Mungo Baobab

Around 45 BBY, Mungo Baobab was born into the affluent Baobab family on Manda. The Baobab family enjoyed considerable respect across numerous sectors of the galaxy, largely due to their Baobab Merchant Fleet, recognized as one of the Galactic Republic's most dependable shipping entities, and the extensive collection housed at the Baobab Archives on Manda. Baobab's father oversaw the Merchant Fleet, and as the designated heir, young Baobab was expected to eventually take charge of the family enterprise. However, Baobab struggled to focus on business matters, instead indulging in his passion for travel and adventure. During a trip to Socorro, Baobab befriended a young Lando Calrissian. Calrissian gave Baobab the nickname "the Wook," alluding to his long, unruly beard, which Calrissian often urged him to groom. After initial resistance, Baobab relented and began maintaining a shorter beard.

The family elders grew increasingly concerned about Baobab's demeanor, especially considering the rise of the Galactic Empire and the aftermath of the Trade Federation's dissolution following the Clone Wars in 19 BBY. The Empire favored pro-Imperial shipping companies, making it difficult for the fiercely independent Baobabs to secure contracts. Consequently, their industry standing diminished. In 15 BBY, the Baobab elders sought to instill responsibility and diligence in Baobab by dispatching him to the planet Biitu to establish a trading post and fuel ore mining operation. While at the spaceport hotel on Manda, Baobab encountered the droids C-3PO and R2-D2, who had been employed there since their abandonment by former owner, Jann Tosh, en route to the Imperial Academy. Before his departure, Baobab purchased the two droids, assigning C-3PO as his personal assistant and translator.

Baobab soon departed for Biitu, arranging for Captain Cag to transport his new droids aboard the Argo Moon. While searching for a suitable mining location, he befriended the native Biituians and pledged to ensure they received a fair share of the mining profits. Baobab eventually located a substantial fuel ore deposit near ancient ruins in a crater close to the Biituian settlement. However, upon returning to town with a sample for analysis, an Imperial vessel descended, triggering a massive storm that uprooted trees and drained the nearby river. As the terrified natives scattered, Baobab attempted to guide the Biituian child Fidge Tadrazan and his pet Chubb to safety aboard his ship, but he was struck by falling debris and lost consciousness.

Imperial forces, under the command of the colossal Abominor droid known as the Great Heep, quickly subdued the colony. The Heep constructed the "moisture eater," a tower that extracted all moisture from the atmosphere, causing a drought that threatened the natives, and established a droid-operated mining operation to extract fuel ore for the Empire. Baobab was captured and imprisoned. After the Heep's forces boarded the Argo Moon, C-3PO and R2-D2 were also captured and brought to Biitu. R2-D2 was sent to the Heep's droid harem, where the Abominor stored astromech droids before draining their power to recharge himself, while the Heep brought C-3PO to see Baobab. Baobab was relieved to see the droid but concerned about Captain Cag's crew, whose fate remained unknown. Their reunion was brief, as C-3PO was taken to work in the mine, lubricating the other droids to maintain their functionality in the arid conditions.

C-3PO later returned to check on Baobab, who informed the droid about a former spring in the mine and instructed him to search for water. Upon his return, the droid was accompanied by Tadrazan and Chubb, who had infiltrated the mine in search of water—the group was pursued by a security droid. Tadrazan and Chubb sought refuge in a nearby pipe leading to the tunnels below, but Baobab, thinking quickly, sprayed C-3PO's lubricant in the droid's path, causing it to lose traction and roll back into the mine. With the immediate threat neutralized, C-3PO provided Baobab with a canteen of water before inspecting the pipe for Tadrazan. Unable to locate the young Biituian, Baobab concluded that the tunnels must offer an escape route and instructed the droid to search the pipe system for Tadrazan and a means of escaping the Imperial base.

Before the droid's return, Baobab was visited by the Great Heep and Admiral Terrinald Screed of the Galactic Empire, who had recently arrived to collect the first fuel ore shipment. Screed taunted the captive Baobab and announced his impending transfer to the Emperor aboard the admiral's ship. However, that night, C-3PO returned with Tadrazan, who brought Baobab a saw to escape his cell. Tadrazan also revealed that the network of pipes under the mine led back to the village, but Baobab realized they needed a ship to stop the Empire. He planned to steal Screed's ship, requiring R2-D2's assistance to pilot it. While Baobab began sawing through his cell bars, C-3PO, Tadrazan, and Chubb set out to rescue the astromech droid from the droid harem.

