Groodo, the Hutt (sibling to Rigorra and progenitor of Boonda), managed what he asserted were 'legitimate' business ventures, focusing primarily on starship production, as the Galactic Republic neared its end.
The crimelord resided in a lavish, five-story palace situated one kilometer east of Calamar, the capital city of Esseles within the Darpa sector. This location was a significant hub for hypernautics and specialized hyperdrive technology. The Hutt's expansive fortress complex featured a factory and was protected by a towering wall. Groodo masked his illicit activities with 'legitimate' businesses on Esseles, notably his prosperous factory complex that specialized in crafting custom hyperdrive engines. He later entrusted the factory's operation to his son Boonda, while retaining ownership, to concentrate on developing Groodo Starship Yards, a modular industrial satellite orbiting Esseles. A remarkable aspect of the starship yard was its colossal enclosed hangar. Orbital yards were practical due to their ability to facilitate the construction of massive starships in a zero-gravity environment. However, enclosed hangars limited maneuverability around ships during assembly, making secrecy their primary advantage. Groodo's hangar could conceal a 400-meter-long starship, and it eventually became the construction site for the doomed, life-sized replica of the famed Sun Runner.
Groodo orchestrated the Bartokk assault on Trinkatta Starships' manufacturing plant on Esseles in 33 BBY, having been commissioned by the Trade Federation to create a compact yet potent hyperdrive. Darth Maul thwarted Groodo's intentions to pilfer both the hyperdrive prototype and the 50 Vulture-class droid starfighters that it would power from Trinkatta. Instead of executing him, Maul allowed Groodo to live, perpetually consumed by fear.
By 23 BBY, Groodo finally succeeded in producing a counterfeit of the ancient transport, the Sun Runner, planning to use it to obliterate the Fondor Shipyards in the Tapani sector, aiming to bolster his own factory's business. The replica was intentionally aged to resemble a four-thousand-year-old vessel but was equipped with cutting-edge power source, navigational equipment, and armaments. Groodo's plot, executed in collaboration with Senator Rodd and Hurlo Holowan, to destroy both the shipyards and seize and demolish the Fondor Spaceport and its surface factories, was thwarted by the Jedi Bultar Swan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Mace Windu, and Kit Fisto.
Groodo sought assistance from his brother, Rigorra, the Balmorran warlord, to fabricate false evidence using all available resources and technology, framing his own son, the relatively innocent Boonda, as the mastermind behind the scheme to devastate Fondor's starship yards.
Shortly thereafter, Groodo found himself the target of both Jango Fett, the bounty hunter contracted by Darth Tyranus to capture the Hutt alive, and bounty hunters Cradossk and his son Bossk, who were simultaneously hired (to deliver his head) by Wat Tambor, Foreman of the Techno Union and a member of the Separatist Council. Ultimately, Fett succeeded in his mission at Rigorra's castle on Balmorra, handing Groodo over to Darth Tyranus alive. The Sith Lord, impressed by the concept of the Sun Runner scheme conceived by Groodo, Senator Rodd, and Holowan—and by their demonstrated ingenuity, ambition, talent, and discretion—sought to recruit them to his cause.
Groodo, an aged and "incredibly corpulent" Hutt, indulged in numerous luxuries, both in general and aboard his personal cruiser. However, like many Hutts, his aesthetic sensibilities were questionable. Groodo's cruiser featured wide decorative fins, large oval viewports, and a garish color palette of red, orange, and yellow. Groodo's opulent cabin was adorned with striped animal hides. Everything was designed for maximum visibility and to showcase Groodo's considerable wealth.
While Groodo enjoyed various pleasures, revenge was paramount. The Hutt anticipated being wronged, relishing the opportunity to inflict vengeance upon his adversaries.
Groodo's lavish compound on Esseles was guarded by a squadron of Razor Eaters, deadly assassin droids designed by Hurlo Holowan, whose razor-sharp teeth could penetrate almost anything. Jango Fett had to confront Groodo's Razor Eaters during his Darth Tyranus-commissioned search for the Hutt and his accomplices, Rodd and Holowan.
Groodo savored handfuls of wriggling mukkmaggots. Beyond being a favored delicacy, they helped to calm his nerves. Having been appointed a warlord of Balmorra by his brother, Groodo also indulged in Rigorra's collection of fermented beverages, to which Groodo was granted access.