Mawhonic

"And in the front row: Nearside pole position; Mawhonic!"

- Fode

Mawhonic was a Gran male Podracer pilot who participated in the Boonta Eve Classic that took place during the Invasion of Naboo. Mawhonic's Podracer was destroyed by the nefarious Dug competitor Sebulba during the first lap of the race, abruptly ending the Gran's chances of victory.

Biography
A Gran male, Mawhonic was a professional Podracer pilot during the waning decades of the Galactic Republic. Mawhonic piloted a green Podracer which was maintained by several Gran mechanics. During the Invasion of Naboo, the planet Tatooine was celebrating the Boonta Eve holiday, which traditionally hosted the Boonta Eve Classic Podrace. Mawhonic entered the competition, and started the race on the nearside pole-position, which offered him a good start into the race. Before the race began, Mawhonic prepared his Podracer with the help of his mechanics, but paused to greet the cheering audience when the race commentators, Fode and Beed, introduced Mawhonic to the crowd. Shortly after, the race's host, Jabba the Hutt, officially began the race. During the first lap Mawhonic was neck and neck with the Dug Sebulba, the Boonta's most common champion. Mawhonic flew dangerously close to a rock wall, giving Sebulba the opportunity to smash the Gran's Podracer into the wall and knock the hapless three-eyed alien out of the race. Sebulba, after leading the race for two consecutive laps, would later crash at the end of the final lap, only a short distance from the finish line.

Personality and traits
Mawhonic was an ill-tempered individual, and angrily yelled and shook a fist at Sebulba when the Dug began to play rough. Despite this, Mawhonic was a good pilot, having the skills and reflexes one would need in a sport such as Podracing. Once Mawhonic got in front of the pack, he managed to stay ahead of the other racers until he was knocked out of the race by Sebulba. Like all Gran, Mawhonic had three eyes, all of which were black. He also exhibited pale orange skin and stood at 1.22 meters tall.

Equipment
Mawhonic flew a green colored Podracer that was kept in working order by several Gran mechanics and Mawhonic himself. It was a sturdy craft, and was able to withstand several hits from Sebulba's much larger Podracer. However, it eventually succumbed to the Dug's attacks after repeated battering. Mawhonic's cockpit was very open, and did not enclose the Gran at all. The Podracer was fast, and also benefitted from above average handling. The Podracer had a decent turbo package, which would grant the vehicle extra bursts of speed when Mawhonic needed it.

Behind the scenes
Mawhonic was created for the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. Mawhonic was the only Podracer pilot to be played by an actor in a costume, being portrayed by Mark Coulier. Mawhonic's mask was created by special effects artist Nick Dudman and his crew, who built the mask using a method that had been previously used for the Gran mask created for the 1983 film Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. Early conceptual art originally depicted Mawhonic as a new species. The design made it as far as the film's storyboard and animatic stages, but was eventually dropped. Later art depicted Mawhonic as a thin Gran. Mawhonic's final design was far more corpulent, along with how Gran were portrayed in general throughout the Prequel trilogy.

In addition to the film, Mawhonic later appeared in two tie-in video games: Star Wars: Episode I Racer which was released for the PC, Dreamcast, and Nintendo 64, and the Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace video game adaption which was released for PC and the PlayStation. He later appeared again in Racer ' s sequel, Star Wars: Racer Revenge, which was released in 2002 for the PlayStation 2. However, these appearances are now considered to be a part of the Star Wars Legends continuity, and are no longer a part of official canon. As such, outside of the film, Mawhonic's only other canonical appearance is the Star Wars Journeys: The Phantom Menace interactive-story game, available on the iPhone.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars Journeys: The Phantom Menace