Nute Gunray was a Neimoidian from the planet Neimoidia. He was Viceroy of the Trade Federation before and during the Clone Wars, and a member of the Separatist Council during that conflict.
A cowardly and greedy being, Gunray participated in the blockade and subsequent invasion of Naboo, ordered the assassination of Padmé Amidala, and was one of the major contributors to the Separatist Droid Army during the Clone Wars. He was killed by Darth Vader, along with the rest of the Council, on Mustafar in 19 BBY.
Under Sidious's command, Gunray blockaded Naboo from trade routes. Gunray quickly secured the planet, with only the Gungan "primitives" eluding him.
Amidala, the Queen of Naboo, was rescued by Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, who managed to get her off the planet and past the blockade. After unsuccessfully pleading for intervention by the Old Republic Senate, Amidala called for the expulsion of Chancellor Valorum. Naboo's own Senator Palpatine was elected the new Chancellor. Despite this, the Senate still would not take action, and Amidala returned home, vowing to liberate her planet or die trying.
Wary of the Queen's more aggressive motives. Gunray dispatched a large majority of his battle-droid army to crush the assembled army of Gungans in the swamps.
The Queen was able to work her way into the palace, take out Gunray's guards and held him at gunpoint. Gunray was not worried at first, because he thought his droids would break through to rescue him. But his hopes of rescue were shattered when a young boy named Anakin Skywalker destroyed the Droid Control Ship, deactivating his army. With his forces destroyed and Darth Maul killed, Gunray was captured and sent back to Coruscant to stand trial for their crimes.
After four trials in the Republic Supreme Court, Gunray still maintained control over the Trade Federation, although several of his associates were killed in the Battle of Naboo. Sidious then instructed Gunray to join the Confederacy of Independent Systems, which wished to secede from the Galactic Republic. But Nute Gunray would only agree to join the CIS under one condition: the death of Senator Amidala as revenge for his capture ten years prior,
Gunray saw his chance for revenge and was delighted when the former Queen was sentenced to death and he would be there to witness it. To his fury, she escaped once again with the aid of over 200 Jedi and the Republic's new clone army, and Gunray was barely able to flee for his own life in the melee between battle droids, Jedi Knights, and clone troopers. The Clone Wars had begun.
By the end of the War, he and the rest of the Separatist Council were moved to Mustafar by General Grievous at Darth Sidious's command, where Sidious later sent his new apprentice, Darth Vader, to kill them as part of his master plan. Nute Gunray unsuccessfully pleaded for his life before the new Sith Lord. He attempted to reason with Vader, pleading, "The war is over! Lord Sidious promised us peace… we only want…!" He never finished his final sentence, as he was cut down by the Dark Lord's lightsaber.
