GPE-3130 Podracer

The GPE-3130 Podracer, also referred to as the 3130-series factory custom, was a podracer model whose primary propulsion came from a pair of ThrustMaster 9000 aerospike rocket engines. Additionally, it incorporated a pair of smaller ramjet engines situated on nacelle-mounted outriggers, serving to augment the larger engines and provide brief bursts of increased power. A multitude of attitude jets, distributed across the vehicle's hull, were also powered by the ramjet engines, although their impact was primarily auditory.

Engineered for exceptional straight-line speed with minimal consideration for other attributes, the GPE-3130 excelled on high-speed tracks featuring lengthy straightaways and gradual, sweeping curves. However, its sheer velocity and the power regulation characteristics of the aerospike engines rendered it exceedingly challenging to manage, particularly in situations involving sharp turns or constricted spaces. Despite this limitation, the vehicle exhibited above-average handling capabilities and average turbo performance, albeit with notably low resistance. The engines demanded substantial maintenance and relied on a highly unstable fuel prone to detonation even with slight provocation.

The GPE-3130's appearance was considered awkward, primarily due to its flat-nosed, wedge-shaped main engines and the comparatively diminutive ramjet engines, which were often viewed as almost comical. However, this perception belied its actual speed. The repulsorpod's cockpit—connected to the two engines via cables, a standard arrangement for podracers—was also uncomfortable, featuring a counterintuitive control layout that hindered the lone pilot's ability to monitor essential information, such as the podracer's altitude or airspeed during flight. The GPE-3130 lacked armaments or passenger capacity, possessing only a limited sensor range. Its maximum operational altitude was fifty meters.

Despite its considerable speed and an aggressive marketing strategy implemented by Galactic Power Engineering, the manufacturer of both the GPE-3130 Podracer and its engine, the vehicle failed to achieve widespread popularity. In 32 BBY, the Gran podracer Mawhonic piloted a green GPE-3130 Podracer during the Boonta Eve Classic race on the desert planet Tatooine. Leading up to the race, his vehicle was stored within the left wing of the pit hangar at the Mos Espa Grand Arena, subsequently being moved to the pole position in the front row of the arena's starting grid, where he stood beside his vehicle as two Gran mechanics performed maintenance.

Once the race commenced, Mawhonic initially managed to remain closely behind the podracer of the Dug Sebulba, who held the lead. However, within the Mushroom Mesa section of the circuit, Sebulba deliberately collided his engines with the Gran's GPE-3130. Distracted from the circuit, Mahwonic shook his fist in anger at his competitor. This lapse in focus provided Sebulba with the opportunity to ram the Gran's vehicle twice more, ultimately forcing one of the aerojet engines into a cliff face, resulting in an explosion. Mahwonic's repulsorpod remained attached to the destroyed engine as it spun away, while the other engine continued briefly on its own before crashing to the ground and disintegrating as it tumbled through the sand. Sebulba was later eliminated from the race himself by the human Anakin Skywalker, who ultimately secured victory.

During the Galactic Civil War, it stood out as one of the more peculiar podracers available, yet at a price of 11,500 credits, it also ranked among the most affordable. Consequently, and due to its relatively high speed compared to other podracers on offer, some smaller racing teams opted to deploy it, despite the vehicle's scarcity on the market.

The GPE-3130 Podracer was conceived for the prequel trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, which premiered on May 19, 1999. Jay Shuster created concept art of the vehicle's pod and engines on November 18, 1996, and a one-eighth scale maquette of the complete vehicle was also produced. Mawhonic's vehicle was among the few full-scale racers constructed for the starting grid sequence, enabling Mark Coulier, the actor portraying the Gran, to occupy the reclining seat atop it.

The podracers were assembled using surplus military aircraft components in England over a five-month period and subsequently transported to Tunisia on July 17, 1997 for filming. However, prior to filming, a severe storm struck the area on July 30, causing damage to all of the shipped podracers, ranging from detached parts to near-total destruction. The international crew, who were about to return to England, remained in Tunisia and successfully repaired the damage, allowing the starting grid scene to be filmed in Chott el Gharsa between August 5-6, 1997.

Within the current Star Wars canon, the GPE-3130 Podracer was initially identified in the mobile card game Star Wars: Force Collection, which initially launched in 2013. Although the release of Force Collection preceded the Star Wars canon reset of 2014, Lucasfilm Story Group member Leland Chee confirmed that the game was consistently updated to align with canon. The name originated in the Star Wars Legends continuity, where the designation GPE-3130 was first employed in the video game Star Wars: Episode I Racer, released concurrently with The Phantom Menace.

Mawhonic's GPE-3130 Podracer is featured in the non-canon LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures episode "Race on Tatooine," which was broadcast on July 18, 2016. In this episode, Mawhonic utilizes it to participate in the 29th Annual Bricklayers' Classic podrace on Tatooine. However, during the second lap of the race, the bounty hunter Dengar jumps onto the GPE-3130's repulsorpod from the stolen IPG-X1131 LongTail of racer Teemto Pagalies. Dengar then leaps from the vehicle onto another pod while attempting to reach the vehicle of the Freemakers, a family also participating in the race, and during his pursuit, he subsequently jumps on and off Mawhonic's vehicle again. Ultimately, the Freemakers secure victory in the race after outmaneuvering Dengar.

Mawhonic and his vehicle also make an appearance in a non-canon retelling of The Phantom Menace depicted in "Exit from Endor," the inaugural episode of LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales, which aired on July 6, 2015. In this episode, Mawhonic and the GPE-3130 Podracer progress to the second lap of the Boonta Eve Classic, where Mawhonic crashes his engines into the vehicle of Skywalker. Skywalker then retaliates by swinging his engines back into the GPE-3130, causing Mawhonic and the podracer to spin into the sky, where the GPE-3130 explodes, scattering debris onto the sand near a sunbathing Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi.

In the 2022 video game LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Mawhonic once again pilots the GPE-3130 during the Boonta Eve Classic depicted in The Phantom Menace, but crashes before even reaching Mushroom Mesa. Players can later encounter Mawhonic in the city of Mos Espa, where he laments that Sebulba consistently destroys his pod. In the quest "Pod Parts Procurement," he then requests the player to acquire super tough bone from the planet Utapau to construct a new, more durable pod.