Dud Bolt/Legends

Dud Bolt was a Vulptereen male hit man who competed as a professional Podracer pilot during the waning years of the Galactic Republic. Bolt held a reputation of being highly aggressive on the course, with his battered and scarred Vulptereen 327 Podracer a testament to his brutality. Unbeknownst to most, Bolt worked as the mid-air bodyguard for notorious fellow pilot Sebulba, a vicious Dug who employed various illegal tactics to gain the upper hand during a race. Despite what appeared to be a simple, if brutal, existence on the track, Bolt was a decent pilot with a well-oiled racing machine. He scored record lap times on the planet Malastare and even held the crowd's favor for the Malastare 100 racecourse, though he rarely won his races.

Bolt eventually followed Sebulba to the desert planet Tatooine in order to participate in the Boonta Eve Classic of 32 BBY. During the race's third lap, the Nuknog pilot Ark Roose caught Bolt's attention, and, determining him to be a threat, Bolt totaled Roose's racer while destroying his own Vulptereen 327 in the process. By the 24 BBY Podracing season, the Glymphid Aldar Beedo, a pilot and assassin who had previously been hunting Sebulba, replaced Bolt as the Dug's bodyguard. Bolt made it a note to eventually dispose of both Sebulba and Beedo during a future race. The Vulptereen held up his career at least through 22 BBY, as he furthered his fame to the planet Utapau.

The pilot from the Deep Core
"The Vulptereen racer Dud Bolt is on the track today. Ho, he is gonna be tough to beat."

- Fode Annodue, Troig race announcer

A male member of the Vulptereen species, Dud Bolt hailed from the Deep Core world of Vulpter. Although the majority of Vulptereens labored away on their world under the rule of the Trade Federation, Bolt secured a life for himself that was better than that of others of his species. He left Vulpter to work as both a hit man-for-hire and to perform as a professional Podracing pilot. Bolt was an aggressive racer who piloted a traction-centered Vulptereen 327 Podracer, Bolt's charged demeanor on the track eventually caught the eye of Sebulba, a fellow Dug pilot who employed various illegal methods to gain the upper hand in a Podrace. Sebulba offered Bolt a paycheck for any other pilots whom Bolt could take down during a race in order to ensure Sebulba's own victories. Bolt agreed to the offer and thus no longer entered races in order to win himself&mdash;only to protect Sebulba. The Vulptereen's aggressive tendencies amplified, and other pilots made sure to avoid him if possible to ensure their own survival. Bolt tended to remain in the rear of a pack, eyeing up anyone who seemed to be ready to make a jump for the lead. If anyone did, Bolt would boost after them and take them down before they had a chance of catching up to Sebulba.

However, Bolt did not completely dismiss the prospect of winning or becoming a successful racer. He made numerous attempts to establish the best lap time records for a circuit on the planet Malastare known as the Malastare 100, and he even participated in the famous Boonta Eve Classic. While Bolt had won the Malastare 100 and was a common sight there, his overall victories were few. Eventually, he set two course records for the track: a single lap time of 00:40.288 minutes and a race time of 02:03.087 minutes. Many spectators hypothesized that on the occasions when Bolt lost, he did so on purpose in hopes of bringing more attention to himself. Bolt also gained recognition on a Malastare drag course. As Bolt's racing career continued, his Podracer became visibly damaged, and the Vulptereen often did not tend to its outward appearance, almost never taking the time to repaint it.

The Boonta Eve Classic of 32 BBY
"Bolt Dud [sic] and Ebe Endocott seem to be having words in the pit. Ha ha ha. There's no love lost between these two!"

- Fode Annodue

In the year 32 BBY, the next iteration of the Boonta Eve Classic on the Outer Rim planet Tatooine took place. Since Sebulba ruled as the crowd favorite and the most common champion of the race, Bolt naturally followed the Dug there. On the night before the race, several of the Boonta pilots, including Sebulba, were interviewed on a talk show hosted by the Troig race commentator Fodesinbeed Annodue. Sebulba declared his belief that he would be the race's victor once again. Later that night, most of the competitors attended former Boonta winner Boles Roor's Glimmik concert at the Poodoo Lounge. Sebulba had a short meeting with Bolt before the show and, after pretending to mock Bolt for not attending the talk show, advised Bolt to keep an eye out for any adversaries. Unbeknownst to the pair, only a few seats away in the bar, the aging Devlikk pilot Wan Sandage hired the Glymphid hit man and Podracer Aldar Beedo to assassinate Sebulba during the race. The next day, Sebulba learned from the Veknoid competitor Teemto Pagalies that the Bardottan pilot Mars Guo was planning to run away with one of Sebulba's masseuses, Ann Gella, after the race. Per Sebulba's orders, Bolt distracted Guo while the Dug broke a piece of machinery off Guo's Podracer.

