Profile Name: Gungan Played by: CGI, voices by actors Species: Gungan Status: Amphibious Inhabitants of Naboo Age: N/A Height: Varied Sex: N/A Homeworld: Naboo Political Affiliation: None Weapon of Choice: Gungan Battle Staff Vehicle of Choice: Gungan Bongo Sub, Kaadu, Faamba

Gungan riding Kaadu in the Naboo swamp

In the February 1999 edition of Vanity Fair, the Gungan are officially mentioned. The Gungan are also prominently seen in the trailer, as shown below.

Note the Gungan in the foreground, Kaadu on left

The name of Jar Jar was confirmed by Rick McCallum in the Star Wars Insider #41 and Brian Blessed confirmed the name "Gungan" on BBC Radio 1 on 12/03/98. David Harrison sent us the following report:

I just thought I'd let you know that over here in the UK, on BBC Radio 1 this morning, they aired a live interview with Brian Blessed who, although not revealing anything too paramount to the plot, he let go of a few interesting facts.

Firstly, Blessed revealed his awe at uttering the final line in Episode I as Boss Nass, describing himself as a 'reluctant hero'. Apparently, he was originally hired by Lucas for another part, but Lucas decided Blessed was 'too loud' for that particular role. Anyone who is familiar with Brian Blessed will fully understand the logic behind Lucas' choice here.

Secondly, he told the interviewer of his transport during the film being 'some kind of mechanical dinosaur' which he 'rides all over the place'. He discussed the planet Naboo by name, adding that an assortment of 'wonderful submarines, mechanical fish and an assortment of watery type creatures' adorned the set. Also worth note is his description of one particular scene where 'tens-of-thousand' of Naboo inhabitants are begging him for his help. I think that I've included anything of worth here, and as I say, although not overly revealing, these little details are quite interesting - at least we know that Boss Nass doesn't get killed during the film now, as revealed in Blessed's admission to having the last line in the script.

One other thing worth mentioning is the way in which Blessed pronounced the name of Liam Neeson's character, Qui-Gon Jinn. The 'Jinn' seems to be pronounced with a French tinge, as in Jean Reno.

Early sketch of Gungan riding Kaaduu

Gren Cropper added the following:

Anyway, highly entertaining (very funny man) and Star Wars E1 was brought up. Much of what was said was already known. He mentioned his character BOSS NASS King of the Gungans and that the Jedi?Naboo go for their help. He also mentioned that Lucas asked him "you've got the Jedi and Naboo bowing at your feet begging for your help what does BOSS NASS say to them, how does he convey his response", Brian answers with a loud, deep war cry. Lucas replies something along the lines of"thats why I hired you, your mad!!"

Thanks to Gary Bethel who also sent in a report. You can download the radio interview here.

Despite their primitive technology, the Gungans have a variety of effective weaponry. These include the previously mentioned "energizer shields" that are powered by generators. The generators shoot red rays into dishes on top of the Faamba's backs, and the shields spread like an umbrella over the troops. Other weapons are power poles that are thrown and slingshots that shoot small balls of energy. Won't kids have fun going home and making their own energy slingshots and shooting small dogs and their little sisters? :) They also have mortars that shoot large energy balls. The balls are dumped into the mortars, they heat up, and fire "energy goo" onto their targets.

Some alien and creature names are Rep Been, and Rep Teers. Those two are both Gungans. There is a swamp creature called the Pikobis, in addition to the Peko Peko, and Nuna that we've seen on the official sneak preview Naboo Swamp site.

As noted in on the Boss Nass page, actor Brian Blessed reportedly spoke with a Gungan accent at PanoptiCon '98 in England on 10/06/98.  As you read the Gungans speak with a very West Indian-like accent.  Almost like someone from Jamaica mon!  If you're curious about the dynamics between the Naboo (the Queen's people) and the Gungan, along with a snippet of transcribed dialogue from Boss Nass

