The tribubble bongo, alternatively referred to as Gungan bongo submarines or simply bongos, represented a type of submersible watercraft employed by the Gungans for navigating the oceans of Naboo. These vehicles were utilized both before the Invasion of Naboo and during the period of the Clone Wars.
The Gungans used a selection of semi-organic submarines, known as Gungan bongo submarines, to explore the oceans surrounding the planet Naboo. These submarines were manufactured by the Otoh Gunga Bongameken Cooperative.
The bongo's hull, shaped like a manta ray, was cultivated organically from coral through techniques kept secret by the Gungans, guaranteeing that each vehicle was unique. This distinctive hull, along with the vehicle's long, electromotive tentacles that streamed from the back and rotated for propulsion, gave the bongo the appearance of an unusual squid. The hull was also heavily armored to defend against potential attacks from dangerous marine life in Naboo's oceans.
Moreover, bongo submarines featured lengthy, twisting, tentacle-like turbines that enabled the vessel to achieve exceptionally high speeds. The vehicle also included several hydrostatic bubble shields that maintained a dry, air-filled cockpit and cargo area. These shields could be activated or deactivated to allow entry to the vehicle. Bongos seemingly had no limit to their maximum diving depth, capable of withstanding the immense pressure of Naboo's waterways. However, they typically operated at a standard depth of 500 meters.
A forward driving plane also extended from the front of the cockpit module. In emergency situations, this cockpit module could detach from the vehicle, functioning as an escape pod.
Millennia before the Invasion of Naboo, the Gungans, originally from the Mid Rim planet Naboo, were compelled to relocate underwater due to a territorial conflict. Once submerged, they discovered the Locap, a mysterious deep-water plant species that extracted plasma from rocks. Using specialized harvesting bongos equipped with a front-mounted siphon, the Gungans were able to extract plasma from Locap plants. Despite the inherent dangers of plasma harvesting, the extracted plasma was then utilized in the development of their underwater civilization.
In the early stages of the Invasion of Naboo in 32 BBY, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, after failing to negotiate with the Trade Federation regarding the blockade of Naboo, landed on the planet only to find an invasion already underway. They soon encountered the Gungan Jar Jar Binks, who informed them of a nearby "hidden city" and escorted them to the underwater Gungan city of Otoh Gunga. There, the Jedi met with Gungan leader Boss Rugor Nass, who disregarded the ongoing invasion above. Nevertheless, Nass provided them with a bongo submarine to continue their journey to the Naboo.
With Binks' assistance, Jinn and Kenobi navigated through the planet's core based on Boss Nass's advice. During their voyage, an opee sea killer latched onto their bongo, using its tongue to reel in the vehicle, causing damage to the starboard side. However, the bongo was saved by the arrival of a sando aqua monster, which devoured the opee sea killer.
As they ventured deeper, the vehicle sustained further damage, leading to a power outage. After Kenobi restored power, the group found themselves face-to-face with a colo claw fish, and once again narrowly escaped after a sando aqua monster intervened.
Eventually, the trio safely reached Theed, abandoning the bongo as they proceeded to rescue Queen Padmé Amidala from the Trade Federation's forces.
During the Clone Wars in 20 BBY, rumors surfaced that Boss Lyonie was urging the Gungans to aid the Confederacy of Independent Systems in attacking Theed. To investigate these claims, Amidala and Jedi General Anakin Skywalker traveled to Lake Paonga aboard a Naboo scout carrier to meet with Binks, who arrived in a bongo submarine. They utilized the submarine to travel to Otoh Gunga, where they discovered that Lyonie was being manipulated by minister Rish Loo.
Upon Vader's return to Naboo, he and Sabé met with Gregar Typho and Tonra, who guided Vader beneath the Varykino house. There, they boarded a bongo submarine and embarked into the waters of Naboo. The group encountered a colo claw fish, and during its attack, the submarine's hull was breached, ejecting them into the open water.
The sound of the Gungan bongo submarine, as featured in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace and the Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode Shadow Warrior, was repurposed as the sound for CB-23's underwater motor in the Star Wars Resistance episode "No Escape: Part 1."