By the following morning, Baobab had successfully weakened one of the bars in his cell. Before he could escape, Screed arrived with two stormtroopers and an interrogation droid, Ow-Chee-2, to administer an injection that would induce hibernation for the journey. Only Tadrazan's arrival saved Baobab, as the Biituian began throwing rocks at the Imperials, creating enough of a distraction for Baobab to kick out the weakened bar and escape. The two fled into the nearby pipe, sealing the entrance as the Imperials opened fire. Upon learning that C-3PO had been captured during the attempted rescue of R2-D2, Baobab set out to find the droids. Tadrazan, meanwhile, returned to the harem to rescue another astromech in case Baobab was unsuccessful. Baobab planned to enter the Imperial base through a garbage chute, but his search ended quickly when the two droids fell from the chute into the dumpster below, having escaped on their own.

Finally reunited, the group could attempt to infiltrate Screed's vessel. With the Imperials searching for Baobab, he used droid parts from the garbage to disguise himself as a droid. He and C-3PO then loaded R2-D2 into a crate and carried him toward Screed's waiting vessel. His disguise allowed Baobab to appear as just another droid involved in the fuel ore loading operation, attracting little attention from the Imperial guards. Having successfully reached the ship, Baobab instructed R2-D2 to patch into its computer and attempt to activate its engines and turbolasers. Baobab planned to either use the ship's weapons to destroy the moisture eater or to leave the planet and seek help against the Imperials. However, R2-D2 inadvertently triggered an alarm, alerting Screed to their presence.

Baobab encountered Screed and his guards at the ship's landing ramp and, still in disguise, attempted to stall them by complaining about the dry conditions. However, when his droid hand fell off, revealing the Human hand beneath, the guards moved to attack him. At that moment, R2-D2 succeeded in starting the ship's engines, and Baobab, along with C-3PO and the Imperials, was thrown clear as the landing ramp retracted for takeoff. The Imperial forces attempted to shoot down the stolen vessel, but the situation quickly devolved into chaos when Tadrazan and Chubb arrived with dozens of astromechs from the harem, who began to attack the stormtroopers. The commotion drew the Great Heep's attention, who attempted to regain control. The Heep managed to hit the stolen cargo ship, but R2-D2 set it on a collision course with the moisture eater, evacuating the ship moments before it destroyed the tower.

The moisture eater's destruction released the captured moisture in a violent storm. The enraged Heep turned his attention on Baobab, C-3PO, Tadrazan, and Chubb. As the group fled, Tadrazan fell, and Baobab turned back to rescue him, reaching the boy just as the Heep raised his massive fist to crush him. However, the storm tore off the droid's arm, causing it to land harmlessly nearby. Moments later, the torrential rain extinguished the Heep's furnace, deactivating the droid.

With the Heep destroyed, the natives rounded up the remaining Imperial troops, including the humiliated Screed, who swore revenge on Baobab, and enlisted their help in restoring their destroyed crops. Soon after, Baobab received a signal from Captain Cag on the Argo Moon; with the Imperial forces gone, the supply ship was able to land, allowing Baobab to resume work on establishing the trading post. He eventually returned to Manda, taking C-3PO and R2-D2 with him, though Palpatine's forces continued searching for him for some time. Baobab's relative, Ebenn Q3 Baobab, later oversaw the retrieval and restoration of the Great Heep, which was placed on permanent display in the Baobab Museum of Science.

Despite Baobab's success on Biitu, the Baobab Merchant Fleet still faced financial ruin. Baobab hoped to definitively save the family business by establishing a secure trade route between Manda and the Roon system, the source of the valuable Roonstones, crystalline gems capable of storing vast amounts of data. The only known route to the system at the time was the Death Wind Corridor, a largely uncharted route primarily used by smugglers. Baobab was not the first in his family to pursue the Roonstones; the quest had been a passion of his father, uncle, and grandfather before him. However, Roon was an isolated world, and the available information about the Roon system had been inaccurate and incomplete for centuries. While the Baobab Archives contained the most accurate recorded information on the system, it lacked sufficient detail to pinpoint its location.

Baobab's search eventually led him to a cantina on Manda, where he met with Krox, an acquaintance who claimed to possess a map to the Roon system. Krox informed Baobab that Emperor Palpatine also sought the Roonstones and that stormtroopers were searching for Krox. They quickly concluded their deal, with Krox handing Baobab a datacard containing the map before departing as three stormtroopers entered the cantina. Baobab was less fortunate, as the stormtroopers approached him and C-3PO to take them into custody. Only R2-D2's quick thinking allowed the group to escape, as the droid manipulated the cantina's jukebox to emit a high-pitched noise that disrupted the stormtroopers' audio amplifiers. Baobab and the droids fled the cantina and escaped in his landspeeder as the stormtroopers opened fire.

