Ebenn Q3 Baobab/Legends

"Ebenn can be crotchety sometimes. He was once a great man, though, long ago."

- Rinto Liprus Ebenn Q3 Baobab, or EQ3, as he was sometimes called, was a Human male scholar and polymath; perhaps most notable for his contributions to intergalactic communications through such publications as his Galactic Phrase Book and Travel Guide. For a total of forty-five seasons, EQ3 traveled with the Baobab Merchant Fleet, visiting 1,300 distinct culture units and losing the tip of his left foot and some hair along the way. He also served for a time as Chief Philologist and head of the Baobab Archives, a vast repository of knowledge that rivaled any contemporaneous research center.

As a member of the prestigious Baobab family, EQ3 counted among his relatives the intrepid explorer Mungo Baobab. Something of a jack-of-all-trades, he held many different professions and experienced an unending variety of adventures throughout his life as an artist and art collector, teacher, best-selling writer, poet, doctor, merchant, philosopher, spacer, scientist, linguist and philologist. Baobab was even a war hero, serving valiantly in the Koong Wars, the Aerial Plankton Uprising, and the Mora Infantry.

Early life
Born to a circus-owning family on Manda, Ebenn began his career modestly enough. Searching for adventure among the stars, he quickly hopped onto a Baobab Merchant Fleet vessel, Caravel. It is currently unknown whether Ebenn's surname was adopted after this life-changing event, or if his original family actually did own the vessel; either way, Ebenn seemed to enjoy the mystery that it gave his persona. If the latter is true, it would, as often suspected, make him a relative of the famed merchant Mungo Baobab. As a cabin boy, the young man traveled the expanse of the galaxy, satisfying his wanderlust through visits to locales as diverse as Bantu, Tatooine, and Roon.

Years as a captive
However, Ebenn still wanted more to his life than being a vagabond. Somewhere near Biitu, he left the merchant fleet, only to be apprehended and imprisoned by the Moras. After being forced into serving in the Mora Infantry, Ebenn somehow wound up in the "employ" of the Hutts, who enlisted him in the Koong Wars for their own designs. While the terror of combat forged Ebenn into a skilled warrior, his official duties to the Hutts included writing poetry and serving as a mathematician. Escaping this life of servitude, he returned to his merchant roots by serving as a ship's doctor with a Neimoidian fleet in the Trade Federation.

At some point, Ebenn spent an unknown amount of time as a member of the Naboo Royal Advisory Council. He was present in Theed at the celebrations following the Battle of Naboo&mdash;however, it is not clear whether or not he was still serving with the Federation at this time.

Prior to the Clone Wars, Baobab wrote many articles for HoloNet News, including a primer on the language and culture of the Snivvians.

The writer and media mogul
"Got that 'Q3' by undergoing the ceremonial Passage Rite at the semi-summer festival on Vintrus."

- An elder Ebenn Q3 Baobab reminiscing his younger years (perhaps erroneously)

The years following Palpatine's rise to power were good to Ebenn. Utilizing his nascent talents, he wrote five volumes of poetry and was thus bestowed Laureate of the Empire not once, but twice.

It was also during these years that his writing output increased dramatically, resulting in an autobiography (entitled Blazing Rockets), two short story collections, and five nonfiction books (including The Secret of Joy in the Galaxy and the bestselling Repair Guide to Vaporators).

Through the money amassed by these endeavors, Ebenn was able to finally establish his dream, the Baobab HoloNet. An alternative to the Imperial-controlled HoloNet, Ebenn's broadcasts provided esoteric bits through his appearances, ranging from acute social analysis to holiday cookie recipes.

Accomplishments
"I collected folk art of the Hutts&mdash;very interesting, Hutt art, I remember one piece that&mdash;well, never mind."

- Ebenn Q3 Baobab

The enormous fortune Ebenn now possessed led to increased freedom in his life. Now, he had time to pursue more leisurely activities, such as painting, composing, collecting art (notably pre-Slime Era folk art of the Hutts), the study of history, entertaining high-profile friends, traveling, and, most importantly, philology.

Having either inherited or simply bought out the Baobab Merchant Fleet, Ebenn continued to remain something of an adventurer&mdash;danger and wanderlust still called to him after all these years. He was involved in the dismantling of the Palpatine Mine Network following the Galactic Civil War, being one of only two survivors found aboard the minesweeping craft Rodrigo Andrera.

