Peppi Bow

Peppi Bow was a female Gungan shaak herder who lived on Naboo during the Clone Wars. After several of her livestock had been poisoned after drinking from a river outside Naboo's capital Theed, Bow learned from Senator Padmé Amidala and Representative Jar Jar Binks that her animals had been the victim of a biological weapon that had contaminated the river. Bow led the two politicians to the source of the poisoning, which came from the Eastern swamps.

After Amidala and Binks were captured by the Separatist scientist Nuvo Vindi, Bow helped the Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano to locate the two missing politicians. Bow and Tano discovered the existence of a secret facility beneath the swamps, which was responsible for developing the Blue Shadow Virus. While Tano and clone troopers assaulted Dr Vindi's laboratory, Peppi waited in the swamps to prevent any Separatist forces from escaping. She played an important role in intercepting and tackling Vindi, who was subsequently arrested by Republic forces.

Biography[]

Peppi Bow was a female Gungan^[1] native to the Galactic Republic world of Naboo.^[3] During the Clone Wars, she lived on the planet as a herder of shaaks^[1]—domesticated animals indigenous to Naboo that were commonly used as livestock.^[4] Bow resided in the planet's capital city of Theed,^[3] which was invaded in 32 BBY by the Trade Federation mega-conglomerate. The invasion ultimately met with failure when Queen Padmé Amidala's Royal Naboo Security Forces retook the capital from the Trade Federation.^[5] For the following decade, Bow continued her life as a shaak herder, ushering her herd about the plains outside of Theed.^[3]

Homeworld threatened[]

"Mesa come too!"
"No. Stay here and make sure no one escapes."
"Hm. Okeeday."

―Peppi Bow and Ahsoka Tano discuss the raid on Nuvo Vindi's lab — 20?cb=20250116042720

▶️ (file info)^[3]

Bow returned to her herd and together with her shaaks, the plains outside of Theed. Her animals proceeded to drink from the river, on the plains outside of Theed. Her animals proceeded to drink from the river but began to honk and snort in alarm. Just as Bow herself was about to drink some of the water, her animals began to fall to the ground, dead. An alarmed Bow realized that the water was somehow contaminated and attempted to push the shaaks away from the river with her electropole but was too late. Although only six of the animals died immediately, almost every other shaak in her herd fell ill and eventually perished. A short time later, Bow witnessed an approaching vessel touch down near the river. Unaware of its origins, Bow took cover behind a ruin on the riverbank and watched as two individuals clad in hazardous materials suits inspected the bodies of her animals. The Gungan was suspicious of their intentions and so attacked them with her electropole; however, unbeknownst to Bow, the individuals were in fact Naboo's senator, Padmé Amidala, and Associate Planetary Representative Jar Jar Binks, who had returned to their planet to investigate the appearance of the battle droids. After forcing Amidala to the ground, Bow turned on Binks, striking him repeatedly before removing his air-tight helmet. As Binks panicked, Amidala recovered and pulled a blaster pistol on Bow. At the senator's request, Bow returned the helmet to Binks, who swiftly placed it back over his head.^[3]

Peppi and Jar Jar — Peppi Bow and Representative Jar Jar Binks

Understanding that the two were just as concerned about the death of her herd as she, Bow informed Amidala and Binks that it was safe to remove their helmets, as the contamination was in the water only, and not the air. Once Amidala dropped her blaster and took off the protective head gear, Bow introduced herself to the two of them before being informed that it was a virus that had killed her animals. Amidala explained that the virus originated in an area surrounded by perlote trees, which Bow was able to identify as the eastern swamps. She gave the two politicians directions to the region and offered to take them there, but Amidala insisted that Bow remain on the riverbank and wait for Naboo Security Officers to escort her back to her home in Theed. The shaak wrangler agreed and waited while Amidala and Binks ventured into the swamps.^[3]

Upon her arrival in Theed, Bow was informed that Amidala and Binks had gone missing while investigating the swamps. As she had been the last person to see the two, Bow was summoned to the Royal Palace to meet with Captain Typho. Typho took the Gungan to the Theed Hangar, where the two of them met with Jedi Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker and Skywalker's Padawan, Ahsoka Tano. Bow explained to the three that Amidala and Binks had been searching for the source of the virus when they went missing. Skywalker ordered Tano to go with Bow into the eastern swamps to begin the search for the senator and representative, while he and Kenobi stayed in Theed to discuss the situation with Typho. Bow and Tano departed, riding one of the Gungan's few surviving shaaks to the swamps. During their journey, Tano was informed that the swamp hid a massive underground laboratory, which had been discovered by Amidala before her disappearance.^[3]

Infiltrating the laboratory[]

As night fell on Naboo, the two arrived at the swamps and followed the footprints left by Amidala and Binks deep into the perlote trees until they inexplicably stopped. Dismounting their shaak, Bow and Tano attempted to investigate the area, but were interrupted when Bow was raised off the ground by a photoreceptor scope that suddenly extended upward under her feet from beneath the swamp's muddy floor. While Bow balanced on one foot atop the scope, Tano maneuvered around it to avoid detection. When she had an opportunity to hide herself and Bow from the scope, Tano jumped up and tackled the Gungan off the scope and threw her behind the base of a large tree.^[3]

