Watto/Legends

"Old Watto is a dirty bird Hot peggats in his purse His flippers stink like bantha curd His breath smells even worse"

- Mos Espa graffiti by W. Wald

Watto was a male Toydarian merchant who lived on the planet Tatooine. He owned a junkyard in Mos Espa from which he sold a variety of used mechanical parts, ranging from spaceship parts to droid components.

He was also a keen gambler, often betting on the local podraces, and occasionally even entering his own podracer and pilot in the races. Watto also treated his slaves more humanely than most others.

Early life
As a young Toydarian growing up on Toydaria, Watto enlisted in the Ossiki Confederacy Army, a force that used chemical warfare to starve its enemies. During Watto's time in the army, Toydaria was undergoing a drought, and the Ossiki was fighting to gain a monopoly on what little food there was left. After several years, the drought ended, as did the war, but Watto carried several grim trophies: a broken tusk and a lame leg.

Early career
"What, you think you're some kind of Jedi, waving your hand around like that? I'm a Toydarian. Mind tricks don't work on me, only money. No money, no parts, no deal! And no one else has a T-14 hyperdrive, I promise you that!"

- Watto to Qui-Gon Jinn



Watto eventually moved to Tatooine, where he lived amongst the Jawa clans, learning the art of the trade. Watto also learned to trade with foreigners, rather than the locals, who were immune to the standard tricks of the trade. He eventually opened a junk shop in Mos Espa, which was soon tended to by a pair of slaves that he won from Gardulla the Elder: Shmi Skywalker and her son, Anakin. Ever stingy, he effectively severed all ties to his family back on Toydaria, fearful that they would exploit his good fortune and ask for "favors".

Over the years, Watto accumulated a wide variety of exotic items, leading offworlders to stop by his place first when in need of parts. Due to the Hutt control of the planet, Watto limited his payment methods by barring all use of Republic credits, insisting on either a fair trade or Tatooine currency. As if the money from the store was not enough, Watto also enjoyed gambling, often betting on the Mos Espa podraces.



Anakin was Watto's favorite slave; the boy was an extremely talented mechanic, despite his age, and was often able to get things working that even the most costly and talented of Mos Espa's mechanics had trouble with. When the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn bartered "his" ship on the upcoming Boonta Eve Classic in exchange for the freedom of the boy, Watto was confident that he would be able to add the expensive Nubian cruiser to his stockpile. However, Watto lost the bet on the race, with Sebulba, the favorite, losing out to Skywalker himself. Desperate, he hired a pack of thugs to seize control of the boy back from the Jedi, but his plan failed. Jinn left with the boy, and Watto was left ruined.

Later career
"Maybe you could help with some deadbeats who owe me a lot of money."

- Watto



After his loss at Boonta Eve, Watto would spend hours wandering the streets of Mos Espa, looking for his lost chance cube. Watto even unknowingly assisted Count Dooku's plan for a Clone Army by informing his friend Rozatta of the bounty on Longo Two-Guns' head, leading bounty hunter Jango Fett closer to the Bando Gora. He grew kinder to Shmi, knowing that their relationship had changed since Anakin had left. He sold Shmi in 26 BBY to a moisture farmer named Cliegg Lars, assuring himself that he was doing the right thing. The money allowed him to stay in business for the next couple of years. In 22 BBY, Anakin returned and demanded the whereabouts of his mother. Watto obliged and then attempted to persuade Anakin to stay for a while, but the boy, now a young Jedi Padawan, left without a word.

Ten months into the Clone Wars, during the rise of the Cortosis Battle Droids, Anakin met Watto again, briefly, while he was searching for any sign of Raala Ponchar. The Toydarian, after being surprised by Anakin's no-nonsense, all-business attitude towards him, sent him on his way. This was the last time they would see each other.

At the end of the Clone Wars, Watto was unaware that Anakin turned to the dark side of the Force and became the evil Darth Vader.

Watto was still alive and operating in Mos Espa following the destruction of the first Death Star. However, when he decided to retire, he turned ownership of his shop over to W. Wald, who was still running the establishment just prior to the Battle of Sluis Van.

Personality and traits
Watto was an exceptionally thrifty Toydarian, having very few personal possessions, and rarely buying expensive equipment. He was also constantly complaining, be it about the inefficiency of his slaves or the wily trading of the Jawas. His greed allowed him to survive in the city of Mos Espa, but it also nearly destroyed him at the Boonta Eve Podrace. He did not seek popularity, but the fact that he would never wield the power of Gardulla or Jabba the Hutt bothered him.

He was often plagued by nightmares&mdash;usually featuring twin shackles that prevented him from flying. The twin shackles were labeled "other people's incompetence" and "my own rotten luck". These nightmares heavily influenced the Toydarian, turning him into a bitter, uncompromising salesman, and eventually into a sad, luckless old vagabond.

Behind the scenes


Watto was an entirely computer-generated character, voiced by actor Andrew Secombe.

In Old Wounds, he was killed by Darth Maul. However, this story is non-canonical.

Watto made an appearance in Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided, in which he gave out a series of special missions to rebuild an R2-series astromech droid. Also in the game, during a Tusken Raider invasion of Mos Espa, players must send "experts" to Watto's shop to obtain droids that will assist them in the quest.

In Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter, in the Prison Break level, players must defeat different frigates. After defeating a few of them, Reti comments about a "Toydarian on Tatooine" who would love some of "this junk". This is, of course, a reference to Watto.

In the game Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, Roz refers to Watto as "That poor sap who lost everything in the Boonta Eve Classic".