Wan Sandage Jr.

"He is really throwing his weight around on the track!"

- Dax Gazaway, a race announcer

The son of the Devlikk male Podracing pilot Wan Sandage, Wan Sandage Jr. picked up his father's fallen reigns after the elder's death. Flying his father's old Elsinore-Cordova Engineering TurboDyne 99-U Podracer, Sandage participated in the Podracing season of 24 BBY, joining in the Podracing Open and Hutt Championships circuits. Even though he was sometimes confused for his father, Sandage nonetheless went out to make a name for himself, gaining popularity on a race course located on the planet of Sullust known as Serres Sarrano. He went on to win various course records for best single lap and most knockouts during a single race on the planets of Gamorr, Ryloth, and Tatooine.

Biography
"Watch the wreckage and debris in here, this'll be tight!"

- Dax Gazaway describing the Serres Sarrano race course

The son of the Devlikk playboy and Podracer pilot Wan Sandage, Wan Sandage Jr. took up the Podracing lifestyle of his father after the elder expired. Piloting the very same Elsinore-Cordova Engineering TurboDyne 99-U Podracer that his father had, Sandage joined into the Podracing season of 24 BBY, entering the intermediate Podracing Open circuit and the more advanced Hutt Championships, despite being an amateur. New to the sport, Sandage was out to prove himself, and was out to do it fast. However, too often did he find himself engaging in deadly scrapes and rough conflicts with other racers on the courses. His aggressive play and eagerness to win, however, earned him some praise on the Outer Rim world of Sullust, where Sandage was promoted to the stature of track favorite for a course that wove through the Sullustan city of Serres Sarrano, a track that was the first event of the Hutt Championships. Despite his popularity on the track, many fans of Podracing did not realize that Sandage was not his father. Only to the keen eyes of hardcore Podracing fans was the difference between father and son recognizable.

Throughout the Podracing Open, Sandage found himself rising through the statistics. His aggressive play became evident on the planet Ryloth, where, for the Brightlands racecourse, Sandage obtained the highest overall record for vehicle knockouts during a single race, standing with four total knockouts. His piloting abilities on the other hand were more noticeable on the desert planet of Tatooine, where he scored the second top time for a single lap on the track known as the Badlands, standing with a time of 01:13.92 minutes. For the Ballast Complex course on Mon Calamari, another world hosting some of the season's Podracing courses, Sandage scored the third top single lap time for the course, standing at 01:17.03 minutes. The final course of the Podracing Open was on the jungle planet of Gamorr, on a twisted racetrack known as the Ruins of Carnuss Gorgull. The track favorite for this course was the aggressive Ghishi pilot Kraid Nemmeso, who topped the knockout chart for the track, with a total of five knockouts. Sandage stood on the chart right below Nemmeso, with a total of three knockouts. Moving into the Hutt Championships, the Devlikk held no records for of any of the courses, including the Serres Sarrano course where he was most popular. At some point, Sandage raced on a track that sped through a city. During the race, Sandage found himself trapped between the Podracers of Nemmeso and the Glymphid Aldar Beedo. When the two pilots tried to crush Sandage, the resourceful Devlikk pulled hard on his brakes, causing the two other pilots to ram into each other and destroy themselves, allowing Sandage to continue unharmed.

Personality and traits
Wan Sandage Jr. was a thrill seeker like his father and followed in his footsteps to mount up as a daring Podracer pilot. However, the young Devlikk was almost too eager to prove himself on the courses and constantly found himself into dangerous scraps with other pilots. Sandage eventually took control of his piloting, however, and managed to turn his knack for getting into scrapes into an aggressive tendency that found himself making it onto the knockout charts.

Sandage bore a very close resemblance to his father, with a very similar shade of tan fur and the same green plumage that ringed his neck and topped his head. Sandage had orange eyes and long, lanky arms that ended in sharp claws. He also had light colored skin, along with thin red lips.

Skills and abilities
As a pilot, Wan Sandage Jr. showed notable skill on the Podracing courses, racking up both speed and knockout records during his career thanks to his keen reflexes and agility, which allowed Sandage to successfully traverse the hazardous obstacles and terrain that professional Podracing courses often presented. Sandage was also one to involve himself with in-race scraps, but was able to escape any lasting damage.

Equipment
Wan Sandage Jr. flew the very same Elsinore-Cordova Engineering TurboDyne 99-U Podracer that his father had, its appearance unchanged. The TurboDyne was still well renowned for excellent traction, and by the time it was in the young Sandage's clawed hands, the vehicle overall had a well balanced set of specs, including a sturdy exterior and lots of room for upgrades regarding its cooling system. The Podracer had good acceleration, and a high top speed, along with good handling that would allow Sandage the best in control when at said top speeds. Appearance wise, the vehicle was mostly unchanged, still being painted in a light beige color across the engines and the cockpit. The inside of the engines were also adorned with green and yellow markings, along with yellow lettering on the "wings" of the cockpit.

Behind the scenes
Wan Sandage Jr. first appeared in the 2002 PlayStation 2 video game Star Wars: Racer Revenge as a playable character. In the game the character is simply referred to as Wan Sandage. It wasn't until the game's strategy guide was it revealed that he was actually the son of the character who appeared in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, naming him as Wan Sandage Jr. In the game, Sandage is voiced by Gregg Berger, who also provided the voice for Tzidik Wrantojo in Revenge. Interestingly, the game's narrator never refers to Sandage by name during a race, simply using pronouns such as "he" and "his" instead. Berger also provided the voice for the elder Wan Sandage in the 1999 video game Star Wars: Episode I Racer.

A Podracer named Wan Sandage also appeared in the 2012 Xbox 360 video game Kinect Star Wars, appearing as a computer controlled opponent during Podraces. However, as the Podracing segment takes place during 22 BBY, this Wan Sandage cannot be the elder Sandage, as he had died beforehand. However, as no source has definitely confirmed that the Kinect character is Wan Sandage Jr., this article does not assume that they are the same character.

If the Kinect Wan Sandage was the same character represented in this article, then he would have competed through 22 BBY, racing against many competitors, including Aldar Beedo, who had once worked for Wan Sandage Sr., the Nosaurian journalist Clegg Holdfast, and the Vulptereen hitman Dud Bolt. The season visited regular course locations such as Tatooine, but also expanded into worlds such as Felucia and Coruscant.

Concept art for the Kinect character was created by Robert St.Aubin. Early drafts of Star Wars contained a character named Count Sandage. The character was omitted from later drafts, but the name was later reused by George Lucas for the Podracer Wan Sandage. As such, the name and history behind it was passed down to Wan Sandage Jr.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Racer Revenge