KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!

That’s probably the high point of this review, and I should stop there.  But I have a sense of duty, so I will persevere in hopes that you will too.  Chancellor Valorum, besides having battled Kal-El, has an important distinction in that he is the first person we see on screen as a galactic ruler that is not Emperor Palpatine.  It was cool that the role was played by Terrence Stamp, but Valorum proved to be weak and basically useless.  Even in the scene in which he is introduced on the Coruscant platform to greet Queen Amidala and her Jedi escorts, he seems to be quickly left to the side, and Senator Palpatine takes center stage.  The next time we see him, he is powerless to assist Queen Amidala after her request for Republic intervention on Naboo.  She then moves for a vote of no confidence in Valorum’s ability to lead the Republic, and he merely slumps in his chair like a schmo.  Senator Palpatine was soon nominated as a successor, news of which seemed to fail to impress Amidala, as was his eventual victory. 

In canon, Valorum later appeared in The Clone Wars CGI, in which he provided some information to Yoda on the mystery behind Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas.  Behind the scenes, it seems that Terrence Stamp believed that the role of Valorum was going to be deeper and more relevant to the story, and he was disappointed in his part in the final edit of The Phantom Menace.  Like Hugh Quarshie (Captain Panaka), he was given very little to work with, only saw lines in the scrip for his character, and performed all of his scenes in front of a screen.  It seems like working on The Phantom Menace was a real downer for some of the participants.

I would like Hasbro to make this.

By the way, When those senate pods I used in the gallery above were available in the 2005 ROTS battle pack, I bought like 10 of them, and then bought a ton more loose on ebay.  I think I have over 20 pods, and I hate them because they barely hold 2 figures.  They should hold 4 comfortably.  Of course, that brings up a whole other issue, which is that the Chancellor himself was never in one of these pods.  He had a central podium which was a completely different structure.  Such an environmental piece should have enough space to accommodate a Sei Taria figure if Hasbro ever made one.  Nevertheless, the senate pods usually held 3 members, sometimes more, and these are just too small.  I’m sure collector love for such a thing would be overwhelming, but seriously, there’s something to be said for a full Senate Chamber.  Let’s say it’s an arc shape that has enough height to accommodate 3 pods, and maybe enough width to hold hold about 5-6 pods in each row, for a total of 15-18 pods.  Each pod would be big enough to hold 4 figures, and maybe 3 of them would have a clear plastic arm that could extend away from the wall and towards the center.  In that center would be the Chancellor’s podium, which could raise and lower.  The back side of the arc could have Senate hallways and also the Chancellor’s office.  The thing about such a piece, is that, like the Sail Barge, it would accommodate a large number of figures that currently don’t really have an environment in which to be properly displayed.  The Senate Chamber is one of the iconic set pieces from the PT and The Clone Wars (and don’t forget the Sidious/Yoda duel).  Anyway, I digress.

Chancellor Valorum is a very nice looking figure.  There is a tremendous amount of detail sculpted into the fabric of his ornate robes. The robes, in turn, are painted in such a way as to almost look like they are shimmering.  It’s a a fairly well-executed effect.  To add some depth, the main body of the robe is a removable separately sculpted piece.  This gives the figure a little bit more of a quality feel to it than if it was sculpted as part of the body of the figure. Under the robes, the Chancellor’s outfit is that which properly reflects the one he was wearing when he greeted Amidala on the platform.  Note that the image above of the meeting is inaccurate in this way.  Unfortunately, while the robe is removable, the sleeves are sculpted as part of the robe, so the figure looks ridiculous without the full robe on.  The figure is 6POA, with the hips, shoulders, waist and neck being swivel joints.  Valorum’s right hand is sculpted into a pointing gesture, and looks a bit odd when resting at his side.  His right hand is sculpted to accommodate his staff, which I believe is not seen in the film.  Perhaps it was part of a deleted scene, or just some concept art.  The face sculpt isn’t bad for a figure from 1999, although it doesn’t really resemble Terrence Stamp.

Chancellor Valorum not a bad figure, but was probably received as pretty boring by the general public back in 1999.  But to date, it is the only figure ever made of Chancellor Finis Valorum.  An update in the modern line would benefit from FACE! technology as well as added articulation, of course, but it would also be necessary to have removable robes so that he could be displayed in both of his outfits (with and without robe).  I give the figure a standard 4 for an under-articulated figure.  An update would be nice.