Sebulba

Originating from Pixelito on the planet Malastare, Sebulba, a Dug, was born sometime before the Invasion of Naboo. Known for his cunning, cruelty, and tendency to bully, Sebulba eventually departed Malastare to establish himself as a professional podracer [pilot](/article/pilot]. He eventually made his way to the Outer Rim planet of Tatooine, where he quickly rose to prominence on the Mos Espa course, becoming the crowd favorite at the Boonta Eve Classic. Remaining on Tatooine, Sebulba frequented the streets of Mos Espa, often spending time in the local cantinas. He invested a significant portion of his winnings into his massive orange podracer, and also acquired two Twi'lek slaves to serve as personal masseuses. Sebulba also developed a rivalry with a young human boy named Anakin Skywalker, a slave owned by the Toydarian merchant Watto. Skywalker, despite his age, was a remarkably skilled pilot and the only human at the time to participate in podraces. During one particular race, Skywalker nearly overtook Sebulba. At this point, the Dug, while already a skilled pilot, made it clear that he was willing to resort to any means necessary to secure victory. Activating a flamethrower built into one of his engines, Sebulba blasted Skywalker's jets, causing him to crash.

As the next Boonta Eve Classic approached in Mos Espa, a starship from Naboo landed on Tatooine, requiring repairs. A group consisting of three individuals and a droid disembarked to locate the necessary parts. Upon arriving in Mos Espa, one of the individuals, a tall, lanky Gungan named Jar Jar Binks, attempted to take food from a vendor without paying. When the vendor demanded payment, Binks spat the food out, inadvertently launching it into a nearby outdoor cantina. As Binks tried to flee, Sebulba, who had been struck by the projectile, apprehended him. Sebulba began to choke Binks, preparing to assault the hapless Gungan, until Skywalker intervened, warning the Dug that Binks was an outsider with potentially dangerous friends. Sebulba threatened the Human before returning to his seat at the bar. Later, Qui-Gon Jinn, a [Jedi Master](/article/jedi_master] among the newcomers, paid the entry fee for Skywalker to compete in the upcoming race.

The following day, the Boonta participants gathered at the Mos Espa Grand Arena, with their vehicles parked within a large hangar. Skywalker's pod was positioned near Sebulba's pit, where the Dug flaunted his Twi'lek twin slaves, Ann and Tann Gella, while relaxing in an old trophy. In reality, Sebulba was using the massage as a pretext to protect his podracer from the race commissioners and other pilots who might sabotage it. Watto loudly announced his intention to bet heavily on Sebulba, claiming that the Dug had never lost a race. Jinn countered with a bet: if Skywalker won, Watto could keep all of the race earnings as compensation for the lost bet money, in exchange for Skywalker's freedom. Watto agreed, doubting Skywalker's chances and favoring Sebulba. After witnessing the exchange, Sebulba continued his preparations for the race. With the help of his mechanics, Sebulba moved his podracer to the starting grid, securing the second outside pole-position, with one pilot on the outside and the Aleena pilot Ratts Tyerell to his right. Skywalker's pod was placed almost directly behind Sebulba's and Tyerell's pods.

The Troig race commentators, Fode and Beed, began to introduce the race participants. Upon hearing his name, Sebulba jumped onto his cockpit to wave to the cheering crowd. After the crowd quieted down, Jabba the Hutt arrived in his personal viewing box. Before the race commenced, Sebulba decided to taunt Skywalker one last time. He sabotaged one of Skywalker's engines before confronting the Human at his cockpit. Sebulba vaguely hinted at the sabotage, prompting Skywalker to insult the Dug. Sebulba retorted with an insult of his own before returning to his podracer. Soon after, Jabba officially started the race, and the pilots surged onto the track. However, two were left behind: Ben Quadinaros, who was experiencing issues with his power couplings, and Skywalker, who was struggling to restart his pod.

As the race progressed, the pilots fought to secure their positions. During the initial stretch, Mawhonic, the Gran pilot who started on the inside pole position, found himself in a close battle with Sebulba. After a brief skirmish through mesas and rock formations, Sebulba ended Mawhonic's race by pinning him against a rock wall, resulting in the race's first collision. Meanwhile, Skywalker had managed to start his pod and was rapidly overtaking opponents. However, Sebulba maintained the lead throughout the first lap. As they entered the second lap, Sebulba was closely followed by Mars Guo, a skinny pilot with a podracer almost as large as Sebulba's.

Skywalker managed to reach the front of the pack and attempted to pass Sebulba. Sebulba retaliated with a similar attack, but the agile Human dodged the maneuver, causing one of his engine cables to break away from the pod. Sebulba sped away, with Guo trailing closely behind. Skywalker reattached his cable and, after addressing another engine problem, made his way back up the pack, eventually positioning himself behind Guo. Racing across the final stretch of desert before the arena, Sebulba made his move on Guo. Using a piece of debris he had acquired, Sebulba tossed it into Guo's left engine intake. The debris clogged the motors, causing the engine to combust. With Guo crashing into the desert, Skywalker advanced, going neck and neck with Sebulba as they crossed the grid line into the third lap.

