Ratts Tyerell, an Aleena pilot of podracers, famously piloted a particularly large podracer during the podrace known as the Boonta Eve Classic, an event that occurred during the time of the Invasion of Naboo. Tyerell's ambition centered on defeating the current champion, the Dug named Sebulba. Tragically, during the course of the race, Tyerell entered the Laguna Caves, at which point his accelerator became stuck. The diminutive Aleena, unable to steer his vehicle, could do nothing but raise his arms and let out a scream just before he collided fatally with a stalactite. It was reported that his family publicly mourned his passing after the race. Deland, one of Tyerell's children, dedicated his life to revealing the dangers inherent in podracing, eventually establishing the Ratts Tyerell Foundation to honor his father's memory.
Ratts Tyerell, a small male Aleena hailing from the planet Aleen, chose to be a professional podracer pilot, offsetting his lack of physical size with a podracer that boasted exceptionally large engines. Accompanied by his family and supported by a team of Aleena mechanics, Tyerell traveled extensively. His chosen career path made him a figure of great renown on his homeworld, where he was sometimes regarded as Aleen's most celebrated individual. A small-scale toy replica of Tyerell's podracer was also produced at some point. Tyerell eventually made his way to Tatooine, a planet located in the Outer Rim, to compete in the Boonta Eve Classic, the planet's most prominent annual podrace.
Tyerell's primary objective in the Boonta Eve Classic was to defeat Sebulba, the current champion, a ruthless Dug known for his tendency to cheat. On the morning of the race, Tyerell's support crew loaded the components of his racer onto a group of Eopie, who then transported the vehicle to its assigned starting position at the Mos Espa Grand Arena. Tyerell's pod was situated on the front row of the grid, between the pods of Sebulba and Mawhonic. Fode and Beed presided over the opening ceremonies, introducing Tyerell and announcing the birth of his new child. Following the introductions, Fode and Beed yielded the stage to Jabba the Hutt, the race's host, who officially signaled the start of the competition, and Tyerell and the other racers took off.
Tyerell began the race well, but gradually fell back to the middle of the field. While navigating the Laguna Caves, Tyerell's accelerator malfunctioned, becoming stuck while his attention was diverted by another racer. With his controls unresponsive, Tyerell was unable to steer clear of the impending obstacles. Screaming in panic, he hurtled forward and collided head-on with a cluster of stalactites, resulting in an explosion that killed him instantly. Even if Tyerell had somehow survived the crash, he would have been unable to receive assistance from rescue teams, as the caves were known to be inhabited by dangerous krayt dragons. The race was eventually won by a human boy named Anakin Skywalker. Tyerell's family was seen in mourning after the race concluded.
Tyerell's passing was a deeply felt tragedy for the entire planet of Aleen, who had lost what was possibly their most well-known citizen. Deland Tyerell, Ratts' son, later established the Ratts Tyerell Foundation, an organization dedicated to exposing the dangerous and illegal aspects of podracing. As a result of the Foundation's advocacy, the sport was eventually banned in the Core Worlds, and viewership declined by more than half. While podracing did not completely disappear from the galaxy, the sport experienced a significant decline under the shadow of the Ratts Tyerell name.
Despite his small stature, Ratts Tyerell compensated with a large and powerful podracer. He possessed a flair for the dramatic, as evidenced by his expressive roar directed at the crowd when his name was announced by Fode and Beed. During the race, when Tyerell realized he was unable to avoid the obstacles ahead, he panicked and screamed before his fatal impact. Tyerell, being an Aleena, was the shortest of the Boonta Eve Classic contestants, measuring only .79 meters in height. He had black eyes and skin that was blue and white in color.
While Tyerell's small size may have reduced the weight of his podracer, it likely had little impact given the sheer size of his vehicle. Nevertheless, Tyerell performed well enough in races to achieve prominence on his homeworld and to be widely mourned after his death. He was also popular enough to have a small toy replica of his podracer produced, which was owned by one of his children. However, despite his focus, the Aleena was distracted in the moments leading up to his death, although his fate was sealed by the malfunction of his accelerator.
Tyerell piloted a massive podracer featuring a spacious cockpit and two enormous engines. Although the engines lacked extensive ornamentation, their front ends were painted bright blue with red trim. A similar color scheme was used for his cockpit. When racing, Tyerell wore goggles to protect his large eyes, in addition to other articles of clothing.
Ratts Tyerell was created for the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. During the film's pre-production phase, artist Terryl Whitlatch contributed significantly to the development of Tyerell's character, creating artwork that established his appearance, uniform, skeletal structure, and color palette. In his earliest documented form, dating back to July 16 1996, he was simply referred to as "Pod Racer - Long Head," and was later given the nickname "Amphibian." Sketches from May 27, 1997 finally included the name "Ratts Tyerell." Tyerell subsequently appeared in some Expanded Universe content, although his appearances were limited due to his death. Notably, the names of all three of his children were revealed in later sources, which expanded upon Tyerell's legacy after his death. However, all of these subsequent appearances are now considered part of the Star Wars Legends continuity, and are no longer considered part of the official canon.