Toy Dampner

Toy Dampner was a blue-skinned male alien Podracer pilot who competed in Podracing events during the year 32 BBY. Piloting a Turca 910 Special Podracer, Dampner became a favorite on the moon Oovo IV, where the race courses sped through the prison Desolation Alley. Dampner was considered to be the crowd favorite for the deadly Executioner course, which boasted several anti-gravity tunnels filled with chunks of ore. Dampner was also the crowd favorite for a race course on the planet Baroonda.

Biography
"Toy Dampner joins the pack in a black and white Turca Special. Whoo, he looks fast!"

- Fodesinbeed Annodue, a Podrace commentator

A male member of a blue-skinned species, Toy Dampner was an accomplished Podracer pilot who performed during the year 32 BBY. He piloted a heavily customized black and white Turca 910 Special Podracer, which was renowned for its speed and traction.

Dampner was proficient on the aptly named Executioner course, a difficult course located in the Desolation Alley prison located on the barren moon Oovo IV. The course contained zero gravity tunnels that were filled with loose chunks of rock and ore, courtesy of prison warden Fenn Booda. Dampner held both the best single lap and 3-lap race time, standing at 01:31.540 minutes and 04:42.310 minutes, respectively.

Although Dampner was not an inmate in the prison like fellow Oovo IV race favorite Fud Sang, Dampner raced the prison's courses for the enjoyment of his incarcerated friends. Dampner was also the track favorite of a drag course on the jungle planet Baroonda. Dampner would race opponents on this course in a one-on-one fashion.

Personality and traits
"And the current record holder for this track is Toy Dampner."

- Fode announcing Toy Dampner as a record holder for a track

Toy Dampner was a skillful Podracer who preferred to focus on the race at hand without distractions. He immensely enjoyed showing off his 910 Special's capabilities, yet despite his seriousness about racing, Dampner was willing to challenge himself on Oovo IV for the viewing pleasure of his friends in Desolation Alley. Dampner would make fun of a competitor's Podracer by referring to it as a cropduster.

Dampner was a tall individual, and had long arms and short legs. He also exhibited blue-colored skin. Dampner kept the red-colored hair on the top of his head in a ponytail, and he kept a large tapered beard and a mustache.

Equipment
Toy Dampner preferred to race in a speedy Turca 910 Special Podracer, &mdash;also known as the Turca Special &mdash;which had been heavily customized to suit the courses on Oovo IV. The 910 Special was known for its traction, which allowed the Podracer to work well on otherwise slippery terrain. In addition, the Podracer had a powerful accelerator that allowed Dampner to reach his top speed quickly, although the Turca actually suffered from a rather low top speed. The vehicle also had notably poor handling. However, Dampner's Podracer was also equipped with a useful on-board engine repair system, which allowed the Podracer pilot to repair his machine on the fly. This was useful when racing on twistier and more damaging courses.

The 910 was also renowned for its thrusters, which could propel Dampner beyond his vessel's top speed. Normally, 910 Special Podracers have poor cooling systems, which would cause the vehicles to overheat very quickly. To counter this, Dampner acquired the best coolant pump he could find. Dampner's 910 Special was white with black stripes, a color scheme that matched the color scheme used on the flag that Dampner used to represent himself with in the sport. When racing, the only clothes Dampner wore were pants, shoulder pads, and a bandolier.

Behind the scenes
Toy Dampner was originally created for the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace in the pre-production stages of the film. At least two conceptual drawings were created: one by artist Terryl Whitlatch which depicted Dampner as being covered in short red fur, and one by Iain McCaig which portrayed Dampner as being completelty blue. The character also appeared in the film's script at some point, which mentioned that he hailed from the planet New Cov. Dampner's Podracer made it as far as appearing in an animatic for the film's Podracing scene, but was cut from the film before release. The scenes involving the pod were instead given too the Podracer Clegg Holdfast. McCaig's design for Dampner, with some differences including a different hair color, was then incorporated into the 1999 tie-in video game Star Wars: Episode I Racer. Dampner's voice was provided by Dave Fennoy in the game. Some of Dampner's backstory and information about his Podracer was expanded in Racer's two strategy guides, which were released alongside the game.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode I Racer