Once the scope descended back into the swamp floor, Tano contacted Skywalker and informed him of the situation in the swamp. The Padawan was ordered to detonate a bunker bomb at one of the laboratory's entrance hatches as a distraction for the forces within. Once that was complete, Kenobi and Skywalker would enter the lab with clone troopers of the Grand Army of the Republic to rescue Amidala and Binks and negate the threat of the virus. Before Tano initiated the operation, Bow called her shaak mount to take cover with her behind the tree. While they waited there, Tano used the Force to place a thermal detonator over one of the lab's hatches. Once the detonator exploded and breached the lab, Tano prepared to enter, but was stopped by Bow, who wished to aid in the assault. The Jedi Padawan refused her request, instead ordering Bow to wait in the swamp above and to prevent any Confederate personnel from escaping the laboratory.^[3]

Peppi attacks Vindi — Peppi Bow attacks Doctor Vindi.

Tano ventured into the complex, followed shortly by Kenobi, Skywalker, and their clone troops. The raid lasted until the following morning, when Naboo's sun once again rose over the swamps where Bow waited. After rescuing Amidala and Binks, Skywalker and Kenobi pursued Doctor Nuvo Vindi to an underground landing pad in the laboratory complex. Vindi—the Confederate scientist who developed the virus—planned to escape the Jedi's pursuit by fleeing in a Sheathipede-class shuttle, but first tried to delay the two by throwing vials containing samples of the virus at them, which, if broken, would unleash a plague upon the planet. Kenobi safely caught all the vials, but was left within the lab when Vindi raised the landing pad upward through large hangar doors on the swamp floor. Bow was standing directly above the hangar as the doors began to split and open to reveal Vindi's escape ship and nearly fell into the widening maw.^[3]

After jumping to safety, Bow watched as the landing platform brought Skywalker and Vindi into view. Although the Jedi had Vindi at lightsaber point, the doctor was unwilling to surrender and once again attempted to break a vial of the virus and release a plague upon Naboo. Because the doctor was distracted by his own glee for his apparent victory over the Jedi, he did not notice Bow as she climbed atop the landing platform. Just before Vindi was able to open the vial, the Gungan tackled him, causing him to drop both his case of vials carrying the disease as well as the individual vial he had almost opened. Skywalker prevented the individual vial from falling to the ground and breaking while Bow continued her assault on Vindi, striking him repeatedly with her electropole so as to prevent him from reclaiming his case filled with the virus. Despite being defeated, Vindi still laughed while claiming that bombs filled with the virus were about to detonate within the laboratory. His claim proved false, however, as the explosives had already been deactivated by clone forces.^[3]

Personality and traits[]

Peppi Bow was a Gungan female shaak herder, who was 2.01 meters (6 feet, 7 inches) tall.^[2] She had purple eyes and pink skin.^[1]

Bow had an innate understanding of her herd's behavior and was rightly concerned upon noticing their wariness near the eastern swamps. Despite her efforts to forewarn the Naboo, Bow's herd represented the first casualties of the Confederacy's bioweapon, the Blue Shadow Virus. She was quick to recognize that the river water was unhealthy and attempted to save her animals from drinking it, but the effects of the weapon were too fast to counteract.^[3]

Bow assaulted Amidala and Binks under the belief that they may have been involved with the contagion. Upon discovering their true intentions, Bow offered to help the two, just as she later offered to assist Tano in locating and infiltrating the Confederate lab. She dutifully followed Tano's orders to remain outside the laboratory and aided in the capture of the man responsible for her herd's death—Doctor Nuvo Vindi.^[3]

Skills and abilities[]

As a shaak herder, Bow was skilled in animal care. She also was skilled in survival as refused to drink the water from the river after she determinded it was infected and ordered her shaaks to back away from the river.^[3] Bow was also known for her agility.^[2]

Equipment[]

"Back! Back!"

―Peppi Bow whilst using her electopole to move her Shaak^[3]

Peppi Bow garbed herself in a small teal top and a short, matching skirt worn over long pink trousers. Bow also carried a lengthy electopole, a fambaa-hide carryall, and donned a large, wide-rimmed conical hat. She had a fondness for chewing on straw while riding her shaak mount.^[3]

Behind the scenes[]

The Gungan Peppi Bow was created for "Blue Shadow Virus,"^[3] the seventeenth episode of the first season of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series. In "Blue Shadow Virus," written by Craig Titley, Bow is voiced by Gwendoline Yeo,^[6] who has also voiced the Hologram VJ,^[7] Nala Se,^[8] and Cato Parasitti for the series.^[9] Bow's character design was done by artist Wayne Lo, who saw her as more rural than other Gungans, and so provided her with a stock of wheat to chew on in order to achieve a "farm girl look."^[10] As the first female Gungan to be featured prominently in a Star Wars work, Bow presented several challenges to the design team, as they experienced difficulties in making a Gungan appear feminine. To supply her with proper gender identification, Lo put Bow's long ears behind her head in a clasp, akin to a ponytail.^[11]

Bow first appeared in both "Blue Shadow Virus" and the Star Wars Legends short webcomic The Valley, an issue of StarWars.com's weekly webcomic that was written by Pablo Hildago.^[12] Both released on February 13, 2009.^[6]^[13]