The pilots began to gather at the Mos Espa Grand Arena only a short time later, and Bolt started on the outside of the second row, next to a Human child named Anakin Skywalker and directly behind Beedo. Fode Annodue introduced some of the pilots, cheerfully welcoming Bolt and his Podracer back to the Boonta. Jabba the Hutt, the host for the race, arrived in his personal viewing box soon after and exorbitantly announced the start of the competition. With his go-ahead, the pilots roared off into the track. Two pilots, however, were left behind&mdash;Skywalker and the Toong pilot Ben Quadinaros. Skywalker was able to start off a little later after readjusting his Pod and caught up with the rear of the pack shortly thereafter, overtaking Bolt and several other Podracers. Bolt remained in the rear for the remainder of the race, near Sandage, Beedo, and the Xamster Neva Kee, while Sebulba knocked out any pilot who came near him.

While entering into an area of the latter part of the course known as the Coil, Bolt found himself near Ark "Bumpy" Roose, a dim-witted Nuknog. Seeing both a potential target and threat, Bolt made his move to intercept Roose, a choice that proved to be disastrous. Both pilots bit the dust as their Podracers collided, and they received serious injuries that put them into the Mos Espa med center. Although Sebulba himself wound up losing the race, the Dug nevertheless rewarded Bolt with a hefty bonus for causing the wreck with Roose, and Bolt eventually recovered and returned to racing with a Vulptereen 327. However, by the year 24 BBY, Sebulba had fired Bolt from his coveted position at the Dug's side and instead hired Beedo, the very Glymphid who had once been hired to kill Sebulba. Enraged, Bolt vowed to destroy both pilots in the name of eternal hatred.

Racer revenge
"You get out of here, eh. We paid entry fee, and I never fly away from nonrefundable deposit. We going to race. Nothing you can do to stop us." &laquo;Are you stupid or crazy? Maybe a bit of both &hellip;&raquo;"

- Watto and Dud Bolt confront each other

For the new Podracing season of 24 BBY, Bolt honed his piloting skills and upgraded his Podracer to become a fiercer presence on the track before entering into the Galactic Trials, the season's first set of races. Bolt, more aggressive than ever, racked up high scores on the knockout charts, obtaining the lead spot for most knockouts with a score of four during two different races&mdash;one on a track located in a SoroSuub Facility on the planet Sullust and the other on the Orotoru G'am track on the planet Mon Calamari. For the Watchtower Run course on the planet Gamorr, he reached third on the knockout chart, with a total of two knockouts in one race. Beedo, the track favorite and Bolt's nemesis, held the top position with a total of five knockouts. Bolt performed well on the course, as he had the second-best race time for the course, standing at 02:25.93 minutes. However, Beedo topped that chart as well. Bolt later raced on the ice world of Ando Prime circa 22 BBY. The race was broadcast over the HoloNet, and the Outlander Club establishment on the planet Coruscant aired the race shortly before the start of the Clone Wars.

Sometime later during that year, Bolt participated in the Outer Rim Regional Podracing Circuit. By this time, he was considered to be the track favorite of a course located on the planet Utapau, which was the third and last race of the circuit. After losing the entire Regional circuit to a new Podracer pilot who was racing on behalf of the Toydarian junk dealer Watto, the Vulptereen confronted both the pilot and Watto on the planet Bespin, shortly before the first race of the Professional Podracing Circuit. Backed by a pair of Trandoshans, Bolt threatened Watto's team. As Watto tried to interject, one Trandoshan hit the Toydarian with a stun baton. Before the trio could advance on Watto, the Nosaurian Podracer Clegg Holdfast intervened. Incapacitating the Trandoshans with DUM-series pit droids, Holdfast advanced on Bolt with a wrench. Bolt tried to warn back Holdfast with a blaster pistol, but the undaunted Nosaurian advanced and knocked the gun out of Bolt's hand before hitting the Vulptereen with the wrench. Bolt quickly retreated.

During the next race, located on Coruscant, Aldar Beedo killed Holdfast by using his own Podracer to destroy Holdfast's KV9T9-B Wasp Podracer. Bolt also participated in the race but was unable to destroy Beedo or win the event, losing to Watto's pilot. In the end, Bolt was never able to finish off Beedo during a race, as Beedo was captured by a mercenary on Baroonda. The mercenary had been hired by another one of the Glymphid's enemies, the Fluggrian crime lord Kam Nale, who was better known by the name of "Elan Mak" on the Podracing circuits. As for Sebulba, the Dug eventually met a fatal end, to the joy of his enemies.

Personality and traits
"Dud Bolt's Vulptereen RS 557 helps that shameless toady to protect Sebulba."

- A rumor

Dud Bolt was a depraved individual who decided to work as a Podracing hit man and toady under the employ of Sebulba, with mettle comparable to that of a womp rat. Shameless and cruel, he accepted jobs to destroy the competition for Sebulba, and accepted paychecks for the wreck he would cause on Sebulba's behalf. Bolt would sacrifice his own Pod and race position to take down the targeted competitor, though if his violent actions ever slowed him down, his Pod's boost package, and the light weight of his cockpit, generally threw him back into the thick of things. In addition, one of Bolt's tactics was to slip one of his low flying engines underneath the pod of another racer. As such, for a time, Bolt simply did not concern himself with winning, although he did not completely dismiss the prospect. He also did not care much for maintaining his vehicle's appearance, and his battles were obvious with the scars that his Podracer exhibited. Bolt managed to upgrade both his Pod and his own piloting abilities, however, and became more aggressive than ever, topping knockout charts by 24 BBY.