After evading the Imperials, Baobab returned to the Baobab Archives with the map. When he inserted the datacard into R2-D2, the droid projected a holographic map, which C-3PO translated to reveal that the Roon system was located within the dust cloud known as the Cloak of the Sith. Despite the navigational challenges posed by the Cloak of Sith, Baobab realized that the rainbow comets, soon due to pass by Manda, must travel through the Roon system—following the comets would lead him through the dust cloud to Roon.

Baobab presented his findings to the Baobab Merchant Council on Manda, but they rejected his plan and instead assigned him a mission to a nondescript world called Hrill. Baobab disregarded the council's order and, with the droids, set off aboard his ship, the Caravel. He successfully picked up the trail of the rainbow comets as they passed by Manda. Following the comets, the Caravel entered the asteroid field on the outskirts of the Cloak of the Sith. Despite R2-D2's efforts to navigate the field, an asteroid struck the ship, damaging its stabilizers and causing it to drift towards a radioactive cloud. While the droid repaired the stabilizers, Baobab fired the aft thrusters into the cloud, allowing them to blast through it unharmed. Once the damage was repaired, the group resumed their pursuit of the comets.

The Caravel's sensors eventually detected a planetary system within the dust cloud. However, as the ship entered the Roon system, it was ensnared by a tractor beam and pulled aboard the new Umboo Lightstation. Baobab and the droids disembarked and were greeted by Governor Bisad Koong, the lightstation's proprietor. Koong, expecting emissaries from the Empire, mistook Baobab's group for Imperials and welcomed them aboard his facility. When Baobab attempted to clarify that they did not represent the Empire, Koong's guards approached, and the merchant decided it would be safer to play along with Koong's assumption.

Koong led the group on a tour of the station, attempting to impress them with his scheme to lure unsuspecting ships and steal their cargo. However, their tour was interrupted by the arrival of a Lambda-class T-4a shuttle carrying Admiral Screed and his stormtrooper guards. Baobab and the droids used the distraction to slip away, but when Koong realized his error, the stormtroopers and Koong's aide, Gaff, pursued the group. The group fled through the maze of crates in the hangar but eventually became separated. Baobab reached a dead end, where he was confronted by Gaff. The Kobok leaped through the air, catching Baobab off guard and knocking him unconscious. Gaff took his prisoner to Koong and Screed, who imprisoned him in a force cage with several mupples.

Baobab awoke to find the creatures crawling all over him. Disoriented, he attempted to swat them away, but the prisoner in the adjacent cell calmed the creatures by whistling. The other prisoner introduced himself as Noop Yeldarb, the operator of the original Umboo lightstation before Koong's takeover. They were interrupted by C-3PO's cries; he and R2-D2 had been captured, and C-3PO was about to be reprogrammed. Powerless to help, Baobab watched as R2-D2 generated a smoke cloud, allowing him to cut free of his restraints. As the droid approached the Human prisoners, Gaff fired, missing the droid but disabling the force fields holding the prisoners. The two Humans fled with R2-D2, prompting Gaff to pursue them with Screed's stormtroopers, but he soon returned to free C-3PO. As the stormtroopers gave chase again, their blaster fire caused several crates of highly explosive Nergon-14 to fall, hitting and destroying the lightstation's engines. As the lightstation began to drift towards the nearby asteroid field, Koong ordered an evacuation before fleeing aboard the Caravel with Gaff, Screed, and the stormtroopers. Reaching the hangar to find his ship gone, Baobab took Koong's cloudcraft, escaping the station with Yeldarb and the droids before it collided with a large asteroid. He returned Yeldarb to the Umboo Lightstation before proceeding to Roon.

After reaching the planet, Baobab began prospecting for Roonstones when his vessel was spotted by a pair of Koong's drone fighters. The drone fighters pursued and damaged Baobab's ship, causing it to crash-land. After escaping the wreckage, Baobab and the droids were attacked by a group of mudmen, attracted by the shiny droids. They were rescued by doctor Nilz Yomm and his daughter, Auren, who used R2-D2's hose to soak the creatures, driving them away. The pair explained they were headed to the Roon Colonial Games and offered Baobab's group a ride, where they could find someone to repair the ship.

During their conversation, Gaff tracked them down. Seeing them near a hibernating shamunaar, he fired at the creature, waking it and causing it to attack. The group fled as the shamunaar rose from the ground, with Baobab and the droids taking shelter in nearby caves. However, they found themselves trapped as the creature relentlessly pursued them. Auren Yomm mounted her rockhopper and charged at the beast, distracting it long enough for Baobab to escape but being knocked off in the process. Baobab quickly mounted the rockhopper and rode in to retrieve Yomm while the droids created a diversion. When the shamunaar turned towards the droids, Nilz Yomm retrieved them in his landspeeder, and the group escaped, leaving the shamunaar to return to its slumber. Auren was impressed by Baobab's rockhopper skills and invited him to join her team for the drainsweeper event at the Roon Colonial Games, representing Umboo province. Umboo was the only province of Roon to resist Koong's rule and the only real competition for Koong's Tawntoom province at the Roon Colonial Games—Auren, along with Gee Long and the droid BIX, had won the drainsweeper in the annual competition for the past three years. Excited by the prospect of competing against Koong's team, Baobab accepted.

