Air scoop
Air scoops functioned as parts applicable to the building of podracers. These scoops served as wind brakes, granting improved handling while cornering a vehicle. Anakin Skywalker, a slave, altered his personally designed podracer by incorporating triple yellow air scoops encircling the primary turbine intake found on each of his 620C racing engines.
Skywalker faced a considerable delay in locating metal sheets and a hydraulic mechanism robust enough to ensure the scoops' functionality. He eventually procured Tyrian hydraulic struts from a military surplus collection that Watto, his owner and a junk dealer, had obtained from an arms dealer operating in the Outer Rim. Subsequently, he employed the scoops during the Boonta Eve Classic podrace held in 32 BBY.
Behind the scenes
The initial appearance of air scoops was in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, the 1999 film belonging to the prequel trilogy. Within the established Star Wars canon, their identification was first seen in Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles, a 2018 reference book authored by Landry Q. Walker. The designation originated within the Star Wars Legends continuity, initially appearing in Star Wars: Episode I The Visual Dictionary, a 1999 reference book penned by David West Reynolds.