Ark Roose, known by the nickname "Bumpy" due to his aggressive nature during races, was a dim-witted male Nuknog podracer from the planet Sump. Using a Plug-8G 927 Cluster Array Podracer, he participated in the Boonta Eve Classic podrace on the planet Tatooine in 32 BBY. Prior to the start of the race a band played in his honor, and during his first lap he was well placed in the lead group. After stopping for maintenance at the start of his second lap, Roose was overtaken by the human pilot Anakin Skywalker, and during his third lap, the Nuknog was knocked out of the race when the Vulptereen racer Dud Bolt crashed into him.
Ark Roose was a Nuknog male podracer from the planet Sump who was also known as Bumpy due to his reputation for becoming aggressive during races. He piloted a massive Vokoff-Strood Plug-8G 927 Cluster Array Podracer when competing in the Boonta Eve Classic podrace on the planet Tatooine in 32 BBY. He was undeterred by his position in the outside of the fourth row on the race's starting grid at the Mos Espa Grand Arena and when the Troig announcer Fodesinbeed Annodue introduced Roose to the crowd, the Nuknog saluted a band in the audience as they played a piece in the racer's honor. Prior to the race, Roose attempted to sabotage the podracer belonging to the human competitor Anakin Skywalker, but instead damaged the podracer of the Toong Ben Quadinaros.
Ark Roose made a pit stop during his second lap of the Boonta Eve Classic.
Roose then strapped into his vehicle, and when the crime lord Jabba Desilijic Tiure signalled for the race to begin, he took off and became well placed in the lead group during his first lap. Roose's sabotage of Quadinaros, however, meant the Toong was the first competitor to be knocked out of the race, as his podracer refused to start. He skilfully dodged fire from Tusken Raider who were camped out on the Canyon Dune Turn, but then had to stop at the beginning of his second lap so that maintenance droids could conduct repairs on his podracer. He returned to the race at full speed, but at the end of his second lap he was overtaken by Skywalker.
During the third and final lap of the race, Roose dangerously gained on Skywalker, but while in the Coil portion of the track, the Vulptereen podracer Dud Bolt crashed into Roose and caused the Nuknog to enter a tailspin and crash, knocking him out of the race. Skywalker ultimately won the race and Bolt ended up in the Mos Espa medcenter after his collision with Roose. Roose was later mentioned in an artist's journal, which was restored, expanded, and displayed at the Graf Archive at some point after 34 ABY.
Ark Roose was particularly dim-witted for a Nuknog, a species known for their diminished brain capacity. When racing, his strategy consisted of crashing his vehicle into other racers, which often led to his own hospitalisation. Roose was also willing to sabotage other competitors' racers, but was not always able to discern whether he had sabotaged the correct vehicle. He had yellow eyes and purple skin.
Costume concept of Ark Roose by Iain McCaig
Ark Roose was created for the 1999 prequel trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. The character was not included in the list of podracers given in the revised rough draft, but his design was finalized in a series of sketches by concept artist Terryl Whitlatch including an anatomy sketch on August 26, 1996 and a profile of the Nuknog's head on September 16, 1996. Costume designer Iain McCaig also created a costume sketch for the character on September 16.
A detailed maquette of the racer was then made to establish Roose's color scheme and three-dimensional details. A computer-generated version of the character was then made for the film, with animators patterning Roose's big, bulky, friendly persona after actor John Goodman. A modified version of the model was then reused for the character Slyther Bushforb in the 2002 sequel to the The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones.
Roose appears in two deleted scenes created for The Phantom Menace. In "Complete Podrace Grid Sequence" his introduction by Fodesinbeed Annodue is shown along with the band that play in the Nuknog's honor, and in "Extended Podrace Lap Two" he is shown making a pit stop during the second lap of the race. His actions in both these scenes were later made canon by the 2017 reference book Star Wars: Geektionary: The Galaxy from A - Z. In Star Wars Legends, Roose appeared prior to the release of the film in its novelization written by Terry Brooks.
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