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- "Self-reliance is the only road to true independence."
- —Veruna Arcadia[src]
Veruna Arcadia was a Human male member of the royal House of Arcadia and the King of Utapau, ruling the planet until his assassination in 24 BBY. After his death, Arcadia was succeeded by his daughter, Sabé Arcadia, who served into the Invasion of Utapau. Arcadia was remembered by his people as one of the more unpopular rulers from the House of Arcadia, having lost the trust of the majority of the planet's citizens. Most of the issues of his rule were due to his controversial security policies. Along with Utapau's Senator, Malus Palpatine, Arcadia supported the right of the Trade Federation to purchase plasma discovered on the planet at a fixed cost.
After dealing with the Federation for some time, the planet's government discovered that the Federation was cheating Utapau out of money by selling the plasma to buyers at a higher price. Utapau pulled out of the deal and, fearing a military confrontation with the Federation, Arcadia expanded the size of the planetary defense forces. Shortly thereafter, he was assassinated due to his controversial security decisions. Arcadia was succeeded by his daughter, who reversed many of her father's policies that were widely considered to be unpopular by the planet's citizens.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Veruna Arcadia was a Human male born into the royal House of Arcadia, which ruled as the monarchy of Utapau for centuries beforehand.[1] When he was a young man, Arcadia's father sent him to survival training in the Vaj Desert on the planet Ingo in order to gain survival skills.[2]
Sometime during his adult life, Arcadia became King of Utapau and, with an unidentified woman, had a child, whom he named Sabé Arcadia. As Arcadia's only child, Sabé was next in line for the throne.[1] Just as his father had done with him, Arcadia sent his daughter to survival training on Ingo when she was eighteen, believing that it would prepare her for any situation.[2]
Reign[]
Arcadia was widely regarded by the planet's people as a controversial and unpopular leader during his reign. After high grade plasma veins were discovered below the streets of Utapau's capital city, Ogana, Arcadia and Utapau's Senator, Malus Palpatine, decided to build a plasma mining and refining center in the heart of the city. The move was met with mixed reactions by the planet's citizens, and, because the planet was not fond of trade, the people allowed Arcadia to let the Trade Federation, a corporate trading cartel, to purchase the plasma at a fixed cost.[1]
After some time, it was discovered that the Federation was exploiting the planet's lack of experience in the galactic markets, thereby cheating Utapau out of profits, by selling the plasma to buyers at marked up prices. The people demanded to be released from the contract with the Federation. Arcadia agreed to the move, though he feared a military retaliation from the Federation. In order to prepare for the potential military operation, Arcadia expanded the Utapau Security Forces, specifically its Space Fighter Corps, and founded new starfighter squadrons.[1]
Despite the actions being taken out of a defensive precaution, they were unpopular across the planet. The people perceived them to be an attempt to suppress dissent and expand the size of the planetary security in an effort to create a police state. In retaliation against the measures, Arcadia was assassinated in 24 BBY.[1]
Aftermath[]
Immediately following Arcadia’s death, Sabé ascended to the throne and began to override some of her father’s actions. She reduced the size of the planetary security force, though she did keep one of the starfighter squadrons for defensive purposes. She received death threats due to her decision, which prompted her to create a legion of handmaidens and body doubles trained in defense. The threats, however, subsided, and Utapau returned to what the people considered to be a peaceful state.[1]
Legacy[]
King Arcadia's actions proved to play a large role in how Sabé later governed Utapau. Many people would remind her of her father's failures, but she did not like to talk or think about them. Sabé concerned herself with serving the people, not the interests of herself or her late father. She believed that the people trusted her during her first two years on the throne, and she refused to fail them or repeat the mistakes that her father had made. She also felt that she regained the people's trust in her family, a trust that most of the planet's people did not have under King Arcadia's rule.[1]
After the Trade Federation blockaded Utapau in 22 BBY, an act which was the result of Utapau’s support of an anti-slavery bill which caused the Federation's profits to decline due to their inability to use slaves in the Outer Rim Territories, Sabé felt that she had failed her people when her month-long negotiations with the Federation failed. She attempted to console herself by reminding herself of what her father had taught her about failure and how it led to success, but she did not feel that it worked. Nevertheless, she thought about her father throughout the blockade and subsequent invasion, hoping she could learn something from her memories of him.[1]
Personality and traits[]
As his daughter later recounted, Arcadia believed that failure was a path to success. In this philosophy, failure would allow people to avoid making the same mistake twice. It wold also cause people to seek the truth and further their success.[1] Arcadia also believed in the need to teach his daughter how to be self-sufficient, as he believed it would make her more independent.[3] This also was a factor in his decision to send his daughter to Ingo for survival training, as he believed it would prepare her for any situation she faced in the future.[2]
Arcadia held the belief that worry, doubt, and fear were to be considered enemies. In his view, emotions such as those would claw away at the soul of a Human and destroy even the strongest of people. In the end, he believed that this would cause them to die of what they feared anyway.[4]
Talents and abilities[]
Arcadia gained a number of survival skills during his training on Ingo. He trained for dozens of situations in numerous different environments, believing that it would give him the skills he needed in order to survive in any situation.[2]
Behind the scenes[]
The canon character Veruna first appeared in the novel Star Wars Episode I Journal: Queen Amidala, a story that told the events of the canon Star Wars film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace through the eyes of principal character Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo. Veruna was succeeded by Amidala in canon after he abdicated the throne of Naboo and went into hiding due to the thirteen years of corruption under his rule. Veruna was also the last known King of Naboo.[5]
Brandon Rhea, author of the Alternative Star Wars Saga fan fiction novel Star Wars: Episode I - The Chosen One, based the character Veruna Arcadia off of the canon Veruna, noted by how Arcadia was the predecessor of the queen character.[6] In the novel, however, Arcadia is the father of the serving queen, and he was assassinated due to his controversial military policies. Throughout the novel, he is shown as having influenced Queen Arcadia's thoughts and beliefs.[1]
Appearances[]
- Star Wars: Episode I - The Chosen One (First mentioned)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 The Chosen One, Chapter 2
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 The Chosen One, Chapter 11
- ↑ The Chosen One, Chapter 8
- ↑ The Chosen One, Chapter 3
- ↑ Star Wars Episode I Journal: Queen Amidala
- ↑ Star Wars Episode I - The Chosen One feedback thread on TheStar WarsRP.Com
- ↑ The Chosen One, Chapter 4