Ebenn continued to serve in a military capacity in spite of his high-profile status. During the infamous Aerial Plankton Uprising he served valiantly with Captain Gordun to vanquish the Kinkees, later retiring to become something of a military scholar. It was he who exposed the Endor Moon Hoax, and managed to secure a private dinner with the Lost Sultans of Lust.

A passion to establish a noteworthy institution seized Ebenn, resulting in the founding of the Baobab Museum of Science. The facility was most notable for its display of the actual Great Heep, fully restored, an acquisition that would have been impossible to acquire without Ebenn's influence. Ebenn also founded the Baobab Work Placement Bureau, the Baobab School of Speed-Learning (where accelerated language courses could be taken for a modest tuition), and the Baobab Archives Cultural Phenomenon Study Center (where employees analyzed and cataloged various folklore from around the galaxy).

Home life and retirement
While admittedly a bit of a braggart, Ebenn Q3 Baobab truly had every right to be so. It was often difficult for New Republic citizens to comprehend the fact that this larger-than-life personality was, in fact, an actual person. He finally settled down by returning to his home planet of Manda&mdash;now center for the Baobab Archives&mdash;to live with his wife, Pookie, and their dwarf bantha Nuke. Pookie and Ebenn had four children together, who in turn produced eighteen grandchildren.

Rebel dealings
"Wha? Who are you? What's that? Plans? I don't know anything about any plans."

- A delirious Ebenn Q3 Baobab in 1 ABY

By 1 ABY, a post-retirement Baobab had returned to Naboo, and was often seen sleeping on the streets of Moenia. Famous as an artist's retreat, it is not known whether Moenia was the location of one of EQ3's vacation homes, or if the jack-of-all-trades merely enjoyed hanging out with the local color. It seemed that he was suffering from severe dementia&mdash;at times, he believed that the Republic still existed under the leadership of Supreme Chancellor Valorum. He could not remember his exact age, though he claimed that he was at least 90 years old, and had outlived his wife Pookie and his pet Nuke.

Baobab had dealings with a number of beings in Moenia, though could never seem to remember the purpose of the deals or the people involved. It was unknown whether Baobab organized these deals and then muddled the details during the process of implementing the plans, or if operatives were using Baobab's declined mental state to their own advantage. Perhaps Ebenn was faking his condition and fabricating lies, in order to secretly run his Rebel operations right under the Empire's nose.

On one occasion, Baobab provided funds to what he claimed was for Chancellor Valorum to assist the Republic. In reality, the funds were delivered to Tanner Helton to smuggle medical supplies to the Outer Rim. On another occasion, Baobab hired a guide to escort "that Jedi Knight, what's-his-name" into Moenia. In reality, "what's-his-name" was a newly discovered Force-sensitive Gungan known as Wert Jopi. The reasons behind this move were unknown, though Baobab claimed that the Gungan was merely invited to dinner.

Perhaps the most notable occasion was when Baobab believed that a young female poet called Nura Tinall sent him her original poetry, requesting that he would pass it on to his publishers. Baobab refused to do this, and hired a person to "return" the poetry to its author. This "poetry" was in fact the plans to the nearby Emperor's Retreat. The plans were delivered to Nura Tinall, who in turn vowed to deliver them to Leia Organa. Baobab appeared totally oblivious to this entire operation.

At some point, Baobab held the title Imperial Laureate and wrote about how the Human Xim the Despot was the subject of a lot of slander, despite the fact that very little was known about him.

Behind the scenes
In reality, the character of Ebenn Q3 Baobab was a minor cameo by sound designer Ben Burtt in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. From that minor character, Burtt created an elaborate biography for the character in his Galactic Phrase Book and Travel Guide, using his costumed picture as EQ3.

In the MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies, Baobab appears as a non-player character in the town of Moenia on the planet Naboo at the coordinates (4869, -4875). The game introduced a continuity error in Baobab's quests, where it is stated that Baobab had already published his Galactic Phrase Book and Travel Guide (before 1 ABY). Earlier sources stated that the book was published 6 ABY.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Death in the Slave Pits of Lorrd
 * Death in the Slave Pits of Lorrd
 * Death in the Slave Pits of Lorrd