Upon their arrival at the Roon Colonial Games, the Yomms extended an invitation to Baobab for refreshments. However, Baobab, eager to have his ship repaired, declined the offer. Instead, he commenced a search for a repair team, accompanied by C-3PO. Their search was soon interrupted by R2-D2, who delivered a warning: Koong's agents, aiming to undermine Umboo's confidence, were attempting to sabotage the Umboo team, having already successfully immobilized Long and Bix. Regrettably, the warning arrived too late. Even as Baobab listened to the droid's alarming news, he was ambushed by Gaff. Gaff, using his arm spines, slashed Baobab's back, injecting a potent poison that caused him to lose consciousness. Subsequently, the droids transported Baobab back to Nilz Yomm, who managed to revive him. However, Long and Bix were declared unable to race. Given that a team of three was mandatory for the drainsweeper event, Umboo faced disqualification from the Colonial Games' decisive competition, effectively handing victory to Tawntoom, unless a replacement rider could be found. Driven by desperation, Baobab and Auren Yomm made the unconventional choice of selecting C-3PO to complete their team.

The drainsweeper race itself consisted of a three-lap relay on rockhoppers. Each of the competing teams, four in total, fielded three riders. Each rider was obligated to pass both the baton and the rockhopper to their teammate after completing their designated lap. Baobab and Yomm strategically decided to place C-3PO on the first lap, with Baobab instructing the droid to merely keep them in contention, confident that he and Yomm could compensate for any lost ground. During the initial lap, the Galaxeed rider was dismounted from his rockhopper by the Tawntoom rider, reducing the number of teams in the race to three. C-3PO, against the odds, managed to remain on his rockhopper and completed the lap in third position. Baobab then took control of the rockhopper and commenced his lap. He swiftly closed the gap on the rider in second place, who attempted to knock Baobab off his rockhopper. Baobab successfully countered the attack, causing the other rider to fall, leaving only Umboo and Tawntoom in contention for the lead. Baobab continued to gain ground on the Tawntoom rider, but Umboo remained in second place when he handed off to Yomm at the end of the lap. Leveraging her experience, Yomm managed to catch up to the Tawntoom rider, Bun-Dingo, who lost his balance and fell from his rockhopper while attempting to unseat Yomm. Gaff's efforts to distract her were thwarted by R2-D2, and Yomm completed the race, securing victory in both the drainsweeper and the Colonial Games for Umboo. Following the race, Baobab and his teammates were awarded their medals. Yomm assured him that their victory would make it easier for him to find a repair crew for his ship. However, Baobab remained determined to stay and continue his search for Roonstones, and Yomm offered her assistance.

A mutual attraction began to develop between Baobab and Auren Yomm, but Baobab's relentless pursuit of Roonstones prevented him from acting on his feelings. After his search proved fruitless, Baobab decided it was time to leave Roon and return to Manda. With the assistance of the droids, Baobab completed the final repairs to Koong's ship at the Yomm family's residence in Umboo. Once the repairs were finished, the group prepared for departure. Baobab was disappointed that he would not be able to bid farewell to Auren, who had gone on an errand with her father. However, the Yomms returned before they could leave, and Auren presented Baobab with a Roonstone as a parting gift. She explained that it had come from "Old Ogger," an elderly prospector who lived near the Bantha Graveyard, prompting Baobab to decide to visit him and learn what the old man knew.

Baobab and Auren Yomm, accompanied by the two droids, journeyed to the Bantha Graveyard and soon discovered the crashed agricultural freighter where Old Ogger resided. Inside, they found the frail old prospector, who recognized the colors of the Baobab Merchant Fleet on Mungo's clothing. He revealed himself to be Oggem Baobab, Mungo's great-uncle, who had been missing since he left Manda to search for Roonstones sixty years earlier. Oggem recounted how his ship had reached Roon before crashing, leaving him stranded on the planet. During his time there, he had amassed six bags full of Roonstones and had come close to discovering their source before succumbing to old age. Oggem bequeathed Mungo his kit bag, along with the Roonstones he had collected, and entrusted his great-nephew with continuing his quest, while cautioning him to prioritize family and friends over treasure. With those final words, Oggem Baobab died.

