Neva Kee/Legends

"You’d need a twisted mind to design a Podracer the way Farwan & Glott did. But you’d need to be totally insane to actually fly one."

- Anonymous Podracer pilot referring to Neva Kee

Neva Kee was a male Xamster Podracer pilot who was active during the year 32 BBY. Considered a daredevil, he was notorious for piloting a Farwan & Glott 8T8-Twin Block2 Special Podracer, a vehicle that was known for the fact that the cockpit was not only attached to the engines, but placed in front of them, making the vehicle considerably more dangerous than other Podracers. While considered to be insane by some, the Xamster was hailed as a revolutionary in the sport by others. With a cult following in tow, Kee went on to achieve fame on the jungle planet of Baroonda, and participated in several races on the planet of Tatooine. Perhaps the most famous race Kee participated in was the Boonta Eve Classic, held annually near the Tatooine city of Mos Espa. The race would prove to be Kee's last; during the final stretch of the second lap, Kee wandered off course and was never seen again.

The Xamster from Xagobah
A male Xamster from the planet of Xagobah, Neva Kee decided to risk his life for fame and fortune in the high-speed sport of Podracing. Kee purchased and flew a blue Farwan & Glott 8T8-Twin Block2 Special, an unorthodox craft with a cockpit located at the front end of two massive engines. The FG 8T8 had no power couplings; the two engines were simply attached directly to the cockpit. This criticized configuration put pilots into a considerable amount of risk, although others hailed it as the next step in the sport's evolution. Despite the dangerous setup, the vehicle's compensation was its superior turning power and maneuverability.

Kee's rebellious image earned him a rabid following among nonconformist Podracing fans. Kee eventually took his career to the Outer Rim planet of Baroonda, which held several Podracing courses that moved through various kinds of terrain, ranging from dense jungles, ocean-side beaches, cities, and misty swamps. Kee personally excelled on Baroo Coast, a track that made it's way through a wide beachhead. Kee eventually achieved the crowd's favor on the course, and was considered a pro. With victories under his belt, Kee stepped up his game by traveling to numerous planets in the 32 BBY racing season, including Ord Ibanna, Aquilaris, and Mon Gazza.

The Boonta Eve Classic
Kee eventually made his way to the desert world of Tatooine, where he partook in several races. One race which sped through the Hutt Flats pitted the Xamster against the likes of the beaked "Bullseye" Navior, the gray-skinned Jinn Reeso, and the Nosaurian Clegg Holdfast, among others. Kee managed to survive, and went on to enter Tatooine's annual Boonta Eve Classic, a race that attracted seasoned professionals and newcomers alike from the far reaches of the galaxy. The Boonta race was one of he longest races of the circuit, stretching through miles of desert terrain. Kee's Podracer was placed in the fifth and last row on the outside pole position of the starting grid, giving Kee a shaky start. The opening ceremonies were hosted by the Troig race commentators Fodesinbeed Annodue, who introduced the pilots to the crowd. The race's host, Jabba the Hutt arrived shortly after and flagged the start of the race himself. With the Hutt's go-ahead, the pilots burst out of the starting grid and into the course, with the exception of two&mdash;the pilots Anakin Skywalker and Ben Quadinaros had both stalled. Skywalker was able to move off of the grid after reconfiguring his pod, and swiftly caught up to the rest of the pack.



Kee, despite having navigated the course so far with expertise, was nonetheless stuck in the rear of the pack near Wan Sandage and Dud Bolt. All three pilots were passed by Skywalker as they finished the opening stretch of the race which passed through Mushroom Mesa. As the race continued, the Aleena pilot Ratts Tyerell crashed in the Laguna Cave during lap one, stringing wreckage through the tight passageway. Kee managed to make it through and continued into the Canyon Dune Turn, only to find that native Tusken Raiders were firing on the Podracers for sport. During the second lap, the Tuskens claimed the Podracer of Teemto Pagalies. Despite the growing number of wrecks, Kee was unable to move ahead in the pack. Finally, during the last stretch of lap two, which passed over the Hutt Flats, Kee flew his Podracer off course and disappeared, never to be seen again. Skywalker ended up winning the Boonta.

Although Kee's ultimate fate is unknown, if he had died, he would be one of only two casualties to have taken place during the race, the other being Tyerell, who had died during his wreck in the Laguna Caves. The rest of the pilots who had wrecked survived their collisions to race another day. Years later during the Galactic Civil War, replicas of Kee's Block2 Special were sold to spacers.

Personality and traits
Neva Kee was an excitable individual who flew a daredevil Podracer. Due to how different his Podracer was built, he was considered to have something of a rebellious image, and as such garnered a following of like minded fans. However, critics cited the Xamster as being completely insane. Regardless of what anyone had to say, Kee never let the crowds get to him or disrupt his focus. As Kee gained further fame from his career on Baroonda, he eventually made his way to Tatooine for the famed Boonta Eve Classic. However, the race would become his last. It is not known what caused him to veer off course during the Boonta's second lap.