While under Sebulba's employ, Bolt on one occasion doubted the fact that Sebulba respected him at all, despite the Dug's claims. Bolt did not enjoy the Dug's fake insults. After Sebulba double-crossed him, an enraged Bolt sought vengeance by vowing to destroy his old employer and Sebulba's new bodyguard, Aldar Beedo. In another instance, after losing three straight races to a new pilot, Bolt, who had little time for amateurs, confronted the pilot and had his henchmen assault the racer's benefactor, Watto. The Vulptereen later drew a blaster on Clegg Holdfast to defend himself. Yet, despite being aggressive and violent on the track, Bolt was not as brave out of his cockpit. Bolt hesitated to shoot Holdfast after drawing his blaster, and paid the price as Holdfast physically bested him, after which Bolt made a hasty retreat.

Considered to be a famous member of the Vulptereen species, Bolt stood a mere 0.94 meters tall and weighed a total of forty-five kilograms. His short nature allowed him to use a rather small and lightweight cockpit that would not slow down his Pod. The barrel-shaped Bolt had a long, flat snout that had three tusks protruding from either side. Bolt's long arms were more than double the length of his stout legs. He also had yellow eyes and skin that was predominately blue-gray with whitish areas, along with a dark-yellow patch on his stomach.

Equipment
"And back again, it's the mighty Dud Bolt with that incredible racing machine, the Vulptereen 327!"

- Fode Annodue

Dud Bolt favored a Vulptereen 327 Podracer throughout his racing career, using it across worlds such as Ando Prime, Tatooine, Gamorr, and Malastare. Built on Vulpter, the Vulptereen 327's engines were distinguishable by their blue, red, and gray color scheme, as well as the rather battered appearance of the Podracer itself. Bolt took little time to repaint his Podracer, instead opting to show off the battle scars of his past scraps with other pilots. The midsections of the engines were painted in a bright-red color, with a browner color on top. The rear ends of the engines were painted blue, while the front ends were painted gray. The cockpit followed the same color scheme, with red wings on either side of the pilot's seat and a blue rear. The front of the cockpit was painted white. Overall, the color matched that of the flag colors Bolt had chosen to represent himself with during races.

The Vulptereen 327, also known as the RS 557, reached a top speed of 760 kilometers per hour and was reputed for its above-average traction, which allowed pilots a greater amount of control when steering past rough terrain or when pulling away from combat situations during a race. By 32 BBY, Bolt's Pod had poor engine ventilation and lousy acceleration. By 24 BBY, Bolt upgraded the accelerator on the Pod, thus turning it into an excellent hit-and-run weapon.

When competing, Bolt wore a full set of racing attire, including a leather helmet with goggles, gauntlets, shin guards, and at least two different leather jackets, one with pouches on the chest. The leather uniform was mostly brown, with black and gold trimmings on one of his jackets. An emblem was emblazoned on Bolt's shoulder pads and on the top his helmet, as well on his arm braces. His helmet was specially crafted to allow his upright ears to poke through the cap, and several small holes existed for the small spikes set between his eyes to poke through. Bolt also owned a blaster rifle that had a sling attached to it, as well as a blaster pistol.

Behind the scenes
Dud Bolt was created for the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, directed by George Lucas. The character's appearance was first realized through concept illustrations by artist Terryl Whitlatch dating to May 1996, although Bolt was originally known by the name Bozzie Barada, a Boonta Eve racer from the film's revised rough draft who appears in the Episode I novelization. In the film, Bolt appeared during the Podrace sequences and was introduced by name. Along with Mars Guo, Bolt was one of two Podracers who were portrayed in the film by a puppet instead of a computer-generated character or actor, even though a computer-generated version of the character was used for distance shots. The 2002 film Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones briefly showed Bolt racing his Podracer on a holoscreen.

Bolt has been featured as a playable character in the video games Star Wars: Episode I Racer and Star Wars: Racer Revenge, voiced in both instances by David Jeremiah, who also voiced racers "Bullseye" Navior in Episode I Racer and Occo Ninebar in Racer Revenge. In early versions of Episode I Racer as well as the Game Boy Color version, Bolt appears without his headgear. The character has made additional video game appearances in the Episode I video game, which incorrectly identifies him as "Bolt Dud," as well as 2012's Kinect Star Wars, within the game's Podracing story mode.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Racer Arcade
 * Star Wars: Anakin's Speedway
 * Star Wars: Episode I Racer
 * Star Wars Episode I: I Am a Pilot
 * Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace PhotoComic
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace video game
 * Star Wars: Racer Revenge
 * Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
 * Kinect Star Wars
 * Kinect Star Wars