After leaving the ship, Baobab examined the kit bag that Oggem had left him. Inside, he found a memling, a complex element with mutable properties, a seed launcher, and a small pyramid covered in writing. Baobab gave the pyramid to C-3PO, who determined that each side was inscribed in a different language. The droid could only decipher one side of the pyramid, but he was able to translate a cryptic clue to the source of the Roonstones: "In fire and ice the white stones glow, frozen forever, yet warmed from below." Perplexed by its meaning, but determined to continue his quest and etch himself and Oggem into history, Baobab set off for the nearby port town of Nime to acquire supplies and equipment.

Upon arriving in Nime, Baobab took his party to a cantina, intending to find a buyer for his Roonstones to finance his expedition. He was on the verge of securing a deal with a Lutki when Gaff entered the cantina with a squad of Koong's troops. Under the pretense of recruiting for the Koong Navy, Gaff approached Baobab's group and ordered them to quietly proceed to the exit. However, Baobab retaliated by throwing his soup into the Kobok's eyes, causing him to stumble back into his troops and allowing the group to make a run for the exit. Unfortunately, Gaff recovered in time to block their escape. Using the seed launcher left to him by his great-uncle, Baobab fired a pellet into the wall behind him, causing a vine to sprout and ensnare Gaff, holding him in place. The group managed to make it outside, only to be confronted by Koong and more troops. Baobab instructed the others to flee and began firing the seed launcher at the waiting troops. However, Gaff managed to free himself and captured Yomm and C-3PO. Baobab was forced to drop his weapon and surrender, though R2-D2 managed to evade capture.

Baobab, Yomm, and C-3PO were taken aboard Koong's ship, the Roon Clipper, and forced to row alongside several other slaves. Koong intended to sail across the Roon Sea to Koong Island, where Admiral Screed would meet them and transport the prisoners back to Tawntoom for interrogation. However, R2-D2 managed to sneak aboard the ship and, under the cover of darkness, severed the chains holding the group captive. Baobab instructed the droid to free the slaves while he retrieved the bags of Roonstones that Koong had stolen during the encounter in Nime. As he emerged onto the deck, he collided with Gaff, knocking the Kobok off his feet and causing his blaster to discharge, igniting one of the ship's sails. Taking the Roonstones with him, Baobab joined up with the others, along with the droid Lin-D, and they escaped in one of the ship's lifeboats.

However, their escape was short-lived, as Koong dispatched two drone fighters to locate them. The drone fighters opened fire, destroying both the motor and the sail on the lifeboat before Baobab could use its blaster cannon to shoot them down. The Roon Clipper soon caught up to them, but both ships began to drift towards a whirlpool caused by an approaching storm. Baobab hastily used the memling his great-uncle had given him to improvise a sail in the hope of steering around the whirlpool, but the lifeboat was too heavy. Baobab was faced with a difficult decision: dump the Roonstones overboard or risk the lives of his friends. After Baobab threw the Roonstones into the water, the lifeboat was able to pull away. Koong, meanwhile, was forced to reverse course and abandon his pursuit.

Despite the loss of the Roonstones, Baobab remained undeterred. He still possessed the pyramid and believed that it held the key to locating their source. However, C-3PO was unable to make any further progress in translating the markings, and the rainbow comets were soon scheduled to depart Roon for Manda. Baobab knew that if he missed their departure, he would be stranded on Roon for another year. To gain a better view of the comets, Auren and Nilz Yomm led Baobab and the droids to the Pinnacles of Felth, which towered above the valley where the Yomms resided. Baobab soon spotted the comets with his macrobinoculars and confirmed that he needed to depart within days.

As the group made their way back to the Yomm residence, they witnessed one of Koong's ships approaching and spraying a gas over the valley below. R2-D2 detected the presence of the rooze germ in the gas cloud, and C-3PO warned the group that they should remain on high ground until the cloud dissipated. Auren expressed concern for her mother, Bola, who had stayed behind at their home, but Nilz agreed that it was too dangerous to descend, and the group was forced to wait. By the time they were able to reach her, Bola was already suffering from the effects of the nerve agent. Before Nilz could attempt to help his wife, Gaff arrived with a pair of stormtroopers. Governor Koong had contracted the rooze disease after a leak of the germ and required Nilz Yomm's services to find a cure. Auren grabbed a shovel and moved to attack the Kobok, and Baobab leaped to her defense, pouncing on the stormtroopers and knocking them to the floor. Gaff, however, used his arm spines against Auren, rendering her unconscious. Baobab picked up the shovel and charged towards Gaff himself, but the Kobok drew his blaster, firing a warning shot that caused Baobab to abandon his attack. Gaff ordered Nilz Yomm to be taken into custody, along with his daughter, to serve as insurance against possible retaliation from Baobab. However, before they departed, Baobab managed to tear his great-uncle's memling in half and conceal one half on Auren's person. Baobab knew that the two halves of the memling would attract each other, allowing him to track Auren's location. Even so, he had only three days to rescue the Yomms and find a cure, or Bola would die.

