Sebulba/Legends

"And the reigning champion...Sebulba!"

- Fodesinbeed Annodue

Sebulba was a former slave who had bought his freedom with his incredible skills at piloting a high-speed podracer, and the arch-rival of a young Anakin Skywalker. Before long, Sebulba became the star racer of the Galactic Podracing Circuit, based not only on his formidable racing skills but also his penchant for violence. Many fellow podracers were killed or injured by Sebulba's reckless steering or out-and-out cheating, but Sebulba was far too popular to be blamed or penalized.

Biography
Sebulba was a Dug from the city of Pixelito on the planet Malastare. As with most Dugs, Sebulba was belligerent, aggressive, and constantly felt the need to prove his superiority over anybody else. Despite their camel-like facial structures, Dugs were arboreal, and could use all four of their limbs equally. Sebulba preferred supporting his weight with his arms and performing fine tasks with his legs. While in the seat of a podracer however, he used all four limbs, his arms to steer and his legs to manipulate the finer instruments in the pod.

Sebulba spent his earnings on a decadent lifestyle enjoyed by very few Dugs. His most prized possessions included a pair of Twi'lek sisters, named Ann and Tann Gella, who were skilled masseuses. He also owned at least two more female Twi'lek slaves, a Rutian and a Lethan, who were in his apartment by 32 BBY. Sebulba often used his fame for cheap dalliances with Dug females. Sebulba also had his hands in several slaving rings for Gardulla the Elder, possibly as retribution for his own miserable experiences as a slave.

When decked out for a race, Sebulba always looked his finest. On his heavily-padded racing suit hung numerous trophy coins, a testament to his fantastic (albeit nefarious) success. In order to ensure victory, the wily Dug would stop at nothing. While bribing and flat-out cheating were certainly useful, Sebulba largely preferred either pressing his opponents from the track and into obstacles or using the built-in weapons on his podracer. He will even toy and sabotage other pods when racers are not looking. At one time, his vehicle was designed to shoot nails into opponents; later, he poured funds into his racer to install a flamethrower.

In the year of the Invasion of Naboo, Sebulba was the obvious favorite to win the Boonta Eve Classic. In the first lap, he destroyed Mawhonic's podracer in the first stretch of the course. In the second lap, he used an illegal flamethrower mounted on his Plug-F Mammoth to roast Clegg Holdfast's engines, destroying his pod. He also ditched a piece of iron into Mars Guo's giant engine turbines, blowing it up. However, during the last lap, the local slave boy Anakin Skywalker caught up with him. After a few attempts to ram his podracer into Anakin's to knock him off course, their pods tangled with each other. Anakin boosted his engines, sending Sebulba's left engine flying. It hit a rock, went spinning, and then burst into three flaming pieces. His right engine was devastated when it hit the ground and exploded. Sebulba did survive; in fact, he wasn't even physically injured, exclaiming, 'Poodoo!'. However, it was a temporary blow to Sebulba's reputation and ego. Sebulba recovered quickly: purchasing Anakin's podracer from Qui-Gon Jinn, he showed up his rivals at the Vinta Harvest Classic race on his home planet of Malastare the following season. Sebulba went on to win many more races, with his brutal competitive edge.

At some point at 32 BBY Sebulba had learned that a Dug called Gazurga had bet against him in the Boonta Eve Classic podrace. Sebulba considered Gazurga a traitor and posted a bounty on him of 4,000 credits. This bounty was claimed by Jango Fett.

Sebulba, after a while, took a rest and quit podracing. His son, Hekula, was allowed to fly Sebulba's podracer (the one he bought from Qui-Gon) in the next season. Hekula, however, was a rookie, and he smashed the podracer in his debut race. Sebulba then purchased a Plug-F Gargantuan, a remake of his famous podracer that crashed in the Boonta Eve Classic. After purchasing the pod, Sebulba forbade Hekula from podracing, never letting him near any podracer and podrace again.

Sebulba's fate was not recorded in history, but it was known that he had a grandson named Pugwis, who continued the podracing tradition, winning frequently because of his skills inherited not from his father, Hekula, but his grandfather, Sebulba.

Behind the scenes
Sebulba was a completely CGI character, and was played by star Wars voice-actor Lewis MacLeod in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. While MacLeod wold later reprise his role as Sebulba in the video games: Star Wars: Episode I Racer, Star Wars: Super Bombad Racing, Star Wars: Racer Revenge and LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game, he also played Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Obi-Wan, Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds and Star Wars: Super Bombad Racing.

Some fans erroneously believe Sebulba makes a cameo appearance in Attack of the Clones, in an air taxi during the speeder chase on Coruscant. However, this is actually Seboca. Other Dugs appearing in the film include Rednax.

In the bonus features of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Sebulba briefly uses a flamethrower in an attempt to fry Anakin's pod, but fails. The scene was eventually cut out.

In the game Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, one of many secondary bounties on the planet Malastare is a Dug named Xijulba. The ID scanner on Jango's helmet shows that he is part of Sebulba's family.

Sebulba's name sounds like Xibalba, the Mayan afterworld.

It is possible that Sebulba was modeled on the character Messala in the 1959 film Ben Hur. Messala, a Roman tribune is also a ruthless and successful chariot racer, who often wins by causing opponents to crash. In the film's climatic chariot race, he foils himself and is mortally injured.

In the video game Star Wars: Episode I Racer he is a track favorite three times yet the only way of unlocking this racer and his pod is to complete the galactic circuit with first place on each race of the tournament. Sebulba indeed has the highest top speed in the game without enhancements, topping 600 mph. However, while most racers can boost their speed by 200-400 mph, his speed boost thrust adds 185 mph, the second slowest speed boost in the game.

Sebulba also appears in the sequel Star Wars: Racer Revenge. In this game you play in Sebulba's new pod racer the Gargantuan. His Episode I vehicle is unlockable by beating the tournament (which is faster then his newer pod racer). The game play is about the same as the older game, but the graphics and handling are improved in this game, making the experience very enjoyable.

Appearances

 * Urchins
 * Catch That Pit Droid!
 * Star Wars: Episode I Racer
 * Episode I Adventures 8: Trouble on Tatooine
 * Podracing Tales
 * Episode I: Anakin Skywalker
 * Episode I: The Phantom Menace ½
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace novelization
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace comic
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace junior novelization
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace game
 * Episode I: Qui-Gon Jinn
 * Star Wars: Bounty Hunter
 * Star Wars: Republic: Emissaries to Malastare
 * Jedi Quest: The Dangerous Games
 * Star Wars: Racer Revenge
 * Star Wars The Clone Wars Volume 2: Crash Course
 * Tatooine Ghost
 * Tatooine Ghost
 * Tatooine Ghost

Non-canon appearances

 * LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
 * Star Wars: Anakin's Speedway
 * Star Wars: Super Bombad Racing