Entering the third lap, Sebulba narrowly maintained his lead. With Skywalker close behind, and having exhausted his surprise tactics, Sebulba resorted to sheer brutality to either keep Skywalker behind him or incapacitate his pod. Approaching the Laguna Caves, where Tyerell had previously crashed, Sebulba rammed Skywalker off-course, forcing him onto a steep service ramp. Using his boosters, Skywalker accelerated up the ramp, launching himself into the air. Reacting quickly, the boy adjusted his pod and managed to level his nosedive as he returned to the ground. He not only avoided a catastrophic crash, but his jump positioned him directly in front of a surprised Sebulba. Skywalker maintained the lead until they reached a series of archways. Suddenly, Skywalker's left engine sputtered and emitted dense smoke. Sebulba's earlier sabotage was taking effect as Skywalker pushed his pod to its limits.

Sensing his opportunity, Sebulba surged ahead. However, the other competitors had closed the gap. Gasgano, the Xexto podracer, quickly took second place, following closely behind Sebulba. Skywalker resolved his engine issues and quickly regained ground, passing several podracers before tailing Gasgano. This time, Skywalker effortlessly passed Gasgano and flew parallel with Sebulba as they approached the final stretch. Enraged by the Human's persistence, Sebulba resumed his brutal assault on Skywalker's pod, only to have Skywalker's left engine latch onto cables on the Dug's cockpit. Locked together, Sebulba attempted to break free without success. Skywalker activated his thrusters, clearing Sebulba's pod. In the process, his engine severed Sebulba's cables, deactivating the energy binder and sending the orange podracer crashing into the ground. The Dug survived, cursing as Skywalker won the Boonta Eve Classic.

Sebulba either rebuilt his podracer or acquired a new one of the same model, and continued to race throughout the intergalactic conflict known as the Clone Wars. Some time after the start of the war, posters advertised a showdown between Sebulba and Ben Quadinaros, who were now considered major rivals. Anakin Skywalker, Sebulba's old nemesis, owned one of these posters. Sebulba also visited Nal Hutta during the Clone Wars, signing autographs on a Saturday morning.

By the end of the Galactic Empire, Sebulba had transitioned from podracing to battle-racing, piloting an ugly called the Widowmaker. Indebted to the Hutts, the Dug associated with dangerous individuals, including pirates who targeted the supply lines of the Rebel Alliance.

Shortly after the Alliance's victory at Endor in 4 ABY, Sebulba entered a battle-race near Neskar Station. As the race began, an Imperial Star Destroyer emerged from hyperspace. The commanding officer demanded surrender, but one of the contestants, "Rizzo Landian," revealed himself as Lando Calrissian, piloting the Millennium Falcon. Calrissian proposed that the racers join forces to drive off the Imperial ship. Sebulba reluctantly agreed, temporarily adopting the callsign Gold Four. With the Star Destroyer defeated, Calrissian revealed that he sought information from Sebulba regarding the anti-Alliance pirates. Initially, Sebulba refused, attempting to rally the other racers against Calrissian. However, when it became clear that he would face the Rebel hero alone, the Dug relented and agreed to talk.

Sebulba possessed an arrogant and aggressive nature. Many of his competitors in the Boonta Eve Classic, including Gasgano and Ratts Tyerell, harbored a personal desire to defeat him. Despite his small stature, he fearlessly challenged larger opponents, such as Jar Jar Binks, who was nearly twice his size. Although he had a rivalry with Anakin Skywalker, he initially dismissed the boy as a threat. His sabotage of Skywalker's podracer was motivated by spite. On the track, Sebulba was a skilled pilot, but he readily employed violent tactics and illegal weaponry to eliminate rivals. Sebulba stood at 1.12 meters tall, with yellow eyes. His skin was primarily purple, with lighter shades on his neck and body, and darker shades on his face, head, and limbs. The ridge on his head was red.

Sebulba's podracer was a large, orange vehicle with engines in a split-X configuration. He invested heavily in upgrading his podracer, adding secret weapons like a flamethrower in one of the engines. The heavily modified engines measured 7.47 meters in length, while the orange cockpit was 3.96 meters long. The vehicle was sturdy enough to withstand the punishment Sebulba inflicted when ramming opponents. During races, Sebulba wore padded armor with a helmet featuring goggles with large, round lenses to protect his eyes. His gear was gray.

Upon arriving on Tatooine, Sebulba quickly dominated Mos Espa, becoming the reigning podracing champion. Although he was not the course's sole victor prior to the Boonta Eve Classic, he was regarded as the reigning champion. Despite his skills, he often resorted to illegal weapons to eliminate competition. When weapons were not an option, he would simply crash into his adversaries. Sebulba was also physically strong, capable of subduing a fully grown Gungan, albeit a clumsy one.

Sebulba made his debut in the 1999 novelization of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, a tie-in for the film of the same name, for which he was specifically created. Terryl Whitlatch created the concept art for the character, with some pieces dating back to 1996. Based on the drawings, the Lucasfilm art department created a sculpture, and the character was rendered in the film as a computer-generated character, whose final appearance differed noticeably from the earlier art and sculpture. The most prominent difference was the absence of sharp, protruding teeth, a feature prominent in the art. The art department also created a puppet based on the maquette for use in an animatic of the podrace sequence in the film.

Lewis MacLeod provided Sebulba's voice in the film.