Setting off in Koong's ship, Baobab and the droids tracked the memling to the Fortress of Tawntoom, Koong's citadel located atop a volcano in an otherwise frozen wasteland. To avoid alerting Koong's forces to their presence, Baobab had R2-D2 scan for entrances other than the main crater. The droid soon located a small crack leading to a tunnel with high volcanic activity, and Baobab flew the ship into the opening, navigating through the lava-filled caves until it was struck by a sudden flare in the lava. Baobab managed to fly back outside, through the other end of the tunnel, before losing control and crashing into the snow. Baobab and the droids survived the crash and resumed their search. The memling soon led them to a cave containing what appeared to be a large mirror—unbeknownst to the group, it was one of several molecular disruptors used by Koong as traps for intruders. C-3PO noticed that the writing on the pyramid was readable in the reflective surface, revealing that the Roonstone treasure was "buried above Tawntoom's fire." Baobab realized that the Roonstones must be buried within the walls of the volcano itself. Before leaving the cave, an eruption caused R2-D2 to fall against the molecular disruptor, instantly shrinking the droid to a fraction of his normal size. Unable to wait for the condition to wear off, Baobab and C-3PO took the miniature droid with them and resumed their search for the Yomms.

Upon reaching the Fortress of Tawntoom, Baobab spotted their means of returning to Manda: the Caravel sat on the citadel's landing platform. First, however, they needed to sneak past the base's guards and rescue the Yomms. Seeing a pair of approaching merchants, Baobab used his seed launcher to entangle them in vines before he and C-3PO donned their robes and took their delivery of mupple pies. Disguised in the merchants' clothing, Baobab distracted the guards with the mupple pies while R2-D2, still under the effects of the molecular disruptor, entered the building through a nearby air vent and assisted the Yomms in escaping. When the guards spotted the prisoners emerging from the building, Baobab charged them, knocking them to the floor, where Nilz Yomm incapacitated them with a spray of his newly developed cure for the rooze disease.

The group headed to the landing pad, hoping to escape aboard the Caravel. However, they arrived just as Screed, having grown impatient with Koong, was preparing to depart. Upon seeing Baobab's group, the admiral dispatched his stormtroopers to prevent their escape. Taking some of the serum, Baobab instructed the Yomms to prepare the ship while he and the droids approached one of the large turbolasers guarding the landing platform. Baobab had the droids take control of the turbolaser and, knowing that the Imperials would not fire while he possessed the only means of curing Koong, presented his terms: in exchange for safe passage from Roon and freedom for Umboo, he would provide Koong and Screed with the serum and reveal the source of the Roonstones. The droids fired at the walls of the volcano, revealing the Roonstones below, but Koong never had the chance to accept Mungo's offer. The double-crossing Admiral Screed placed the fortress under Imperial authority and claimed the Roonstones for the Empire. The furious governor hijacked the turbolaser and fired on the cache of crystals, sending the Roonstones plummeting into the lava below rather than see them fall into Screed's hands.

However, the destruction of the Roonstones caused the lava to freeze, depriving the fortress of its only source of heat and leaving it vulnerable to the harsh climate. The Imperials fled in Screed's shuttle, while Baobab and the droids headed for the Caravel. Gaff attempted to prevent their escape, but R2-D2 charged into the Kobok, and as Gaff attempted to fight the droid, he accidentally injected himself with his own stingers and passed out. As Baobab boarded the ship, he paused to throw the serum to Koong, but it was too late to save the governor, who died moments after the Caravel launched. Auren offered her condolences on the loss of the Roonstone treasure as they flew away from the volcano. Baobab, however, informed her that he had found far more than treasure, and the two shared a kiss. The young couple had little time to spend together, however. After returning to the Yomm residence, where Nilz used the serum to cure his wife, Baobab followed the rainbow comets back to Manda to inform his father that he was safe. He left the droids behind to help the people of Umboo recover from the recent attack and promised to return soon.

