Ratts Tyerell/Legends

"I raced against him in that race. He was one of the fastest. Incredibly quick reflexes." "Yeah. But not fast enough."

- Anakin Skywalker speaks of Ratts Tyerell to Doby and Deland Tyerell

Ratts Tyerell was an Aleena Podracer who participated in the Boonta Eve Classic on Tatooine in 32 BBY. Born on the planet Aleen, Ratts had incredible reflexes, which made him an adept Podracer. For several years he built up his reputation, and became well-liked among the other regular racers. He was furious at the way Sebulba found his success through cheating, and vowed to kill the Dug racer. However, Tyerell perished in the Boonta Eve Classic, his engines too large for the tight confines of Laguna Cave. His son went on to found the Ratts Tyerell Foundation, which attempted to outlaw the sport of Podracing.

Life as a podracer


Ratts Tyerell was born on the Aleena homeworld of Aleen, sometime during the waning days of the Galactic Republic. He was of very small stature, standing almost eighty centimeters tall, though he was not small for an Aleena. Tyerell had blue skin, with patches of yellow on his jaw and underarms, and a huge mouth which could open extremely wide. The Aleena had a warrior tradition, though they were seen as a joke by most of wider galactic society. As a youth, Ratts was chased by the vicious creatures of his homeworld, and grew up in a harsh environment, which pushed his reflexes to the limit. As a result of their difficult life, Aleena had extremely quick reflexes as a species, which led many of them to success on the Podracing circuits. Thus, it was no surprise when Tyerell showed a natural aptitude for Podracing, and before long he became one of the regulars on the worlds where Podracing was held.

Tyerell eventually acquired a huge podracer to make up for his lack of height. Named after a deadly predator native to Tyerell's homeworld, the Titan 1250 Scatalpen was very fast, though its acceleration and maneuverability left a lot to be desired. However, it served the Aleena racer well, and for several years he slowly built up his reputation, becoming the track favorite at Howler Gorge and earning the respect and friendship of his fellow racers. Tyerell was a gentleman on the track, though off of it he was thought to be very boastful and some called him a bully. Some time during his career, he found a mate, and together they had several children, including Deland, Doby and Djulla Tyerell.

Tyerell was against any form of cheating at races, and was sickened at how Sebulba, one of the most successful podracers of the period, had achieved his success, and sought to end the Dug racer. Ratts was not the only of the regular racers who wanted to be rid of Sebulba, though he never conspired with the others, preferring to keep his "gentleman" reputation intact. He had an outlaw tech specialist fit the Scatalpen with illegal weaponry, hoping to ambush Sebulba during the upcoming Boonta Eve Classic on Tatooine, and to win the race for himself.

Tyerell was also fond of a game called Ratts Race and often played it with spacers.

Boonta Eve Classic
The Boonta Eve Classic was one of the most prestigious annual podraces in the galaxy, and attracted huge crowds at the Mos Espa Grand Arena. The race was always the subject of much gambling and cheating, and nearly all of the other racers were involved in plots with each other, hoping to snatch first place. Tyerell had plans for ridding himself of Sebulba, but he worked alone. He lined up in his podracer in the first row of the starting grid, alongside Aldar Beedo, Mawhonic and his target, Sebulba. The race also saw the inclusion of Anakin Skywalker, a young slave who had entered the Boonta Eve Classic despite the mass ridicule by the other players.

Tyerell's wife had recently given birth to another child, named Doby Tyerell, but attended the race, along with her three other younglings. Ratts managed to complete one lap, though he had not yet been presented with an opportunity to take out Sebulba, who was far ahead. Tyerell's race, however, was cut short on his second lap, in the Laguna Cave, a tight cavern full of massive stalactites. Worried that young Anakin Skywalker would overtake him, Tyerell lost concentration as he passed through the cave; meanwhile, his accelerator jammed, and he was unable to gain clearance past the rocky stalactites. Ratts collided with a massive rock; he let out a dying scream, and died in the massive explosion that ensued. His death would ultimately have a huge effect on the sport of podracing.

Legacy
Ratts's family was devastated after his death, though it was just the beginning of their misery. Ratts Tyerell's own brother sold his daughter Djulla as a slave to Ratts's nemesis Sebulba. His son, Deland (under the nickname "Pabs") intended to race Sebulba for his sister's freedom on the planet Euceron. However, Sebulba sabotaged the young Aleena, ruining his chances of winning. Anakin Skywalker, who had ended up winning the Boonta Eve Classic when Ratts perished, had since become a Jedi, and was on the planet to act as a peacekeeper. Unable to resist the temptation of beating Sebulba one more time, Skywalker raced in Deland's place and beat Sebulba, winning Djulla's freedom.

Moved by his father's death, Deland Tyerell eventually established the Ratts Tyerell Foundation, which was an organization devoted to making Podracing a safer sport in order to preserve the lives of those pilots who had wives and children. They campaigned for the sport to be outlawed all over the galaxy. They were successful on many worlds, though several famous podracers spoke out against it, claiming it was an effort by the Republic to crack down on non-human activities. The Republic denied this, and Sate Pestage made a statement declaring that it was nonsense.

Personality and traits
Most thought Tyerell overconfident and felt he was a bully, though his was one of the most well respected podracers of his time. Anakin Skywalker, who raced against the Aleena in the Boonta Eva Classic of 32 BBY, thought very highly of Ratts, describing him as one of the fastest podracers who competed at Mos Espa that day. Ratts preferred to race with honor, and loathed those who resorted to cheating in order to gain standing. However, Tyerell felt it was justified for him to commit crimes on the track if they were for good.

Behind the scenes
The early evolution of Ratts Tyerell can be traced via labels and dates on concept art. In his earliest published incarnation, dated July 16 1996, he was labeled simply as "Pod Racer - Long Head." By September 17 of that year, he was known as "Amphibian" but his art still had no proper name. Sketches dated May 27 1997 finally bore the name "Ratts Tyerell."

Cut content from the Attack of the Clones Movie Scrapbook was going to establish him as having no relation to Senator Bogg Tyrell.

Tyerell's voice in Star Wars: Episode I Racer was provided by Terence McGovern.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Math: Jabba's Game Galaxy
 * Star Wars: Episode I Racer
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Jedi Quest: The Dangerous Games