Obviously the Naboo and the Gungan inhabit the same planet...Naboo.  Now the humanoids (mostly if not all?) are the Queen's people and they are referred to simply as the Naboo.  They inhabit the bright, lush, and green side of Naboo.  It's sparsely populated, and it's few cities have many beautiful gardens and plazas.  There is another side of the planet that is quite different however.  The grassy Naboo plains separate the lush green side from the damp, grey side.  Few of the "surface dwellers" venture into this hemisphere covered with swamps, marshes, and larger bodies of water.  This is the area that the Gungan inhabit.  The relationship between the Gungan and the Naboo is nearly non-existent.   They're aware of each other but fear, and prejudice keep the species from living in harmony.  The Gungan actually live below the surface of the planet in their city of Otoh Gunga.  As reported officially on the Behind the Magic CD the planet Naboo defies traditional geological laws because it is made up of many layers and has no molten core.  The Gunga city is underwater in a layer below the surface and the core (which we'll also see in the film) is filled with water and many strange aquatic creatures.   If you are familiar with the old Flash Gordon comic you can liken the Gungan unto the Hawkmen.  In fact the relationship between the different peoples is very similar.   Although the Gungan and the Naboo are separated by prejudice they must unite to battle a common foe...the menacing Trade Federation.  Lead by Nimoudian viceroy Nute Gunray, and Rune Hakko, the evil trade barons are bootlickers of the evil Sith Lord Darth Sidious.  The survival of the planet Naboo is at stake but allying the Gungan and the Queen's people will not be an easy task.  What better mediators could Naboo have however than a couple of valiant knights of the Jedi order.  When Jar Jar leads our beloved duo to Boss Nass, the King of the Gungans, so they can request  aide in the conflict, he staunchly replies..."No!!! Wesa no like da Naboo...dey 'tink dey brain so biig!".  How will our heroes resolve this conflict?!? It's going to be impossible for the Naboo to fend off the Trade Federation threat without the help of the Gungan people. Will the freedom of the Queen's people be preserved?!?  Is there hope for the planet?!?  Only The Phantom Menace knows!

JediJimmie's POTF2 Pagescored a cool scoop with some more shots of Episode I action figures.   Most notable among these figures is the representation of Jar Jar and another Gungan (probably General Ceel).  Notice the duckbill type nose, eyestalks, and the "fin like" extensions hanging down behind their head.  The Gungans are apparently flesh/off-white in color with distinct pink and red blotches on their skin. Both Gungan figures are shown holding two long staffs.  These are Gungan "power poles".  Apparently the "power poles" are thrown in battle against the Federation droids.  It's not clear that the staffs themselves are thrown, as this would seem somewhat limiting. This is pure speculation but it's more likely that they launch some sort of energy ray when a throwing motion is made.  Among other weapons used by the Gungans are small and large "energy balls" along with mortars that blast "energy goo" on to approaching enemy droids.

Here's what another source had to say:

He's finished in almost all shots and looks really cool. I was afraid he'll be too cute, but he's OK. Your sketch looks really like him, except that your sketch looks like he has hair. In fact, he has two enormous flat ears (or even wings???) that cover his head and hang over his back like come sort of cape. They come almost exactly to his waist, but remember that his waist is much higher than normal human waist (see Barbie). I also saw some other Gungans that had completely different ears... Wait! It just occured to me! Jar Jar is probably supposed to be "wild" (he says he was banished from the city), whereas the others are "domesticated"! Their ears are cut at shoulder length and they even have some sort of decorative edge on them - so they really look like a hood.

It's also worth noting that Boss Nass and other underwater city officials look completely different. Not only much fatter, but totally different, although they have some vague fish characteristics like Jar Jar. They also have completely different speaking patterns from Jar Jar. It seems very unlikely that they belong to the same race. Also, in one scene, Jar Jar refers to "Da Bosses". The following is example of what Jar Jar speaks like. In writing it looks like this: "Mesa cause-ed mabee one or duey lettal bitty ax-adentes... yud-say boom da gasser, un crash Der Bosses heyblibber... den banished." Do YOU understand that??? I have some difficulties.

The picture below MIGHT be a shot of a rough Gungan costume, possibly Boss Nass?

Our informants tell us that the alien in the picture is missing the 'dreadlocks' or 'tentacles' we've been hearing about. Interestingly, that is one of the things that will be animated. I assume they are attached to that bulb on the back of his head. They apparently reflect the mood of the Gungan. If they are suprised, they stand up comically in all directions. Other times they simply move around. Kind of like the tail of a cat. The motions reflect the mood.

We assume that the body to the left of the bust is the body of the Gungan.

Some of our overseas spies reported that we'll meet Captain Tarpals who is a tall Gungan, Boss Nass who is a very fat Gungan, General Ceel who is the leader of the Gungan army apparently , and of course Jar Jar who is the "cuter" of the Gungans. All have their own look and personality, just as you'd expect.

In the story, we find that Jar Jar is forced to join the heroes in order to fulfill his duty to the Gungan. But you'll find out more about that in the movie.

Anonymous Source - 7/16/98 What do the Gungan look like? Well, you've heard just about every description possible. They look like that thing from the Muppets Tonight show. They look like a Jamaican Joe Camel. They look like Fraggles with dreadlocks, mon. This not really helping you visualize them? How about this. One of our spies was flipping through a magazine and saw an ad for the new Heart of Darkness game. Lo and behold, he saw some creatures that he could point to and say "They look kinda like that!" Where can you see 'em? Click here! Take the wings off and give 'em ears, and you have ultra cartoony versions of the Gungan. Keep in mind that they don't look EXACTLY like that, but it gives you a feel for the direction they are going. The creatures on that page even have the distinct body types and personalities you'll find the Gungan have. An nope, we haven't heard of female Gungan as shapely as the one on that site. But it's never too late for those wily ILMers to sneak one in. :)