Even though Koong was defeated, the Baobab Merchant Fleet's financial situation was not improved by the loss of the only known source of Roonstones. Baobab was in dire need of locating another source of Roonstones, so he approached his old friend Lando Calrissian to secure funding for another expedition. Calrissian agreed, and Baobab soon returned to Roon. Reunited with Auren and his droids, Baobab had the opportunity to study the single Roonstone that had survived his previous adventures. He noticed some etchings on the surface of the crystal, which C-3PO identified as writing. The droid translated the markings and discovered that the earliest known text of Dha Werda Verda, an epic poem chronicling the conquest of the Zhell by the Taung in an ancient battle on Coruscant, was encoded within the crystal. Baobab dispatched the droids back to the Baobab Archives on Manda to attempt to further translate the data contained within the crystal. However, C-3PO's pomposity and R2-D2's attitude made them unpopular with the researchers, who "mistakenly" sold them to Krellus Barzane, an Arkanian trafficker in used technology. The droids were eventually sold to Senator Wena Havid of Kalarba. Nevertheless, the evidence that Baobab had uncovered suggested that the Roonstones had originated from some ancient source and earned him a place in numerous history texts.

Over the following years, Baobab spent much of his time in the Roon system and continued his relationship with Auren Yomm. His search for another source of Roonstones in the system ultimately proved successful, and he established an operation on Quilken in the Roon system to process and export shipments of the crystals to Sim'char'ser and other worlds throughout the Outer Rim Territories. He also established a laboratory where his staff could study the Roonstones. The Quilken facility included a resort and the Club Baobab casino for visitors to the system, although Baobab was usually too busy to take advantage of the facilities himself. His shipments to other systems benefited greatly from Baobab formally establishing a three-point trade route between Roon, Manda, and Ryloth, the nearby Twi'lek homeworld. The Manda-Roon Merchant Route used automated lightstations throughout the Cloak of the Sith to guide the way from Manda to Roon, eliminating the need to wait for the Rainbow comets to pass through the system. Although the Manda-Roon Merchant Route was still considered a challenge, it was reliable and preferred by most pilots to the Death Wind Corridor.

Baobab eventually assumed ownership of the Baobab Merchant Fleet, and the business thrived. Yomm, meanwhile, became involved in a growing resistance to Imperial rule, working with groups aligned with the Alliance to Restore the Republic, including training the Caldera's Crest guerrilla fighters on New Bornalex. However, she remained devoted to Baobab, and the two eventually married.

In 1 ABY, Lando Calrissian became the owner and Baron Administrator of Cloud City, a mining colony in orbit of Bespin, after winning it from the previous owner, Dominic Raynor, in a game of sabacc. Soon after, Raynor dispatched the bounty hunter Thune to assassinate Calrissian and his cyborg chief administrative aide, Lobot. The pair fled Cloud City aboard Calrissian's ship, the Cobra, but were pursued by Thune, who had planted a tracking device on the ship. Realizing that they were near the Roon system, Calrissian decided to head to Quilken and seek Baobab's assistance in dealing with the bounty hunter.

Upon arriving on Quilken, Calrissian met with Baobab and his wife in a bar at the casino, where the gambler explained the situation. Baobab agreed to help his old friend. They planned to lure Thune to them and use Baobab's security personnel to capture her. Lobot, who had remained near where the Cobra had landed to watch for Thune's arrival, soon informed them that the bounty hunter had reached the planet and was examining their ship. Calrissian had been aware of the tracking device and had deliberately left the Cobra's communication logs untouched to lead the bounty hunter to the cantina where he would be waiting with Baobab.

By the time Thune arrived two hours later, Baobab and Calrissian were engaged in a mock game of sabacc in the casino's sabacc room, while Baobab's security personnel had replaced the room's staff, and Lobot had positioned himself at the bar, disguised as a drunk Zeltron. The bounty hunter appeared to take the bait and approached the table, her blaster pointed directly at Calrissian. Seeing an opportunity, one of Baobab's security personnel attempted to draw her own blaster, but Thune reacted swiftly and shot her dead before seizing both Calrissian and the inebriated Zeltron as hostages. A second member of security attempted to intervene, but again, the bounty hunter was too quick, and he too was killed. Enraged by the deaths of his staff, Baobab warned Thune to surrender, asserting that his security would never allow her to escape Quilken. With Thune's attention momentarily diverted to Baobab, Lobot was able to quickly overpower and disarm her. Baobab then summoned more security to take her into custody and attend to his fallen staff.

Baobab allowed Calrissian to use his resources to gather information on Thune, while his staff assisted Lobot in searching the Cobra for the hidden tracking device. Although Thune had been captured, the threat to Calrissian's life persisted as long as Raynor remained at large. However, Baobab and Calrissian were able to devise a plan to eliminate the threat. They visited the prisoner and injected her with kessum, a type of Roonstone that was too brittle to be valuable but which reflected electrical signals off surrounding objects and could be used as a tracking device. They explained that if Thune were to target either of them, the other would be alerted and would arrange for some mutual acquaintances—former interrogators for Bwahl the Hutt—to pursue her. Furthermore, they offered 20,000 credits, one-tenth of the bounty on Calrissian, for her to capture Raynor instead. Seeing no alternative and hoping to minimize her losses from the failed hunt for Calrissian, Thune agreed. Calrissian returned to Cloud City soon after, leaving Baobab to attend to his business once more.

