Haako, Rune

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Homeworld:
  Neimoidia

• Species:
  Neimoidian

• Gender:
  Male

• Size:
  1.96 meters

• Vehicle:
  Trade Federation Battleship

• Affiliation:
  Trade Federation, Confederacy of Independent Systems

• 

From the Movies

A cowardly Neimoidian official, Rune Haako had no shortage of despair during the Trade Federation blockade and invasion of Naboo. As lieutenant to Viceroy Nute Gunray, Haako was privy to his superior's plans and knew of the mysterious Sith patron who was the true mastermind behind their bold maneuvers. Haako, when beyond Sith earshot, openly questioned Gunray's judgment in striking this terrifying alliance. The worry-faced pessimist predicted disaster throughout the occupation. When Queen Amidala retook her besieged capital of Theed, Haako and Gunray were captured and sent to Coruscant for trial and punishment.

The clout of his Trade Federation position let Haako avoid the worst of the fallout from the Naboo debacle. He continued to serve closely to Gunray, through the Trade Federation's collusion with the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Haako was killed by Darth Sidious' new apprentice, Darth Vader, when the Sith Lords no longer had any need for their Separatist conspirators.

From the Expanded Universe

Haako's primary duties as a Trade Federation Settlement Officer were to act as a diplomatic attaché and legal counsel to Nute Gunray. In arenas that suited his tastes -- namely executive board rooms and business negotiations -- Haako was merciless and manipulative. His eloquence was often called upon in attempts to add credibility and good faith to Trade Federation actions that were otherwise dubious. When his own life or death hinged on his decisions -- rather than pure profit and loss -- Haako's façade crumbled to reveal his spineless nature.

Behind the Scenes

Initial design sketches portrayed the Neimoidians as gaunt, cylindrical-snouted beings that obviously crafted the battle droid armies in their image. Practical concerns of realizing the Neimoidians on screen necessitated a redesign. Rather than having to develop a second fully computer generated culture (following the Gungans), George Lucas instead chose to revisit a design dating back to the cantina scene from A New Hope. The goggle-eyed Duros design became the basis of the Neimoidian design, and characters like Rune Haako were performed by actors wearing animatronic masks. In The Phantom Menace, Haako was played by Jerome Blake and voiced by James Taylor. In Revenge of the Sith, Sandy Thompson played Haako.