A Senator from Duchess Satine's home planet of Kalevala, Tal Merrik is not the man he first appears to be. Conniving and greedy, Senator Merrik will happily betray his closest "friend" if it helps him achieve his shady political goals. Merrik is secretly sympathetic to the Death Watch, and betrays Duchess Satine when she is most vulnerable -- en route from Mandalore to Coruscant aboard her starship Coronet. The slippery Merrik tries to outwit the Duchess and her protector, Obi-Wan Kenobi, but ends up running afoul of Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber.