Baron Papanoida is at the center of an episode of The Clone Wars, but he made his first appearance years before in Revenge of the Sith, played by Star Wars creator George Lucas. Since 1977, the Star Wars Saga has grown from already-considerable blockbuster beginnings to become one of the highest-grossing media franchises ever. A large amount of that revenue is a result of tireless marketing and merchandising, which routinely focuses on minor characters in addition to series leads, fostering fervent followings for the likes of Boba Fett and Admiral Ackbar.
In addition to creating the Star Wars franchise, George Lucas also directed, wrote, and produced A New Hope, as well as all three of the prequels. However, he has also been criticized for the post-release alterations he has continually made to the Star Wars saga, including recasting characters and making Han Solo a bit less quick on the draw. On top of that, though, he made himself a part of Star Wars canon with a character inspired (and played by) himself.
Baron Papanoida's debut was in Revenge of the Sith, but it was easy to miss. On Coruscant, just before Anakin and Palpatine have their conversation about Darth Plagueis the Wise, the Baron can be seen in the hallway of the opera house accompanied by his daughter, Senator Chi Eekway, who was appropriately played by Katie Lucas, one of George Lucas's daughters. There was originally conflicting information regarding their species before an episode of The Clone Wars confirmed it to be Pantoran.
Established as a lover of culture and the arts in Revenge of the Sith, Baron Papanoida faces more action in what is to this day his only other appearance, the "Sphere of Influence" episode of The Clone Wars, when he is targeted by a Separatist plot. Chi Eekway also returns, along with the Baron's son, Ion, and another of his daughters, Che Amanwe. Corey Burton replaces Lucas in the role, reportedly basing the character's voice on that of director Orson Welles, though the character design is kept in line with that of Lucas in Revenge of the Sith.
George Lucas hadn't made an appearance of any size in any of the Star Wars movies before Revenge of the Sith, and given that Disney acquired the property from him before the creation of the sequel trilogy, he really did wait until the last opportunity to do so. This was before the era of requisite Stan Lee cameos in Marvel movies, but it was still very much in line with a tradition epitomized by Alfred Hitchcock decades earlier. Of course, these implicit comparisons between Lucas and the likes of Welles or Hitchcock may be a bit of a reach, especially considering that, prior to Disney's reorganization of the canon, Papanoida was give the tongue-in-cheek first name of "Notluwiski," in keeping with other self-describing minor characters like Elan Sleazebaggano and Droopy McCool who populate an eclectic Star Wars universe.
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