As a young man, Baobab was considered ambitious and reckless. His love of travel and adventure, coupled with a lack of focus in life, caused concern among the family elders regarding his suitability to eventually take over the Baobab Merchant Fleet. It was in the hope of instilling a work ethic in him that the family sent Baobab to Biitu. Baobab matured over time, becoming a respectable businessman, although he was less jovial than in his youth. By the time of the Galactic Civil War, he was in charge of the Baobab Merchant Fleet and running a thriving business.

Baobab had a tendency to become extremely single-minded, focusing intensely on whatever task he dedicated himself to. This was most evident in his youth, when his pursuit of the source of the Roonstones became an all-consuming obsession. He remained devoted to gem-finding throughout his life, dedicating much of his attention to managing his exporting business on Quilken and spending little time relaxing in his resort, despite his wife's encouragement to relax and enjoy all that he had. His lack of interest in the facilities available extended to his own casino—he rarely frequented it himself, and Lando Calrissian considered him to be a poor sabacc player. Despite his commitment to his work, Baobab recognized that there were higher priorities. Heeding the advice of his great-uncle Oggem, Baobab sacrificed a fortune in Roonstones on more than one occasion during his early days on Roon to ensure the safety of his friends. C-3PO noted that this was one of several changes in him after he first met Auren Yomm. Baobab cared deeply for his droids and considered C-3PO and R2-D2 to be among his closest friends.

When Baobab was younger, he had a long, messy beard, resulting in the moniker "the Wook." Despite eventually taking Calrissian's suggestion to style his beard, the nickname stuck with Baobab even as he aged. Possessing a broad build and handsome features, Baobab often kept his tail tied into his dark hair. He captured the interest of Auren Yomm soon after their initial meeting, who was only fifteen and half his age at the time. Their relationship progressed slowly; initially, Baobab questioned her feelings and was concerned by her apparent lack of distress at his departure from Roon. However, they eventually married, and Yomm showed unwavering devotion to her husband. Yomm admired his groomed beard, and after meeting her, Baobab made an effort to maintain a neat appearance. Even as his beard began to gray, Calrissian believed he retained a youthful spark in his eyes.

Furthermore, Baobab was known as an ethical businessman. While on Biitu, he was committed to securing a fuel ore export agreement that would be mutually beneficial and equitable for both the Baobab Merchant Fleet and the Biituians. After Calrissian provided funds for Baobab's Roonstone search, Baobab felt deeply indebted, an obligation he finally repaid by rescuing Calrissian from the bounty hunter Thune.

As a skilled pilot, Baobab successfully navigated the Caravel through the dangerous Cloak of the Sith. He also demonstrated proficiency in rockhopper riding, which proved crucial to Umboo's triumph at the Roon Colonial Games. During his stay on Biitu, he started learning the local language, though he never achieved fluency.

The character Mungo Baobab was conceived to serve as the master of C-3PO and R2-D2 in the final story arc of the animated series Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO. His debut occurred in "Tail of the Roon Comets", penned by Ben Burtt and initially aired on September 11, 1985. "Tail of the Roon Comets" initiated a four-part narrative that continued through "The Roon Games," "Across the Roon Sea" and "The Frozen Citadel." These four episodes were later compiled into the full-length movie Treasure of the Hidden Planet. The character also made an appearance in the 1986 TV special The Great Heep, also written by Burtt and set before the events of the series. In all his appearances in Star Wars: Droids the character was voiced by Winston Rekert. Treasure of the Hidden Planet featured a brief prologue in which the character was voiced by Alex Lindsay. Baobab's most recent appearance was in the 2008 Hyperspace exclusive short story Lando Calrissian: Idiot's Array by Rich Handley.

Star Wars: Droids presented two members of the Baobab lineage, Mungo and Oggem, but Burtt further developed the family, appearing as one of Mungo's relatives, Ebenn Q3 Baobab, in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, and elaborating on that character in Galactic Phrase Book & Travel Guide. The Baobab Merchant Fleet, along with Baobab's personal involvement, received additional expansion in various sources, most notably the 2004 Wizards of the Coast sourcebook Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds. His name was misspelled "Baobob" in the second edition of A Guide to the Star Wars Universe.

The plan was for a Mungo Baobab action figure to be launched as part of the second series of Kenner's Star Wars: Droids toy line. However, the line was discontinued before the second wave reached production, resulting in only about a dozen Baobab figure prototypes ever being created. Baobab, along with fellow Droids characters Thall Joben and Jord Dusat, were included in the background of the official artwork for Celebration Anaheim in 2015, with illustration by Jeffery Carlisle.