A Xamster, Kee had bluish-green skin across the back of his body, his arms, and his head. This was offset by an off-white color that dominated his chest and abdomen, along with the inside of his ears and his lower jaw. Kee had red eyes and had a patch of off-white hair in the center of his chest. His back had blue colored spines that went down the length of it, along with some spines going down his stomach. He had small white horns or spines on the back of his head that jutted out at various angles. Xamster's were often short and Kee was no exception, standing at only 1.07 meters tall.

Skills and abilities
Neva Kee had the mental resolve and quick reflexes one would need in order to pilot a Podracer, much less a Podracer which was renowned for it's tight handling and furious accelerator. Kee's familiarity with the quirks of the Block2 Special granted him victories on Baroonda, most notably on the Baroo Coast course. Kee headed to Tatooine for further tests of skill, and while he had survived at least one race on Tatooine, he somehow managed to disappear completely from the Boonta Eve Classic, and by extension, the rest of the sport.

Equipment
The most notable aspect of Neva Kee's career was his unique Podracer, a Farwan & Glott produced 8T8-Twin Block2 Special. The Podracer was cited as having more relation to a swoop than a Podracer, seeing that traditional Podracers consisted of engines attached to a cockpit with the use of cables and energy binders. The Block2 however ditched that concept for something different: A Podracer with no cables or energy binders at all, making for one solid vehicle. In addition, the Block2 had the oddity of having the cockpit placed in front of the engines, as opposed to behind it. As such, this made head-on collisions much deadlier. In addition, the Block2 was fairly frail, and could not suffer too much abuse from a course's terrain or the attacks of other pilots. Instead, the Block2 Special relied heavily on it's otherwise superior mobility and traction to keep it in the race, unscathed.

Kee's Block2 was painted with a bright blue color that dominated the top of the pod, while the underside was silver in color. The engines also had white stripes that circled around them, as well as the front of the engines having more of a purple hue to them. The front of the cockpit was adorned with a symbol painted in white. When racing, Kee did not utilize headgear. Instead, he just wore a gold harness or brown robes when in the cockpit.

Behind the scenes
Neva Kee first appeared in the 1999 film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, as one of the Podracer pilots from the film's Podracing scene. Early drafts of the film did not feature Neva Kee directly, instead introducing a character named Habba Kee. Habba did not appear in the film, but did appear in the novelization of the film written by Terry Brooks. Habba Kee also appeared in the junior novel Star Wars Episode I Journal: Anakin Skywalker. In both books, Habba crashes and is killed during the Boonta Eve Classic. In the film, Neva Kee appeared only as a low resolution computer-generated model that was used for distance shots of Kee's Podracer, despite a detailed maquette being built of the character as well several detailed illustrations from concept artist Terryl Whitlatch, who originally used Kee's design for the pilot Wan Sandage. During the film, Neva Kee does not suffer Habba Kee's fate. Neva Kee did appear in later drafts, including one that labeled Kee's homeworld as Aquilae.

Neva Kee had a far more substantial appearance in the 1999 tie-in video game Star Wars: Episode I Racer, released for both the PC and Nintendo 64. Kee was one of several playable characters, and he could be unlocked during the second circuit on the first track that took place on Baroonda. Kee is initially locked from players, but if they manage to win Kee's favored course, players can unlock his pod to race with. Kee is voiced by Peter Lurie, who also voiced Boles Roor in the game. Kee was set to appear in Racer's 2002 sequel, Star Wars: Racer Revenge, as evidence by a number of pre-release screenshots. Kee was ultimately cut from the game. While not a part of the Podracing story mode, Neva Kee did nonetheless appear in the 2012 video game Kinect Star Wars. Players could select his Podracer to race in for free races. Concept art created by Robert St.Aubin depicted Kee with much more piloting gear than he has been previously seen with.

Kee's Podracer appears on the cover of the junior novel Jedi Quest: The Dangerous Games, written by Jude Watson. The cover depicts Anakin Skywalker piloting it. Neither Kee nor Kee's Podracer appear anywhere in the novel, however. While Skywalker does fly an old Podracer's vehicle, he actually flies Ratts Tyerell's Titan 2150. During the release of The Phantom Menace, Micro Machines released a die-cast toy of Neva Kee's Podracer.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Racer Arcade
 * Star Wars: Episode I Racer
 * Star Wars: Anakin's Speedway
 * Star Wars Episode I: I Am a Pilot
 * Episode I Adventures 6: The Hunt for Anakin Skywalker
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Kinect Star Wars