probably taking advantage of Padmé's absence, roped Jar Jar Binks into presenting it to the Senate (and taking the blame for it). He was ready to do just about anything for Palpatine, as it proved his best path to power.
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To cap it off, there is one notable detail about Amedda compared to other senators. It could be argued that a lot of them were ultimately victims of Palpatine's manipulations, not knowing what they were playing into. Mas Amedda was in on everything. He actually knew that Palpatine was a Sith Lord and didn't care.
4 Mee Deechi
A Shameless Blackmailer
The Umbaran representative was a different kind of corrupt, but no less dangerous. He might not have been profiting in the same way others were, but he was completely fine with using less-than-honest tactics to get ahead while pushing a hypernationalistic view of the Republic.
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While far from the only extremist, he held the toxic stance that his militaristic beliefs were right and anyone who disagreed was a traitor to the Republic. This meant he wasn't afraid to play dirty. As far as he was concerned, blackmail and intimidation were acceptable ways to get votes in his favor, and he wasn't afraid to use them to push military legislation.
5 Sheev Palpatine
A Man Willing To Break All The Rules To Dismantle The Republic
It doesn't get much more corrupt than being a literal Sith Lord. Palpatine's entire political career was built around one goal: dismantle the Republic and install himself as emperor. And he did just that. Nothing was beneath him. This was a man who had ridiculous levels of patience when it came to scheming, enough that he was willing to spend decades setting everything into motion, never once losing sight of his aspirations for unlimited power.
He engineered multiple crises just so he could push the public exactly where he wanted it. Not only was he able to devise such a meticulous plan, but he was also able to adapt to unexpected developments. Any time one of the less corrupt senators had an unexpected victory, he'd find a way to twist it to his advantage.
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