Unidentified Naboo merchant

"Oh, help me! You gotta let me out! I've been wrongfully imprisoned!"

- The merchant begs Obi-Wan Kenobi to release him

This merchant, a Human male, was imprisoned on the planet Naboo during the Trade Federation invasion of the planet in 32 BBY. He soon encountered the young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was on a mission to rescue the Naboo Queen Padmé Amidala. The merchant begged Kenobi to release him, and the Jedi did so. The merchant later assisted Amidala in the liberation of the planet by giving her some stockpiled weapons.

Biography
"Oh, thank you! Thank you! Ah, I'm&hellip;I'm gonna go try to find more people to, uh, to&hellip;to fight the droids!"

- The merchant thanks Obi-Wan Kenobi

This Human male merchant was present on the planet Naboo when it was invaded by the droid forces of the Trade Federation in 32 BBY. According to the merchant, he tried to organize a resistance but was captured by the Trade Federation and put in a cell in the capital city of Theed, although he managed to sneak a thermal detonator in.

A short time later, Jedi Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi&mdash;who was on a mission to escort Queen Padmé Amidala to her starship in order to escape the invading forces&mdash;accidentally stumbled upon the imprisoned merchant. The merchant began begging Kenobi to set him free, explaining the circumstances of his capture. Although Kenobi initially suspected that the prisoner may have been a criminal, he did release him, sensing he was telling the truth. The merchant gave Kenobi his thermal detonator in reward and advised him to use it on the Armored Assault Tank that was blocking the way to the hangar housing the queen's ship. The merchant also promised that he would find people to fight against the droids.

After Kenobi and the queen had fled the planet, the merchant began stockpiling weapons to combat the Trade Federation. Later, when Amidala returned to liberate Naboo, she encountered the merchant near the same cell he had previously been imprisoned in. The merchant told Amidala about his earlier encounter with Kenobi and provided the queen with a stash of weapons. As Amidala turned to leave, he wished her luck in the liberation of the planet.

Personality and traits
"Um, ya&hellip;you see, the Trade Federation, th&hellip;they captured me when I tried to organize resistance against this&hellip;this terrible invasion!"

- The merchant

Upon his meeting with Obi-Wan Kenobi, the merchant was very nervous, pausing between phrases and spending some time trying to find needed words. At first, Kenobi did not believe his story and suspected that he may have lied and could in fact be a criminal. Even after Kenobi had released him, the merchant still continued to insist on his innocence, claiming that he should be viewed as a hero and urging Kenobi to "sense the truth." However, by giving Queen Amidala his stockpiled weapons, the merchant proved that&mdash;at least partially&mdash;he had been telling the truth. The merchant had fair skin, gray hair and dark brown eyes.

Behind the scenes
This individual's only appearance in Star Wars canon is in the 1999 video game Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, where he was voiced by one of the most prolific Star Wars voice actors, Tom Kane. While the merchant is not named in any official source, the game credits him as "Prisoner."

The merchant first appears as a non-player character in the fifth level of the game. It is not required by the player to interact with him, as it does not affect the game's storyline. Additionally, the player may meet the merchant, but choose not to release him at all, or kill the merchant after setting him free. Depending on the player's choice, the merchant may or may not later appear in the tenth level. However, this article assumes one hundred percent "light side" game completion and describes the events as presented if Kenobi releases the merchant and lets him live.

As an in-game Easter egg, the game's development team made several NPCs to look like real-world celebrities. This particular merchant was given the appearance of the famous actor Sean Connery. Following the release of the game, this easter egg was confirmed and discussed in detail during a Q & A session with one of the game's programmers, going under the alias "Zanzibar," on a fan forum dedicated to LucasArts video games.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace video game